[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6519708,"mediaKeyId","5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe","parentId",5348030,"title","Votes at a glance: zoning approvals, ordinance change and project authorizations at Augusta County supervisors meeting","audioSeconds",1666,"startMs",7598000,"endMs",9264000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe&start=7598&end=9264","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe/thumbnail_7598000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6519708/Augusta-County/Virginia/Votes-at-a-glance-zoning-approvals-ordinance-change-and-project-authorizations-at-Augusta-County-supervisors-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519708-e230e708e2f316ae171e573f899e7f08/orig.mp4?Expires=1770435709&Signature=Z7wDlMm9gGv9d4U57uHLnpVu71ejEL3Qgoe1Oz1D8lAD-v9mJdV2c4IDQ4biM1prOrf8pqMBe-0KEuTZGrQ9AZBnN6R5qvYrnRQzjmQKWC7gg3onuTv3A3JrlC3pVSw0pUqDLdplS13w3-7JWkYp8ffmdJxzBracpelNT~NH~ILPG4CJ56rFJhWykPXRj75cPdzSq5bqTornh4nuAmgF3Ffge449cx2hbn6FuSmxjyyO92yhOQcZqOIIY1z7UYwHBfAzYZn1ap3J-6APLORtRH3V2I2fXYVH5L5E7gXkUvHNenyuK4pZ2p5Ax3WJiRZuvkB3Wtwvssr-KMwEyNVGHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Augusta County, VA","date","2025-06-25T00:00:00Z","article","Summary of formal board actions and recorded outcomes from the meeting (items reflect motions and votes as recorded in the meeting transcript):

- Ordinance amendment (section 25‑54.1) — approved. The board approved an amendment to county code section 25‑54.1 to permit one construction material storage yard as a temporary accessory use to single‑family residences. Motion made by Supervisor Shaw, seconded by Dr. Seaton; the transcript records the motion as passed 6‑0.

- Shandell Wetland Company — conservation easement finding — approved. The board found a conservation easement on a parcel in an urban service area to be appropriate; the property is part of a wetland bank and staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval. Motion was made and seconded; transcript recorded “7 up.”

- Rezoning request (Trustee of John W. Root, Mount Sidney, North River District) — approved. The board followed the Planning Commission’s recommendation to rezone portions of a roughly 44.9‑acre parcel to allow approximately 1.05 acres of general business for access and the remainder for single‑family residential with proffers. The applicant’s representative was Franklin Root. After a public hearing with no speakers in opposition, a supervisor moved to follow the Planning Commission; the motion carried by voice vote.

- Tourism grant contribution agreement (EDA / tourism grants) — motion made to authorize the chair to execute a contribution agreement to disperse not more than $50,000 through the county’s tourism grant program working through the Economic Development Authority. Motion made by Dr. Seaton and seconded by Supervisor Bragg; transcript records the motion and second but does not include an explicit roll‑call vote in the excerpt.

- Verona pedestrian grant application (VDOT grant application development) — authorized consultant task order for application development. Staff asked for authorization for a consultant task order to develop a VDOT pedestrian grant application (cost proposal ~$10,390); Supervisor Slavin moved support; the board authorized the county administrator to sign a task order.

- Revenue sharing application (Wiers Cave / Exit 235 / Triangle Drive) — authorized consultant task order to develop a revenue sharing application (cost estimate ~$13,660); motion made and seconded; board authorized the county administrator to execute a task order.

- Consent agenda — approved. The board approved the consent agenda as presented.

- EJ's LLC proffer amendment (Stuarts Draft) — postponed to July 23. After extended public comment and staff presentations, the board postponed consideration to a definite date (July 23) to allow additional work on drainage and outreach; the county attorney advised postponing to a definite date rather than tabling.

- Personnel action (closed session) — county attorney appointment. The board convened in closed session under the personnel exemption and afterward announced the promotion of the interim county attorney, Nicole Price, to county attorney effective immediately. The transcript records: “we just approved, we just promoted our assistant. It's not assistant. Interim county attorney to county attorney effective tonight.”

Notes on records and next steps
Where the transcript included explicit vote tallies, those tallies are reported above (e.g., ordinance change 6‑0; conservation easement “7 up”). For items where the excerpt shows a motion and second but did not include a recorded roll call in the excerpt, the entry notes that a motion and second occurred and that authorization or approval was moved; county staff should confirm the official minute book and recorded roll‑call results for precise tallies.

