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Planning panel deadlocked over proposed junkyard near Marion State Fish Hatchery
Summary
A Smyth County planning commission split 3-3 on a special-use permit for a proposed auto-salvage yard at 169 Old Prater Road, leaving the matter to the Board of Supervisors after residents, state agencies and the applicant debated environmental protections, screening and permit conditions.
A Smyth County planning commission hearing on March 26, 2026, ended in a 3-3 split on a special-use permit for an automotive salvage yard proposed at 169 Old Prater Road, adjacent to the Marion State Fish Hatchery. The commission’s deadlock means the application will be forwarded to the Smyth County Board of Supervisors for further action.
The permit applicant, identified in the hearing as Zane Kite, told the commission he plans to store and eventually crush vehicles on-site, to drain fluids into a covered shed with three 275-gallon tanks, and to use contract crushers rather than crush all vehicles himself. Planning staff read correspondence from the Department of Environmental Quality saying a permit (VAR052677) had been distributed and outlining monitoring and reporting requirements, including sampling of Outfall No. 1 and benchmark monitoring…
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