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Board approves conditional use permit for Mount Laurel Road event venue with cemetery coordination conditions
Summary
The Halifax County Board and Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit allowing Stephanie Stevens to develop a two‑phase event center on Mount Laurel Road, subject to 21 site conditions including a requirement that the applicant coordinate event timing with the adjacent Clover Cemetery to avoid conflicts with funerals.
The Halifax County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for Stephanie Stevens to develop an event venue on Mount Laurel Road.
Stevens, who applied for the permit to build a two‑phase facility including a roughly 100‑by‑100‑foot event center, told the board she needs indoor space to host annual recitals and other events that can draw more than 700 people. Planning staff said the applicant plans two buildings on roughly six parcels; the fenced building area would be developed in phases with parking concentrated on the upper portion of the site.
The decision matters locally because the proposed venue sits directly across the road from Clover Cemetery, whose board represents more than 400 plot owners. Joe Graals, chairman of the Clover Cemetery Board of Directors, told the board he and other cemetery representatives support the project so long as safeguards are written into the permit to prevent venue activity from distracting funeral services. Planning staff and the applicant agreed to a site condition requiring mutual notification and coordination between the cemetery committee and the venue operator so funerals and events do not conflict.
Supporters at the public hearing said the county lacks indoor space large enough to host recitals, weddings and other large gatherings since a school facility scaled back community rentals. Opponents and nearby residents raised concerns about traffic on Mount Laurel Road (a two‑lane road used by log trucks), amplified noise, parking congestion and policing for large events; several speakers asked the county to require a VDOT review of the entrance and to include clear on‑site staffing requirements. Planning staff noted VDOT inspected the entrance and will require improvements as needed.
The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval with 21 site conditions; the board then approved the CUP and the related site condition language allowing the applicant and cemetery committee to coordinate on funeral‑event conflicts. The record shows the commission and the board closed the public hearing, discussed detailed wording for coordination, and carried the motion in open session.
