A special use permit request for a couple to operate an Elon home and greenhouse as a venue for weddings and photo shoots and host short-term rentals received a recommendation of denial from the Amherst County Planning Commission.
The commission’s vote Feb. 15 came after a public hearing where several residents raised objections with a use they said disrupted their quiet residential area on Phyllis Lea Drive in the Elon area. The applicant, Alexis Fisher and her husband, had operated without a permit, according to Tyler Creasy, the county’s director of community development.
“This comes up a lot in our office. Individuals don’t know that they need to have special permission to do these types of events and I believe that is the case here,” Creasy told the commission.
Fisher said the couple turned the greenhouse into a successful business and immediately fell in love with the property several years ago.
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“We wanted to make an offer even before we entered the front door,” Fisher said. “The beauty here in Elon is absolutely breathtaking.”
The 1920s-era farmhouse would only be rented out to brides and their families and accommodates no more than six guests because of the septic capacity, Fisher said.
“We want to be able to offer a place for getting ready for both bridal parties and for out-of-town brides,” Fisher said. “There would never be more than six guests in the house so it wouldn’t be a party house.”
The value of the home has doubled because of renovations the couple has completed since October 2022 when they moved in and the guests who stay support the local economy and restaurants, she said.
“We have added value to the homes around us because of our upgrades,” Fisher said. “We promise to always be respectful, clean and honor the integrity of the land and our surroundings… We are excited to hopefully continue to share the beauty with many who appreciate a unique spot for photography and micro-weddings.”
Fisher said sweat and tears have been put into the project that honors the beauty of Elon. In November and December more than 40 photo shoots were held there, she said.
A stay-at-home mom, Fisher said she foresees moving out of the house eventually to live in a bigger home for the family, but will closely monitor its operations.
Greg Freshour, a nearby resident who lives on Kimberlea Road, presented a petition from local residents who opposed the operation to the commission and said additional traffic and noise negatively affected the serene area.
“The disruption of music, loud speakers, karaoke machines and noise levels would be detrimental to the residents of these quiet neighborhoods,” Freshour said. “Residents have already experienced those issues.”
He expressed concern with more traffic on a private road in the area.
“This is agricultural and residential, not for a busy business enterprise,” Freshour said. “No maybe about it, neighbors will hear music and loud talking. We’ve already heard it… It would disrupt the peace and quiet area at the base of Tobacco Row Mountain.”
He said he moved to the area more than 20 years ago for the peace and quiet Elon offers.
“I’m not against wedding venues … I just don’t want them sitting in my backyard or in my neighborhood,” Freshour said. “Plenty of other locations with mountain views that don’t encroach on neighbors make sense for such a use with large acreage. Wedding venues are perfect for wide open spaces, not cramped into neighborhoods on a five-acre plot to disrupt all the other residents who surround that property.”
John Ledingham, a neighboring resident, raised concern the project could evolve into a regular nuisance for the area.
Whitney Gregory, who lives on Phylis Lea Drive, said the five-acre site is not the right place for such an operation.
“This venue has been forced into our daily lives since December 2022,” Gregory said. “How much more would we have to endure if a permit would be granted?”
Gregory said the majority of residents do not want the commercial venture on a quiet, dead-end road surrounded by homes.
“We want to enjoy our own property at any time without having to compete with these sounds … we want to teach our kids and grandkids how to ride bikes without having to dodge out-of-town customers,” Gregory told the commission. “What precedent would you be setting? Anyone could come and run a business at the destination of nearby neighbors. Our perfect slice of Virginia would never be the same.”
Fisher said three weddings were held on the property to date, one in 2022 and two last year, and only one had a microphone. The site called Three Oaks Minor is not a regular short-term rental outside of wedding parties and noise, and traffic is closely monitored, she said.
David Pugh, an Amherst County Board of Supervisors member who serves a liaison to the commission, said the special exception process is in place to take into account public outcry.
“This is a very beautiful part of the county,” Pugh said. “Having an Airbnb or something of that nature, I think, would step on the neighbors’ toes. I know the people in this area are very sentimental about their property, their views and their way of life. I don’t think it’s the right spot for it.”
Creasy said county staff recommends a condition that music not be held on site after 9 p.m
A few commissioners said they had no issue with the photography side of the venture. Derin Foor, the commission chair, said he felt the wedding venue was disruptive to neighbors.
Commissioner Leslie Gamble said residents in that area pay a lot of money to maintain their private roads.
“What’s been loud and clear to me is their peace and enjoyment will be gone if this is there,” Gamble said. “I think it’s very obvious this doesn’t fit in this neighborhood.”