Planning commission recommends rezoning 16 acres on Route 58 to allow TowneBank, with phased traffic proffers

The Southampton County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors rezone 16 acres along Route 58 from A-1 (agriculture) to B-3 (business district) to allow commercial development anchored by TowneBank.

Greg Schmidt of Kinley Horn, the applicant’s representative, told the commission the project is a multi-phase development with TowneBank taking the first 4–5 acres and that the proffers tie future phases to the bank’s architectural and landscaping standards. "Phase 1 will include a right turn lane and a left turn lane into the bank access that will be shared with future access," Schmidt said, and he described coordination with VDOT and a traffic impact analysis that went through a chapter 5 27 review.

Commissioners and members of the public pressed the applicant on access and median changes. Warren Simmons, a nearby landowner who said he has lived on South Hampton Parkway for decades, said he supports bringing the bank but is concerned that a future directional median could limit eastbound turns from his property and create safety issues. Jason Fowler of the Virginia Department of Transportation confirmed the plan shows a new median break in front of the bank for Phase 1 and said Phase 2 access locations north and south of Route 58 are the accesses VDOT expects; he also noted an access-management waiver may be needed because the plan includes more breaks than code ordinarily allows.

Schmidt said some median openings will be preserved for adjacent residents until later phases and that geometric solutions such as expanded pavement for U-turns (a "loon") have been discussed with VDOT though not proffered. Commissioners repeatedly framed the rezoning as fitting the county’s corridor plan and said a quality design standard could set a positive tone for future development along the Route 58 corridor.

Mr. Edwards moved to recommend rezoning with the offered proffers and the commission voted in favor; staff said the application is expected to be advertised for a Board of Supervisors public hearing at the September meeting. The recommendation does not itself rezone the property — the Board of Supervisors must act at the public hearing.

Next steps: the application will proceed to the Board of Supervisors for public hearing and final action; the commission’s recommendation and the applicant’s proffers will be part of that review.