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Planning commission recommends limited special-use permit for 12-unit RV park in Saltville
Summary
At a joint March 22 public hearing the Smyth County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors recommended approval of a 12-unit recreational vehicle park on Buckeye Hollow Road with conditions limiting occupants to Appalachian Power employees and subcontractors and a six-year permit expiry, following resident concerns about traffic, security, noise and water pressure.
Chairmen Todd Dishner (Board of Supervisors) and Norman Sparks (Planning Commission) presided over a joint public hearing on March 22, 2018, where Debusk Farms LLC asked for a special-use permit to build and operate a 12-unit recreational vehicle park on Tax Map No. 41-A-109B between 1528 and 1366 Buckeye Hollow Road in Saltville.
Clegg Williams, the county zoning administrator, summarized notice and the relevant legal authority (State Code §15.2-2204; §6-2.2 and §3-2 of the Smyth County Zoning Ordinance). Applicant John Debusk presented a business plan saying the park would serve workers on an Appalachian Power (AEP) substation project. During public comment Blaine Ward raised concerns about security, additional traffic and the expected length of workers’ stays; Tom and Janet Duchac questioned driveway noise and potential impacts on property values; Tiffany Evans worried that water pressure could fall and asked whether the county would provide water support. John Debusk III clarified that the applicant intended to rent only to AEP employees and sub-contractors.
Commissioners discussed measures to address neighbors’ concerns and settled on two limiting conditions when framing their recommendation: permit occupants only for AEP employees and their subcontractors working on the substation project, and set the special-use permit to expire in six years. Commissioner David Spence moved the recommendation; Commissioner Paul Shepherd seconded it. The motion passed unanimously among Commission members present.
The Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final action. The hearing record includes the applicant’s site plans and the notice affidavits filed with the county; the zoning administrator reported receiving one phone call about the application before the hearing.
Next procedural step: the Board of Supervisors to act on the Commission’s recommendation at a later meeting.
