The Charlotte County Planning Commission has requested that the Board of Supervisors set a date for a joint public hearing to receive public comment on the Conditional use permit applied for by Moses L. and Molly Stoltzfus to operate a sawmill with two to four employees.

Stoltzfus’ sawmill will operate at 1449 Vincent Store Road in Charlotte Court House, at his home, tax map land parcels 14a-51&52, 69 and 28 acres respectively. Records indicate that there are 10 lots adjacent to the property. Three 30 plus acre lots with single family dwellings and outbuildings, five 20 plus acre lots of timber and cleared land, one three-acre lot with an uninhabitable building on the premises and a land parcel owned by Meherrin Agriculture and Chemical Company.

According to County records, Stoltzfus’ proposed sawmill sight is 1,200 feet from the front or north boundary, 370 feet from the east boundary and 1,300 feet from the western boundary and approximately 840 feet from the south boundary.

According to Stoltzfus, VDOT has come out and inspected the entrance to the sawmill, which is a driveway off Vincent’s Store Road. VDOT approved the driveway for low-volume commercial use.

Stoltzfus did inquire once about relocating the sawmill closer to the eastern boundary, and away from his home, he was informed that the sawmill could not be less than 300 feet from the boundary and remain compliant with county zoning ordinances.

Per recommendation made by staff and the Planning Commission’s request, the Board of Supervisors made a motion to hold a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission to accept public comment regarding Moses L. Stoltzfus’s application for conditional use permit to operate a sawmill at his home on June 12.

In a related matter, the Planning Commission has requested that the Board schedule a joint public hearing to consider an amendment to current zoning ordinances. The amendment would allow staff to hire a third party to review parts of a conditional use permit and associated site plan in instances that are outside of the County’s area of expertise. Any associated third-party expenses would be passed on to the applicant. However, the third-party reviewer and cost estimates will be submitted to the applicant for prior approval.
At the County’s discretion, a qualified third-party reviewer, hired and paid by the applicant, may be considered.