By John Wayne – February 2022
The result of the lengthy public hearing by the Planning Commission, which finally concluded the evening of January 19th, was a 7-0 vote to recommend Denial of the SUP application required for the Four Seasons RV Park! This positive step was taken after completing the reading into the record of the remaining written statements, the applicant’s rebuttal, and further discussion among the Commission members.
For a reminder of how we got to this point, you will recall that the Planning Commission Public Hearing began on November 17th but was not completed due to the number of concerned citizens who chose to speak, and the over 200 emails and letters that were sent to be read into the record during the hearing. The Hearing was continued to December 1, and then again, based on the remaining volume of statements not able to be read at that meeting, scheduled to be continued January 5th. The January 5th meeting was postponed due to weather and rescheduled for January 19th.
In addition to voting to recommend denial of the SUP application during the meeting on January 19th, the planning commission also added several new conditions to those the Planning Staff had already drafted. These conditions will go forward to the Board of Supervisors as recommended conditions of implementation should the Board of Supervisors not adopt the PC recommendation to deny the application. Conditions added during the meeting include forbidding boat rentals, reducing the number of permanent “park model RV’s” to a maximum of 15 and reducing the number of available boat slips to a maximum of 30. In addition, the commission requests that the Board of Supervisors not hear this SUP application until a supervisor has been elected to replace the late Barry Jett, representing the Livingston district.
The third edition of the public hearing on the 19th was attended by over 50 concerned citizens. LACA and its Board would like to thank all those from the community that wrote letters, emails and/or spoke at the public hearings, especially those that were able to attend in person over the course of the three meetings.
As this decision moves to the Board of Supervisors, we need to continue to make our voices known to our elected officials encouraging them to deny this SUP. Please continue to watch the LACA website and look for EGrams alerting you to the next step in this process which likely will be the presentation of the PC's recommendation to the Board of Supervisors who will then take up the matter for a vote. The BOS is not bound by the Planning Commission recommendation and is free to vote yes or no on the future of this SUP and the Four Seasons RV Park. It will be very important for our voices to be heard at the BOS when this occurs!
By the time you read this article there will likely be a newly elected Supervisor for the Livingston District replacing the late Barry Jett, and this SUP Application may be on a March 2022 BOS meeting agenda. In the meantime, remember that you can avail yourself of the public comment period, available during any and all Board of Supervisor meeting, to let the Supervisors know of your position on the RV Park. It would also be a great idea to write or email all of the Spotsylvania County Supervisors to make your position known. You can find all the BOS contact information at https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/1200/Members.
When the BOS sets the SUP application on their agenda, LACA will provide information on the schedule and it will be very important that a good representation from concerned citizens be present at the BOS meeting. Please continue to watch the LACA - Land Use – Four Seasons RV Park web page, https://www.lakeannavirginia.org/page-18174 , for information on all upcoming public meetings surrounding this SUP.
john.wayne@lakeannavirginia.org
LACA Land Use Committee