Supervisors approve Johnson special exception with cemetery protections under state code

The Board of Supervisors approved a special exception allowing Barry and Nola Johnson to place a manufactured home on tax map 50‑66 after staff recommended conditions to preserve and protect a historic cemetery on the site. Planning staff noted there were no wetlands or floodplain on the parcel and that the Planning Commission had voted 6–0 to recommend approval. Neighbors and a local historian urged safeguards for the cemetery; Clarence Hawks Jr. described the site as "historical" and asked the board to protect access routes and not to build too close to graves.

An applicant representative told the board, "We are not gonna disturb the cemetery at all. . . We'll just leave it alone." Staff also referenced the Code of Virginia, section 57‑27.1, explaining that descendants and genealogy researchers have rights to access cemeteries on private land though property owners may limit hours and routes. The board approved the special exception and accepted the staff condition that access be maintained and that site work not interfere with the cemetery.