Commissioners defer Riverbend barn event-venue SUP pending site visits, parking and septic review

Randy Whitesides and Dawn Pence presented a special-use permit request on Feb. 10 to convert a historic oak barn on a 2.5-acre parcel at 625 Riverbend Road (tax map 69-(A)-126) into a banquet/event facility with a requested occupant limit of 150.

Staff noted the barn’s square footage supports an occupant load of 186 per the Building Official, but applicants requested the lower 150 figure. Planning staff and VDOT noted an entrance location change and required land-use permit work; the Health Department flagged that applicable permits are required for septic or an alternate sewage solution. Mr. Whitesides said the aim is to preserve the historic structures: the barn (early 1900s) would be adaptively reused and minimal new construction is planned.

Commissioners raised concerns about site constraints. Ms. Catherine Grech asked whether parking, vehicle maneuvering, and lights could affect nearby dwellings; staff noted seven dwellings lie within 500 feet of the parcel boundary. Ms. Grech requested a site visit before scheduling a public hearing. "They don't want to overwhelming be invasive," Whitesides said of the proposed venue; he described the project as a way to help maintain historic outbuildings.

The commission discussed tying the 150-person limit to the SUP rather than only to the building occupant load, confirming that future operators and noise/parking management should be addressed in the permit conditions. Commissioners ultimately declined to schedule the public hearing at the Feb. 10 meeting and asked staff to compare the application to a recent Big Oak Road SUP in terms of parking and capacity. Staff and applicants agreed to coordinate site visits for commissioners when conditions permit.

Next steps: staff will bring refined conditions and comparative information to a future meeting; the commission will accept public comment after site visits are completed and when a public hearing is advertised.