Amherst supervisors approve special exception for a four-bay auto repair shop on Route 29 Business

The Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted to approve Special Exception 2026-037 on March 17 to allow a four-bay, 3,200-square-foot automotive repair garage at 3362 South Amherst Highway, the site of the former LSE Antiques building. Staff recommended the board attach conditions to limit impacts on nearby homes and the board adopted those conditions by voice vote.

County planner Mr. Casey told the board the site is zoned B-2 (general commercial) and sits in a transition area between commercial development on Route 29 Business and adjacent single-family residential neighborhoods. He said the proposal includes 11 spaces for vehicles awaiting repair, four customer parking spaces, screening and a conceptual planting plan calling for Leyland cypress trees and other landscape buffers to screen residential areas. "We recommend screening from all adjacent property zoned residential and limiting hours of operation from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.," Casey said, noting VDOT and the county fire marshal reviewed the petition and raised no major objections.

The applicant’s representative, the petitioner’s mother, described the business as a locally owned, low-volume operation intended for higher-end repairs and computer-based diagnostics rather than a quick-service chain. She told the board the shop would operate Monday through Friday and that no junk vehicles would be stored outside: "This is not going to be a high-volume traffic business…no junk vehicles. These are simply waiting on something to complete the project for the repairs," she said.

Several residents and local business leaders spoke in favor, arguing the project would help keep young entrepreneurs in the county and contribute modest tax revenue. Board members acknowledged those benefits but also raised concerns about the proximity to homes and a spotty enforcement record for past garages that became cluttered. One supervisor said he was surprised there were no opposing public comments from nearby residents.

After discussion, a board member moved to approve the special exception with the recommended conditions. The motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records the approval but does not include a roll-call tally.

The approval requires the applicant to submit a major site plan, obtain any required VDOT entrance permits, and comply with site-plan, fire/EMS and landscaping requirements. If the business expands beyond the allowed threshold (25% expansion was discussed), it must return to the board for approval.

The board’s action is procedural: it grants permission for the special exception with conditions tied to site plan review; no building permit or business license was issued at the meeting.