***Attention to all residents and visitors of Smith Mountain Lake in Franklin County, Va. 

Please support the Royal Estates Subdivision in Wirtz, located in Franklin County VA, together with surrounding communities, in our petition to the Franklin County Planning and Development Office and Board of Supervisors to deny the new owner of the property at 399 Royal Estates Blvd to construct, open and operate a business as a “fisherman’s motel” in the existing house and use the surrounding acreage to construct and rent out “glamping,” or “glamorous camping” tents.

The 5 acre property at 399 Royal Estates Blvd (399 RE), in Franklin County, Va was purchased by a developer in September, 2022. Since then, the developer has shown no concern of creating a positive relationship with the existing residential neighborhood of the Royal Estates Subdivision (RE Subd). The grass has not been mowed. Trees have fallen at the road frontage of the property and have not been removed from the road or yard frontage nearby. Old, used toilets have sat on the front porch for at least 4 months. Huge piles of construction debris sits scattered around the house. Broken window glass lays in the yard with no efforts made to remove it. Large, random pits have been dug up with a backhoe, leaving large piles of red clay stacked all around the house. Resident children, pets and wildlife could be injured if they were to wander onto the lot and fall into one of these pits. Residents have been burdened with the clean up fallen trees from 399 RE into the roadway to allow vehicles passage, even though the developer and personnel connected to the developer, have been seen coming and going from the property on a regular basis. They do not feel an inclusiveness or an obligation to the RE residents’ interests of safe and continued harmonious living conditions.

The 399 RE property is now under major construction to operate as a fisherman’s motel in the existing house, coupled with a campground being created for multiple “glamour tents” to be scattered across the 5 acre, lakefront property. This will draw in an unforeseen number of guests, any of which may be sex offenders and violent felons. The developer was overheard giving a statement to a contractor regarding the creation of a motel business on the lot. That is the only reason the residents are now aware of this incoming business plan. He has not applied for any permits or disclosed any details to residents. This developer is from a large city outside of Franklin County. He is not concerned with how this incoming motel will act as a parasite, draining our small subdivision and overall community of all that we’ve worked so diligently to preserve. ***Please read the detailed, request letter to the county regarding the historical property zoning in the petition comments below.

***In addition to showing your much needed support by signing the online community petition, please call and email the following Franklin County Offices and their representatives to document your protest to allowing a Fisherman’s Motel and “Glamping“ Tents to open and operate adjacent to the Royal Estates Subdivision and surrounding community. 

To offer further protest in person, please join fellow supporters at the next Franklin County Planning and Development Meeting on Tuesday, February 14th, at the County Administration Building.

Franklin County Board of Supervisors

Tommy Cundiff, Union Hall District Supervisor 

540-483-3030     Tommy.Cundiff@franklincountyva.gov

Lorie Smith, Gills Creek District Supervisor, Vice-Chairman 

Franklin County Representative for the Tri County Lake Association (TLAC)

540-483-3030     Lorie.Smith@franklincountyva.gov

Madherleyn Torres, Board of Supervisors Clerk 

540-483-3030

M.Torres@franklincountyva.gov

Franklin County Planning and Community Development Office

Lisa Cooper, Planning Director 

540-483-3027, ext. 2642

lisa.cooper@franklincountyva.gov

Tina Franklin, Development Review Specialist I

540-483-3027, ext. 2427

Tina.Franklin@franklincountyva.gov

William Raney, Development Review Specialist II

540-483-3027, ext. 2324

William.Raney@franklincountyva.gov