Board votes to recommend denial of River Knowles rezoning despite planning commission approval

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors voted Feb. 4, 2025, to recommend denial of a rezoning request (case Z466-24-1) for the River Knowles subdivision. The application sought to rezone 135.58 acres in the Jefferson magisterial district from R-1 (residential) to R-3 (residential cluster) to allow a proffered limit of 140 single-family detached dwelling units with a cluster layout.

Planning Director Cooley told the board the planning commission had held a public hearing on Dec. 11, 2024, and recommended approval by a 5-0 vote, finding the proposal supportive of the 2023 Comprehensive Plan. Staff noted the planning commission’s suggested revisions to proffers for buffers adjacent to existing residential properties and for reservation of right-of-way along Old Bridge Road (Route 622), and reported it had not received revised proffers as of the meeting.

The applicant, represented by Sherman Patrick of Compton & Duelling and Kevin Breeden (Clevengers SD LLC), said the rezoning would allow a cluster design meant to reduce environmental disturbance and preserve about 95 acres as open space while proposing 140 lots versus the 147 lots allowed by existing R-1 zoning. Patrick said the applicant did not submit a revised proffer statement because they anticipated the suggested proffer changes would be addressed at the preliminary subdivision-plan stage.

The application also included a waiver request for a cul-de-sac length. County code sets a 1,000-foot maximum without a waiver; the applicant requested a cul-de-sac length of 1,141 feet.

Engineer Roddy Reyes (Bowman Consulting) told the board that final engineering and wetland-avoidance work supported clustering and that corridor-level traffic analysis for the broader corridor existed (a 2005 study updated most recently), and that limited turning-movement analyses had been prepared for entrances. Cooley and the applicant stated that Culpeper County’s operating practice and VDOT guidance typically do not require a traffic-impact analysis (TIA) for smaller subdivisions and that the Stonehaven/adjacent corridor analysis had been prepared in related reviews.

Supervisors raised concerns. Supervisor Bates questioned the absence of a TIA and expressed worry about safety at the nearby intersection and about water pressure and hydrant capacity. Supervisor Rosenberger, who represents the district where the property is located, moved to recommend denial. Rosenberger said he opposed upzoning property already zoned residential, criticized the proposed longer cul-de-sac on public-safety grounds and expressed skepticism that the cluster plan would deliver the county better tax-base value. “I can’t support it,” Rosenberger said after describing his objections.

Supervisor (name not specified in transcript) seconded and supported Rosenberger’s motion; the board then voted by voice and the motion to recommend denial carried. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally for the motion.

The denial represents the board’s recommendation at this meeting; the file and any final approval steps (including VDOT review of access or a future preliminary subdivision plan) were not concluded in the transcript excerpts provided. The applicant stated willingness to work on buffer locations, interparcel connections and reservation of right-of-way during the preliminary-plan review if the process continued.