Historic-home owner seeks rezoning to protect 1883 property; commission tables for neighbor agreement

An application to rezone a 5‑acre parcel at 8183 Valley Pike from M1 to RA, filed by William and Barbara Houdershell, was presented Sept. 4 with staff recommending forwarding to the Board of Supervisors. The property contains an 1883 residence listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places; staff said the comprehensive plan designates the area as rural and that historic preservation is a preferred use.

Applicant Barbara Houdershell described purchasing and restoring the property and said rezoning to RA would allow future buyers to obtain residential mortgages and help preserve the house and barn. She told commissioners she is coordinating with the town of Middletown and said she has planted trees on the property where appropriate.

Adjacent property owner John Goode and other neighbors raised concerns about potential impacts on the adjoining industrial property to the south, including buffer requirements and the possibility of restricting a neighbor’s future redevelopment rights. Staff explained that if the Houdershell parcel were rezoned to RA, zoning buffers would apply and could require a 75‑foot inactive plus 25‑foot active buffer (or other buffer configurations) between an M1 site and RA land; a shared-buffer/screening easement recorded at the courthouse is one way to mitigate impacts.

Commissioners debated whether to act before Middletown’s parallel review of neighboring parcels. To allow the applicant time to work out an agreement with the adjacent property owner and to let staff coordinate with Middletown about the neighboring rezoning and special-use activity, the commission voted to table the item until the first meeting in November. Staff noted the commission retains up to 90 days to act and encouraged the applicant to work with neighbors on a recorded agreement that avoids imposing undue constraints on the neighbor’s property rights.