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Planners Recommend Irish Creek Proposal
A special events venue proposed for Irish Creek in northeastern Rockbridge County was recommended for approval last Wednesday, April 10, by the Planning Commission in a 3-2 vote.
Several of the neighbors, in letters to the county and speaking during a public hearing, expressed concerns that special events in this remote area would create a disturbance and draw too much traffic for narrow, curvy Irish Creek Road.
Lewis W. and Kendra R. Hamilton want to develop and operate a special events venue on land they own off of Black Bear Trail on the east side of Irish Creek Road (Va. 603), approximately 4.06 miles east of the intersection with South River Road (Va. 608). The properties are in the agricultural and limited uses (A-1) zoning district in the South River magisterial district.
The Hamiltons own several tracts of land in the area totaling about 22 acres in which they have a small campground, a cottage and a couple of cabins that are used for short-term rentals.
“We’ve taken multiple pieces of property in pretty rough shape, [undertaking restorations], making [them] look good,” said Lew Hamilton. They have plans to build a barn that would be used for the special events, and a bridge over Irish Creek that would better accommodate traffic than an existing one does.
The Hamiltons are well-established local entrepreneurs, having owned and operated a multitude of businesses in the Rockbridge area over the past 30 years. They are the proprietors of J.J.’s Meat Shak in Buena Vista as well as a catering enterprise and construction and septic businesses.
During the public hearing, Denny Vance said Irish Creek Road is too dangerous for the traffic that drives on it now. “People drive on the wrong side,” he commented. “There are no lines on the road. It’s narrow. There are no caution signs.” He alluded to traffic fatalities in past years.
“The environmental impact alone would be tragic to the beautiful Irish Creek area,” wrote Robin Burke. “Please think long and hard before you decide to invite traffic, trash and pollution to this beautiful area of the county.”
“The road is small, the traffic very light and the residents enjoy the quiet,” wrote Luke Tyree. “250 wedding guests is a number far beyond reasonable for the parcels in question to accommodate as a potentially recurring ‘venue.’ The traffic coming in from locations outside the county [would bring] unwanted road trash, road kill, traffic and visitors.”
The Hamiltons had suggested 250 as the largest number of guests who would attend a gathering at the proposed venue but the Commission proposed a maximum of 175 guests as a condition of a special exception permit.
Other conditions recommended include limiting the number of special events in a year to 50, restricting the number of vehicles per event to 75 and requiring special events to end by 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
Tom Beebe made a motion, seconded by David Whitmore, to recommend approval of the special exception permit with the stated conditions. Voting in favor of the motion were Beebe, Whitmore and Melissa Hennis. Voting against the motion were Adam Sandridge and Robert Kramer.
