Despite the objection of an adjacent homeowner, the Pulaski County, Va., Board of Supervisors approved a property rezoning that helped move a campground expansion one step closer to reality.
The board voted o rezone five acres on Rakes Road from single-family Residential (R-1) to Agriculture (A-1). However, the board also unanimously voted to table a request for a required special use permit pending the applicant’s submission of a site plan, the Southwest Times reported.
Stuart Covey Jr. petitioned for the rezoning and special use permit (SUP) so he can expand Cedar Cove Campground by about 50 campsites. The campground is near the entrance to Claytor Lake State Park and flanks, on three sides, a single-family home owned by Larry and Darlene Ousley.
The Ousleys have been leasing the home to Derrick and Leah DeLuzio and were in the process of selling it to them when the campground expansion came to light. Monday night (Oct. 28), DeLuzio told the supervisors he will not follow through with the purchase if the rezone and SUP are approved and the house becomes “surrounded on three sides by campers. It would take away the ambiance of the property.”
Everette Warner agreed with DeLuzio that the “ambiance” will be destroyed by more campsites. He said he has been camping at Cedar Cove since 2006 – having even bought a camper there – and he enjoys its proximity to the state park and “the open area. It will be a loss to see (the open area) converted into high-density anything. It’ll be a personal loss and a tragedy.”
Increasing the density of the campground, Warner said, would “make it feel like you’re in the city.”
Covey said he has built a “top-notch campground” that has regulations he strictly enforces. He questioned what else the property could be used for and pointed out he is willing to install a buffer between the campground and the Ousleys’ house.
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