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Commission recommends rezoning and later approves limited RV/campground permit; Board later lifts recommended restrictions
Summary
Rebecca Saltz sought a rezoning (R to A/R) for a Chestnut Ridge lot to allow farm animals and temporary RV use; the Planning Commission later recommended a restricted Special Use Permit for a campground/RV park with a one‑year expiration and Health Department verification, but the Board reportedly approved the permit without the recommended restrictions.
Rebecca L. Saltz asked the joint Smyth County Planning Commission–Board of Supervisors hearings to rezone a lot in the Deer Run Development on Chestnut Ridge from Residential to Agricultural/Rural and later sought a Special Use Permit to operate a campground/Recreational Vehicle (RV) park on that same lot (1663 Chestnut Ridge Road, Tax Map 65‑3‑3H).
Saltz told the commission she homeschooled and wanted the zoning flexibility to keep farm animals such as chickens and to place an RV temporarily for visiting family. Staff reported required notification and that the Health Department had approved a septic installation for one RV and approved connection of a second RV to the dwelling’s septic system. At the September hearing, Saltz was not present but staff said septic approvals were obtained for the first RV and permission to hook a second RV to the house system had been granted.
Commissioners debated limits and conditions for a campground use. At the September 26 meeting the Planning Commission recommended approval of the Special Use Permit with two restrictions: validation of Health Department approvals for both RV sites and a one‑year expiration, citing the applicant’s statements that the sites were for family only. The recorded vote included four ayes, one oppose and two absences. A later minutes note indicates the Board of Supervisors approved Saltz’s application without the Planning Commission’s recommended restrictions.
The Planning Commission’s decisions reflect concerns about health approvals and whether a family‑limited use should be temporary or permanent; the Board’s later action removed the recommended limits, per the meeting record.
