WAYNESBORO – Waynesboro’s council chambers were packed on May 28, many concerned with the District Home property and the potential 400-home development that could be coming to Hopeman Parkway.
Between the two projects on the agenda, the Waynesboro Planning Commission was considering nearly 500 homes of new development in the city. The full agenda packet, with information about both projects, is available online.
More:Waynesboro plans for 'up to' 400 new homes on 147-acre Hopeman Parkway property
90 townhouses on Rosser Avenue
The first application was for dozens of townhouses on 12 acres at 0 Rosser Avenue. The application was submitted by Dillan Shifflett, a representative of D.R. Horton, and the property is owned by Rose & Grey LLC out of Roanoke.
The project was first approved by the commission in October. At that time, the project was approved for 80 lots. The new application looks to increase the lot number to 90 due to changes in parking requirements in the city code passed earlier this year. Previously, townhouses required 2.5 parking spaces per townhouse, the driveway not included. The change allows the driveway and garages to be factored into the parking total. The entrance has also been changed.
The project entrance has also been moved further west, a request that came from city staff. The goal is for the project to be part of an expanding connector road from Rosser Avenue to Lew Dewitt Boulevard, according to the agenda packet.
On both projects, council members asked about the project would affect schools in the area. According to city staff, school staff is not worried about the increase in students the developments would likely bring.
The planning commission approved the request. In Waynesboro, the planning commission accepts or rejects such requests, subject to repeal by the Waynesboro City Council.
District Home property returns to the commission
The second project under consideration was the headline event, drawing enough people to fill nearly every seat in council chambers.
“Thank you and welcome everyone,” said Will Flory. “I think, in my short time as chair [of the planning commission], this is the biggest crowd we've ever had.”
In April, the Waynesboro City Council and planning commission held a joint session on the Smith Farm development project, also known as the District Home lot. The 147-acre property was expected to come to the city and be turned into a park and nature preserve, in its entirety.
The application considered by the planning commission would change the plan, leaving only about 60 acres in the center for a developed park, alongside four rough neighborhoods of housing units.
Since the joint session, a few things about the project have changed. All commercial development has been cut from the project, leaving only homes. There would be deadline to demolish the District Home building, Jan. 1, 2026. If the demolition is not done by then, the approval could be revoked until it is complete.
The applicant explains 'affordable' housing
Aaron Revere, representing the developer Stockbridge OPCO LLC, was asked an important question for Waynesboro residents looking for new homes – how affordable will this housing be? What are the numbers?
“We haven't put any numbers on anything,” said Revere. He explained the project allowed for several different types of housing, and that affected price. Prefabricated homes are not currently part of the project’s plan, but they have not been taken off the table either.
“We've got to wait and see kind of what the market says and what the buyers want and different things,” said Revere. He later noted, "On Stream Side and Hopeman Ridge, the first phase, is largely townhomes or duplexes. By nature, they’re a bit more affordable at a price point that makes sense in today’s mortgage rates.”
Each phase of development is expected to be different, with the most homes in Hopeman Ridge and the least in the single-family homes of Duke Road.
“In terms of manufactured homes, we don't want to mislead you with what we're thinking of there,” said Revere. "While it does connotate different things for a lot of folks, a lot of this we've seen in other places is a pre-fab home that can be done. [These homes come] to market a little bit faster, whether that's in sections or otherwise. We just wanted to give ourselves that variety, because we're thinking about that.”
District Home neighbors object to the development
Of the 12 speakers in the public hearing, all were critical of the project in one way or another.
Local attorney Stephen Strosnider pointed to the application’s unit density figures. According to the application, the entire property is 141.9 acres. Of this, 60 acres would be dedicated to the park. Dividing the remaining acres, 81.9, by 400 housing units results in 4.88 lots per acre, higher than the 2.75 units per acre number included in the application.
“We know that dense residential development is going to increase traffic and commute times,” said Strosnider. “Although the submission describes itself as having 2.75 units per acre, that's misleading. That's based on the entire 147 acres, when large portions of that land could never be developed due to the conservation easements, the streams, the flood plains, the need to build infrastructure.”
This number changes when the project is broken into the individual development areas:
- Hopeman Ridge has over seven units per acre at a maximum of 180 homes on 25 acres.
- Streamside has five units per acre at a maximum of 50 homes on 10 acres.
- Westfield has over four units per acre at a maximum of 150 homes on 35 acres.
- The Duke Road area only has single-family homes on plots over two acres.
The higher number could also put the project out of alignment with the city’s comprehensive plan. According to the application, the property is designated as Low-Density Residential, supporting “three-four dwelling units an acre.”
The application addresses the floodplain concern, “The portion of the property near Duke Road lies within a floodplain, however, these areas were not included in the development areas, leaving them preserved. Each of the development areas will be required to provide adequate infrastructure to accommodate stormwater runoff on site, which will mitigate the impact on downstream properties.” However, given Streamside's proximity to the stream, several speakers remained concerned with flooding.
'I think this is a marvelous area'
Many of the speakers were against the development based on nature preservation alone. Dr. George Tran said he got to see the property after getting permission from Sheri Smith to find a dog.
“I think this is a marvelous area and I think that every resident in Waynesboro should have a chance to see it on foot, on the ground, in the middle of it, just know what I'm talking about,” said Tran.
Scott Mares owns Heritage Hill, a bed and breakfast near the property in Waynesboro. He called attention to the city’s marketing.
“We bought our property here because it would provide guests with a peaceful getaway and views of rolling hills and forested mountain sides, where guests could get away from the big cities that they lived in to come visit the countryside and the beauty that is our Waynesboro,” said Mares. “They don't want to come visit another place like they just left behind for the weekend."
No vote was taken
Similar to some councilors and commissioners in the previous meeting, multiple speakers were concerned with the increased traffic 400 new housing units would bring to the area.
According to staff, the Virginia Department of Transportation determined a traffic impact analysis was not required for inside of the development. However, VDOT did indicate the increased traffic would mean upgrades for Hopeman Parkway at the developer’s expense. A review of Duke Road was completed, but city staff did not get it in time to brief the planning commission on the results.
The Duke Road review is the reason Tombarge and other city staff requested the planning commission not vote on the project during the meeting. The commission tabled any recommendation vote to give staff enough time to read the new documents.
Chair Flory emphasized the tabling was not an attempt to hide the project, but to allow the commissioners more time to review the additional information provided by VDOT, staff, and the public comment.
"I'm going to editorialize for a moment because I can," said Flory. "We hear a lot of your concerns. I think we [have] expressed many of the frustrations that you have high density zoning and development in the city with prior developments. We share your concerns about the burdens that these developments place on the city.”
The project is expected to come back to the planning commission, but another public hearing will not be held. However, Flory noted there is a public comment period for any topic, the development included, during the upcoming meeting.
Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
More:Mill Street Grill co-owner Terry Holmes retires: 'It's been a great ride'
More:Augusta Health wins national award for improving healthcare access in vulnerable communities
2024-06-05 08:37:24Z
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Why the Waynesboro Planning Commission tabled District Home plans - The News Leader"
Post a Comment