Planning commission recommends reclassifying Waddle parcels as agricultural to support conservation easement

The Smyth County Planning Commission voted 4-2 on Dec. 19 to recommend the Board of Supervisors amend the county’s Comprehensive Plan to reclassify four parcels owned by Greg and Kyli Waddle from Commercial/Industrial and Village Residential to Agricultural to support a proposed conservation easement.

The vote followed a presentation from staff and materials submitted by the Virginia Outdoor Foundation on behalf of the Waddles. County staff member Clegg Williams told commissioners the Board of Supervisors had remanded the commission’s earlier recommendation and that staff provided maps showing topography, water and sewer lines, current zoning and future land‑use designations.

Commissioners and applicants said the change matters because the Waddles farm the property and contend portions are unsuitable for development. According to the applicants’ representative, the Waddles seek to place roughly 600 acres under conservation easement, and about 200 acres already have easements in neighboring Washington County. The applicants provided photographs and topographic materials showing sinkholes and a cliffside along River Road that they said make development impractical.

Commissioners questioned mapping details and long‑term implications. Vice‑Chairman Graham Davidson Jr. asked how many acres were currently identified as commercial; Williams estimated roughly 112 acres along River Road and pointed to contours indicating a cliff. Commissioner Robert Campbell noted that parts of the site are designated prime farmland and expressed concern about past approvals for housing on farmland. Williams emphasized that once recorded, conservation easements are perpetual and difficult to reverse. The applicants’ representative described the easement process and stated that, in their case, a 20:1 ratio would apply—meaning that for each one acre released from an easement, 20 acres must be added (as described in the applicants’ materials presented to the commission).

Tony Dean moved to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve the Future Land Use Map amendment to identify parcels 64‑A‑20, 64‑4‑54, 64‑4‑6 and 64‑4‑7 as Agricultural; Lea Meadows seconded. The motion carried, 4 yeas to 2 nays, with Commissioner David Spence recorded as absent. The minutes list Commissioners Campbell, Dean, Meadows and Wagoner in support and Vice‑Chairman Davidson Jr. and Commissioner Shepherd opposed.

Supporters said the designation would preserve prime farmland and keep the parcels in agricultural use; opponents argued the land could be altered and that water and sewer could be extended to support commercial or residential development in the future. The commission’s action is a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors; the Board will consider final approval at a later meeting.

Next step: the commission’s recommendation and accompanying materials will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for its review and final decision.