Board tables controversial Slate Run Farms rezoning after extensive public comment

The board heard hours of public testimony and technical presentations before voting to table a request to rezone roughly 443.74 acres for phased industrial development north of Blue Ridge Shadows.

Planning staff summarized the application and said the applicant submitted revised proffers that increase a proposed monetary contribution to fire and rescue to $0.15 per square foot, add an escalator if buildings are not constructed within two years, and expand the vegetative buffer to 150 feet along residential boundaries. Staff said the property’s future land use designation allows industrial uses and that the application did not identify a specific end user but would likely be marketed for warehousing because of proximity to the Virginia Inland Port.

Dozens of residents from Blue Ridge Shadows and adjacent neighborhoods raised concerns about potential construction and industrial truck traffic using an emergency access that currently runs through residential streets, the adequacy of a 150‑foot buffer given prior tree clearing, impacts on road integrity and privately maintained streets, potential water demand for large industrial uses, and possible effects on property values and quiet enjoyment. Several speakers urged a 350‑foot buffer, truck‑traffic restrictions and a berm or sound barrier; others argued the rezoning aligns with the county’s comprehensive plan and could bring needed industrial growth.

Applicant representatives and consultants (Greenway Engineering and the project transportation consultant) clarified that the emergency access would be gated with keyed access for emergency services and that construction and industrial traffic would be routed from Winchester Road and a primary northern entrance rather than through Blue Ridge Shadows. The property owner said the recorded right‑of‑way predates recent development and said they do not intend to use the HOA interior roads for industrial construction traffic.

After rebuttals and technical clarification—including a staff note that proffers and the site‑plan entrance exhibit were amended and the applicant had initialed the revised 12/02/2025 plan—a supervisor moved to table the item to the board’s first meeting in 2026 to allow staff and the applicant to finalize the proffer language and enforcement mechanisms. The motion passed by roll call.