Leesburg commission sends Greenway Manor rezoning to work session after residents raise traffic, noise and wetlands concerns

The Leesburg Planning Commission voted Feb. 20 to send the rezoning application for the Greenway Manor property to a work session, asking the applicant to address outstanding transportation and proffer issues before the commission considers a recommendation to the town council.

The application (TLZM2018-000005; TLSE2018-000010) covers two parcels totaling about 8.85 acres at the southwest corner of Greenway Drive and South King Street and would amend the 2012 concept plan to permit reuse of existing historic buildings and new construction for an indoor theater, office uses, a K–8 school, a place of worship, eating establishments (no drive-in), limited retail and a 40-room commercial inn. The applicant and staff said the proposal would allow a maximum of 101,306 square feet of building area (staff corrected an earlier packet error that overstated the figure).

Staff summary and why it matters

Chris Murphy, senior planning project manager in Leesburg’s Community Development Department, presented the staff report and recommended the item move to a work session so staff and the applicant can resolve outstanding technical issues. Murphy told the commission the town’s transportation engineer has concerns with the submitted traffic impact analysis, citing project phasing, peak-hour factors and site access; those items are being worked on between the town and the applicant’s transportation consultant. Murphy also said staff’s in-house fiscal analysis estimates the proposal would be fiscally positive by about $91,389 per year from personal property and BPOL-related taxes tied to the commercial inn and some eating establishments, and that most other proposed uses were likely to be nonprofit or church-affiliated.

Murphy noted the property is in the B-1 district with the H-1 historic overlay and that the Bar (Board of Architectural Review) reviewed the plans and found the new construction and additive masking techniques preserve the manor…