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Planning commission approves lot‑width waiver for Dry Run Estates after residents raise traffic, blasting and radon concerns
Summary
Berkeley County approved a waiver for lot widths in Dry Run Estates, allowing 22 lots to be narrower than the ordinance’s standard width, after residents urged the county to account for traffic, road condition, blasting and radon risks.
The Berkeley County Planning Commission approved a waiver request for Dry Run Estates on Oct. 11, 2025, allowing 22 of 95 proposed single‑family lots to have reduced widths of 65 to 70 feet while retaining a 7,500 square‑foot minimum lot area. The developer proposed the waiver to permit larger backyards and reduced infrastructure costs.
Several nearby residents spoke in opposition during the public hearing, citing narrow local roads, recurring stormwater and erosion on Shellbark Lane and Cabana Lane, concerns about blasting through rock and potential impacts on well water and indoor radon levels. Resident Keith Barry said the proposal “does not address any of these issues” and warned that added traffic, pressure on emergency services and blasting could harm long‑standing neighborhood conditions. William Brophy and Tianji Jones added concerns about radon and the capacity of narrow roads to carry substantially more traffic.
Planning staff described the waiver as a request to Article 5, Table 5‑3 of the subdivision ordinance; staff recommended approval. The applicant’s engineering team and project representative said they have been coordinating with the West Virginia Division of Highways and Berkeley County on a traffic impact study, have resubmitted a revised traffic study to DOH and the county, and said the Berkeley County Public Sewer Service District has capacity but a pump station will be required inside the development. The developer’s representative said “improvements need to be made at the intersection of Shellbark and Dry Run” and that they propose widening portions of Shell Park and adding paved shoulders in places shown on the concept plan.
Commissioner Bush moved to approve the waiver; Commissioner Gant seconded the motion and it carried. Commissioners and staff emphasized that the hearing at this stage was for a waiver of lot width only and that detailed engineering, traffic mitigation, blasting permits, pre‑ and post‑blast surveys and any required DOH road improvements would be handled in later stages of plan review and permitting. Staff and the applicant said blasting would require state permitting, pre‑ and post‑blast surveys and seismic monitoring under state and fire marshal rules.
The approval permits the lot‑width reduction only; final engineering approvals, the traffic impact study findings and permits for blasting or roadway changes remain future requirements under other permits and reviews.
