A rocketry club says it's been unfairly barred from holding launches on a farm in Augusta County but opponents say the blasts scare their livestock.
The Valley Aerospace Team is challenging a September decision by the county Board of Zoning Appeals that denied it a permit to hold the launches. The decision followed opponents' complaints about the noise and increased traffic that they say disrupts the area's rural setting.
Attorney Francis Chester filed the appeal in Augusta County Circuit Court. Chester claims the zoning board's decision was arbitrary and disregarded evidence that the launch site was safe and appropriate.
The team had hosted launches for more than a year before it was notified by the county of permitting requirements.
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