Winchester City Council voted Tuesday to vacate and convey an approximately 0.22‑acre remnant of right‑of‑way along the north side of Hope Drive between Valor Drive and Valley Avenue.

A viewers report presented to council said city staff, police and fire officials met on site and determined no inconvenience would result from the vacation. The remnant resulted from a prior realignment of Hope Drive and is described in staff materials as a moon‑shaped sliver of land roughly a quarter of an acre.

Staff recommended a valuation for conveyance using the same methodology applied to a prior right‑of‑way vacation on Weems Lane: the comparable per‑square‑foot value used elsewhere ($10 per square foot) reduced by 75% to 25% of that value for conveyance. Using an approximate area of 10,000 square feet, staff said that formula yields an estimated conveyance amount of about $24,000.

Council members asked how the 25% reduction was determined; staff said the percentage was applied in a 2023 vacation for an unbuilt stub of Wilson Boulevard and that council has discretion to choose a different percentage. Councilors also discussed that transferring the parcel to the adjacent developer would give that developer direct access for a planned public street and relieve the city of maintenance responsibility for that small parcel.

A motion to approve the viewers report and conveyance was made, seconded and carried on roll call. The council recorded affirmative roll‑call responses and declared the vacation approved.

Staff noted the viewers report was signed by members of the viewers committee and that the conveyance price is calculated from the adopted formula; the final conveyance amount and legal document details will be completed as part of the closing process.