Planning commission schedules Oct. 8 public hearing on Eagle Sound street acceptance to advance VDOT takeover

Accomack County staff asked the Planning Commission on Sept. 10 to authorize a public hearing for Oct. 8 on whether to find two Eagle Sound subdivision streets substantially in accord with the comprehensive plan so the county can ask VDOT to accept them into the state system.

Deputy County Administrator Lee Pandit explained the Eagle Sound Homeowners Association has requested that Sandpiper Lane and Oyster Cove Lane be brought into the state-maintained road system. Pandit said VDOT has reviewed the streets' cross sections and found they meet state standards, so no further construction is currently required "to meet state standards." Staff recommended a work session Sept. 23 to review the record from a May 5, 2021 commission review and then a public hearing on Oct. 8.

County Planner Shontice Ridley was designated the lead staffer for the item. Pandit told commissioners the commission's role is to determine whether accepting the roads for state maintenance is substantially in accord with the comprehensive plan, not to decide whether VDOT will accept the roads.

A commissioner raised a question about whether prior discussion in 2021 had included a minimum‑residences standard before VDOT would accept a road; staff said the county record provided to the commission did not identify a minimum-residences requirement, and that VDOT would apply its own standards. Pandit said county staff would review the 2021 record and the comprehensive plan before the work session.

The commission voted to schedule the Oct. 8 public hearing and authorized a Sept. 23 planning commission work session to review the record and the staff analysis before the hearing. The vote authorization will allow staff to advertise the hearing for public comment and forward the commission's finding to the Board of Supervisors and VDOT as the process continues.