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Council adopts subdivision ordinance updates but tables secondary-access change
Summary
Waynesboro City Council approved amendments to Chapter 74 of the city code to conform to recent Virginia code changes and to clarify cottage-housing and administrative provisions, but the council removed and tabled a proposed secondary-access provision pending further review.
Waynesboro City Council on July 28 adopted a set of amendments to Chapter 74 (Subdivision Ordinance) that staff said bring local rules into compliance with changes in the Code of Virginia and clarify provisions for cottage housing and administrative procedures. Council approved the package of amendments with one exception: a proposed requirement for a secondary fire access for developments with more than 30 dwelling units was removed from the ordinance and tabled for further study.
City planner Miss Tate summarized the amendments as primarily compliance-driven, reflecting new state requirements that took effect July 1, and as administrative clarifications including bonds calculation, pedestrian-crossing language and updates to department titles. The amendments also reconcile an existing cottage-housing ordinance with subdivision rules so that cottage lots need not front a public street when clustered around a common area.
Tate said the planning commission had held a public hearing and recommended approval. A point of contention during the council discussion was a staff-proposed inclusion of a requirement for a secondary means of fire access for developments with more than 30 dwelling units. Council members noted that the statewide fire code already contains an emergency-access requirement and questioned whether restating it in the subdivision ordinance was necessary. Several council members also asked for comparative information from similarly sized jurisdictions; one council member noted that Augusta County’s threshold for full secondary public access is 100 units and said more research was needed before adopting a 30-unit trigger.
To address workload and research concerns, staff suggested removing the secondary-access item from the current amendment package and returning it later for further study. Council voted to adopt the remaining amendments and to table the secondary-access provision; the motion passed 4–0.
The adopted changes will be incorporated into the city code; staff will return later with further work or comparative analysis on secondary-access thresholds if council directs.
