As a member of the Senseny Glen community, within the Red Bud District & Blaine Dunn. Our community is aware of the plan to have land adjacent to our community rezoned for residential units.
As a homeowner, parent, and tax payer I have MAJOR concerns related to adding possibly 300 new homes to this county and I oppose the rezoning. There are resources in the county that are already over burdened and the county should allow time for those resources to catch up with current homes being built before approving additional residential construction.
As documented on page 41 of the Proffer Statement, county schools are already over crowded and several schools that this new community would feed in to are already at capacity. Costs to add trailers to schools will burden the county and taxpayers.
Page 35 and 36 of the Proffer Statement document a letter from Frederick County Water, where they state that they cannot guarantee the system can accommodate the capacities of this new development. Our county has issued several drought notices in the last year and additional homes will continue to stress an already overburdened resource.
Clarke County provided a letter (included in the Proffer Statement as pages 29 & 30) requesting that traffic studies be conducted at Salem Church Road & Senseny Road as well as Triple J Road and Senseny Road. Senseny Road would require updates to facilitate the additional traffic that this new development will bring. The Senseny Glen Community is a mature community with no sidewalks, no storm drains, and many community members park along the road. The additional daily traffic that will come through this neighborhood is concerning to those within the community.
In closing, I request that the Planning Commission please consider delaying the rezoning of this land to allow our infrastructure and school system to catch up before new development is approved.
Thank you,
Rachel Mitchell
I opposed the rezoning development of Winchester East at Opequon Creek, WSSI#32927.01 for the following:
- Applicant shall receive a per unit credit in the amount of $4299.89 for right of way dedication for future Virginia Route 37 described in 7.4 below.”, this takes away from programs such as public safety and credits that money back to the developer. The portion of proposed Route 37 in the proffer agreement page 8 leaves the taxpayers of Frederick County paying the most expensive portion of the connector road and the developer pays the least expensive portion of Route 37 connector road.
- Clarke County Department of Planning, pages 29-30 of the proffer agreement identify a lack of traffic study on Senseny Rd within Clarke County, Clarke County is requesting a study to include the impacts to intersections of Senseny Rd, Salem Church and Senseny and Triple J Roads.
- The proposed entrance at the intersection of Senseny Glen Rd and Canyon Road would significantly increase traffic through Senseny Glen, Twin Lakes, Apple Ridge and Sovereign Village subdivisions. Per the Proffer Agreement page 14 “The subdivision is expected to generate 151 new trips during morning peak hour and 180 trips during evening peak hour, and 2120 new daily trips on a typical weekday basis.” With 165 existing homes, this would represent an extensive increase in traffic flow.
- Senseny Glen does not have curbed gutters or sidewalks and there is an abundance of vehicles that utilize street parking which creates more safety concerns for anyone walking or riding bikes in the neighborhood.
- Frederick County Water on page 35 and 36 of the proffer agreement “Water supplies and sanitary sewer conveyance capacities change daily; with each new customer connection brings additional demands and generates flows.” This letter does not guarantee system capacities to accommodate the development proposal.
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed proffer for the development of a new neighborhood that would connect directly to mine, Senseny Glen.
First and foremost, this rezoning could lead to significant overdevelopment in an area that is not equipped to handle such growth. The infrastructure, including roads, utilities, and public services, is already stretched thin. The increase in population that would result from a new neighborhood would likely exacerbate these challenges, creating traffic congestion, strain on schools, and diminished access to essential services.
This new development would put increased demand on several schools that are already over capacity and/or understaffed. While the proposed proffer payments may seem like a step in the right direction, they fail to address the more pressing issue of an already overstretched school system suffering from a severe staffing shortage. These proffer payments will do nothing to resolve the existing challenges in our school district; in fact, they risk exacerbating the problem, potentially creating additional unfilled positions.
Senseny Glen is currently without sidewalks and is heavily impacted by street parking, The increase in traffic would create hazardous conditions for drivers, pedestrians, and our children who must wait along the roadside for the bus. The added traffic of 2,100 additional trips on Senseny Road, would likely lead to an increase in accidents and pose serious safety risks
I also have concerns about the capacity and reliability of the county’s water system. According to Frederick County Water, there is no guarantee that the system has the capacity to accommodate the added demand from the proposed development. The recent ongoing water supply issues raise serious concerns about the ability to support further growth in the area.
