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Ever since he sold the Hillside Restaurant in Burkeville, former patrons have been asking Paul Ward Jr. to start something new. Now seems a good time to listen and build one in Green Bay, he told the Prince Edward Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 20. 

“Everybody keeps saying open a restaurant, open a restaurant, so we’re going to open a restaurant,” Ward told the commission. 

Ward is applying for a special use permit to open a restaurant in Green Bay. Specifically, he’s building or rather renovating at the site of what used to be a gas station. The property is located at 8306 Patrick Henry Highway, next to the Green Bay Post Office and across the road from the Dollar General. A special use permit is needed because the property is currently zoned A1, that is agricultural 1. That zoning limits what is and isn’t allowed to be put up at the property, with exceptions given by permit. 

In his application to the planning commission, Ward explained that this would be a family-style restaurant, serving home cooked meals and barbeque. The plan would be for it to be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only day it would be closed, Ward told the commission, would be on Christmas Day. 

The plans call for seated dining for an estimated 45 guests. A patio with six picnic tables would be available for those who want to eat outside. Alcohol wouldn’t be served. Instead, drinks would be tea, coffee, water and soda, with an estimated 6 to 8 employees on staff. 

Ward told the planning commission that if all goes well and county officials approve his permit request, the restaurant would be ready to open fairly soon. 

“I’m hoping to be open by the end of July, if approved,” Ward told the commission. “We’ve done most of the primary stuff and checked all the other permits. We’re in the process of getting the water tested, we’re remodeling it. We’re putting in bathrooms.” 

VDOT, commission approve Green Bay plan

Part of the application to the planning commission was documentation of Ward’s discussions with Brian Lokker. Lokker serves as assistant land use administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)’s Lynchburg District, which includes Prince Edward County. 

Lokker had no problem with the property being used for a restaurant. In fact, he said that restaurants actually generate less traffic than a gas station, so since the property had no issues serving as a gas station, it should be fine for this use as well. The entrances there on site will also work as is, they won’t need to be adjusted, Lokker wrote. 

Planning commission members also didn’t see any issues with the proposal. By a unanimous decision, they voted to recommend approval.

“It sounds like it’s a great opportunity for the community,” Planning Commission Chairman John Prengaman said. 

To be clear, in Virginia, planning commissions are advisory boards. That means the group makes a recommendation to approve or reject a project and then it goes to the county board of supervisors for a final decision. In this case, the project will be discussed at the Prince Edward Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 10.