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Supervisors split over St. Patrick Church and school plan; concerns about scale, traffic and septic
Summary
A proposed St. Patrick Orthodox Church campus near Liberty (including a ~27,000 sq ft sanctuary wing, ~13,000 sq ft parish hall, and an ~8,400 sq ft school wing seeking 150 students) drew sharp criticism from supervisors over its 55,000 sq ft scale, traffic impacts and septic/parking adequacy; staff noted 26 letters of parishioner support and prior denial by the planning commission.
Planning staff presented a special-exception application for St. Patrick Orthodox Church and an associated school and preschool on a roughly 11-acre site in the Village of Liberty, describing buildings and operations and explaining prior Planning Commission concerns about traffic and scale. Staff said the applicant anticipates just under 700 vehicle trips per day for all uses, and that the application originally drew a Planning Commission recommendation of denial in August 2024 but had been revised to shift the entrance from Old Marsh Road to Route 17.
"The place of worship wing which is just over 27,000 square feet including a 300 seat sanctuary... The parish hall component... just under 13,000 square feet... They are requesting 150 students and 25 staff," planning staff summarized. The staff report flagged village-scale compatibility, hydrogeologic assessments, septic design and stormwater as items for board conditions and noted 26 public-support letters submitted by parishioners and three adjacent property owners who opposed the application at the Planning Commission hearing.
Supervisors questioned the size and appropriateness for a village location. One supervisor said the combined proposal equates to about 55,000 square feet and argued a building that large would be out of scale with nearby structures, urging the applicant to reduce size or relocate to a service district. That supervisor also challenged the applicant’s cost estimate, stating, "$7,000,000 won't even get you a metal warehouse of that size," and suggested the likely cost would be nearer $20,000,000.
Others noted the differing approvals that public institutions sometimes receive, and some supervisors expressed conditional support for the principle of a school and church while warning about precedent. Technical concerns included whether the proposed septic system, parking layout and turn lanes could accommodate the scale and the possibility that Old Marsh Road could not safely absorb increased local traffic. Staff said VDOT preferred Old Marsh access to disperse trips but would not prevent access from Route 17 if the board approved a waiver.
The board did not take a final vote in the morning session; the matter was scheduled for the evening public hearing and potential decision after public testimony and any additional conditions the board may impose.
