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Board denies request to operate four ‘glamping’ sites as a home occupation on Old Roxberry Road
Summary
After weeks of review and public comment, the board denied a conditional use permit to allow four seasonal glamping tent sites at 7850 Old Roxberry Road, citing concerns about overnight guests, narrow adjacent lots, hunting safety, and public welfare.
The New Kent County Board of Supervisors voted to deny CUP‑02‑26, an application by Katrina and Jason Whitehead to operate a small‑scale ‘glamping’ campground as a home occupation on their 15‑acre property at 7850 Old Roxberry Road.
Planning staff described the proposal as an immersive farm‑stay experience limited to four high‑quality canvas tent sites, an eight‑car gravel parking area and a bath house. The staff report recommended conditions addressing maximum campsites, guest stay lengths, VDH wastewater characterization and screening from neighboring properties.
The applicants, Jason and Katrina Whitehead, described the project as a low‑impact agri‑tourism use designed to keep their working farm viable. "This is not a traditional campground. This is not an RV park," Jason Whitehead told the board, saying the intent was to preserve agricultural use and offer small‑scale educational experiences.
Neighbors voiced both support and opposition during the public hearing. Supporters said agritourism can help keep farms viable and generates modest traffic. Opponents and some board members raised safety concerns about overnight guests near properties used for year‑round hunting, the narrow width of adjacent lots and the risk of inadvertent trespass. Jason Irvin, an adjacent property owner, said his lot is roughly 336 feet wide and warned that children or guests could wander into hunting areas. "The thought of hunting with guns shooting year round and campers — there's just something wrong with that picture," one supervisor said.
After discussion about ordinance gaps for new forms of agritourism and unresolved safety concerns, a motion was made and passed to deny CUP‑02‑26, with the board finding the proposed activity would negatively affect the health, safety and general welfare of the public.
The decision means the Whiteheads cannot operate overnight glamping on the property as proposed without further action. Planning staff and the board noted the county may need to consider new or clarified ordinances to address agritourism‑type uses going forward.
