Augusta County board approves rezoning for 88.302-acre Stewart's Draft parcel over resident objections

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 to approve a request by Sunrise Investors Inc. to rezone roughly 88.302 acres in the Stewart's Draft urban service area from General Agriculture with proffers to single-family residential (about 63.15 acres) and attached residential (about 23.152 acres).

The rezoning was introduced by county planning staff, who said the parcel is wholly inside an urban service area, is currently planned for industrial and neighborhood mixed use in the comprehensive plan, and was returned to the planning commission for reconsideration after the applicant voluntarily resubmitted revised proffers. Planning staff and the commission recommended approval.

Residents who spoke during the public hearing urged caution. Jan Spear of Stone Valley said the plan had only one proposed entrance on Locust Grove Lane and warned that a single access point could hinder emergency response and produce significant traffic backups. "These new homes have only one proposed entrance on Locust Grove Lane," Spear said, arguing the subdivision should include an additional entrance and a traffic signal at Locust Grove and Route 340 paid for by the developer.

Other commenters echoed traffic and emergency-access concerns and urged the board to consider sewer capacity. Tracy Piles told the board the county should prioritize agricultural soils and water resources in Steward's Draft, raised the Chesapeake Bay Act as a constraint on sewer capacity and asked staff to inventory undeveloped lots before approving more build-out.

Supervisor (Miss) Bragg, who moved the rezoning, said the parcel is in a designated growth area where utilities exist and that the proffers would limit early construction. She cited school capacity figures submitted by the school division showing available seats at nearby schools and said the developer had proffered a phased construction schedule. "They have proffered that they'll only build a certain amount of homes every year," Bragg said, adding that construction would not start for about two years per the proffers.

Board members debated the acceptable pace of build-out and whether the proffered caps (for example, 50 single-family lots per year and 50 attached lots per year in the proffer language) allowed a rapid build-out if future owners sold to a national builder. After discussion about cumulative impacts from other subdivisions in the Stewart's Draft area, the board voted 6-1 in favor of approval.

The rezoning approval does not itself authorize any final plats or building permits; those remain subject to proffers, subdivision review and any required VDOT approvals for road improvements or additional entrances.

The board also noted it would follow up with VDOT regarding signal timing at Locust Grove and Route 340 and that the proffers included commitments to roadwork intended to mitigate traffic impacts. Public records and the planning materials are the appropriate sources for final proffer language and build-out limitations.

The Board moved on to other business after the vote; no final plats or construction authorizations were issued during the meeting.