I respectfully request that you reject the proposed rezoning of this area. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I live in Twin lakes on the property abutting to this new development. Canyon Road cannot handle the amount of homes proposed. If a plan, as currently held, with two acre lots for homes. I would support that type of proposal.
Thank you for your time. We believe there are serious public safety concerns, infrastructure limits and potential school overcrowding that need to be addressed. The new development would bring an estimated 2,100 daily trips into Senseny Glen, Twin Lakes, and Sovereign Village. Safety concerns include, lack of sidewalks. According to a 2022 study completed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “pedestrian safety has become more prevalent for governmental agencies to address and prioritize for strategic implementation. Abou-Senna, H., Radwan, E., & Mohamed, A. (2022). Investigating the correlation between sidewalks and pedestrian safety. Accident; analysis and prevention, 166, 106548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106548. The article concludes by stating “the likelihood of a pedestrian crash per mile along roadways with no sidewalk is three times greater than the likelihood of a crash per mile with the presence of a sidewalk.” Other traffic safety measures such as speed bumps and curbs should be considered. Along with the lack of preservation of trees, and no plan on reduction of light pollution. The proposed entrance is directly over a stormwater drainage area, the greatest concern is water management. According to an article published by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water) when there are strains on water supplies and aging water treatment systems can have consequences such as: higher water prices, increased summer restrictions to manage shortages, etc. In addition, according to the EPA, from September 2024, the average American family uses 300 gallons of water per day at home. With the addition of 300 new homes, the impact would be an estimated 90,000 gallons of water a day, when we already face water restrictions during certain times of the year. Current schools are overcrowded, please reference the article from December 4, from the Winchester Star. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Please reference the letter sent to Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission on behalf of the residents of Senseny Glen. If approved, this rezoning would significantly increase vehicular traffic in Senseny Glen to the tune of over 2100 trips a day. The neighborhood does not have curbs, gutters, or sidewalks and has a significant amount of pedestrian usage and children at play. This has safety implications for the residents. If an entrance to the community has to be through Senseny Glen and Canyon, I would ask for traffic calming measures or one-way entrances to be explored. This would also significantly increase traffic on Senseny Road. In the Proffer, Clarke County shows a traffic study has not been done to assess impacts on Senseny Road and Salem Church and Triple J intersections. If approved, this rezoning would also place strains on the water/sewer system. The county has experienced droughts over the last few years and issued water usage/drought warnings on multiple occasions. The system is also stressed due to current approved developments. Frederick County water states in the Proffer they cannot guarantee system capacities for this development. If approved, this rezoning would also have impacts on Frederick County Schools. Millbrook and James Wood are already over capacity. Admiral Byrd is projected to be over capacity by 2033. The use of modular classrooms throughout the county is becoming increasingly common. On December 4, 2024, the Winchester Star featured an article referencing the cost of these for only two schools. It was in excess of one million dollars. Lastly, within the Proffer, the developer has included plans for Route 37. The developer credits money back to itself for this. This will fall to the taxpayers of Frederick County. I would like to thank the Planning Commission for reviewing these comments. If the development is to be built, I would like to see it add benefit to the residents of both the current and planned community.
Red Bud District. While we acknowledge the development’s location within the Urban Development Area (UDA) and understand the need for growth in Frederick County, we believe key issues must be addressed to align the project with community values. The project will generate over 2,100 daily trips, significantly impacting nearby neighborhoods like Senseny Glen, Twin Lakes, and Sovereign Village. Traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, should be considered. Senseny Glen lacks curbs, gutters, and sidewalks, making the road unsafe. Increased traffic will worsen safety issues. The narrow, Senseny Road has seen about 20 accidents from March to December 2024. Additional traffic could increase accident risks. The developer receives a credit for Route 37 improvements, benefiting them more than the community, leaving taxpayers to fund the most expensive portions. The proposed entrance crosses a stormwater drainage area, raising concerns about water management. The Frederick County Water Authority has noted limited system capacity. This development could strain resources, especially during drought conditions. With ongoing drought warnings, adding 300 homes could further burden the stressed water system. The development will increase demand on local schools, including Millbrook High, already over capacity. Admiral Byrd Middle is projected to exceed capacity by 2033. The added strain could necessitate costly expansions or modular classrooms, with projections exceeding $1 million. The Proffer Statement lacks a tree preservation plan and fails to address light pollution. Measures should be taken to protect trees and limit light intrusion into existing neighborhoods. I urge the Board and Planning Commission to consider these concerns and revise the Proffer Statement to benefit both new and existing residents. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
As a member of the Senseny Glen community, within the Red Bud District & Blaine Dunn. Our community is aware of the plan to have land adjacent to our community rezoned for residential units.
