Leaders debate: Should “minor” changes to new developments be allowed without Stafford’s approval?

The middle portion of Stafford County is going through an industrial awakening, of sorts.

There is renewed interest from manufacturers in developing parcels of land near the Stafford Regional Airport on Centreport Parkway. But conditions on the land, known as proffers, set back in the 1980s and 90s, are holding things up, county officials say.

Especially, manufacturers that are eyeing the area want to build on 10-acre lots near the intersection of the parkway and Route 1. The old proffers require new developments to be set back from their neighbors, and that developers plant a sufficient number of trees to provide what the county calls “screening” between two adjoining properties.

Officials say that these development practices have changed over the years, and now, in order to speed up the building permitting process, developers should be allowed to make “minor” changes to site plans without input from the county Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors. Those two governing bodies, respectively, have the final say when it comes to development.

“I’m not very supportive of this since it’s not in the spirit of transparency,” said Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch, who recently served the past four years on the Planning Commission, and served as its chair.

“I think I could go along with this for commercial uses, but I think we shouldn’t for residential,” said Hartwood District Supervisor Gary Snellings.

While the Board grants proffer amendments on a case-by-case basis, they’re not unheard of. The Board has taken action to eliminate the concerns of outdated proffers on a case by case basis.

In 2015, the Supervisors removed proffers from a portion of the property on Centreport Parkway that went onto become the home of the Capital Textiles company. Now, Supervisors are considering removing similar proffers from other portions of property on Centerport Parkway to that would clear the way for a new storage facility to be built.

Members of the Board of Supervisors who sit on the county’s Community and Economic Development Committee are expected to take up the matter again at their April 7 meeting, officials told Potomac Local News.