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Page County OKs Riverbend event venue permit with VDOT sight‑distance condition after traffic concerns
Summary
The Board approved a special‑use permit for an event venue on Riverbend Road with conditions requiring VDOT entrance requirements and sight‑distance mitigation after staff reported VDOT needs a 390‑foot unobstructed sight line; residents and supervisors urged safety planning and monitoring.
The Page County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a special‑use permit for a banquet and event facility on tax map 69‑Alpha‑126 after staff and applicants addressed traffic, sight‑distance and safety questions.
Planning staff told the board that VDOT’s three‑day study showed an average of 173 vehicles per day on Riverbend Road and that VDOT initially indicated the existing driveway could not be used; after a follow‑up call, staff said VDOT advised the existing entrance can remain but that meeting a ‘‘moderate volume commercial entrance’’ standard requires a 390‑foot sight‑distance, which may require easements from adjoining property owners or other mitigation. Staff directed the board to draft condition 11, which requires all VDOT entrance requirements be completed prior to operation.
The applicant described a modest lighting plan and said the feature termed an "outside bar" is actually an existing small serving window in a historic pig‑pen and not an outdoor seating/bar venue. The applicant also said many venues use shuttle services, and the applicant’s parking plan shows 104 spaces. “It’s very uninvasive,” the applicant said of the lighting plan.
Residents and some supervisors expressed ongoing safety concerns: the parcel is small (about 2.5 acres) and the application contemplates a maximum occupant load of up to 150 people and up to 75 vehicles at peak. Several citizens submitted a petition and roughly 38 contacts expressing concerns about safety, traffic and noise; board members recommended conditions and suggested a safety management plan and signage (including recommending encouraging right‑turn egress) as practical mitigations. One supervisor asked whether the board should seek a post‑opening traffic review; staff said traffic enforcement and broader roadway safety remain under VDOT’s authority.
After discussion, the chair called the motion to approve the permit with the attached conditions; the motion was seconded and passed by the board.
Next steps include final VDOT sign‑off on entrance standards and completion of the permit conditions before operation.
