Council approves rezoning, conditional use permit for 88 townhomes at 750 Leesville Road

Lynchburg City Council on Feb. 18 voted unanimously to amend the future land use map, rezone property and approve a conditional use permit to allow construction of 88 townhomes and associated parking at 750 Leesville Road.

The council approved the measures after the developer, identified in the meeting as Mr. Maddox, described revisions made following meetings with nearby residents. Mr. Maddox told the council he had entered a private agreement with a neighborhood association that would provide up‑front funding and an ongoing stipend to help maintain a nearby lake and address stormwater concerns if the project is approved.

The action reverses a tabling from the Dec. 10 council meeting and includes changes the developer said were made to respond to resident concerns about traffic and runoff. Council members noted the developer’s commitments to construct retention ponds and to work with nearby associations on maintenance funding.

Council members and staff discussed traffic on Leesville Road and possible remedies. The developer cited a prior city study proposing a reconfiguration of the roadway to add turn lanes and bike lanes and recommended further traffic review; members also signaled support for additional enforcement of speed limits in the corridor. Councilmember Ferrari (commenting from the dais) suggested adding one or two street lights at nearby intersections as part of implementation.

The motion on the future land use map, the rezoning and the conditional use permit were each approved by roll call; the council’s vote on all three items was recorded as unanimous. No amendments to the conditional use permit were recorded during the meeting.

Plans and permit conditions will move to staff for implementation steps including engineering reviews, and the council requested that staff consider intersection lighting needs during final plan review.