Leesburg council approves Greenway Manor rezoning to expand Destiny School, build 350-seat theater and 40-room inn

Leesburg Town Council on April 22 approved a rezoning for the 8.8-acre Greenway Manor site and a related minor special exception that will allow Destiny School of the Arts to expand, create an on-site 350-seat performing arts theater and build a 40-room boutique inn. The rezoning passed on a 6–0–1 vote (one abstention); the council later approved the minor special exception by the same margin.

The vote followed a lengthy public hearing in which supporters — including parents and staff from Destiny School — described the need for a permanent performance space, and neighbors raised concerns about traffic, parking, noise and security. Council members and staff said the approved plan is substantially different from and less traffic-intensive than the by-right commercial development that could be built on the property under prior entitlements.

Council and staff described the approvals as conditional on a set of proffers and management measures the applicant agreed to during the hearing. Those commitments include a written proffer that the hotel and associated commercial operations will not host outdoor events or outdoor wedding receptions; a parking-management commitment preventing the school and other on-site venues from holding simultaneous events that would push attendance above the property—s available on-site parking; and additional plantings in the buffer area between the proposed inn and nearby homes. Planning staff said the final proffer language will be incorporated into the ordinance before the mayor signs it.

Planning staff presented the application as an amendment to the site—s existing zoning entitlements and described the project as a campus-style reuse and limited new construction around the historic manor house and barn. The staff report said the town plan—s “strengthen and protect” guidance supports institutional and large-institutional uses on the property, and that, on balance, the proposed institutional emphasis generates fewer daily vehicle trips than the previously entitled commercial option. Staff also said the applicant proffered a maximum student enrollment of 300 for the school and committed to a parking management plan and limits on delivery vehicle sizes and trash removal times to reduce neighborhood impacts.

Greg Wigfield, the applicant and property owner, told the council the project team sought to preserve the manor house and barn and to prioritize the performing arts and the school. "We have no outdoor events," Wigfield said during the hearing; "everything, musically and theater, is in the theater itself." He also told the council he would work with staff on the proffer language and on additional screening behind the hotel to address neighbors— concerns about sightlines and security.

Planning staff (presented by a planning representative identified in the record as Chris) said the project will provide a living parking-management plan that town staff, the owner and public-safety officials will review and revise over time to prevent spillover parking into adjacent neighborhoods. "This is a living document," the planning representative said of the parking-management plan, noting it would be adjusted as elements of the project come online.

Neighbors focused their comments on night-time noise, the risk of event traffic spilling into Greenway Farms and Connery Terrace, the proximity of the proposed inn to rear yard bedrooms, and the adequacy of new tree screening. Several residents asked the council to require written guarantees limiting event hours, banning outdoor events, and preventing simultaneous large gatherings on campus; the council and applicant agreed to draftable proffers addressing many of those points prior to final ordinance preparation.

Council members noted the application was the product of multiple reviews — the town—s board of architectural review (BAR), planning staff and the Planning Commission — and that the Planning Commission recommended approval after the applicant revised traffic and site details. Several council members said the proposed institutional plan was preferable to the more intensive commercial uses allowed under existing entitlements.

The council approved the rezoning motion to adopt Ordinance TLZM 2018-0005 (Greenway Manor) and a separate resolution granting Minor Special Exception TLSE 200180011 for the school uses. The ordinance and resolution were approved with the understanding that staff will incorporate the agreed proffers (written language spelling out the no-outdoor-events restriction for hotel-associated events, the limit on simultaneous events tied to available parking, and increased plantings in the buffer area) into the final documents. The council also directed staff to continue working with the applicant on operational details such as the parking-management plan, noise monitoring and coordination with the Greenway Farms homeowners— association.

The approvals do not change the council—s enforcement options: town staff said noise limits under Leesburg—s code remain enforceable and complaint-driven, and that violations could be measured at property lines. The applicant and staff also discussed options such as additional police traffic control for large events and adjustments to driveway access if warranted by future traffic counts.

Next steps identified by council and staff include finalizing the written proffers and turning the approved concept plan into applicable site-plan and building-review documents; preparing a parking-management plan before first occupancy; and documenting the additional buffer plantings and security fencing in final site drawings. Implementation tasks will be tracked by planning staff and coordinated with the police, the public-works department and the applicant as construction and phased occupancy proceed.

Votes at a glance: The rezoning ordinance (TLZM 2018-0005) and the minor special exception (TLSE 200180011) were each approved on a 6–0–1 vote (one abstention). The mayor signed the motion language after staff prepared final proffer language reflecting the commitments made during the hearing.