PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA REQUEST

Owners/Applicants:

Board of Supervisors Meeting Date: 

Walnut Hill Farm, LLC

November 13, 2008

Staff Lead:

Department: 

Melissa Dargis, Assistant Chief of Planning

Community Development

Magisterial District:

Cedar Run

   PIN:

7920-71-1382-000

 Service District:

None

Topic: 

A Resolution to Approve a Category 21 Special Exception Amendment (SEAM08-CR-005) to amend a previously approved Special Exception Condition – Walnut Hill Airstrip, Cedar Run District

Project Update:

On August 14, 2008 the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on this item.  The hearing was left open and, at the applicant’s request, action was postponed.  During the postponement the applicant had Subdivision Potential research done for the Walnut Hill Farm assemblage of properties.  The research concluded that a piece of land adjacent to the airstrip was not a separate parcel.  Thus, it will be added into this property (PIN 7920-71-1382-000).  This will not affect the Special Exception use since the project footprint for the airstrip will remain with the original parcel’s 111- acre configuration.  However, the PIN number and the size of the parcel will change. At the time of preparation of this report, the new number was not officially assigned to this property, but will be PIN 7920-70-1978-000 and the parcel will be 145.395 acres in size.  The additional 33.770 acres that will be added will not be subject to this Special Exception approval.    

Topic Description:

Walnut Hill Airstrip is a private use grass airstrip located on an approximately 111 acre farm near Calverton.  It contains one hangar on the site and a pole barn that serves to store aircraft.  On January 21, 1986 the Board of Supervisors approved a Special Exception, with conditions, for a private use airstrip on the applicant’s property.  This included a condition that specified that if the property changed hands, the new owner must reapply for Special Exception approval in order to continue the airstrip use.  The aforementioned condition is the reason for the Special Exception Amendment; to allow for a new owner.  There are no other condition changes requested. 

The original Special Exception was applied for by the applicant’s late husband and was approved in his name, F. Scott Seegers and another owner, Penelope Gunn.  Ms. Gunn is no longer associated with the property or airstrip.  The applicant now owns the property and requests that the use limitation to the original landowners be removed and that the use go with the property.

Further clarifications were made to the Special Exception conditions on September 16, 1997.  The Board of Supervisors eliminated the original condition #3 (which specified a location of the proposed hangar) and approved a new condition #3 to indicate a hanger size (not location).  The pole barn on the property functioned as a hangar until the new hangar was constructed.  The pole barn hangar is still in use, when needed for aircraft storage.

Location,  Zoning and Current Land Use:

The property is located on Shenandoah Path, south of Bristersberg Road.  It is zoned Rural Agricultural (RA).  Consistent with the RA zoning category, the property is located in a district where agriculture and forestry are the predominant uses.  The 33.77 acres to be adjusted into the project’s parcel is shown as crosshatched.  A map of the property is shown below:   

Surrounding Zoning and Current Land Use:

Surrounding parcels are zoned RA. 

Staff and Review Agency Comments: 

All previous comments have been addressed.

Summary and Recommendation:

This item is ready for action.  Special Exception conditions have been prepared to clarify that the use will stay with the land.

Planning Commission Action: 

On June 26, 2008 the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of this item.

Requested Action of the Board of Supervisors:

Conduct a public hearing and consider adoption of the attached resolution.

Identify any other Departments, Organizations or Individuals that would be affected by this request:

Department of Community Development

Attachments:

1.          Statement of Justification

2.          Special Exception Plat