Old sawmill site in Huntly to become business HQ for septic company, under application given OK by Planning Commission
By James P. Gannon
Seizing an opportunity to clean up a Rappahannock County eyesore, the county Planning Commission recommended approval of an application to convert a Huntly sawmill property to the business headquarters of a septic-system pumping business.
The planners voted unanimously Wednesday evening to approve a special exception for Chris Boucher of Hume, VA, to operate a contractor’s office, shop and yard on the property currently occupied by Dove’s sawmill. The 4.6-acre site fronting on Route 522 in Huntly is an unsightly jumble of rusted machinery, aged and worn buildings, piles of logs and scattered lumber and appears inactive.
Boucher, who lives and operates his business in Fauquier County, has contracted to purchase the property for $289,000 from owner Edith T. North, but the contract is contingent upon his receiving county approval to move his business, All Star Septic, to that site, at 1568 Zachary Taylor Highway.
The property has been rented to sawmill operator John Dove, who has agreed to vacate it by next December 1, according to information provided to the Planning Commission.
Boucher told the commissioners Wednesday that the site will be completely cleaned up and the sawmill building will be enclosed and converted to storage for his trucks, backhoe and other equipment. He said all business vehicles will be stored inside, out of sight from the highway and from neighbors.
“The place is a mess,” Boucher said, promising to clean up whatever is left there when he occupies it. “The building is perfect to put all my stuff in,” he said. The property also includes a brick house that Boucher said he plans to rent out to a tenant.
There was no public opposition to the application and commission members spoke in its favor. “I think it would be a benefit to clean that place up,” commented Raymond Brown, Jackson District commissioner. Tom Tepper, Stonewall-Hawthorn commission member, suggested a time deadline for the clean-up, but also said, “It’s a good thing to do, to get rid of an eyesore.”
After brief discussion, the panel added several conditions to the approval, all of which were accepted without objection from Boucher. The conditions limit the number of employees to six, require that all business equipment and vehicles be stored inside the current building or any new buildings later built, and that all sawmill materials be cleaned up by the end of 2009, and that the special exception permit will not convey to a new owner if the property is sold by Boucher.
The vote to recommend approval was 6-0. The application now goes to the Board of Supervisors for final approval at their next monthly meeting, Monday, Oct. 6.
-- James P. Gannon
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