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Prince Edward planning commission recommends special-use permit for local auto-detailing business
Summary
The Prince Edward County Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of a special-use permit for Brandon A. Lawson to operate an auto-detailing business at 32 Ferguson Road, forwarding the application to the Board of Supervisors for review on July 14. Staff said VDOT raised no driveway concerns and commissioners removed fixed hours so operations will be as-needed.
Brandon A. Lawson asked the Prince Edward County Planning Commission on Tuesday to allow him to operate an auto-detailing business from an existing single-bay garage at 32 Ferguson Road in Prospect.
"My name is Brandon Lawson. I've been a resident of the Prince Edward county all my life," Lawson told commissioners, saying he has about 15 years' experience detailing vehicles and plans to use the enclosed garage now on the 1.4-acre parcel listed as tax parcel 018A63. Staff told the commission the site is zoned A1 agricultural and that proposed signage meets the county's sign ordinance standards.
County staff presented a template of suggested conditions and said notification letters had been sent to adjoining property owners; no written objections were received. Staff also said the Virginia Department of Transportation reviewed the driveway for traffic and "had no issues." Lawson asked to include weekend hours — roughly between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. — but said he expects most equipment (a shop vacuum and a carpet extractor) to operate inside the building and that he will install solar lighting for nighttime visibility.
Commissioners asked about pickup and drop-off service, vehicle size and noise. Lawson said pickup would be at the customer's discretion and estimated he could handle about three vehicles per day depending on the level of service.
After closing the public hearing, commissioners agreed to insert the applicant's requested conditions into the staff template and to remove fixed hours so operations would occur "as the job dictates." A committee member moved "to recommend approval with a special use permit requested by Brandon A. Lawson for the proposed to operate an all detailing facility with the following conditions as stated with the removal of the hours." The motion passed unanimously. The commission voted to forward the application to the County Board of Supervisors, which staff said will consider the matter on July 14.
The commission did not take additional conditions related to noise or capacity beyond the staff template; commissioners said they found the site clean and suitable during site visits. The next procedural step is the Board of Supervisors' review; the planning commission's recommendation is advisory and the board will make the final decision.
