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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSE202200045 Correspondence 2022-07-05Philip Garland WNG LLC 310 4a' St NE, Suite 102 Charlottesville VA 22902 June 30, 2022 Albemarle County Board of Supervisors 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville VA 22902 RE: Homestay Special Exception Parcel 09200-00-00-04500 Dear Board of Supervisors, As manager of WNG LLC ("WNG") and on behalf of its owners, I am writing to request a special exception to the Homestay residency requirement that an individual owner to reside on the subject parcel. As provided under Section 5.1.48(b)(2) requiring, we request the exception for a resident manager in lieu of a resident owner based on the following information. WNG is the record title owner of the above -referenced parcel, TM 92-45 (the "Property"). The Property consists of approximately 207 acres, a main house, and several appurtenances including a couple houses, a cottage, and a historic country store. WNG also owns 18 adjacent parcels comprising an additional 500 acres. An aerial image outlining the Property is included as "Attachment A." All structures on the Property were built prior to the 1980s. The Property has been in the Woodward family since the 1930s when the current generation's grandparents purchased it and built the main house and surrounding buildings. Upon their grandfather's death in the early 1990s, the Property went into a life estate for their father, who later surrendered his life estate to them, and they in turn transferred title to WNG LLC to facilitate the management and preservation of the Property. WNG LLC is not a "commercial entity" so to speak and does not own any other properties in Albemarle County or anywhere else, and the family has no plans or intentions of doing so. Woodward family members have consistently lived on the property since the 1930s and one or more of the siblings have resided on the property year-round since the LLC was established. The owners treat the main house as a shared family house. Throughout their ownership, the family has been sensitive to the historic nature and location of the Property and have gone to lengths to preserve and protect it. To continue doing so, it is financially important for the Property to generate revenue in order to offset expenses, to maintain it as a family property, and to preserve the rural character of the Property and the surrounding area. Under County Ordinance Section 18-5.1.48, "The owner of the parcel on which a homestay is located, must reside on the subject parcel for a minimum of 180 days in a calendar year" but as noted above Section 5.1.48(b)(2) authorizes the Board to grant a special exception to allow residential managers for parcels of five acres or more in Rural Areas such as this Property. In light of the size of the Property and the distance of the Homestay location from neighboring landowners, there should not be any adverse impact to the surrounding neighborhood or the public health, safety, or welfare. We believe, and hope the Board agrees, that the Property is the kind of property contemplated by the residency special exception provision. Accordingly, WNG respectfully requests the Board to grant a special exception to the Homestay residency requirement authorizing the residency of a property -managing agent to fulfill that requirement and thereby enable WNG to apply for a Homestay Clearance. Respectfully, Philip O. Garland WNG, LLC Manager Enclosure cc: Attila Woodward Stanley G. Woodward Alexandra Woodward Ken Woodward Crescentia Woodward Attachment A 10