Rockbridge
Temporary Golf Facilities OK’d
While the Lexington Golf & Country Club’s golf course is being reconstructed, Washington and Lee University’s golf teams and physical education classes are to have access to a driving range and putting green on campus.
The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors on June 23 approved a special exception permit for W&L to develop a temporary driving range and putting green at 126 West Midland Trail on the back part of campus. The land consists of 68.9 acres to the north of West Midland Trail (U.S. 60), .15 of a mile to the west of Lexington’s city limits.
Conditions of the SEP, which will be in effect through Oct. 31, 2028, include a prohibition against outdoor lighting, limitations on the removal of vegetation and trees to develop the golf practice facilities and provisions for returning the property to its original condition when the SEP expires.
The Board of Supervisors on June 9 granted an SEP to the Lexington Golf and Country Club to reconstruct its golf course and country club facilities off of Thornhill Road just outside of Lexington. The reconstruction project is a joint venture of LGCC and W&L. The golf course is being upgraded to meet the criteria for holding NCAA Division III golf matches on it.
Commercial Kennel Approved
A commercial kennel for the breeding of dogs with the potential for doing police work was approved June 23 by the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors.
Jake and Brenna Tomlin received a special exception permit to establish the commercial kennel breeding operation on their property just outside Buena Vista at 115 Emerald Lane on the south side of East Midland Trail (U.S. 60) in the agricultural transitional (AT) zoning district. The 22.93-acre tract is approximately.294 of a mile west of the intersection of East Midland Trail (U.S. 60) and Forge Road. (Va. 608).
The SEP allows for the breeding of German Shorthaired Pointers, German Shepherds and Labradors. No more than eight female dogs and three male dogs shall be allowed at a time, which includes visiting stud dogs but excludes personal pets and puppies 16 weeks of age or younger.
Conditions of the SEP include provisions for disposing of solid waste at the landfill and securing outdoor runs to prevent dogs from escaping. Boarding and grooming operations are prohibited.
Jake Tomlin is a deputy sheriff with the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office who works alongside police dogs who perform air-free sniffs of narcotics. He hopes to breed dogs that could potentially be trained for police work, though the training would not occur on his property. Over time, he plans to build 11 indoor/outdoor kennels within and attached to an existing 1,500 square foot barn.
Dog Training School Gets Green Light
A special exception permit for Cassandra V. Harding to develop and operate a private school to train service dogs that work with the disabled at 405 McClure Boulevard, Fairfield, was approved June 23 by the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors.
The property consists of 7.07 acres and is located on the south side of McClure Boulevard (Va. 724), approximately .77 of a mile east of the intersection with Sterrett Road (Va. 717), in an agricultural and general uses (A-2) zoning district.
A multi-certified dog trainer, Harding said she has “found a new passion for the positive reinforcement dog training and the joy of providing training to service dog prospects for my clients with disabilities.”
All dog training activities are to be conducted within an existing building and limited to between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. Only four dogs, excluding the landowner’s pets, are to be allowed on the property at one time.
Training is limited to general obedience and/or training of service dog classes. “Steady to shot training” is prohibited. Boarding operations are limited to no more than two dogs of customers of the private school at a time.
The Planning Commission had previously recommended that the dog training classes be limited to three days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but supervisors Jay Lewis and Leslie Ayers felt that was too restrictive, given that the classes were being conducted indoors and limited to four dogs at a time.
Bob Day and Dan Lyons raised objections to going beyond what the planners had recommended but only Lyons cast a dissenting vote to the approval of the SEP with the modified conditions.
