By Sarah Watson
swatson@newsadvance.com
(434) 385-5543
RUSTBURG — Plans for the area’s first indoor shooting range moved another step forward as Campbell County planners unanimously recommended approval for the project’s special-use permit.
The range, owned by David Warden Builders Inc., would be located near the intersection of Waterlick Road and Sunburst Road, in the Timberlake area. Designs call for 10 indoor bays with 8-inch thick concrete walls that are reinforced with steel, said Amy Seipp, engineering director of Acres of Virginia Inc.
“Many of the people (Warden) consulted with go to Roanoke, and he thinks there is a demand for this type of project,” Seipp said.
Five people spoke at a public hearing Tuesday night, many concerned about noise and safety.
The building, Seipp said, would be sound-proof and the owner wanted safety and noise ratings to meet or exceed National Rifle Association and government standards. If the plan is approved by the Board of Supervisors after a July 20 public hearing, Seipp said construction would move forward quickly.
Three planners said they felt having an indoor firing range in the county would be a benefit because it would be safer to practice shooting in a controlled environment rather than in the open.
“The county doesn’t have a range anywhere and unless you live in the country, it is hard to find a place to shoot,” said planning commission chairman Patrick Tweedy. “I think the people in the county need a place like this. I’d rather have them shooting there than out in the country where a stray bullet can go anywhere.”
In other news:
- Planners approved rezoning three acres from business limited to business general on Wards Road, just north of Yellow Branch. The property will be used for a retail business selling portable storage sheds.
- Planners also approved a new special-use permit for the Cunningham Brothers automobile graveyard, which already exists on Wards Road. The permit was needed because the business has expanded on another parcel.
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