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Washington County weighs $2.5 million land contract for industrial park amid neighbor objections
Summary
Supervisors approved authorizing a land purchase contract for about 85 acres with contingencies and due diligence; a neighbor urged the board not to buy farmland adjoining his home, citing traffic and industrial rezoning risks.
Washington County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized moving forward with a contract to buy roughly 85 acres from Jimmy Stewart for a potential industrial park, while also hearing public concern from a nearby resident.
The board approved authorizing the contract and initiating required due diligence after staff described a $2,500,000 purchase price and a $10,000 deposit that would be applied to the purchase or forfeited if the county did not proceed. County staff told the board the contract calls for closing on or before Feb. 16, 2026, but that the purchase is expressly contingent on several conditions: that the property be rezoned for the approved use, VDOT-approved access from Enterprise Road, acceptable water and sewer services, and final Board approval.
During public comment, resident William Roberts said the parcel adjoins his property on Enterprise Road and urged the board not to purchase the farmland. “If you put heavy truck traffic in there, that’s gonna be a real problem,” Roberts said, warning that an industrial rezoning could allow uses such as concrete plants that would affect neighbors’ quality of life. Roberts also suggested the county consider repurposing existing industrial sites rather than buying new farmland.
Board members asked staff why financing and other steps were bundled in the suggested motion; staff replied the contract text lists potential financing steps as contingent items but that the county would not secure financing until due diligence items were satisfied. Staff also clarified social-media rumors that the county planned to install solar panels on the site were unfounded and that battery-storage and solar ordinance work currently before the planning commission is separate from the proposed purchase.
The board voted unanimously to authorize approval of the contract and to begin the due-diligence items identified in Section 22 of the contract packet, including the entrance, sewer, water and rezoning work. Staff emphasized that if any contingency cannot be satisfied to the county’s liking, the county can elect not to move forward with the purchase.
Next steps: staff will pursue the due diligence described in the contract packet (access, sewer/water, rezoning and related studies) and return to the board for further action. Any transfer of funds, rezoning approvals or VDOT access approvals must be secured before closing.
