Campbell County Supervisors say no ponies for family

By Sarah Watson
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: April 8, 2008

Citing spot zoning, Campbell County supervisors unanimously shot down a request to rezone 5.3 acres near Mt. Athos from residential to agricultural.

The request, made by Donnie and Sandra Cyrus, was to accommodate a pet miniature horse, which Sandra Cyrus told the board was a gift from neighbors.

About a dozen neighbors were at Monday’s public hearing to protest the request, though only one, Phillip Jones, a representative of the Country Haven Estates homeowners association, spoke.

“If you zone A-1, even though this for one pony, one horse, one whatever, then who can control the amount of structures that can go in there?” Jones asked. “There are virtually no controls on A-1.”

Jones said neighbors were concerned that property values would decline and the rezoning would change the flavor of a residential development.

Cyrus told the board that her husband lost his job just before Christmas and a neighbor gave her family groceries and the horse for the children, along with six months of food for the animal.

“My children for two years prayed for this horse,” Cyrus said. “This was their blessing and if it’s denied then they will learn a big lesson for it and if it’s approved they’ll learn a lesson as well.”

The Cyruses’ land, which is off Mt. Athos Road, is zoned residential manufactured housing, but she said her neighbors across the street have horses. The development straddles Appomattox and Campbell counties, with property in Appomattox zoned agricultural, Jones said. Additionally, neighbors told the Cyruses last year that their land wasn’t properly zoned for keeping livestock, Jones said.

In January, the Cyruses were reported to Campbell County for a possible zoning violation and the couple filed for the rezoning permit shortly after, community development director Paul Harvey said.

Campbell County planning commissioners were deadlocked on the issue after a public hearing in February, but ultimately voted 4-3 to recommend approval in March.

“It seems to me, based on what I see and what I’ve heard, I just cannot support the zoning request,” said Concord District Supervisor Eddie Gunter.

“I still look at this as spot zoning,” said Timberlake District Supervisor Charles Falwell.

In other news:

The Brookville-Timberlake volunteer fire company was given unanimous approval from supervisors to go ahead with a plan to purchase adjacent property to expand.

The fire company plans to apply for a special loan not to exceed $150,000 that would finance the purchase and would be responsible for all related expenses, company president Gerald Mays said.

Supervisors approved a resolution after a public hearing Monday night, in which no one spoke for or against the issue.

“We are kind of landlocked in our present position,” Mays said. “This piece of property came available to us and it’s kind of a godsend.”