Rezoning to make way for a planned unit development on 147 acres of property in Waynesboro was approved by City Council at its meeting Monday night, paving the way for construction of up to 400 residential units.
The location, at Hopeman Parkway and Duke Road, was originally planned for a public park. However, in 2023, the city entered into a Memorandum of Understanding agreement with Sheri Smith of the Sheri Legendre Smith Revocable Trust to look at developing the property.
Stockbridge OPCO LLC worked with Smith and the city on plans to include a mix of housing with oversight by a homeowners association, or HOA.
The property was zoned R-12, which allowed for single-family detached homes. The rezoning for the PUD will allow the developer a lot of freedom over plans for the land which could include detached homes, attached houses, duplexes, townhouses, manufactured homes or cottage housing.
The development will likely take place in four phases and will include 60 acres of public park land with three-quarters of a mile of greenway. The developer is also proposing improvements that might include a playground or tot lot, picnic areas, community gardens and trails.
The developer has agreed to tear down the former Augusta County District Home and to maintain access to a cemetery on the property.
In addition to the approval by City Council, the Waynesboro Planning Commission and staff supported the project.
Terry Short, who represents the at-large seat on City Council and is running for the Ward B seat in November’s election, said he believes the project could address the housing crisis facing the city.
“These aren’t easy decisions. They really are complicated. They’re nuanced, and it does require some time and attention and balancing as to multiple scenarios of unknowns,” Short said. “Here’s what we do know. What we do know is that there is an inadequate portfolio of housing stock in the City of Waynesboro.”
Short said he believes the current zoning for single-family large lot homes would not lend itself to affordability and diversity. With the mix of options proposed by the developer, he thinks there will be more possibilities for lower financial entry points into home ownership.
Vice Mayor Jim Wood commended city staff for their “superb job” working with the developer on the project.
“It seems like this may not be the decision everybody would want, but it looks like it would be the best outcome considering the parameters that we’re confined to.”
The rezoning was approved 4-0 with additional support from Mayor Lana Williams and Ward C representative Kenny Lee. Ward B representative Bruce Allen was not in attendance.
While the city staff, Council members and planning commissioners were on the same page about the property, three residents spoke out against the rezoning at the public hearing held before the vote.
Keith Smith said his wife and him own Mountain View Manor on Duke Road – a self-sustaining farm of 73 acres adjoining the PUD.
He was frustrated that the project seemed like a done deal already. He said that a contractor showed up two months ago and wanted to remove two sections of expensive horse fencing to move equipment across his pasture to the PUD property.
“He passed by 10 ‘no trespassing’ signs in the process,” Smith told City Council. “All of this, and the development has yet to be approved. How much more will we have to endure after construction starts?
“These developments should not be allowed to threaten our right to farm our land.”
Stephen Strosnider lives on Duke Road, and among his arguments against the PUD, he said he felt access and parking at the PUD will be a challenge for city residents outside the HOA to enjoy the planned public park.
“The city is essentially going to be maintaining this amenity for the HOA members at the taxpayer cost. The people that live right there are going to walk to it,” he said. “Nobody else in the city that’s going to pay the taxes to maintain that 60 acres is going to have reasonable access to it.”
Duke Road resident Jesse Haber begged the city to get more clarification from the developer on plans for the land.
“I think I saw a list of six or seven different types that could be built in certain of these clustered areas. It seems like there’s a lot of unknown there,” he said. “If you approve it as it stands, you really don’t know what you’re getting.
“And I think if you do want to approve a development area, you need to get more specifics about what’s going to be built, how it’s going to look and when is it going to be built.”
Waynesboro Director of Community Development Leslie C. Tate, in her presentation to Waynesboro City Council, conceded the unknowns but also suggested the project should have a positive impact on housing in the region.
“Staff doesn’t have any kind of idea on the housing prices, but certainly when there’s a mixture of types being allowed and a mixture of housing stock being permitted, then you do you could have the ability for more affordable housing.
“Staff notes that it’s a step towards addressing a regional housing shortage that really is driving prices up.”
Watch the Aug. 26 Waynesboro City Council meeting
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Crystal Graham
