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Huntfield master-plan tweaks draw developer presentation and cemetery preservation concerns
Summary
Developers briefed council on a proposal to convert some single-family lots to townhomes in Huntfield (net +70 units on one side, no change to the approved 3,200-unit cap); the Jefferson County landmarks chair urged investigation of two cemeteries and requested permission to use ground-penetrating radar to confirm burial boundaries.
Developers and preservation advocates came to Charles Town’s Nov. 17 council meeting to discuss proposed changes to parts of the Huntfield master plan.
Matt Stair of Doctor Acquisitions said the submission seeks to reconfigure product types — converting some single-family lots to townhomes on the east side of the railroad — without increasing the overall approved unit cap of 3,200. Stair said the change would add roughly 70 townhomes on the east side, drive phased infrastructure tied to utilities and would not reduce the project’s substantial open-space commitment (he noted about 228 acres of open space across the master plan).
Earlier in public comment, Addison, chair of the Jefferson County Landmarks Commission, told council that two cemeteries — Fairview Cemetery beside Page Jackson Road and another near Claymont — have boundary and ownership complexities with Huntfield property. Addison asked for permission to conduct ground-penetrating radar and offered the landmarks commission’s help and funding to document and protect gravesites, noting some markers suggest enslaved burials and later family interments.
Developer representatives said the proposal does not change the overall density approved for the larger project and that phasing decisions are tied to utilities and traffic considerations. The developer also said the community proffers include open space, a recreation center and that site plans will go through planning review and state entry-permit processes.
Council did not take action on the master-plan submission at the meeting; the item was presented for information and input prior to planning-commission review. Addison said the commission can provide inventories and technical work if the city will permit noninvasive surveys where proffers or site plans overlap potential burial areas.
What happens next: the developer will file formal planning applications and the proposal will proceed through the planning commission; the landmarks commission and staff will coordinate to determine whether noninvasive surveys can proceed before final approvals.
