Members of the Buckingham County Planning Commission voted to recommend a proposed RV campground in the area of South James River Road after a public hearing Monday.

Six members of the commission, Vice Chair R. Patrick Bowe, James Crews Sr., Royce Charlton, John Bickford, Sammy Smith and Board of Supervisors Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Jones voted in favor of the campground, Planning and Zoning Director Rebecca Cobb said. Commission Chair Alice Gormus and commission member Chet Maxey were absent.

Two members of the public, Carroll Gathright and Quinn Robinson, spoke in opposition of the project during the public hearing.

Applicants Craig White and Ricky Burnley, who own CWRB Associates, LLC based in Maryland, requested a special use permit to establish an RV campground on 43 acres of South James River Road. The campground will be used by those involved with the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and be located adjacent to the pipeline compressor station, the board packet cited.

The property is currently zoned as Agricultural-1, the meeting board packet cited. The campground would house up to 27 RVs.

Community organizations held a tour and presentation in the area of South River Road, Union Hill Road and Woods Corner to show the potential health and environmental impacts of the ACP Tuesday.

The campground was approved with 17 conditions, according to the board packet, including that the temporary campground approval expires at the end of three years of operation with a six-month extension upon request; that the County Zoning Administrator and one other county staff member, appointed by the County Administrator, would be allowed to enter the property if a complaint is registered against the property for noncompliance with the permit and that a privacy fence at a minimum of 5 feet tall would be built to block the view of the RVs from the highway.

White said in a letter included in the board packet that the campground is proposed to be divided into three, 3-acre lots with each having a septic system and water. White said he and Burnley contacted Paul Louis with the Buckingham County Health Department, and developed the plan for the proposed campground with requirements from the health department and the State of Virginia Administrative Code Title 12 regarding campground requirements.

White said in the letter that he and Burnley grew up in the area and that their immediate families reside in the county. He said Burnley lives northwest of the proposed campground site.

“We’ve heard the debates regarding the pros and cons of the ACP and we believe the pipeline can and will be positive for the county and community,” White said in the letter.

“We have been in contact with Dominion Energy and its subcontractors and they have expressed an interest in our endeavor,” White said in the letter. “Currently, they are anticipating having to travel outside of the county for lodging to places like Farmville and Appomattox. We would like to provide the workforce a choice to stay in the county, which in turn would give the county the opportunity to accommodate their purchase of gas fuel, food and other amenities.”