A new campground and event venue is coming to Henry County (Virginia).
According to a report, the Henry County Board of Zoning Appeals held two public hearings on Wednesday last week prior to unanimously approving two special use permits for a campground with amenities on Frith Drive in Ridgeway and an event venue on Collins Road in Axton.
Sarah Evans and Danyse Pirrung were granted approval by the Board to create a campground facility that can accommodate up to ten sites per acre over about five acres of land situated at 87 Frith Drive in Ridgeway.
“We’ve been over this case thoroughly for a month and a half,” said Henry County Director of Planning, Zoning, and Inspections Lee Clark.
“I’ve walked over the property, and it’s a good location for this; it’s isolated, well below the road, and it’s treed.”
The elevation decreases slightly at the camping area, making it difficult to see until you get to the site.
“There is no impact on adjoining property with three sides that are isolated, and the fourth is by the river,” Clark said. “They did a really good job of covering the items that we are concerned about when it comes to appropriate land uses.”
Clark added that even though the permit technically allows the property to be used for up to 50 recreational vehicles, only about 2.5 acres of the land could be used, “so there are really 18 usable sites and some tent sites.”
“We plan to have 17 or 18 campsites so that we can keep it more intimate,” Evans said. “We have title insurance, and there will be 24/7 groundskeepers.”
Evans and Pirrung rent primarily via the Airbnb platform.
“They have their own terms on safety,” said Evans. “We have general liability, and we will put a barricade on the bridge.”
Evans added that they would accommodate 17 total campers with full hookups, with an event center and a mobile trailer for events.
Dry camping will also be available for tent sites, which means those locations will not have water or electrical hookups. However, bathhouses will be made available for showers.
This story originally appeared on Martinsville Bulletin.