Commission raises safety, EMS and event‑size concerns for proposed event facility; seeks amendments

The Planning Commission extensively questioned an applicant seeking a conditional use permit for an event facility at 2773 Horse Trail Road, a roughly 193‑acre parcel that hosted Field Day of the Past under a special-event permit.

Staff described conditions it recommended for C-26-4, including a cap on events per year (staff initially proposed a maximum of 12), operating hours for outdoor activities, VDOT‑compliant driveway entrances, on‑site parking with ADA access, a 50‑foot natural buffer, annual CUP review and the requirement that event organizers pay the costs of sheriff deputies when deputies are needed for security. Staff also reported VDOT traffic counts on Horseshoe Road of “approximately 60 vehicles per day,” a figure commissioners used to frame concerns about pedestrian safety during events.

Applicant representatives and volunteers stressed the event’s community and educational mission. Denise Gammon, who said she has volunteered with Field Day for more than three decades, described the event as “family oriented” and focused on rural Virginia history. The event’s safety director, David Shallow, told the commission the organizers coordinate with the sheriff’s office, man the primary gate, deploy communication systems and use trained volunteers to direct traffic.

Commissioners pressed staff and the applicants on parking across a road that bisects the property, pedestrian crossings, whether VDOT would allow road closures or message boards, and what security and medical resources are required. Fire and EMS asked for medical coverage tied to event risk; the applicant said last year contracting advanced life‑support ambulances cost about $25,000 and described that level of expense as unsustainable for the nonprofit operator. The applicant indicated willingness to reduce the number of events from 12 to 6 and to work with the sheriff and fire/EMS on event plans.

After lengthy discussion about enforceability, road safety and EMS requirements, the commission approved a motion recommending disapproval to the Board of Supervisors while specifically asking that conditions be reconsidered (one suggested change: make “all events” subject to the county special‑event permit process and reduce the number of allowable events to six). The motion to recommend disapproval carried in the recorded vote; the commission recorded its concerns for the Board to address at the July hearing.

The Board of Supervisors public hearing for the item was announced for July 21 at 7 p.m.; staff will send notice to surrounding property owners.