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The application’s not completely filled out. The applicants themselves have made it clear they don’t even want the campground their permit request would be for. Meanwhile, Buckingham supervisors want to know how a case like this made it to a hearing in the first place. 

This is all about a 4.2-acre piece of property on Hathcock Lane. The owners, David Wimer and Phillip Sandridge, have said they want to use it as a spot their families can come on weekends, use the RVs on the property, camp and enjoy the James River. But the problem is everyone from consultants they hired to the county staff keeps telling them they need a campground permit for that. Some of the neighbors are upset because they don’t want a campground nearby, even if it’s one in name only. They’re also concerned about what might happen if the permit gets approved and Wimer and Sandridge later sell the property. Then someone could come in and in theory open up a commercial campground. 

This all was a bit much for Buckingham supervisors, who tabled the whole thing until next month, so that they could get answers to several questions from the planning department staff. 

What is allowed? 

The two men bought the property in 1992 to hunt on. Then after retirement, they cleared part of the land in 2021 and put four campers on it, so they can spend time on the property with their families. Wimer owns one of the campers, Sandridge owns one and the other two are owned by other family members, including Wimer’s daughter and his wife’s cousin. That was detailed back in the April 28 planning commission hearing, when this case was introduced. 

Now the issue comes up in terms of what they plan to do there. 

The men want to run septic out to each of the four campers. According to the Virginia Health Department, running septic to this number of campers defines the property as a campground. 

The Herald reached out to the Health Department and they provided the definition that a campground is any area “on which three or more campsites are occupied or intended for occupancy, or facilities are established or maintained, wholly or in part, for the accommodation of camping units for periods of overnight or longer, whether the use of the campsites or facilities is granted gratuitously, by a rental fee, by lease, by conditional sale, or by covenants, restrictions and easements.” 

In other words, that applies to both public and private, however the campground is used. If you want to run septic to three or more campers, the state labels it as a campground. That is the interpretation being used in this case. 

Needing a campground permit 

And that is why a permit in this case was needed, Buckingham officials say. Because of the plan to run septic to the campers, this property has been labeled as a campground. It’s that label which set off concerns from neighbors and left the applicants with questions, because they don’t want a campground permit. But every agency is telling them to get one. It’s been frustrating for Wimer and Sandridge, as they just want a clear answer and path forward. 

“We don’t want a campground,” Wimer said. “All we want to do is go camp.” 

Buckingham County’s zoning ordinance does not allow campgrounds as a “by-right” use. In other words, you can’t just buy a property and use it as a campground. The county requires you to go through the planning process, apply for a permit and have conditions put down that you have to follow. That means things like working with VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) on any road concerns and getting any required permits from state agencies. So from the county side, that’s where it stands. The property has been labeled a campground and so it needs a permit. 

Concerns from the neighbors

The main issue neighbors have is what’s on that permit. The fact that it says campground makes them worry for both now and for the future. 

When Scott Anderson heard about the application, he went to the county planning department to ask questions. Anderson lives right next to the property in question. 

“(I) said ok, if this is zoned as a campground, can it be sold as a campground and then operated as one? And (the county planner) said yes,” Anderson said. “And what that reality brings to our lives, whether it’s the traffic or the trash or the sweet, summer smell of a dumpster, it just challenges everything that we find and we value with that piece of land.” 

Speaking at Monday’s public hearing, Anderson felt there had to be some way for the families to enjoy their property and camp without having to apply for a label that could affect the area for decades to come. 

Joe Phillips also had a problem with the application. 

“The special use permit does not prohibit commercial use and sets a dangerous precedent for future use,” Phillips told supervisors. He also lives on Hathcock Road and just like Anderson, pointed out the application isn’t for family camping. It’s a permit to operate a campground.” 

Phillips also had concerns about the plan to run septic to each of the campers. When the area floods, as the James River does on occasion, there’s nothing mentioned in the application about putting protections in place so that the septic doesn’t get released in the river. 

The applicants’ supporters meanwhile praised the men as great neighbors when they or family members come in. 

“It’s not a commercial campground,” Mary Ann Wilburn said. “It seems like some verbiage or language could be changed in the permitting that would allow them to have this.” 

Another campground permitting problem

There’s one other permitting issue.  the special use permit application that was given to supervisors on Monday wasn’t complete. The copy The Herald saw didn’t have anything filled in when it came to the VDOT section and roughly two pages in total were blank. As there was no one at the meeting Monday from the planning commission, supervisors didn’t have anyone to explain if the document had always been like this or if the rest had been left off. On the applicants’ side, the men say since they didn’t know what was required, they hired a consulting firm to fill out the special use permit application. They questioned why, if anything was left incomplete, was it allowed to get this far. Nobody told them something needed had been left off, the men told supervisors. 

In the end, by a unanimous vote, Buckingham supervisors pushed this back to their Aug. 11 meeting. 

“I think we need more clarification,” Chairman Joe Chambers said.