The Botetourt County Planning Commission will hear two zoning-related requests when it meets Monday, May 14 in Fincastle.
One public hearing is for a special exceptions permit that will allow the owners to turn the historic Cloyd House on US 220 near Trinity into a bed and breakfast. The log building has served as a gift shop/restaurant most recently.
Richard and Lisa Farmer dismantled and rebuilt the 18th century building in 1996. It was one of the oldest surviving structures in the county and stood in Amsterdam, but was destined to be demolished when they purchased it and moved it north on US 220 to its present location.
The property is zoned B-1 Business and requires a special exceptions permit (SEP) for a bed and breakfast as part of the county’s short-term rental section of the zoning ordinance.
In their application for the SEP and to drop proffers related to the original rezoning when they moved the building, the Farmers note they plan to remodel the kitchen for residential use. They plan to continue to use the basement of the building for a sewing area. The Farmers live on property next to the cabin.
The other public hearing is a request to rezone 20 acres from Industrial M-3 to Agriculture A-1. Gala Farm LLC and Boxley Materials Co. are requesting that a rezoning done last fall be reversed since Boxley Materials is not going to build a temporary asphalt plant on the property at Gala north of Eagle Rock. Boxley intended to use the asphalt plant for work that’s being done to improve US 220 north between Eagle Rock and Iron Gate. That would have required Boxley to build a berm around the plant to protect the nearby James River. As it turns out, the footprint for the berm was going to be so large, it wasn’t feasible to use the site.
As condition on the rezoning and SEP for the asphalt plant, when done, the property owner had to request that the 20 acres revert to A-1 zoning.
The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. in the Old General District Courtroom.
