Nelson County residents press supervisors over Monroe Institute conference-center expansion

The Nelson County Board of Supervisors heard more than two hours of public comment on a special-use permit request from the Monroe Institute to build a conference center on agricultural-zoned land in the Newland area. The applicant said the facility would add residential quarters and meeting space to accommodate up to 90 guests and represent roughly a $25 million investment; the board did not vote and recessed for a break.

Justin Shimp of Shimp Engineering, representing the Monroe Institute, told the board the project would be limited to a single parcel and screened from most neighboring properties. He said the building footprint would be roughly in the 30,000–60,000 square-foot range discussed in materials, that the expansion would create about 10 additional jobs beyond Monroe’s current workforce, and that construction and operation would generate tax revenue (Shimp cited an estimated $140,000 in real-estate tax revenue and roughly $200,000 a year in lodging taxes at full capacity). Shimp said the Planning Department and the planning commission recommended approval (the planning commission voted 3–1 in favor) and described a…