Council tables Wards Ferry townhome rezoning amid traffic safety concerns

Lynchburg City Council voted to table consideration of a rezoning, future land use map amendment and conditional‑use permit for 18 townhomes and one duplex at 3142–3150 Wards Ferry Road, directing the petitioner and staff to meet with concerned neighbors and return in two months.

Rachel Fleschhausen, planning staff, told council the developer had earlier sought apartments and then townhomes; the board of zoning appeals granted a variance to reduce a two‑acre minimum for townhome development. She said the transportation engineer recommended limiting access to the site from Copely Place to a right‑in, right‑out movement due to unsafe left‑turn geometry.

Norm Walton, representing the development team, said townhomes provide a path to economic homeownership and that traffic generated by a commercial redevelopment likely would exceed traffic from the proposed townhomes. "We believe that townhouses here provides a means of economic home ownership," Walton said.

Several residents and business owners urged caution and asked for a traffic study. Rex Hammond, who lives near the site, said: "A traffic study is not just a formality. It's a critical step to assess the potential impact of this project on road safety" and described a recent collision on Wards Ferry Road. Bevan Alexander and other speakers described difficulty making left turns near the Timberlake intersection and said Copely Place is close to the intersection and unsafe for left turns.

Members of council expressed concern about safety near Heritage High School and at the Timberlake/Wards Ferry corridor. Councilman Diemer moved to table the item until a comprehensive traffic review could be completed; the motion was seconded and later amended to set a two‑month return with petitioner, staff and concerned citizens asked to collaborate. The motion to table passed, recorded in the transcript as 5-2.

Staff and the petitioner discussed scope and cost of a traffic study during deliberations. Planning staff estimated a limited study focused on Copely Place could cost roughly $6,000–$10,000, while a study that included the Timberlake signalized intersection and nearby interchange could approach $20,000. The petitioner said the project, at 20 total dwelling units (18 townhomes and two duplex units), did not by right trigger a full traffic study and asked to work with the city engineer and neighbors to use existing data where possible.

Council directed staff to provide a memo with findings ahead of the next meeting rather than sending the item to a committee. The motion on the table — to table all three matters related to the petition for two months for further review — passed with the recorded outcome shown in the transcript as "motion passes, 5-2."