Planning commission approves Grange Commons special‑use permit with VDOT‑contingent emergency entrance

The Greene County Planning Commission approved a special‑use permit for Grange Commons LLC to convert an existing barn into a church and a private K–8 school, adding a condition that a secondary emergency‑only entrance be provided if permitted by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Planning staff told the commission the application proposes repurposing an existing ~6,557‑square‑foot structure with a 7,000–8,000‑square‑foot addition, an expanded parking area and a playground; the applicant asked for a maximum assembly capacity of 400 and up to 125 students at full buildout. Applicant representative Justin Shimp said the project will ‘‘start with one grade and work their way up’’ and described the enrollment plan as phased over roughly five to ten years. Shimp said the school would begin small — ‘‘like 10, 12 kids, then 20 kids’’ — and grow grade by grade.

Public comment split the hearing. Terry Lawson, a Riverstone Church board member, said the congregation had drawn the family that moved to Greene County and that the church ‘‘can go forward, with giving into this community.’’ Anna Brown, who lives adjacent to the site, opposed the permit and raised several specific concerns: the doubling of building size since the prior approval, adequacy of water and septic for the larger use, a new parking area and exterior recreation spaces, and the loss of taxable parcels to tax‑exempt church ownership. Brown said in public comment that ‘‘this project is ballooning before our eyes’’ and urged the commission to scrutinize traffic and utility impacts.

Commission discussion focused on traffic safety at the Route 29 / Fredericksburg Road intersection and on site access for emergency vehicles. Staff noted that VDOT reviews for entrance cuts and that the building official and health department must approve interior changes and septic/well suitability at the site‑plan and permitting stage. Commissioner Mark Kelp moved to approve SUP 26‑004 for TMP 48‑1‑1 and 48‑1‑2 with the listed conditions plus an added condition (No. 21) requiring an emergency‑use entrance if permitted by VDOT; the chair seconded the motion and announced the motion carried. The transcript does not provide a clear per‑member roll‑call tally for that motion.

Next steps: site‑plan review and building‑permit processes must verify turnaround widths, fire‑apparatus access, septic/well capacity and any required VDOT entrance permit before construction or occupancy.