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Culpeper supervisors approve amended proffers for Stonehaven Village; developer bars data centers and adds park funding
Summary
After extended public comment and applicant presentation, the board unanimously approved a proffer amendment that reduces planned commercial square footage, tightens setbacks for parking, explicitly prohibits data centers and residential uses in the village employment area, and includes $45,000 for Spillman Park and a sheriff's proffer.
The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proffer amendment for the Stonehaven Village planned unit development (formerly Clevengers Village) during its December meeting, accepting changes the developer said are necessary to adapt the project to current market conditions.
Planning staff and the Planning Commission had differing recommendations: the Planning Commission recommended denial by a 4–3 vote after its November hearing, while staff characterized the applicant’s changes as largely minor and presented them for the board’s consideration. The amendment reduces commercial square footage in the village center, adjusts setbacks and layout, removes two‑story commercial uses in places, and adds monetary and park proffers.
Applicant Ahmad Saday told the board the changes respond to post‑pandemic retail market shifts and banking constraints. "When you vote yes, it means definitely no data centers. It kills it," Saday said, describing proffer language that explicitly prohibits data centers and removes the residential component from the village employment area. He described plans for smaller multi‑tenant retail buildings with drive‑through and pickup lanes, added parking to support a 25,000‑square‑foot grocery store pad, and said the developer will provide $45,000 toward Spillman Park and 25¢ per square foot of commercial to support sheriff patrols.
During public comment, neighbors offered mixed views. Adam Veil and others who live adjacent to the development urged approval to avoid a stalled, unfinished project and to attract retailers; several residents and civic groups pressed for stronger design proffers, earlier landscaping, and attention to night‑sky/light pollution. The Piedmont Environmental Council representative asked that architecture and landscaping be proffered to reflect local character; an International Dark‑Sky Association member asked for enforceable lighting controls and regular checks.
Board members debated tradeoffs — economic benefits, traffic and drainage concerns, and long‑term risk of different future boards reversing decisions — before making a motion to accept the proffers and approve the amendment. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
The amendment contains an explicit prohibition on data centers in the village employment area, reduced commercial square footage from figures referenced in earlier approvals, and specified proffers for public safety funding and park capital.
