The Fauquier County Planning Commission voted Oct. 16 to forward a recommendation of approval to the Board of Supervisors for a Category 20 special exception to allow an individual engineered sewage treatment system at 5277 Old Alexandria Turnpike in the village of New Baltimore.

Staff said the circa-1854 house on the just-over-2-acre property is a contributing structure in the New Baltimore historic district and that the existing drain field is failing. Virginia Department of Health issued an intent to deny a permit for a conventional on-site septic system in October 2024 because the site lacks sufficient area of suitable soil. No public sewer is available.

The applicant proposed an alternative treatment system designed for up to 600 gallons per day (sufficient for a four-bedroom residence), including an aerobic treatment unit, ultraviolet disinfection and an engineered discharge ditch on the property. Staff said the system will be regularly inspected and include alarms and remote telemetry to notify the homeowner of malfunctions; the design, staff said, would mitigate the failed system, protect groundwater and allow continued residential use while preserving the historic house.

Wayne Savage, a soils engineer with Soils Inc., answered technical questions during the hearing and confirmed the system’s design and the property constraints described in the staff report. No members of the public spoke in opposition during the hearing.

After the public hearing, a commissioner said the application had sought to work with the health department and county staff and that approving the engineered system would avoid demolishing a historic home or displacing residents. The Planning Commission voted to forward the special exception request to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval. The motion was seconded and carried at the Oct. 16 meeting.

The Board of Supervisors will consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation; the county record includes the staff report, the soils report from Soils Inc., and the applicant’s proposed conditions, including testing, inspection and maintenance requirements for the proposed system.