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Northumberland County Planning Commission
September 18, 2025
Minutes
The regular monthly meeting of the Northumberland County Planning Commission was held on September 18, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in person at the Northumberland Courts Building and using Zoom (telephonic meeting), with the following attendance: Chris Cralle Present Roger McKinley Present
Vivian Diggs Present Patrick O’Brien Present
Allen Garland Present Garfield Parker Absent
John Kost Present Heidi Wilkins-Corey Present
Richard Haynie Zoom Charles Williams Absent
Others in attendance:
Stuart McKenzie (County Planner)
RE: CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Vice Chairman Kost, as Chairman Parker was not present.
Mrs. Diggs led the commission in the invocation, and Mr. Kost led the Commission in the Pledge of Allegiance.
RE: AGENDA
Mr. O’Brien made a motion to accept the agenda, and Mr. McKinley seconded the motion. All voted in favor of accepting the agenda.
RE: MINUTES – August 28, 2025
Mr. O’Brien made a motion to accept the August 28, 2025 minutes, and Mrs. Wilkins-Corey seconded the motion. All voted in favor of adopting the minutes from August 28, 2025.
RE: COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS
Mr. Kost stated that the Board of Supervisors, at a recent meeting, asked the Planning Commission to meet with the Economic Development Commission in the near future to discus and further review the county owned property analysis that the Planning Commission worked on in 2023. Mr. Kost stated that the two chairs, Karen Pica and Garfield Parker would work on a mutually agreeable date and time for an upcoming joint meeting.
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RE: STAFF MEMBERS’ COMMENTS
Mr. McKenzie stated that he has not heard back from VDOT or VDEQ regarding reviewing the revised Draft Comprehensive Plan, but did receive correspondence from the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF). VDOF staff noted our forest statistics were from 2016 and asked if we would like updated forest statistics, to which county staff replied yes. Staff indicated that he would bring the updated forest statistics from VDOF along with VDOT and VDEQ comments regarding changes to the revised Draft Comprehensive Plan after he receives comments from VDOT on transportation and VDEQ on the Chesapeake Bay Act.
RE: CITIZENS’ COMMENTS
There were no citizens comments.
RE: PUBLIC HEARINGS
Vice Chairman Kost asked staff to read the description of the public hearing scheduled for tonight. Mr. McKenzie stated that tonight’s public hearing was a request by Lauren Foiles and Jeanette Bonifaz Urquizu, owners, for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a vacation home rental on property zoned R-3, Residential Restricted. The property is shown as Tax Map Parcel # 45-B(3)1-14 and is located at 164 Bay Shore Avenue. Mr. Kost asked Mrs. Foiles if she wanted to tell the Commission about her request. Mrs. Foiles asked the rhetorical question, how did we find out about Northumberland County? Mrs. Foiles stated it was through renting an AirBnB home rental a few miles away from where they bought their house! Mrs. Foiles stated that they fell in love with the area, and decided to buy a house in Fleeton Beach. She stated they will not be renting the property out full time, because they want to enjoy the property along with their family, but will rent it out occasionally to help offset the cost of the property. She added that they had th
been living in their Fleeton Beach home since July 26 , because they are enjoying it so much. Mrs. Foiles stated that she wrote a letter to her neighbors explaining how they would manage the vacation home rental, stating that they would have a security camera on the property, would screen guests and require that guests had a at least 5 positive reviews from previous stays in AirBnB rentals. Mrs. Foiles also stated that there will be property rules attached to the vacation rental, such as staying within the property lines of the rental property, quiet hours, no promotion of the amenities of the community, reminders to drive slow on the gravel roads, and they plan to be in full compliance with all county requirements.
Mr. Kost stated that Mrs. Foiles letter was well written, and asked Mrs. Foiles when the letter was sent. Mrs. Foiles stated she sent it by text on August 6, 2025. Mrs. Wilkins-Corey aske if there were any responses, and Mrs. Foiles stated yes, and some were positive. Mr. McKinley asked Mrs. Foiles if she was on the water, and she said yes. Mr. McKenzie then projected an aerial photo view of the property at 164 Bay Shore Avenue for the commission members to view on the projector screen. Mr. Kost asked the applicants if they are aware of the proposed conditions? The applicants stated that they have not seem them. Mr. McKenzie displayed the county’s proposed conditions on the 2
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display screen for the applicant, audience and commission members to see, and handed a printed copy of the proposed conditions to the applicants. Zoning Administrator Mr. Marston then read the proposed conditional use permit conditions for audience members and those who were online. Vice Chairman Kost asked Mr. Marston if these conditions are specific to this site, or standard for vacation home rentals. Mr. Marston replied, these are the standard vacation home rental conditions that other applicants have had to abide by in previous conditional use permits. Mr. O’Brien stated that he was curious about the prohibition of golf cart use by guests of the vacation home rental, does this condition match other vacation home conditional use permits in Fleeton Beach? Mr. Marston said yes, this condition was placed on previously approved vacation home rental conditional use permits in the county. Mr. Kost asked the applicants if they were OK with the proposed conditions? The applicants stated the proposed conditions seem reasonable. Mr. Kost opened the public hearing on the conditional use permit for the vacation rental at 164 Bay Shore Avenue at 7:18 pm. Mr. McKenzie stated that there were no citizens that signed the sign in sheet to speak on the proposed conditional use permit. Mr. Kost asked if anybody in the audience would like to speak, and no one responded. Mr. Kost then asked if anyone online would like to speak, and no one responded. Mr. Kost then closed the public hearing at 7:19 pm.
