Residents urge more study, notification as commission reopens review of 21.66‑acre rezoning near Zoosman Drive

Zoosman Properties LLC asked the Culpeper Planning Commission to rezone roughly 21.6625 acres off Zoosman Drive from rural residential (RR) to commercial zoning. Staff said the parcel had been considered during the unified development ordinance (UDO) process and that the rezoning requires a separate public hearing because of its timing.

Several neighbors who live on the private Zeus Wind/Zoosman Drive said they learned about the request only after seeing a sign and social media. “Neither my husband nor I…received anything in the mail about this,” said Rebecca Sittner of 730 Zeus Wind Drive, calling the notice inadequate and saying the blanket rezoning appears to diverge from the town’s plan. Cindy Thornhill, a former county planning commissioner, said the request lacks engineering plans, a traffic impact analysis and stormwater or VDOT review and questioned who would pay for water and sewer upgrades if the property were developed commercially.

Todd Brown, another neighbor, urged commissioners to visit the site, saying “the real only access to this property is presently our driveway” and warning that the 13th hole of the adjacent golf course runs parallel to the road and could pose safety risks if traffic increases. Maria Shrefler and other residents described the area as rural, with wildlife and narrow roads unsuited to commercial traffic.

The property owner’s representative, Al Caldwell, told the commission that water and sewer lines run through the parcel and that Zeus Wind Drive could be upgraded to serve development. Caldwell noted the parcel’s mixed‑use commercial designation on the town’s future land use map and argued that commercial zoning aligns with the comprehensive plan.

After a prolonged public comment period and internal discussion, commissioners did not make a recommendation to town council. Several members said they wanted a site visit and additional time to consider neighbors’ concerns and the property’s constraints. The commission agreed to table REZ‑6265‑2026 and revisit the item at a work session on Feb. 26 at 9 a.m.; staff said the matter is tentatively scheduled for a town council public hearing in March.

Next steps: commissioners will inspect the site before the work session and may craft a recommendation following that review; the rezoning application will still receive a separate public hearing at town council.