By Tabitha Evans Moore, EDITOR & PUBLISHER 

LYNCHBURG — It’s been a sore spot and the topic of conversation around the breakfast tables at Woodard’s Market for months, and on Monday night the Metro Council voted unanimously to abolish the controversial R3 high density zoning category. 

The Metro Planning and Zoning Commission created the zoning category in 2021 when Oakstone Land & Capital’s Chip Hayes showed up at the Metro Codes Department to buy a building permits for a proposed tiny home community on the footprint of the former Lynchburg Wilderness RV Park located just off Main Street. 

Nothing on Metro’s books fit the type of high density development Hayes sought to bring to Lynchburg and so the Commission developed the R3 category to accommodate Hayes or any other high density development that planned to come here. 

It moved from the Planning and Zoning Committee to the Board of Zoning Appeals before finally landing in front of the Metro Council — a process that took several months. It received final approval in January 2022. {To read our full coverage of the approval, click here.}

Since then not much has happened at the development Hayes stated he planned to complete in November 2023. The project currently sits stalled until Hayes and the Metro Utility Department Board can come to an agreement on a yet-to-be-signed contract. That contract’s a prerequisite of getting water and sewer services to the 79 tiny home lots Oakstone sold. {To read our complete coverage of that decision, click here.}

On Monday night, Metro Planning Commission Chair Dexter Golden brought up abolishing the R3 category during a committee report.  

“I’d like to bring it back to the table and make a motion to abolish R3 ordinance out of our book and hold everybody to the subdivision guidelines that we have currently,” Golden stated. Houston Lindsey quickly seconded the motion. It passed unanimously with little discussion. 

In essence this returns the county of two building categories R1 for single family homes and R2 for medium-to-high density development like subdivisions. Subdivisions developers must also go the extra mile of following the rules in the subdivision policy. 

Hayes and the Retreat at Whiskey Creek tiny home development will be grandfathered in, but abolishing R3 would both prevent him from expanding and prevent similar developments in the county in the future.

The Metro Council will meet again on Monday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the former American Legion Building located off Highway 129. To be added to the agenda during the public comment period, contact the Mayor’s office at 931-759-7076. •

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