Two special use permits to develop a proposed RV site and other lakeside amenities in Moneta were approved Nov. 28 in split votes by the Bedford County Board of Supervisors.
Stewart Garland of Richmond, with the services of Amy Seipp of Accupoint Surveying and Design in Lynchburg, applied for permits to develop a campground site on two properties totaling 43 acres in Moneta.
One parcel of land, measuring 27 acres, already features a marina and the Halesford Harbour Inn. The new developments will be an expansion and continuation of amenities and facilities already in place, divided by Virginia 122 into what the developers and nearby residents call the East and West sides.
The Halesford Harbour area development has been underway since 2019, the developers said Nov. 28. Plans call for about 18 acres to be used for campsites made for RVs on the east side. Recreational amenity areas proposed would take up about 10 acres.
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The campground site proposal for the East side development included space for up to 132 recreational vehicle campsites, a pool, a recreation center, a pond, and a proposed three-tier stacked boat storage across the road on the West waterfront access side which was later nixed by a condition supervisors added in their vote on the permits.
The West side development currently has 133 RV sites, plus about 110 boats belonging to these campers, according to documentation and the developers.
The RV sites are intended to function as long-term rentals, according to developers.
The land parcels are zoned Planned Commercial Development (PCD) and Corridor Overlay. One plot in question is already developed with a campground use, and the other had a boat repair shop which is currently not operating, according to county documents analyzing the applications.
Based on VDOT traffic analyses, conceptual plans for the site include the addition of left turn lanes both northbound and southbound off Moneta Road: at Campers Paradise Trail — the northern site entrance — and at the southern site entrance off Moneta Road and Kaseys Lakeview Drive. Seipp said these are concept plans to be fine-tuned as development and site planning moves forward.
Dozens of residents attended the Nov. 28 public hearing. Several spoke against the proposed development, as they had during the county’s October planning commission meeting where the special use permit applications were presented. Primary concerns centered around traffic issues, potential water pollution and congestion, overall incompatibility with the surrounding area, noise, and short-term rentals.
The East and West sides of the development are divided by U.S. 122. Residents who spoke said they feared an increase in traffic crashes or wrecks, and hazardous road conditions with the proposed development, because the water can only be accessed from the West side — across the busy road from the proposed East RV campsite area. Those who rent a site would have to cross 122 in order to get to and from the lake and West side amenities.
Robert Young, who lives within sight of the development area, said he already has had some close calls driving on Moneta Road. He said visibility tends to be poor, making it difficult to see far enough away to know whether it is safe to turn onto 122, and said many people speed through that area.
Paula Pitcher, who also lives near the proposed development, said she understands the area is a commercial one and she is not opposed to commercial development there; she just wanted any commercial development to be made thoughtfully, with more attention given to safety and citizen concerns.
Steve Pitcher, who said he spoke on behalf of himself and a group of other neighbors near the development site, likewise said none of the residents were opposed to development itself, but this proposal was not it; they wanted to see it done correctly, with more safety issues addressed and greater consideration given to those who live there on a more permanent basis. Boat traffic increases on the water itself was another concern.
Pitcher said he was concerned about potential water contamination that could result from the campsite, whether from increased boat traffic or septic waste.
Seipp said the proposed campsite would be hooked up to public water with the Bedford Regional Water Authority, so water contamination was not expected, since there would be no septic fields that could fail and subsequently run into the lake.
Privacy of adjoining properties, increased boat traffic on the lake with one cove that is already heavily congested — possibly the busiest cove on the entire lake, according to District 2 Supervisor Edgar Tuck — and noise from boats and crowds were other concerns brought forth by residents.
The motion passed 4-3, with District 3 Supervisor Charla Bansley, District 5 Supervisor Tommy Scott, Parker, and Tuck in favor and Davis, Johnson, and Sharp against.
The developers said they were amenable to having East side RV site occupants use public boat launches instead of the existing West side and also offered to put up a privacy fence.