Ending
Several of the approvals were routine or staff‑recommended; the Stuarts Draft proffer amendment drew extended public comment and was postponed to allow additional drainage analysis and stakeholder coordination prior to a final vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Augusta County Board of Supervisors 6/25/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Board of Supervisors recorded several formal actions, including approval of an ordinance language change, a conservation easement finding, consultant task orders for grant applications, and multiple routine approvals; one high‑profile proffer amendment in Stuarts Draft was postponed to July 23.","taxTitle","Augusta County, Virginia","taxId",56187,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6519711,"Residents and advocates call for apology, transparency after Augusta County cancels library Pride event",558,4976000,5534000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe&start=4976&end=5534","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe/thumbnail_4976000.jpg","/articles/6519711/Augusta-County/Virginia/Residents-and-advocates-call-for-apology-transparency-after-Augusta-County-cancels-library-Pride-event","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519711-696d84688bbe9edeb991dadcc819a197/orig.mp4?Expires=1770435709&Signature=kVyWEy7VqNqSB1VcUnSb3mulx7oYUyXcH9pHOsQWgIIo8B6wGDFx60dNP4BC~YEkjkYkPVF~~VxROx6te5Fuk20qcpzJ7CcyptooHXb7TT~fBdezBmxDSWkesqkcBdDjuQ3Wd~djVLV46vzfRc-Dc7FukZG1finqsfxoTVb9SwWVeLRKPk0f1AKaCrYj-M4iFb56fHEZx9VhblFzIJDliPBeM49OqUmYu8lehK1rR3b7-gn-CWr~oN9OrRQnESi0w4OiOSZ~5bYOybyMiIh9W1Jc~wahbpfiTLX043N3gd-4bnl86b0IDlVqVesuUomaVMW360GY-FA3qBg-8npwaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents and community members urged the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to apologize and explain its decision to cancel a planned Pride/resource fair at an Augusta County library, saying the cancellation caused harm to LGBTQ+ residents and lacked transparency.

The event — public materials indicate a resource/fair tied to Pride programming that had been advertised online on June 9 and was scheduled for June 16 — was canceled by the county before the date. Public commenters repeatedly asked how the decision was reached and whether it followed the county’s public‑meeting and library policies.

Why it matters: Speakers said the library is a public, neutral space and argued canceling a community resource day sends a message of exclusion to LGBTQ+ youth and families who use county services. Several callers also said the board's approach raised legal and procedural concerns and requested a public accounting.

Public testimony
Tom Engle said the board’s cancellation was “abrupt, arbitrary, non‑transparent and poorly explained to the public” and called the decision discriminatory. He recommended a formal apology and a full account of how the decision was made.

Eric Milnes said cancelling the event the Friday before the Monday scheduled date “was kind of petty” and said the action further disenfranchised a minority group.

Randall Wolf, a Stuart’s Draft resident, said he used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain some communications and that the board had not recorded a vote on the cancellation. He asked the county solicitor to review whether the board’s handling complied with Virginia open‑meeting laws and asked for an apology to those affected.

Samantha Hughes (Verona), Andrea Jackson (Waynesboro) and others said the cancellation signaled to queer constituents that “you don’t belong” and urged the board to publicly acknowledge harm. Jennifer Lewis read a written statement from a vendor who said the vendor and other attendees were “deeply disappointed” and that the community needs access to safe library programming.

Board response and next steps
Board members largely did not debate the merits of the event during the public comment period. Staff said the county would review library policies and procedures “in the near future.” The chair and county staff declined to enter into a back‑and‑forth dialogue during the public comment period but accepted requests that follow‑up be provided in writing.

Ending
Speakers left the board with a common request: a public, documented explanation for the cancellation, a clear explanation of what internal process was followed and whether changes to library policy or board procedures will follow. The board said it would review library policies; no formal vote on a policy change was recorded at the meeting.
","Dozens of residents and advocates told the Augusta County Board of Supervisors the county harmed LGBTQ+ residents when it canceled a planned Pride/resource fair at the county library; speakers demanded an apology, called for clearer policy and said the cancellation appeared to lack public process.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6519713,"Augusta County supervisors postpone decision on Stuarts Draft proffer change after residents raise drainage, density concerns",2530,1090000,3620000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe&start=1090&end=3620","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5348030-3cf332069677caceb333b22061f85cfe/thumbnail_1090000.jpg","/articles/6519713/Augusta-County/Virginia/Augusta-County-supervisors-postpone-decision-on-Stuarts-Draft-proffer-change-after-residents-raise-drainage-density-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519713-e0f9f4cd932af0c1e53e02ae01787386/orig.mp4?Expires=1770435709&Signature=XG7ETvweb1xzMkmB5m0wP4ovCBL01RUKQ~MzHTyWZA1guyHA4fn7YzYtSpXLb-dGHWfEwy3993hLifAyxHkZSvS9p5xBWS-z3RhHFwROr2clHfj937lFbOGTMzq9ZU7YNnHbs6mr~jnf13FzoUud-wjngnCFLF1Yq5ApRJbochjL4187ShPUD8kyFUBirjuyTQ5tBWhfW~O2B4MA-v1kNTPTm8T9K7j1Z966-HApiLdnh~TPzUW8ZC0PU2mWupbjpfwHkN~YetIy6Cl6ci9aKEBTZSFofOFN2j6Fyc9yMmuptXgc6MbryfKvlv5JUN9VccWty6V2JXYUG7qn15~3Ig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Augusta County supervisors on Monday postponed consideration of a proffer amendment for an 8.9-acre subdivision in Stuarts Draft after residents raised repeated concerns about drainage, traffic and the size and number of new homes.

