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Resident asks county to abandon short segment of Meadows Lane; supervisors ask for landowner agreement before public hearing
Summary
A Madison County property owner requested the Board of Supervisors consider abandoning about 110 feet of Meadows Lane state maintenance to permit installation of a gate at his property line; the board asked the applicant to secure signed agreements from affected landowners before advertising a public hearing.
A Madison County property owner asked the Board of Supervisors to abandon roughly 110 feet of state-maintained road on Meadows Lane so he could limit through traffic and install a gate at his property line.
The resident, identified in the record as Mr. Beto, said people following GPS routinely drive to his front door seeking a nearby fishing access; he told the board the current end-of-state-maintenance location leaves him unable to install a gate. "I'd like to be able to keep the fishermen and the trespassers and the Google GPS ers off my front door," he said.
Staff and supervisors discussed existing deeded easements and potential unintended consequences. County staff noted a deeded 15-foot easement appears to serve adjacent property access and cautioned that changing the end of state maintenance without agreement among affected property owners could create complications for right-of-way access and future equipment access. One county attorney/advisor noted Virginia right-of-way law can produce unforeseen issues and recommended all affected landowners reach written agreement before the county proceeds.
Supervisors did not vote to abandon the road segment at the meeting. Instead they directed staff to ask the applicant to secure signed agreements from all affected property owners (including confirmation of any deeded easements and a proposed maintenance agreement) and return the item as old business for a public‑hearing advertisement if the documentation is provided. VDOT will be notified and will perform a field assessment at the appropriate stage if the board moves forward.
The board emphasized that abandonment requests require clarity on maintenance responsibility, the legal status of existing easements, and signatures from all affected landowners to reduce the risk of later disputes; staff said a road-maintenance agreement is likely to be required if the segment becomes private.
No formal abandonment resolution or timeline was enacted at the meeting.
