Planners schedule public hearings for Amissville kennel, Chester Gap tourist home

The Rappahannock County Planning Commission moved swiftly through five applications for special use permits at its Sept. 15 meeting, deciding to hold public hearings in October on a request to operate a dog kennel and dog training business in Amissville and another to operate a tourist home in Chester Gap.

Charlotte Wagner, who has been in the kennel and dog training business in Warrenton and hopes to relocate it to Amissville, wants to build two metal pole barns for an office and training arena with a fenced-in exercise yard.

Her property is at the intersection of Forest Grove and Richmond Roads. The 11.6 acre lot is zoned agricultural. The business would be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Wagner said in her application. The commission unanimously agreed that a public hearing should be held on Wagner’s application.

Wagner’s property will be open to those who come at scheduled times. She expects traffic flow to average 20 cars per day. There will be a parking lot for 12 vehicles. The new buildings will be shielded by trees and vegetation. Neither dog breeding nor boarding will occur on the property, she said.

Wagner had the support of three residents who spoke in favor of her application during the public comment portion of the meeting. Commission member Mary Katherine Ishee, Piedmont District, called it “a good application” that should go to a public hearing. Commission member Gary Light, Stonewall-Hawthorne District, said details provided about the proposal at the hearing should allay any concerns that may exist.

A public hearing will also be held in October on an application from Lissa Hubbard to use an existing rental home on Headwaters Road in Chester Gap as a tourist home. The applicant or a representative wasn’t present at the meeting to speak about the request. The application filed with the county states that the building has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and is in good working order.