Public raises concerns about zoning, noise and data centers during Unified Development Ordinance hearing

The Culpeper Town Council held a public hearing June 10 on a draft Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that would replace and modernize town zoning and subdivision rules; several residents and a regional builders'association representative raised concerns about proposed rezoning, noise standards and administrative authority.

Town planning staff said the UDO effort began in 2019, with Duncan Associates engaged as consultant, advisory committee work, multiple public open houses and presentations. Staff described the draft as 272 pages that retains many existing requirements (minimum lot sizes, setbacks, landscaping, historic overlay, flood hazard provisions, violations and penalties) while proposing new zoning districts, form-based building types, simplified use tables, and other changes.

Andrew, a town planning staff member, told the council the draft would increase required off-street parking for single-family residential developments from two spaces to three, allow accessory dwelling units as a permitted use in residential districts instead of by conditional use permit, update wireless telecommunications rules to match recent state code changes, provide definitions and regulation for short-term rentals, and add administrative modification authority to provide flexibility in limited circumstances.

Public commenters urged changes or expressed reservations. W. M. Bunker, a resident of Willow Shade subdivision, supported the Verizon franchise but separately urged the town to monitor franchise performance and service coverage. Andrew Dowdy, a resident, commended staff for the UDO work but urged the council to address noise standards, especially for data centers; Dowdy said current town noise text is ambiguous and could create legal conflicts and recommended the council develop clearer decibel-based standards.

Teresa Geesting, a longtime homeowner, opposed proposed rezoning of parcels between Blue Ridge and Virginia Avenue circles that the draft would move from existing R-2 to proposed RX (residential mix) or NX (neighborhood mix) designations. She said those designations could allow multifamily and commercial uses that would alter the neighborhood's small-lot traditional housing character and asked whether the changes amounted to spot zoning. She also called for removing data centers as an allowable use within town limits (the draft would allow them in an industrial district with a conditional use permit), saying proffers and tax revenue promises may not offset long-term impacts on quality of life.

Jessica Amos said East Street residents are continuing to gather signatures to request rezoning from RT to RS to reflect the current character of the street. Sean Miller, government-affairs director for the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association, spoke on behalf of builders and developers, warning that the UDO's increased administrative authority for staff could reduce transparency and public oversight, raise development costs and slow permit reviews; he urged the council to reconsider and seek a more balanced approach aligned with the comprehensive plan.

Staff said the public hearing will inform further edits; the UDO will return to the council's three-person P committee later in June and later to the planning commission and council for final hearings before the end of the year.

No formal council action was taken at the hearing; council members and staff urged constituents to continue submitting written comments and to use the project hub on the town website for details and draft maps.