The amendment by EJ's LLC would lower the minimum square footage for a single‑family dwelling on the parcel from 1,800 to 1,400 square feet. Planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval; staff told the board the property is in an urban service area and the concept plan shows roughly 26 lots (about 2.92 dwelling units per acre). Supervisor Bragg withdrew a motion to amend the proffers and instead moved to postpone the request to a definite date of July 23 so the county, the applicant and residents could pursue follow‑up on drainage and related concerns.

Why it matters: Residents and several supervisors said the site drains into an existing network of culverts and streams that already cause flooding downstream. Speakers argued the change could increase impervious surface area and add traffic to narrow local roads, and some asked for larger minimum home sizes so new construction would better match neighborhood character.

Staff presentation and the applicant
Julia Hensley, planning staff, summarized the request and placed the parcel in context of the county comprehensive plan and planning policy maps. She said the only change proposed in the amended proffers was the reduction of minimum home size from 1,800 to 1,400 square feet and noted the property has been zoned single‑family with proffers since February 2004.

Barry Lodge, representing the developer and owner, said the concept includes stormwater basins along Wayne Avenue and that the design will “neck it down” to limit additional flooding. “We'll go hopefully as long as we can, but as you said, when you get a storm… it's got to be the slow release on it,” Lodge said.

Public comments and concerns
Several residents who said they live adjacent to or within sight of the parcel urged the board not to approve the reduction in minimum home size without more study of drainage and road capacity.

- Rebecca Angelo, who said she lives at 26 East High Street, opposed 1,400‑square‑foot homes next to larger, long‑established houses: “1,400 square feet kind of just doesn't cut the mustard with me.” She also said sidewalks proposed in the concept “go nowhere” and expressed concern about increased traffic on Sylvan Drive and the condition of local roads.

- Rebecca Glass (Lexington) described repeated flooding on her property and urged county coordination with VDOT and property owners to clear culverts and improve downstream conveyance.

- Kenneth Moore (43 Crestview Drive) and Doug Huffman (130 Sylvan Drive) raised similar points about drainage, road maintenance and school capacity. Huffman gave an engineering‑style estimate of increased runoff, saying, “On an inch of rain, it's about 43,000 gallons; in an instance like we had the other day with 4 inches of rain, it would generate over 184,000 gallons of water coming off of that surface.”

Board discussion and next steps
Supervisor Bragg — who initially moved to amend the proffers — said she had spoken with many residents and visited the site, then withdrew her approval motion and instead moved to postpone the item to July 23 to give time for further work on drainage and stakeholder discussions. The county attorney recommended postponing to a definite date rather than tabling. The board agreed to schedule the item for July 23.

The postponement leaves the proffer amendment open; staff emphasized that the parcel is already zoned for residential use and that the developer can pursue a site plan subject to current stormwater and construction regulations. Supervisors and residents said they want more detailed stormwater designs and coordination with VDOT and the railroad on culverts and conveyance before any final action.

Ending
The board set a definite date, July 23, to reconsider the proffer amendment. Staff indicated any revised proffers, drainage analyses or agreements with external parties would be considered in the intervening weeks and reported back to the board for the July hearing.","The Board of Supervisors postponed consideration of a proffer amendment for an 8.9-acre Stuarts Draft subdivision that would reduce the minimum single-family house size from 1,800 to 1,400 square feet after extended public comment about flooding, traffic and school impacts; the board set the item for reconsideration July 23.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: zoning approvals, ordinance change and project authorizations at Augusta County supervisors meeting

Residents and advocates call for apology, transparency after Augusta County cancels library Pride event

Augusta County supervisors postpone decision on Stuarts Draft proffer change after residents raise drainage, density concerns