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A proposed rezoning for a short-term rental of a historic home in Brownsburg was a point of contention at last month’s Rockbridge County Planning Commission meeting.
Sam and Beth Rowe are seeking to rezone their house at 8 Hays Creek Road from general residential (R-1) to general business (B-1) so they can rent one or two bedrooms to guests on a short-term basis. The original request was to rent the whole Lucas House but neighbors’ concerns prompted the Rowes to proffer limiting the rentals to just one or two bedrooms.
At a public hearing on the rezoning request on May 10 and in letters to the county, several neighbors raised objections while others defended the proposal. Only three of five members of the Commission were present at the May 10 meeting so action on the request was postponed until the June 14 meeting.
Sam Rowe said he and his wife Beth own and operate a similar historic property in Augusta County that’s rented on the Arbnb platform. They don’t envision having more than four overnight guests at a time and the rooms likely wouldn’t be rented on more than 80 nights a year. “We will always maintain the historical integrity of the structure,” he said.
Dee Papit said she has concerns about the prospect of a second Airbnb in the tiny, historic village of Brownsburg. She said another Brownsburg property was rezoned for business several years ago so that someone could operate a food truck there. The rezoning was granted but the business lasted less than a summer and the zoning is still in place. The current owner of the property is making plans to open up an Airbnb there, she said.
“It’s a bad fit,” she said of the proposed rezoning. It would disturb the “quiet residential setting and high qualify of life” currently enjoyed by Brownsburg residents.
Jeff Shingleton raised concerns about traffic. He said visitors would find Brownsburg to be “a particularly hazardous place to take a stroll. Visitors with children and pets will find very few sidewalks, no parks and areas with unmarked but private driveways. Without consistent sidewalks, Route 252 is a dangerous place for walks, particularly with most vehicles exceeding the 25 mph speed limit.”
He said the Planning Commission “should reject the conditional rezoning request for B-1 zoning in order to protect the integrity and safety of this historic and settled community.”
Amy Moore said she sees Brownsburg as “an amazing place” that is very welcoming of visitors. “We love sharing Brownsburg,” she said. “If you have not been there, come on out. Walk the streets of Brownsburg. If you’re walking through the town and you’re looking at the houses, I’ll probably be one of the first ones to say, ‘Hey, did you get your walking brochure?’ There’s a brochure that encourages you to enjoy the town, to walk through the town.”
Lucy Hayes, a Rockbridge Baths resident who said she’s known the Rowes for years, vouched for the high standards the couple adheres to in operating their other arbnb. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem with loud parties that are not being addressed or the condition of the house or the condition of the yard,” said Hayes. “Change is hard for everybody but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Brownsburg was built on small businesses. If you reference the brochure that Amy mentioned, every building in Brownsburg was a business at one time. It wouldn’t hurt Brownsburg to have a few more businesses. It really wouldn’t.”
Catherine Gilliam Burns said her hope is that the Planning Commission and interested citizens, during the process of updating the county’s comprehensive plan, would explore ways to “protect the unique character of Brownsburg and stimulate innovative and entrepreneurial land use that would benefit all.” A place like Brownsburg, she said, “calls for extra attention and creativity in planning. … With good planning and good community cooperation and respectful communication, Brownsburg could be revitalized and be a flourishing community for all who live here and visitors who will boost Rockbridge County tourism.”
It might be, she said, “that this process would permit or encourage the use that the Rowes seek. But granting their rezoning request in advance of that process might foreclose those options for others and that would be unfair. . . . If I were on the Planning Commission, I would vote to deny this rezoning and proceed with the good planning process that may allow it in the future.”
