A 400-unit house development on the northern end of Waynesboro comes before Waynesboro City Council Monday night for a public hearing and rezoning vote after months of debate and dissent from neighbors living along Duke Road, across the street from the proposal.
The development, if approved, would come in four phases and would bring a range of different housing types to the 147-acre Smith Farm property, including townhouses, multiplexes, duplexes, and 20 single-family residences on lots of 2 acres or more. What those properties might cost homebuyers has not been provided to the city, according to Community Development Director Leslie Tate.
Also on the table is developer Stockbridge OPCO LLC’s agreement to remove the old Augusta County District Home property, also known as the “Poor Farm” which once served the area’s poor, indigent, and homeless and today sits on the Smith Farm. The developer has agreed to demolish and remove the antiquated District Home by January 2026.
There continues to be a low supply of available housing in the region. The Greater Augusta Association of Realtors reports that, as of the end of July, listings in Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County are not quite a third of a normal market.
Despite the housing shortage, neighbors near the development have questioned adding 400 more units just off Hopeman Parkway in Waynesboro, where significant housing construction is already happening.
David Bihl, a Duke Road resident, was disappointed by a 6-1 vote of the Waynesboro Planning Commission in June to recommend the rezoning of the property from single-family residential to a planned unit development. He sees long-term problems resulting.
“Hopeman Parkway will become a parking lot with red lights every 100 yards. And all of that excess traffic will clog up the rest of the city. We will have a town, a city that has given away all its advantages and uniqueness,’’ Bihl told The News Virginian.
Duke Road resident Stephen Strosnider spoke at the June Waynesboro Planning Commission meeting about the development. Strosnider told The News Virginian it is the type of development being proposed that he does not support.
“I understand the development of new homes can be a good thing,’’ he said, but “an abundance of townhomes” does not promote long-term residence in Waynesboro. He said the likelihood is that many of those buying the townhouses will remain only “until they can afford more expensive homes in Albemarle County.”
Waynesboro City Councilman Terry Short told The News Virginian that traffic projections for the planned development indicate there would be hundreds of fewer traffic trips a day than with traditional single-family housing. Short said with just a single-family house, there would be 10 car trips a day, with townhouses, far fewer.
Short likes the overall development plans which include a 60-acre park area, a greenway, and trails. “I like the idea of creating neighborhoods that are concentrated around a centralized recreation space. The trail connections allow people to get outdoors,’’ he said.
By denying the development, Waynesboro Vice Mayor Jim Wood told The News Virginian the property could be developed without the park and greenway amenities as a by-right development. By conforming to existing zoning, Wood said the developer “could do whatever they want.” Wood thinks a partnership between the developer and the city is preferable.
Short is keeping an open mind about his vote on the project. “I have not formed a final opinion,’’ he said. “I have received a lot of emails and talked to a lot of people, but I also value the people who will come out Monday night.”
Beyond the potential traffic issues, Bihl said an overload of townhouses in Waynesboro does not benefit the city’s overall housing stock.
“You build all these new townhouses and you lower the property values. And for everyone in the city, it lowers the quality of the housing stock,’’ Bihl said.
Short said Waynesboro City Council recently met to discuss its bond rating. During that meeting, Short learned that the city’s property values have increased by 62% since 2016. And during that period, Short said Waynesboro has constructed a larger number of condominiums and townhomes.
Strosnider said his family fell in love with Waynesboro because of locations like Duke Road and the tranquil Smith Farm property with the views it offers.
“It’s beautiful,’’ he said of the area along Duke Road. “I wish it [the Smith Farm property] could be developed in a smarter way than this current proposal.”
Monday’s meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Yancey Municipal Building.
