Planning commission approves letter to Board recommending subdivision ordinance changes, flags VDOT entrance concerns and suggests phased adoption

The Page County Planning Commission voted to approve a letter to the Board of Supervisors recommending amendments to the county’s subdivision ordinance, including provisions that would change how 25‑acre divisions and vehicle‑entrance requirements are reviewed.

Members of the public and several commissioners discussed the proposed changes at length. Jeremy Baldwin, a resident, asked the commission to include a reasonable implementation timeframe because he and others have pending land‑division applications that could be affected by an immediate adoption. David Reed, a resident with recent experience obtaining VDOT entrance permits, urged the commission to clarify how proposed entrance standards would be implemented in practice, warning that strict language could block divisions that rely on existing private rights‑of‑way and could impose significant upgrade costs on landowners.

Commission discussion referenced both the role of VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) in setting entrance sight‑distance and entrance standards and the commission’s intent to have entrance locations cited with professional input before the county stamps approvals. Commissioners debated practical effects: some said the proposed language aims to protect public safety by aligning entrances with VDOT guidance, while others warned that VDOT’s on‑site interpretations have varied and that the commission should consider appeal or discretion mechanisms and a reasonable delay for applications already in progress.

Tracy, planning staff, and commissioners agreed there was time before Board action and discussed recommending an adoption date in the future so applicants with pending transactions have time to close. Commissioners suggested timeframes ranging from 30 to 45 days; one commissioner said the Board could place the ordinance on its agenda as soon as two weeks. The commission voted to approve the letter to the Board of Supervisors and indicated staff should include comments about workflow and pending applications in the staff memo accompanying the letter.

A roll‑call vote approved the motion to send the letter to the Board of Supervisors: the commissioners present voted in favor during the meeting’s recorded roll call. The commission also noted it will continue subcommittee work on related zoning and comprehensive‑plan items and that VDOT coordination should be part of future deliberations.