The Buckingham County Planning Commission took no action during its Monday, April 24 meeting regarding a special use permit and zoning text amendment that would change the existing permitted uses for property behind Camryn Retail Center, McDonald’s and Lucky’s Convenience Store to allow a temporary RV park that would potentially house construction workers for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project.

“The applicant is hoping to get the construction workers from the pipeline project,” said Buckingham County Zoning and Planning Administrator Rebecca S. Cobb. “If the pipeline project is approved, there will be lots of folks constructing that, and they’re hoping to have those folks (stay there).”

According to Cobb, commissioners felt they needed more information regarding the site plan, including the information on the road, parking and utilities.

According to the permit request submitted by Russell Lloyd III, the president of Atlantic Investment Corporation (AIC), and Tom England, manager of Lucky LLC Management, the park would accommodate 60-80 RV and fifth-wheel homes for temporary construction housing. For the property, the current permitted uses include apartments.

“We would request adding short-term housing to accommodate RV and fifth-wheel homes,” Lloyd and England said in their  letter to the commission.

They also stated the RV park would not span two years.

“Utilizing the county utilities would add a significant revenue stream to Buckingham County,” Lloyd and England said in the letter. “In addition to the utility revenue, there would be a one-time hook-up fee or lodging fee of $200 per unit payable to the county.”

Cobb said in an introductory statement to the planning commission that temporary RV and fifth-wheel home sites could be considered more in line with a definition of a campground, which is currently zoned as special use in the Agriculture (A-1) District.

“The Zoning and Planning Department believes this type of use is better suited to the A-1 District and the text amendment request should be denied,” Cobb said. “If the … commission agrees with this recommendation, they may recommend denial of the zoning text amendment to the board of supervisors without holding a hearing.”

The land is currently zoned B-1 for retail and business use.