A rezoning request will be considered at two upcoming public hearings, one by the Augusta County Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 9, 2020, and the other by the Board of Supervisors at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2020, in the Board Meeting Room of the Augusta County Government Center. The request is as follows:
A request to rezone from Single Family Residential 10 with proffers to General Agriculture approximately 9.85 acres (TMP 91A (2) 3) owned by Trustee of Phyllis H. Kiser located at 405 Lake Road in Stuarts Draft in the South River District. The proposed general use of the property is agriculture. The general use of the property stated in the Comprehensive Plan is Medium Density Residential, which may include detached residential units at a density of 3-4 dwelling units per acre.
Data and information regarding this request are available for review by contacting the Community Development Department at 540-245-5700 or comdev@co.augusta.va.us.
The hearings will be conducted in-person using public safety measures including the wearing of masks, physical distancing, and limitations on the number of people gathered. The meeting will also be livestreamed to accommodate citizens who wish to observe remotely. Citizens may provide comments or sign up to speak, either in-person or remotely, by using the online form or calling 540-245-5700. Detailed instructions on how to speak in the meeting will be emailed to those who submit the online form.
The Rezoning Process
Every parcel in Augusta County has a zoning designation - general agriculture, single-family residential, general business, or general industrial, for examples. Any property owner may apply to rezone if the desired use for their property is not consistent with the current zoning. The property owner starts the process by contacting the Community Development department for a potential rezoning report and a pre-application conference, which will provide feedback prior to an application.
After the pre-application process, the property owner submits an application along with a rezoning fee. Public notification of the rezoning request and public hearing happens through notices to all adjacent property owners, signs posted on the property, and newspaper advertisements.
At the public hearings, the applicant presents the case for rezoning. Citizens can speak in favor of the request and those who are against the request also are given a chance to speak. The applicant can respond a final time and then the public hearing is closed. The Planning Commission then discusses the request and they either take action (approve, deny, or table the request for additional research) or they continue the public hearing to a later date. The public hearing by the Board of Supervisors follows the same format.
If the Board of Supervisors approves the rezoning request, the proposed development goes through the site and building plan review process. If the Board does not approve the request, a similar request for the same property cannot be considered for at least one year. You can see more information about the rezoning process in the ‘Planning’ section of the Community Development pages.
