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James w. Bill f letcher 111 proposed the use for the Miller Farm, which includes an 8,000-square-foot house that he has renovated on the property. Fletcher said he needs to be allowed to tap alternative streams of revenue to pay for maintenance and taxes on the property.
“The farm has become unsustainable,” he said. “If we don’t have alternative uses allowed on the farms, the land is going to be split up and sold. The question is: Do you want farming or houses?”
The commission’s 5-1 vote came during a meeting that lasted more than three hours. The meeting room at the Rappahannock County Courthouse was jam-packed to the point where some members of the public had to stand and others had to find a seat in the jury box, which is usually not used at the meetings.
Robert Weinberg, the Board of Zoning Appeals representative on the commission, was the only dissenter.
Weinberg objected to the allowance of 24 outdoor events per year for up to 300 people on the property. He said the application should allow 12 events of that size to match what the commission approved in September for the Montpelier Conference Center across F.T. Valley Road from the Miller Farm.
He also argued that the commission should require a review of Fletcher’s permit in two years in case the conference center proves to be a burden on neighbors.
In his application, Fletcher wrote that the location would be an ideal venue for events such as weddings and conferences. He also said the property could suit a private shooting club, which would hunt birds and shoot skeet. He plans to lease the property to a corporation that would manage the activities there.
County Administrator John McCarthy said the hunting aspect of the application stimulated several concerned letters and calls to his office. But, as McCarthy explained at the beginning of the meeting, county regulations do not require a permit for hunting in agricultural zones.
“Hunting is specifically exempt from county regulations,” McCarthy explained. “It’s a by-right agricultural use.” He said fishing and hiking are also exempt from regulations, regardless of whether a fee is taken in exchange for access to such activities.
Therefore, members of the planning commission were only allowed to consider the lodging and events portion of Fletcher's application.
Fletcher mentioned several types of events that might be held at the Miller Farm. He mentioned that it might be used for private hunting parties or Civil War reenactments or dog shows or weddings or something else.
“It isn’t set in stone what I want to do because I don’t know what you all are going to allow me to do,”
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