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Stafford's Newest Claim
“We Asked, They Never Told Us”
It's time to Debunk it

We’re going to give everyone a clear outline of how this latest attempt to stop our campground is built on more deception — and show you behind the scenes.

So, let’s get started.

The Infamous “Tents Only” Demand

Who remembers the infamous illegal “Tents Only” restriction that Stafford County, Virginia, tried to impose on our campground — even demanding we stamp “Tents Only” on every page of our site plan?

You might recall we offered up to $250,000 to anyone who could find that restriction in the ordinance.

And guess what? No one found it.

This false claim was created by Stafford County officials and apparently its political advisers (see BOS Deuntay Diggs video),

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JFJZpW2ud/ and echoed by Deputy/Chair of the Board of Supervisors Deuntay Diggs at his town hall meetings. The rumor caught fire, spreading across the region and even appearing in news articles.

When we refused to be bullied into agreeing to put a restriction that didn’t exist on our site plan, the delays began — all the way toward the end and nearing the18-month site plan expiration deadline.

Filing Suit to Protect Our Rights

By filing a lawsuit on January 31, 2025, we ensured our project stayed under the original ordinance.

Had we not filed, Stafford’s hastily changed ordinance would have taken effect — one that now requires all campgrounds to go before the Board for approval.

Under the original ordinance, campgrounds were allowed by right in the A-1 Zoning District, with no Board approval required.

We saw what was coming — and we’d already been told what their plan was.

Timeline of Key Events

11/9/23: Site Plan Application Submitted
1/10/24: TRC (Technical Review Committee) Meeting
1/29/24: County’s 1st Review
3/4/24: Our 1st Response
4/16/24: County’s 2nd Review
6/3/24: Our 2nd Response
3rd,4th and 5th Review
1/31/25: Lawsuit Filed
6/3/25: We win against the counties attempt to have our case thrown out.
2/18/25: County Refers Campground Ordinances Changes to Planning Commission
4/9/25: Application Expired
9/18/25: Court Hearing — Petitioning the Judge to Approve Our Application

The Courtroom Twist

At the September 18, 2025 court hearing, we expected Stafford’s attorney to bring up the “Tents Only” issue — the same argument they had clung to.

Not a word, completely silent.

When the Judge asked if they still believed the ordinance only allowed tents, the county’s attorney scrambled to avoid answering — suddenly running from their own “Tents Only” narrative.

Why the change? Because the truth had finally caught up. No one found that illegal government overreach and it was being questioned by the community.

When "Tents Only" Fell Apart, a New Excuse Appeared:

Here comes the next one-

“They never told anyone what they were having. We don’t know if it’s tents, travel trailers, campers, or RVs. How can we approve a plan when we don’t know what’s going to be there?”

The County’s Claim in Writing

From Stafford County’s own court filings:

“Here, when confronted with an applicant proposing to build infrastructure that would support features inconsistent with what is permitted in a by-right campground in the A-1 Zoning District, staff asked the necessary question: What uses are you planning to have in this ‘campground’? From the date staff first asked this question to the date of this writing, Petitioners have not answered this question.”
(See Doc)

They claim we never answered the question.

But here’s the problem — the record proves otherwise.

What is a TRC Meeting?

A TRC (Technical Review Committee) meeting is held when a Major Site Plan is submitted.

It’s a collaborative session among project professionals — county staff, engineers, planners, reviewers for each department and the applicant — to discuss the project’s technical details, and clarify what the project includes and how it will function.

In other words:

That’s where everything about the project is discussed — including what it’s for and what it includes.

So for Stafford to stand in court and claim they "didn’t know” what we were planning, when they sat through the TRC meeting and reviewed multiple detailed plans — that’s not confusion. That’s deception

FOIA #1: Invitation to the Meeting

FOIA #1: TRC Meeting Invitation

Organizer: Dylan Palmer
Required Attendees:
Ami R. Billman, Emily A. Torrey, Andrew C. Milliken, Claudia C. Wright, Joseph P. Fiorello (Wetlands), Amy G. Taylor, Paul J. Santay, Mike J. Zuraf (Planning & Zoning), Stacie J. Stinnette, Brian V. Geouge (Planning & Zoning), Frank E. Shannon, Danielle L. Carroll, Kathy C. Baker, Joshua A. Summits, David W. Weaver, Thomas Washington (VDOT), Carolyn Oster, Margaret Niemann, Nathan L. Huber, Nancy L. Kotting (Historian), Jakob Swartley (Engineer), Frederick J. Dodds, Kelley Wheaton, Ryan K. Foroughi, Mark & Vivian McLeod, Tommy Thompson (VDH), Ross Bagby, and Deuntay T. Diggs.
Location: Activities Room, 1st Floor Government Center
Attachments: 23155320 Belle Plains Campground

Attendees Present: (all the ones we can remember at the moment)
Dylan Palmer (Planner), Joseph P. Fiorello (Wetlands), Brian V. Geouge (Planning & Zoning), Nancy L. Kotting (Historian), Frederick J. Dodds (Stormwater Management), Ryan K. Foroughi (Engineer), Mark & Vivian McLeod (Owners), Kelcey Caldell (Planner), Safety, VDOT.

FOIA #2: The County’s Own Words After the TRC

Shortly after the TRC meeting, Planner Dylan Palmer emailed county leadership and legal counsel, stating:

“After speaking with the owners, it seems very likely that they will allow travel trailers (and potentially RVs) to camp at their development (regardless of if a note is added to the plan restricting the use to tents only). They did state that there would be a limit on how many nights a guest could stay and will identify certain sites for tents, trailers, etc.” Dylan Palmer (See Doc)

So yes, they did know exactly what the campground would include. Did they like it? No Did they know the ordinance allowed it? Yes Is this another try at stopping the campground? Yes. Is it evident there has been backroom discussions to stop this campground? Yes

The Moment Everything Became Clear

At the end of that meeting, Brian V. Geouge (Planning & Zoning) turned to our engineer and said, “Make sure you put ‘Tents Only’ on the plans.”

When we felt confusion in the room, we spoke up — telling him the campground wasn’t “Tents Only” and would include travel trailers and other uses allowed under the ordinance.

He responded,

“If you do, you will get violations from the county.”

We left that meeting shocked. The overreach was clear.

A Turning Point

We’d lived in Stafford County for over 22 years — this was our home.
To see this kind of government behavior firsthand was disheartening.

That day we left wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.

We had two options:

Take the easy and more lucrative route and build houses, or
Stand up and fight for what’s right.

We chose to FIGHT — not just for ourselves, but for every future landowner, business, and family who could face this same treatment. From that point on, we knew Stafford was looking for any way they could to stop our project. We had to document everything, verify every detail, and protect our equal rights at every step.

This fight has not been easy. It’s been hard on our family over these last two years. But your encouragement, prayers, and messages have meant a lot.

As William Penn said, “Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” And as Edmund Burke reminded us, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

To our supporters, friends, and community — thank you. You’ve helped keep us standing, we feel seen, we feel heard and we feel you have our backs when the county turned theirs. We thank God for the FOIA that we have received, imagine not having them. We would have been silenced.

We do feel positive this is going to go in our favor. We know the letter of the law is on our side and what has been done in secret has come to light. So be on the watch we have 5-6 weeks left for the Judge to make a decision.