Several parcels of land in York County are proposed to be rezoned this year in the wake of the latest update to the county’s Comprehensive Plan, though the public has a few more chances to sound off on the changes before they are voted upon by the York County Board of Supervisors.
The York County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday to listen to comments and concerns from the public concerning the changes. The county’s Comprehensive Plan is a guiding document, which outlines developmental goals and guidelines in the coming years. The plan was updated last year, bringing several new zoning recommendations for the county.
Most of the changes do not involve changes to policy, according to a memorandum from York County Planner Tim Cross. They are meant to address changes since the 2005 update of the Comprehensive Plan. Cross said the plan is one of many factors to consider when it comes to the land’s designation, as state law does not require the zoning map to be in strict conformance with the Comprehensive Plan’s land use map. Other factors central to these changes are existing land use, future needs, growth trends and land characteristics.
Typically, most land in the county is zoned according to how it is presented in the Comprehensive Plan, according to the memorandum.
Cross said there are two areas recommended for rezoning with policy implications: an area near a runway at Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport and 12 parcels on the south side of Back Creek Road.
Two landlocked parcels are adjacent to one of the runways at the airport. They are currently zoned conservation, which prohibits any usage of the land by the airport. Under the proposed changes, the land would be shifted from resource conservation to limited industrial, which would allow a future expansion of the runway. Under that zoning, the Airport Commission would be required to apply for a permit to extend the runway, resulting in public hearings and the need to gain approval from the supervisors.
The 12 parcels on Back Creek Road are currently zoned for general industrial use. Six of them feature homes built between 1949 and 1975 while the other six are undeveloped. The plan wants them to be rezoned to rural residential. The properties abut a 580-acre undeveloped parcel originally zoned for heavy industrial development, however that designation was changed to conservation when the property’s former owner, BP Amoco, donated the land to the Nature Conservancy.
During last year’s update of the Comprehensive Plan, a few property owners from the 12 parcels said they supported shifting to a different residential zoning, while a few others said they opposed. Cross said the change to rural residential would be consistent with the current use of the land and is compatible with the “development character along that side of Back Creek Road.”
Some of the biggest rezonings involve shifting land purchased by nonprofits and Newport News Waterworks to conservation. Under the current recommendations, more than 1,000 acres of land are set to be converted to resource conservation. Along with the land formerly belonging to BP Amoco, several parcels of land in the area of Waller Mill Road, Bypass Road and Route 132 would be converted from their existing designations — a smattering of residential and commercial — to conservation.
Land in Lackey purchased by the Newport News Waterworks for the construction of the Lee Hall Reservoir will be shifted to conservation, according to the proposed changes. That would allow the land to match the designation afforded to other watershed properties. Land on the eastern end of Denbigh Boulevard also owned by Newport News Waterworks would also be shifted to conservation.
Yorktown Naval Weapons Station Community Plans and Liaison Officer Drew Robins said in a Jan. 17 letter to Cross that the U.S. Navy has no concerns or objections with the proposed changes. Newport News Waterworks Natural Resources Manager David Morris also said in a letter to Cross his organization supports the proposed changes. No other correspondence was included in the memorandum from Cross.
The memorandum — which includes detailed maps of each of the land areas proposed to change — can be found by clicking here. Read about last year’s approval of the Comprehensive Plan here.
The Planning Commission will vote Wednesday on whether to recommend the changes to the supervisors. Once the matter goes before the supervisors, the public will again have a chance to offer feedback at another public hearing. Wednesday’s meeting starts at 7 p.m. at York Hall and is open to the public.
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