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Council approves rezoning for 54 townhomes on Leesville Road over planning commission objections
Summary
Lynchburg City Council voted to rezone roughly 4.6 acres on Leesville Road from low-density R-1 to R-4C conditional, allowing a 54-unit townhome project. Planning staff described traffic, parking and stormwater measures; the Planning Commission had recommended denial. The council approved the ordinance after public comment and debate, 6-1.
Lynchburg City Council on May 27 approved an ordinance rezoning about 4.6 acres along Leesville Road from R-1 (low-density residential) to R-4C (high-density residential, conditional) to permit a 54-unit townhome development.
Planning staff told the council the petition would change zoning on parcels near Burton Creek and would allow a 54‑unit townhome project on roughly 4.6 acres. Rachel Freshiesen, the planning staff presenter, said Planning Commission had recommended denial at its April hearing, citing traffic concerns and a preference to preserve single‑family zoning. Freshiesen told council the petitioner added a proffer on the morning of the hearing: “the units would be for sale.”
The petitioner’s representative said the design meets technical ordinance requirements and argued the existing houses on the site are dilapidated. Supporters who spoke at the public hearing called the development a source of for‑sale, lower‑priced housing. Dawson Martin, who identified himself with Martin Ridge Homes, said the developer has built and renovated homes in Lynchburg and that the proposal would “bring some affordable housing to Lynchburg.” Other proponents included local realtors and residents who said townhomes would help recent graduates and retirees access ownership.
Opposition on council and at the hearing centered on traffic on Leesville Road and cumulative development in that corridor. Ward 3 Council Member (identified in the record as the ward representative) said neighbors repeatedly told him they wanted to slow down new multifamily development on Leesville Road and cited a series of pending nearby projects that, he said, could combine with this proposal to worsen congestion. In response, the petitioner told council the development’s trip generation study estimates 361 daily trips with AM and PM peak volumes near 30–36 cars and that the project would use a right‑in/right‑out entrance design and provide parking above ordinance minimums.
Technical and design details presented to council included an estimated development cost of about $9 million; a proposed site layout with an entrance taper and a detention/stormwater design intended to meet DEQ and city post‑development rate limits; and a parking plan that the petitioner said would provide 74 spaces for 54 units. The petitioner also said the site would be served by an extension of city sewer and water and that building setbacks would place the first buildings several dozen feet from Leesville Road.
After debate and multiple motions on the floor, council adopted the rezoning ordinance. The recorded outcome on the council’s voting machine was 6-1 in favor.
Why it matters: Rezoning from R-1 to R-4C changes long‑term allowable uses for the parcels and allows higher density than the existing low‑density zoning. Council members who voted in favor cited the need for for‑sale housing options; those opposed cited traffic and preserving existing neighborhood character. The proffer that the units will be sold, and the petitioner’s commitment to provide parking and stormwater controls, were central elements of council’s deliberations.
What’s next: With the ordinance adopted, the developer may proceed to final site plan and permitting consistent with the proffers and city requirements. Council discussion included suggestions about monitoring cumulative traffic impacts on Leesville Road as other nearby projects proceed.
