Madison County committee forwards Ace Country rezoning for RV rentals to Planning Commission

The Madison County Preliminary Development Review Committee voted April 7 to send Ace Country Holdings LLC’s rezoning application for three parcels (Madison County Tax Map 55-43 Bravo, 55-38 Golf, and 55-38 Hotel) from agricultural A1 to general business B1 to the Planning Commission for formal review.

The applicant’s representative, identified in the meeting as Asgar, said the company intends to operate RV rentals and related services on the parcels and to use a nearby 9.9-acre property for parking and minor servicing. “RVs come back at midnight sometime. This gets stuck on the road. So, we have to have a person on the premises,” Asgar said, describing plans to keep an on-site employee residence for after-hours security and to provide a sheltered check-in area for inclement weather.

Staff flagged a planning complication: one of the parcels contains a preexisting single-family dwelling that, if rezoned to B1, would likely require a special-use permit (SUP) to remain occupied. Planning staff cited Madison County code language on lawfully built single-family dwellings and noted the county is considering a related text amendment. Board members discussed practical options, including excluding the 0.6-acre house lot from the rezoning or pursuing an SUP for continued occupancy.

Public-health and transportation stakeholders also weighed in. Emily Bourdon of the health department told the committee the farmhouse uses an alternative septic system that must be protected from vehicle traffic and that a commercial wastewater characterization and a wastewater professional will likely be required if commercial uses expand. A VDOT representative cautioned that proposed entrances must meet spacing and sight-distance requirements for large vehicles at the intersection and advised the applicant to coordinate with VDOT’s engineer on design thresholds.

After discussion of parcel boundaries, access, and site operations, the committee made and seconded a motion to forward the rezoning application (TBD Ace Country Holdings LLC) to the Planning Commission; the motion passed with all present voting in favor. Staff indicated that planner Allen and staff member Stacy will follow up with the applicant before the Planning Commission hearing.

Next steps: the Planning Commission will review the rezoning application in a formal hearing; if the residence remains part of a proposed B1 parcel, the applicant should be prepared to pursue an SUP or to propose a lot-exclusion or boundary adjustment.