Council introduces ordinance to convey 6.4-acre parcel to housing authority, subject to rezoning

The council introduced an ordinance on July 13 to convey a 6.4-acre city parcel at 1200 Shenandoah Avenue to the Waynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RHA) for an affordable and workforce housing development.

Mister Ham described the parcel—currently occupied by the Waynesboro office of the Shenandoah Valley Department of Social Services and formerly the Shenandoah Heights Elementary site—and said the RHA’s preliminary concept includes about 18 townhomes facing Shenandoah Avenue and 20 cottage homes arranged in a cul-de-sac. Ham said townhomes would target workforce housing while the cottages would be aimed at people with disabilities or disabled veterans.

Council members debated process and notice. One councilor (speaker 8) said conveying the property before a rezoning and before neighbors receive rezoning notification could look like “putting the cart before the horse” and urged a sequence that gives neighbors an opportunity to review rezoning materials. Ham said the RHA seeks evidence of council cooperation as good faith to justify continued investment; staff proposed introducing the conveyance ordinance subject to rezoning so the public hearing and planning processes would follow.

Council voted to introduce the ordinance to convey the property subject to rezoning; the motion passed by voice vote recorded at 5–0. Ham said subdivision to carve off approximately 60% of the parcel would be an administrative step and that rezoning approval would be required before development could be finalized; staff will return with public-hearing notices and rezoning materials.