Planning commission backs rezoning of 36‑acre parcel in Zion/Design Crossroads for industrial use

The Fluvanna County Planning Commission on June 10 recommended approval of a board‑initiated rezoning for a roughly 36.187‑acre parcel along U.S. 15, voting 5‑0 to forward the request to the Board of Supervisors.

Planning staff said the request would change the property’s zoning from A‑1 (agricultural general) to I‑1 (industrial limited). The parcel is in the Design Crossroads Community Planning Area and Urban Development Area and is located about 1 mile south of the U.S. 250 intersection. The application includes a proffer statement dated June 5, 2025 that removes a set of by‑right and special‑use categories (listed in staff slides) from the property’s allowed uses.

Staff told commissioners the owner agreed to donate 1 acre for a sewer lift station to support future utility extension, and that the rezoning would help the county advance the site in the Virginia Business Ready Sites program. The technical review committee reported no outstanding technical objections; VDOT noted future site plans would need entrance reviews.

Commissioners and residents discussed water resources and floodplain constraints. A commissioner asked where site traffic would enter given that Hunter’s Branch Creek crosses the property and that portions of the Route 15 corridor have experienced overflow during heavy storms. Planning staff said an early site characterization is pending and that the ingress/egress locations will be identified through a future traffic‑impact analysis and VDOT review. Staff also said large data centers are unlikely given the site’s limited acreage and lack of high‑capacity transmission lines and that water availability would likely preclude large, water‑intensive data centers without further proffers.

Several members of the public spoke in favor of attracting businesses and jobs, citing pressures on county revenues and the need for local employment options. John Rainer of Union Mills Road told the commission that nearby Louisa County already supplies water to data centers and that Fluvanna should be prepared to consider business proposals to broaden its tax base. Patty Raider, also of Union Mills Road, urged the county to pursue businesses and noted concerns about vacant commercial space in Palmyra.

The planning commission’s recommendation is subject to final action by the Board of Supervisors; staff said the rezoning has already been advertised for the board public hearing on July 2. Commissioners asked staff to continue discussions with the property owner about additional proffers if the commission or board requests them before the board hearing.