Mr. Kost asked if any commission members had any further comments or questions. Hearing none, Mr. O’Brien stated that this motion is made in due consideration of the administrative record before the body, including the planning commission’s deliberations and recommendation, the information received via the public hearing, including statements offered by staff, the applicant, and members of the public, the public health and safety, the general welfare of the community, public necessity, convenience, in the exercise of good zoning practices and the body’s legislative prerogative, and pursuant to the body’s statutory authority to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors of this vacation home rental with proposed conditions read by Mr. Marston. Mr. McKinley seconded the motion. The vote was as follows:
Chris Cralle Aye Roger McKinley Aye
Vivian Diggs Aye Patrick O’Brien Aye
Allen Garland Aye Garfield Parker Absent
John Kost Aye Heidi Wilkins-Corey Aye
Richard Haynie n/a Charles Williams Absent
The motion passed unanimously by the Planning Commission members present. Mr. McKenzie then explained to the applicants the process moving forward, stating that next month, on October 9, 2025 at 7 pm, the Board of Supervisors will hold another public hearing on their vacation rental conditional use request, and at that public hearing the Board will make a decision to allow or deny their request. Mrs. Foiles asked how they should prepare for the next public hearing. Mrs. Wilkins-Corey stated that their presentation tonight was well though out and comprehensive, and to do the same presentation at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Mrs. Wilkins-Corey mentioned that she 3
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wishes other conditional use permit applicants would talk to their neighbors about what they propose, as that would make the process a lot easier for all involved. RE: WORK SESSION ITEMS
Vice Chairman Kost then transitioned to the proposed zoning ordinance change to allow shelter roofs on docks. Mr. McKenzie stated that the county decided to go with the term “shelter roofs” instead of gazebos, as the word gazebos conjures up images of an eight-sided structure that is screened, whereas shelter roofs more accurately depict the structures that will be approved, as there will be no walls or doors, and it will only be a roof to protect people from the sun. Mr. McKenzie also noted that the term shelter roofs is already in use in the pier ordinance. Kost asked if we should modify the term to dock shelter roofs, and staff did not feel that was necessary, as the shelter roof will be located in the county’s Boathouse Ordinance, which by their very nature are built over water. Mrs. Wilkins-Corey asked the Zoning Administrator, Mr. Marston, when you contact adjacent property owners, as a rule, do you contact those people across the creek? Mr. Marston replied, yes, but only if the creek at the property is less than 500 feet wide, if more than 500 feet, we do not contact the citizens across the creek. Mr. McKinley asked if he was going to put an L or a T head on a private pier, would he need to submit another JPA? Mr. Marston stated he would have to clarify that with VMRC, in addition to asking if you can go larger than 400 sq. feet with a shelter roof.
Mr. McKenzie explained that he and Mr. Marston thought it best that the county shelter roof on private piers approval process would be to notify adjacent property owners and if no objections were received, then the shelter roof could be administratively approved. However, if there were objections to the shelter roof, then the applicant would need to apply for a conditional use permit if they wanted to proceed with trying to get approval for a shelter roof over their pier. Mr. McKenzie stated this process mirrors the Boathouse Approval process, except that the Boathouse Ordinance stipulates that either 1) objections from adjacent property owners OR 2) a boathouse that exceeds the maximum size would trigger a conditional use permit. Mr. McKinley asked if he could include a shelter roof with a pier that has an L-head of 400 feet? Mr. McKenzie stated that the maximum size for all L-head, T-heads and Shelter Roof is 400 feet, stating it would not work. Mr. Marston stated that if you put the sun shelter over top of the L-head, then that should be allowed.
Mr. Kost asked Mr. Marston if we could approve the revision to allow shelter roofs by revising the Pier and the Boathouse Ordinance tonight, or should we wait until next month once you have answers to your questions from VMRC. Mr. Marston stated that we can advertise the way we have it, and improve the suggested language if we receive new info and add that to the ordinance if necessary.
Mr. O’Brien made a motion to approve the amendments to the pier and boathouse ordinance to allow shelter roofs on (private) docks and schedule a public hearing, and added this motion is made in due consideration of the administrative record before the body, including the planning commission’s deliberations and recommendation, the information received via the public hearing, including statements offered by staff, the 4
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applicant, and members of the public, the public health and safety, the general welfare of the community, public necessity, convenience, in the exercise of good zoning practices and the body’s legislative prerogative, and pursuant to the body’s statutory authority. Mrs. Wilkins-Corey seconded the motion. The vote was as follows:
Chris Cralle Aye Roger McKinley Aye
Vivian Diggs Aye Patrick O’Brien Aye
Allen Garland Aye Garfield Parker Absent
John Kost Aye Heidi Wilkins-Corey Aye
Richard Haynie n/a Charles Williams Absent
The motion passed unanimously.
RE: DISCUSSION ITEMS
There were no discussion items.
RE: PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no public comments.
RE: ADJOURNMENT
Mr. O’Brien made a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by Mr. McKinley and the meeting ended at 7:38 pm. The adjournment vote was as follows:
Chris Cralle Aye Roger McKinley Aye
Vivian Diggs Aye Patrick O’Brien Aye
Allen Garland Aye Garfield Parker Absent
John Kost Aye Heidi Wilkins-Corey Aye
Richard Haynie n/a Charles Williams Absent
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