York officials reject development project
Fenton Mill proposal would have added 599 homes to county’s upper part
After a year of protesting against a developer’s proposal to build a massive development project in upper York County, the grassroots group that opposed it claimed victory Tuesday night.
In a 5-0 decision, the York County Board of Supervisors voted against a petition to rezone about 376 acres of undeveloped land in order to put up 599 new homes in the Fenton Mill area. The board’s decision echoed the county Planning Commission’s November recommendation, as well as advice from the county’s planning team.
Supervisor Walter C. Zaremba admitted that the board had made mistakes over the years and approved more development than it should have, adding, “We reached the point that enough is enough.”
The overwhelming consensus among supervisors was that the proposal submitted by Fenton Mill Associates LLC to rezone the swath of land from rural residential and limited business would not comply with the county’s comprehensive plan, a document that spells out the county’s goals for itself, including land development. In question was a large swath of land south of Newman Road between Fenton Mill and Barlow roads near Interstate 64. The land is considered one of the last parcels of undeveloped, rural land in the county. It was purchased by the developer in 2019.
The initial proposal called for a mixed-use development with 506 single-family homes, 230 townhouses and 100 age-restricted “active adult” units, along with 40,000 square feet of commercial space and community amenities such as a clubhouse, playgrounds, parks and gardens.
County residents fought the plan from the start, prompting the developer to drop the number of planned homes from 836 to 599 and eliminating the commercial component. But despite some of the concessions made, which included leaving more than 50% of the land as greenspace, residents still found fault with the plan, which they said would affect the ruralness and natural beauty of the area. Among their concerns were the strain on schools, public safety and roads already too narrow for traffic.
Residents formed a grassroots group called Preserve Fenton Mill and later the nonprofit Conserve York County Foundation as they mounted opposition to the proposal and pledged to help influence how future development in the area would be handled.
The groups flooded first the planning commission, and then the Board of Supervisors, with emails and phone calls protesting the development. Board Chairman W. Chad Green said people accosted him in stores and even wrote notes on packages delivered to his home.
Tuesday, the supervisors applauded the residents for their efforts, even as lead developer Lamont Myers pleaded with the board not to let an opportunity to tackle a country-wide housing crisis escape.
“If you want the loudest voices in the room to set your land-use policy, you might as well just hang a closed sign on the door,” Myers said. “The county is not full just because these people are here. We have future needs. You have very scarce land to use.”
By right, as the land is currently zoned, the developer can put up about 288 homes and 50,000 square feet of commercial space. Myers has not said how he plans to proceed, but did tell supervisors Tuesday that any development under the by-right guidelines would still include cluster housing because housing preferences have changed.
Large home lots would price people out of the market and not allow people to take advantage of common areas, he said.
Supervisor G. Stephen Roane Jr. challenged that idea: “I don’t think everybody looking to buy new property today wants common areas or greenspace,” he said. “Some folks want their property on their lot and contained and they’ll take care of that and let their neighbors do the same.”
About 25 residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning Tuesday, with more clustered outside under a tent watching the meeting on television screens provided by the county. The underlying theme to their comments was a desire to keep the area rural, with homes spaced out and the feeling of “quiet country living,” as one resident
described it.
“We don’t want it to look like the high-density housing in Newport News, Virginia Beach” and even other parts of York County, resident Don Cole told the board. Cole stressed to supervisors that residents weren’t opposed to all development, but that they “just want it to be done right.”
Roane said there was a lot to like about the development but also expressed his disappointment that the development team and residents weren’t able to come up with a plan that everyone liked. In the end, Roane said, the proposal was just too much of a contrast to the comprehensive plan.
“For those who have lived here
for a long time, the development just kind of overwhelms everyone,” said Supervisor Thomas G. Sheppard.
Leaders with the Preserve Fenton Mill group said they don’t know what the vote will mean for the future of the property but reminded residents to not throw away their “NO REZONING” signs just yet. As Supervisor Sheila S. Noll reminded everyone during the meeting, development is going to come.
“You must understand there will be development there,” Nolls said. “If this is voted down tonight, there will be other plans that come in the future. … A county doesn’t stand still.”