Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
A special use permit for the Mayapplings Child Care Center, LLC was approved by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors during their regular meeting on Nov. 27, 2023.
Brea Hopkins, Planning and GIS Director, presented before the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors for a special use permit request that would allow for a childcare center to be located off Prices Fork Road, outside of Blacksburg, on Old Fort Road. The property is currently zoned Agricultural A1 with some surrounding residential zoning.
Mayapplings was originally founded in 2015 in Newport, Va. The childcare center was forced to relocate to Blacksburg because of the Mountain Valley Pipeline in 2018 and is currently renting a space on Mount Tabor Road. The center would provide care for children 3-6 years of age. Their curriculum involves outdoor play and learning and will benefit from being outside of the town of Blacksburg, Hopkins said.
The Westhill Development undergoing construction would provide a future connection to the property; however, currently, a maximum of 21 students that would attend would do so by a staggered pick-up and drop-off by parents.
Supervisor Darrell Sheppard expressed concern about the connection to the new development.
“I’m already worried about that road because of accidents and, you know, natural disaster, trees falls across the road and somebody has a heart attack, you can’t get to them,” Sheppard said. “What happens if we have kids over there and something happens, and we can’t get to them. I’m just not, don’t think I’m going to be for it, but I’ve had several people call me, you know, complaining about it.”
Hopkins shared that a timeline for the future connection has not been established yet.
Hayley Reynolds, President of the Board of Directors for the Mayapple School along with Melissa West, the Founder and Director of the School was present for additional questions. Reynolds responded to Supervisors’ questions concerning the lack of a proposal for outdoor lighting for the facility. Due to the hours of the center ending at 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and no weekend use of the building, parking lot lighting would not be necessary.
Comment from the public was opened by Supervisor Sherri Blevins, with no citizens coming forward to speak.
The board voted five to one approving the special use permit, with Sheppard voting in opposition of the request.
Another public hearing for DW LLC rubble landfill has a proposed location just outside of Christiansburg, accessed through Houchins Road and Brammer Lane, and is zoned Agricultural A1. The landfill will be for inert waste, which is brick, rock, broken concrete, and other materials that do not contain chemicals.
“It’s not your standard landfill that you hear about so much about with trash and junk and debris, this is just inert waste,” Hopkins said.
Typically, a permit is allowed use-by-right up to 15,000 cubic yards, according to Hopkins, but this request is for an additional 10,000 cubic yards. If the additional cubic yards are approved, it is proposed to extend operations at the landfill an additional six months, weather permitting. Debris will come from the Christiansburg Industrial Park and will not be opened to the public for dumping.
Supervisor and Chair Sherri Blevins asked for additional information from Hopkins on the buffer surrounding the location as well as the daily traffic to and from the landfill site.
“There it would be required a 75-foot buffer around,” Blevins said. “And the closest house or property would be at least 200?”
“Yes, it’s at least 200 feet from the property line. The closest house is a quarter mile, if not more, away,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins was asked for the daily traffic rate and did not have that information at the time of the presentation; however, the traffic rate for the landfill will not increase, but could extend an additional six months as stated in the public hearing.
There were no citizens that came forward to speak during the open comment session of the public hearing.
Board members voted unanimously in support of the special use permit, approving the request.
