Planners advance permit for outdoor church services
Neighbors of Chester Gap Baptist Church concerned about traffic, safety
A request by the Chester Gap Baptist Church for a special use permit to use 24 acres it owns off Headwaters Road for outdoor services and activities drew neighbors to a public hearing on Wednesday to express concerns about increased traffic and safety.
Ultimately, the commission voted 5- 0 with one nay (from Mary Katherine Ishee, Piedmont District) and one absence (Brian Scheulen, Wakefield District) to forward the application to the Rappahannock County Board of Zoning Appeals with a recommendation for approval. The BZA will schedule a public hearing before deciding whether to approve or deny the permit.
The hearing held by the Rappahannock County Planning Commission also saw the church’s pastor, board chair and members of the congregation express the need for extra outdoor space that is lacking at the church’s 41 Waterfall Rd. location.
Headwaters Road resident Jim Vittitow was among those opposing the permit. He said there is already a runoff problem onto his property from the church’s property which is at a higher elevation. He also expressed concerns that traffic will go past his front yard. Though the proposed outdoor activity area will be shielded by trees, the road access and planned parking area will not be, Vittitow said.
Angelica Vittitow cited “hardship and hassle” and traffic safety if the church’s proposed use is allowed.
Edna Grove, the church’s board chairwoman, said responses to a letter the church sent to nearby property owners in Rappahannock and Warren counties apprising them of the application were favorable.
“The events we are planning are small. Small community events, picnics. We have no plans to rent it out,” Grove said. The cleared 200 by 200 feet outdoor space could be used as a helipad for first responders to evacuate injured individuals, she added. The activity space can’t be seen from Headwaters Road, she added.
“We want to be good neighbors through this process and for years to come,” Grove said. She added that the expansion “is vital to the growth of the church and its ministries.”
Church member Ashley Clark said that the area would be useful for Vacation Bible School activities. “We would love to have an area to grow into,” church member Kesley Williams said. “Our goal is to reach out to the community.”
“We want to create a safe space for our congregation and community,” church member Doug Gilmore added.
In answer to questions posed by planning commission members, Pastor Roger Orman said “We have no intention of building a parking lot except on the land that’s already leveled.” Gravel will be put down on a section of the lot for parking for the 10 to 15 cars most events would draw. Any additional parking spaces needed to handle overflow would be on the grass and not on the side of the road.
Overflow parking would only be necessary for the church’s harvest festival in the fall. Most events would last just a couple of hours. A revival could last three days, Orman said. The church would count that as a single event, he said in answer to a question from Commission member Al Henry, Hampton District.
The county staff is recommending that no more than eight outdoor services and recreational events per calendar year be allowed. The church also can’t rent the property to parties for other uses. Construction of any structure would require a permit. No building is proposed.
Orman said that there will be security personnel onsite during events. There isn’t any running water or sewer on the property. Portable toilets and handwashing facilities will be brought in for events. Temporary lights for use during events will be brought in. There is an access road to the property. The Virginia Department of Transportation said the site meets its requirements for sight distance and stopping requirements along Headwaters Road.
Planning Commission Chairman Keir Whitson noted that the proposed use of the land is allowed under its residential village designation, which also broadly allows such things as medical care and residential care facilities as well as schools.
In 2009, the establishment received a special use permit to build a new church with parking and sewer on the land now planned for the outdoor uses, but the structure was never built. In 2012, the permit was extended to 2015 but has now expired.
In other business, the commission approved sending new language to amend the ordinance allowing limited golf driving ranges as a special exception in agricultural zones to the board of supervisors with a recommendation for approval with Ishee providing the only “no” vote.
The new language includes a prohibition on fixed or portable lighting at driving ranges, no containment netting, no structure exceeding 10 feet in height or 1,200 square feet in area, a minimum 25 acre lot size, no sale of food or commercial entertainment and no amplified sound. Additional conditions could be tied to any special exception request.
The commission also decided to hold a public hearing at its May 18 monthly meeting on a request for a special use permit to allow a four- bedroom tourist home to operate at 32 Old Hollow Rd. in Sperryville on 12.8 acres of agricultural land. The applicants are Toa Sun and Ziming Yang.
The commission sent a request for a special use permit for an accessory dwelling in Boston to the Board of Zoning Appeals with a recommendation for approval. Edward and Karen Rissing want to convert an existing workshop at 100 Eagle Nest Ln. into living space.
The commission also will hold a public hearing at its May meeting on an application from James and Elizabeth Swindler to use a barn on their property at 698 Laurel Mills Rd. in Castleton for up to 12 events per year. They plan to host weddings, receptions and anniversary parties. They need a special exception to do so. The land in question is 50 acres in size and is zoned agricultural.
The Swindlers said in their application that they hosted their daughter’s wedding on the site in 2020, an event that drew about 150 guests with 100 vehicles.