Marshall’s Glen Preliminary Plan Under Review at Town Planning Commission Work Session

The Wednesday, May 7 meeting of the Front Royal Planning Commission began with a consultation between the chairman, vice chairman, and a musical therapist who came to offer expertise relevant to housing establishments for special needs individuals. Catie Fedoryka, a resident of Front Royal and sister-in-law of Commissioner Teresa Fedoryka, was able to make several key points of information to the commission about the dynamics inherent to such an establishment based on her experience working in those environments. The commissioners need this information as they continue to be proactive about housing in general. The conversation covered the number of residents in each unit along with the number of in-house supervisors, the need for the cooperation of other residents in the neighborhood, and the potential for the formation of relational bonds between special needs individuals in a situation where there is more than one unit in the same neighborhood. Of course, the severity of autism or other special needs in each individual case bears heavily on the type of picture that gets painted. However, many of these individuals want to live more independently but still need supervision, and the commission has a vision for making that option more readily available in this community.

The Front Royal Planning Commission sits in readiness for a work session on the evening of Wednesday, May 7. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

Coming before the commission was a special-use permit application for a possible farmers market at 515-B North Commerce Avenue, where multiple farmers will make their produce available to the community and, in some cases, offer it to the less fortunate without charge, possibly in exchange for their participation in the enterprise. Deputy Zoning Administrator John Ware prefaced this item with a reminder to the commission about their obligation to evaluate this item based on land use concerns. Here, it is appropriate to consider how this enterprise will impact traffic and to require the striping of pavement as a condition to direct traffic on the premises. Following this was an application for a short-term rental located at 66 West Strasburg Road. It is a case in which two off-street parking spaces are required, and the applicant claims to have met the requirement; however, it appears that the only space available is a grass lot, which is only accessible through a neighbor’s property. “A waste of everyone’s time,” Chairman Connie Marshner commented, as the application is seemingly destined for a recommendation of denial.

Deputy Zoning Administrator John Ware leads the commission in an examination of the evening’s business.

Next, the commissioners reviewed the major subdivision preliminary plan for Marshall’s Glen, a residential development in proximity to the intersection of Leach Run Parkway with Happy Creek Road that has been advancing ever since August of 2024 when the developer received approval from the Town Council to rezone the forty-some acres and build at a higher density. This project recently received approval from the council for narrower roads in the subdivision, a step which, according to developer Chris Hornung of Rappahannock HC, LLC, was requisite prior to the approval of the preliminary plan. The plan anticipates ninety-seven single-family dwellings. As it is merely preliminary, the County will not inspect erosion and sediment, nor will the Department of Environmental Quality review stormwater management at this point. Ware informed the commissioners that approval of the preliminary plan is not tantamount to approval of the development plan or the final plat. Such approval does not constitute permission to commence construction. It allows the developer to go forward with engineering drawings that will lead the project to a higher degree of articulation and provide the basis for construction to begin. The developer has three years to do so after the preliminary plan is approved by the commission without the involvement of the council. The commissioners acknowledged the foresight of the developer in negotiating steep slopes and the thoughtfulness of his plan to redirect water that is running into a neighboring subdivision.

After discussing at length how broadly or narrowly to codify language pertaining to shelters and alternative housing in specific residential zones, and after discussing the codification of a requirement in keeping with the desire of the Board of Architectural Review to preserve single-family homes as such in the Historic District and to only build single-family homes there in the future, the meeting was adjourned.

Click here to watch the Front Royal Planning Commission Meeting of May 7, 2025.