Bath Supervisors Talk Rezoning During Public Hearings At February Meeting

Hot Springs, VA – The Bath Board of Supervisors held it’s monthly meeting on Tuesday night and voted on two property issues, one a rezoning request and one the disposition of a piece of county property.

There was a public hearing on Tuesday night on a rezoning request submitted by Wayne Williams to rezone property at the intersection of TC Walker Road and Route 39 in Millboro. The request was to rezone from agriculture to general business. The property is approximately 1.8 acres and Mr. Williams plans to construct public storage units on the property.

During the public hearing one person spoke in support of the rezoning. Another speaker questioned the placement of the units in that location and asked if they would be an attractive sight on a primary road coming into the county. Supervisor Kevin Fry asked Mr. Williams if he would look into some landscaping to provide screening for the units and he agreed to do so. The board approved the rezoning request unanimously.

There was also a public hearing on disposition of approximately a third of an acre at the corner of Route 220 and Poor Farm Road near Starr Bolar Chapel. The property is owned by Bath County and the adjoining landowner was requesting to have it conveyed to him. The property is assessed at $1000 and the board discussed letting the adjoining landowner purchase it for that amount. During discussion Supervisor Bart Perdue said he thought it would be fair to let anyone who might be interested in the property have the opportunity to buy it. The board voted four to one to convey the property to the adjoining landowner for $1000 with Supervisor Perdue voting no.

Also on Tuesday night, the Board heard an update on the Bath County Economic Development Study that’s underway by the Virginia Tech Economic Development Department. Research completed thus far shows that there are increasing numbers of people living in Bath who are employed outside of the county. Industry clusters in the Shenandoah Valley that attract workers have also been identified. The study is still in process and when it’s completed a plan will be created outlining steps Bath County can take on economic development. The plan will be similar to the county’s tourism plan which was also created by Virginia Tech.

For more from Tuesday night’s Bath Board of Supervisors meeting, tune into Noon Hour on Thursday.