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Commission recommends rezoning and special-exception permit for Osceola Mill lodging expansion
Summary
The commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve rezoning 4.42 acres of a 6.12-acre parcel (tax map 41-a-5a) from R-1 to A-2 and a special-exception permit to allow a lodge resort; owner Linda Schatz described phased plans for up to five cabins and detailed floodplain constraints and safety measures.
The Rockbridge County Planning Commission on Jan. 14 voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a rezoning and a special-exception permit to allow a lodge-resort operation at Osceola Mill (At Ease Retreat Corporation).
Staff described the property as 6.12 acres (tax map 41-a-5a) on the west side of Tyre River Turnpike and said 4.42 acres of the parcel are currently zoned R-1. The applicant, Linda Schatz, said she purchased the mill in May 2024, operates the existing mill-and-cabin lodging, and seeks to rezone the R-1 portion to A-2 so the entire site will conform for a lodge-resort use and a follow-on special-exception approval. "My name is Linda Schatz. I am the owner of At Ease Retreat Corporation, and we run Osceola Mill," she told the commission.
Linda and staff explained site constraints: the mill building dates to 1849, the parcel contains multiple flood categories (including about 3 acres of regulatory floodway and other AE/X zones), and the available buildable area is a narrow sliver above the regulatory floodway. Structures would be elevated to meet the base flood elevation (BFE) plus required freeboard, and the design will require certified surveys, special construction techniques and an access road cleared for emergency vehicles. Staff said the entries and sight-line surveys were reviewed with VDOT and the fire department.
Commissioner Tony Sabrizzi moved to recommend approval of rezoning the 4.42-acre R-1 portion to A-2; Bob Kramer seconded and the motion carried unanimously. A separate motion to recommend approval of the special-exception permit (to operate a lodge resort) passed unanimously with conditions including: substantial compliance with the applicant's development narrative (dated 12/12/2025); use as short-term rentals only; compliance with general lighting and design standards; clearance of required county building, erosion/stormwater and VDOT permits prior to construction permits; and a requirement that patrons be notified the cabins lie within the 100-year special flood hazard area and be instructed to use the Alert Rockbridge notification system on check-in.
The commission recorded the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors; staff noted building permits and other agency approvals are prerequisites to construction and operation.
