Commission denies Huntfield Phases 9 and 11 application, urges master‑plan amendment process

The Charles Town Planning Commission denied the Huntfield Phases 9 and 11 submission after a closed‑door legal discussion and returned to the public record to take action on procedural grounds.

Staff had summarized the proposal as Phase 9 covering about 18.16 acres (74 single‑family lots) and Phase 11 containing roughly 48.25 acres with 92 single‑family lots and 93 townhomes, and identified a swap in open‑space designations: "the proposed plan that takes probably take approximately 2 acres of Tree Save, convert it to housing, while converting 2.78 acres from general open space to TreeSave," staff said. Commissioners debated whether the filing should have been processed as a master‑plan amendment rather than a sketch plan. After the commission entered an executive session for legal advice, the body returned and a commissioner moved to deny the application, saying the denial was driven by concerns about following the correct procedural track and open‑space impacts. "I would like to make a motion to, deny this application due to the previous discussions we've had in regards to the, proper procedures," the commissioner said. The motion was seconded and carried.

Commissioners flagged a desire for any resubmission to follow the master‑plan amendment route and for clearer documentation of tree‑save and dedicated open‑space trades. The commission recorded no detailed substitute remedy other than the recommendation that the applicant pursue the master‑plan amendment process.