Subdivision Ordinance an Item for Public Hearing at Town Planning Commission Meeting

In eleven minutes, the Town Planning Commission executed an agenda for the May 20 regular meeting. Items addressed were the proposed subdivision ordinance, consent to advertise an application for an automobile graveyard, and, during public comments, a request for guidance from a Front Royal resident facing a conflict involving a Town easement and a retaining wall thereon. The meeting concluded with the planning director’s report.

The Town Planning Commission held an 11-minute meeting on May 20. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh

In advance of the public hearing on the proposed subdivision ordinance, Planning Director Lauren Kopishke highlighted significant innovations here, including a reduction in lot divisibility. That point received extensive comment at the commission’s May 6 work session, where Kopishke, with a graduate focus in environmental planning, explained the dangers inherent in dramatically limiting permeable surfaces. A flooded basement may result from developing a lot with such density that rainwater does not have sufficient ground to be absorbed. Hence, the reduction in the proposed ordinance from divisibility into eight smaller units to an allowance for only two.

The ordinance passed with a unanimous recommendation of approval to the Town Council. Under consent to advertise, an application for an automobile graveyard “junkyard” was advanced to a future public hearing. Proposed for a location on Kendrick Lane, the property is zoned industrial and owned by Mohammed Ali Ijaz of Eagle Sky Industrial Park LLC. His tenant, operating as Sirena Towing Inc., would like to lease approximately six acres for an auto salvage operation. The tenant currently employs six people, and the application requires a special-use permit.

Chairman Allen Neel affirmed that the commission would investigate a case presented by a resident in which space dedicated to the Town overlaps with a retaining wall built alongside her driveway. The wall is in a worsening condition, compromising the safety of anyone who drives in and out. Perhaps the wall should not have been built, as it stands within the dedicated space, but the importance of this piece to the homeowner presents a safety need as compelling as the Town’s need for access to utilities. She testified that Public Works is involved and problem solving has progressed to the point that the commission’s input is needed.

Watch the Front Royal Planning Commission Meeting of May 20, 2026.