Applicant seeks conditional C-1 rezoning for electrical contractor site near Route 3; commission forwards request

An application to rezone a roughly 1.96-acre corner parcel (tax map 17-49 b) from Agricultural General A-2 to Commercial District C-1 (conditional) for an electrical contractor's office and storage facility was presented to the Planning Commission and forwarded to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for approval.

The chair read the application and asked the applicant to identify himself. "My name is Paul Elmore. I own Elmore Electrical Services," the applicant said, explaining his Whitestone location has become too small and the proposed new site would provide more room for office, training and storage needs. Planning staff summarized the packet and said the property lies within the Highway Corridor Overlay district and that appropriate site design and screening would be required to avoid an "unnecessarily intensive or visually intrusive presence along Route 3."

During public comment, resident Charlie Costell urged screening along both Route 3 and Devil's Bottom Road and called the corridor a Virginia Scenic Byway; Bob Casassa, who lives across from the field, asked whether rezoning would allow other commercial development on the remainder of the field. The applicant told the commission he planned to screen the storage area, plant trees along Route 3 and use the existing turn-in lane for occasional tractor-trailer deliveries; he also said he planned to retain the Whitestone property.

Commissioner Booth moved to forward the rezoning request to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for approval. The commission took a voice vote; the chair called the motion carried. The meeting transcript records the voice vote but does not list individual recorded votes.