Poquoson council approves rezoning and future‑land‑use change for West Creek parcel after neighbors press for revisions

Poquoson City Council approved a conditional rezoning and a companion comprehensive‑plan amendment for a 0.51‑acre parcel at 306A West Creek Boulevard (tax map parcel 27‑01‑00‑0032). The rezoning, requested by applicant Taylor Stewart, changes the property from R‑1 residential to B‑2 business to permit professional office space, landscape contracting and an associated storage yard under nine proffered conditions.

Wiley Horton, the city’s Director of Community Development, presented the request and the Planning Commission’s recommendation. The applicant proffered site‑specific conditions to screen the storage yard, prohibit outdoor activity between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (except for government‑declared emergencies or significant weather events), require parking and site‑plan compliance, retain healthy trees, and limit visible stored material and equipment at specified heights (vehicles/equipment screened from public view up to 55% with a maximum 14‑foot equipment height measured from existing grade).

The Planning Commission had recommended approval (6–0) with a modified condition on maximum height. Council discussion noted the site has a historical commercial use (staff cited commercial presence since 1985) and that site‑plan review will address parking and frontage issues in connection with any West Creek Road widening or sidewalks.

During the audience‑for‑visitors period several Oakmore Drive neighbors requested that council delay broad strategic language that appeared to single out Oakmore (and Yorktown Road) as an access point to the larger Big Woods North project and asked staff to answer written questions. Harold Quinn and other residents proposed a feeder‑road approach to reduce residential impacts and noted wetlands/drainage constraints on Oakmore Drive property.

Council made clear that the rezoning vote before it was a site‑specific decision; after discussion council approved the conditional rezoning by roll call 7–0 and separately approved the future‑land‑use map amendment to General Commercial by 7–0. On a related agenda item asking council to remand updated comprehensive‑plan/zoning language to the Planning Commission, council voted 7–0 to send the draft back to staff and the Planning Commission with a specified deletion of the parenthetical references to Yorktown Road and Oakmore Drive.

Next steps: the applicant will proceed with required site‑plan submittals, and the Planning Commission will conduct further public hearings on the broader open‑space amendments; staff committed to provide written answers to resident questions before future public hearings.