Waynesboro commissioners approve Creekwood Village Phase 2 preliminary plat and an 8.5% street‑grade waiver with voluntary buffer condition

The Waynesboro Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a preliminary plat amendment for Creekwood Village Phase 2 and granted a subdivision‑ordinance waiver to allow a portion of a new street to slope up to about 8.5%, with a condition that the developer provide a staff‑reviewed voluntary landscape buffer between the amended lots and existing homes.

The amendment, proposed by Greenwood Homes on behalf of Rosser Avenue Development LLC, adds 42 townhouses to Phase 2, reduces the number of single‑family detached units and slightly increases single‑family attached units, staff said. The developer and city staff said stormwater for Phase 2 will be handled by a wet pond behind the property and that public works will review updated hydraulic analysis as part of public improvement plans.

City planning staff said the Phase 2 change increases townhouse units and reduces detached units (staff noted an error on a slide during the presentation) and described the waiver request under Waynesboro’s subdivision ordinance Section 74‑71(I), which sets a 6% maximum street grade without special approval. The waiver would allow a slope up to about 8.5% on a segment of Winthrop Road that runs from Springdale Road down toward Piney Point Road.

“All public‑works and fire‑department review did not raise concerns about large vehicles or ladder‑truck operations” at the proposed grade, a city planner told commissioners. Staff recommended approval of both the preliminary plat amendment and the grade waiver.

Chris Schooley, vice president of land development for Greenwood Homes, told the commission that encountering extensive bedrock on the site made it preferable to raise and fill portions of Phase 2 rather than blast rock for basements. “We spent a million and a half dollars blasting rock for two months to try to move this,” Schooley said, and added that the proposed 8.2–8.5% slope was intended to avoid additional rock cutting and reduce disruption to neighbors.

Schooley said the change in lot types responds to both subsurface conditions and market demand: townhouses occupy smaller footprints and are typically built on slabs, allowing the developer to place them further from existing homes and achieve a lower entry price point. He said Greenwood’s townhouses generally sell in the “two hundreds” to low‑three‑hundreds range, which the company views as an affordable option for the local market.

Residents who spoke at the public hearing urged commissioners to deny or condition the change. Matt Johnson, a Creekwood Village homeowner at 240 Ridgeline Drive, said the amendment would raise density along Springdale Road, Summerdene Drive and Winterfell Road from 35 homes to 62 units in the affected area and would “substantially increase housing density” that residents say differs from the neighborhood character they were shown when buying. Johnson urged denial or, if approved, two conditions: an approved landscape screening plan between existing homes and the new units, and completion of the Ridgeline Drive connection to Lou DeWitt Boulevard before related construction proceeds.

Another resident, Louie Carter, presented calculations that he said show a roughly 275% increase in visible building mass from the rear elevations of existing homes if villas are replaced by townhouse blocks. Several speakers raised concerns about traffic, on‑street parking, erosion and runoff from additional grading, and potential loss of tree lines and views.

Schooley told the commission the developer will construct a landscape buffer in the open‑space strip adjacent to existing homes and said the Lou DeWitt Boulevard connection has utility and rock constraints but is expected to be completed “probably by the end of the summer” depending on phase sequencing. He said Greenwood will add the buffer details at site‑plan stage and submit them for staff review.

Commissioners discussed whether the buffer should be a binding proffer or a notation on the preliminary plat requiring staff approval at site plan. Commissioners noted limits on the commission’s authority over density when developments conform to zoning and indicated the change was “by right” under the current zoning entitlements approved during the rezoning process. Several commissioners urged residents to participate in the upcoming comprehensive‑plan process to address long‑term questions about density.

Commissioner Stewart moved to approve the preliminary plat amendment based on staff recommendations and to add a condition for staff review of the voluntary buffer between Phase 2 and existing Phase 1A/1B lots; another commissioner seconded. The commission took a voice vote; the motion carried.

The applicant’s submission included an updated hydraulic analysis (to be reviewed by public works) and a stormwater management plan that uses a wet pond located to the rear of the property. Staff also noted the plat amendment met the city’s lot requirements for townhouse, single‑family attached and detached units after the revisions.

The commission closed public comment after hearing the written letter from homeowners Andrew and Bridget McAuliffe, who said they felt “misled” about the scope of the new plan and its effect on privacy and views. The commission approved the preliminary plat amendment and the grade waiver with the buffer condition; final public‑improvement plan reviews and any required permits remain administrative matters for staff review.

The commission’s approval does not change the zoning entitlements previously granted for the overall Creekwood Village development; staff said the rezoning and concept plan established higher entitlements than the number of units currently proposed in Phase 2 and that the city maintains a master list of entitled versus constructed units.