Board tables Sanders' campground request after neighbors cite floodplain, precedent and paperwork gaps

The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors postponed action on SUP357, a request by property owners seeking permission for camping on a 4.2‑acre parcel on Hathcock Lane, after neighbors and the applicant offered sharply different interpretations of the law and the packet was found incomplete.

Neighbors cited floodplain risk, permanent hookups, sewage concerns and the precedent the SUP might create for commercial campgrounds on Hathcock Lane. "This permit has been presented by the applicants as family camping, but the SUP itself is a permit to operate a campground," said Joe Phillips, a neighbor, who urged denial and cited county zoning language discouraging development in floodplains.

Applicant Phil Sanders told the board the use is private family camping and argued that county and state codes exempt private camping from special‑use permitting under the Dillon Rule. Planning staff and several supervisors noted required paperwork was not fully completed and had unanswered questions about whether the application describes a public campground or a private exemption.

Given those discrepancies, a motion to table the matter for follow‑up — including clarifying forms, floodplain questions and involvement of the applicants in the follow‑up — passed. The board asked staff to return with additional information and for the applicants to participate in resolving the outstanding items.