As a homeowner, parent, and tax payer I have MAJOR concerns related to adding possibly 300 new homes to this county and I oppose the rezoning. There are resources in the county that are already over burdened and the county should allow time for those resources to catch up with current homes being built before approving additional residential construction.
As documented on page 41 of the Proffer Statement, county schools are already over crowded and several schools that this new community would feed in to are already at capacity. Costs to add trailers to schools will burden the county and taxpayers.
Page 35 and 36 of the Proffer Statement document a letter from Frederick County Water, where they state that they cannot guarantee the system can accommodate the capacities of this new development. Our county has issued several drought notices in the last year and additional homes will continue to stress an already overburdened resource.
Clarke County provided a letter (included in the Proffer Statement as pages 29 & 30) requesting that traffic studies be conducted at Salem Church Road & Senseny Road as well as Triple J Road and Senseny Road. Senseny Road would require updates to facilitate the additional traffic that this new development will bring. The Senseny Glen Community is a mature community with no sidewalks, no storm drains, and many community members park along the road. The additional daily traffic that will come through this neighborhood is concerning to those within the community.
In closing, I request that the Planning Commission please consider delaying the rezoning of this land to allow our infrastructure and school system to catch up before new development is approved.
Thank you,
Rachel Mitchell
I opposed the rezoning development of Winchester East at Opequon Creek, WSSI#32927.01 for the following:
- Applicant shall receive a per unit credit in the amount of $4299.89 for right of way dedication for future Virginia Route 37 described in 7.4 below.”, this takes away from programs such as public safety and credits that money back to the developer. The portion of proposed Route 37 in the proffer agreement page 8 leaves the taxpayers of Frederick County paying the most expensive portion of the connector road and the developer pays the least expensive portion of Route 37 connector road.
- Clarke County Department of Planning, pages 29-30 of the proffer agreement identify a lack of traffic study on Senseny Rd within Clarke County, Clarke County is requesting a study to include the impacts to intersections of Senseny Rd, Salem Church and Senseny and Triple J Roads.
- The proposed entrance at the intersection of Senseny Glen Rd and Canyon Road would significantly increase traffic through Senseny Glen, Twin Lakes, Apple Ridge and Sovereign Village subdivisions. Per the Proffer Agreement page 14 “The subdivision is expected to generate 151 new trips during morning peak hour and 180 trips during evening peak hour, and 2120 new daily trips on a typical weekday basis.” With 165 existing homes, this would represent an extensive increase in traffic flow.
- Senseny Glen does not have curbed gutters or sidewalks and there is an abundance of vehicles that utilize street parking which creates more safety concerns for anyone walking or riding bikes in the neighborhood.
- Frederick County Water on page 35 and 36 of the proffer agreement “Water supplies and sanitary sewer conveyance capacities change daily; with each new customer connection brings additional demands and generates flows.” This letter does not guarantee system capacities to accommodate the development proposal.
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed proffer for the development of a new neighborhood that would connect directly to mine, Senseny Glen.
First and foremost, this rezoning could lead to significant overdevelopment in an area that is not equipped to handle such growth. The infrastructure, including roads, utilities, and public services, is already stretched thin. The increase in population that would result from a new neighborhood would likely exacerbate these challenges, creating traffic congestion, strain on schools, and diminished access to essential services.
This new development would put increased demand on several schools that are already over capacity and/or understaffed. While the proposed proffer payments may seem like a step in the right direction, they fail to address the more pressing issue of an already overstretched school system suffering from a severe staffing shortage. These proffer payments will do nothing to resolve the existing challenges in our school district; in fact, they risk exacerbating the problem, potentially creating additional unfilled positions.
Senseny Glen is currently without sidewalks and is heavily impacted by street parking, The increase in traffic would create hazardous conditions for drivers, pedestrians, and our children who must wait along the roadside for the bus. The added traffic of 2,100 additional trips on Senseny Road, would likely lead to an increase in accidents and pose serious safety risks
I also have concerns about the capacity and reliability of the county’s water system. According to Frederick County Water, there is no guarantee that the system has the capacity to accommodate the added demand from the proposed development. The recent ongoing water supply issues raise serious concerns about the ability to support further growth in the area.
I respectfully request that you reject the proposed rezoning of this area. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I live in Twin lakes on the property abutting to this new development. Canyon Road cannot handle the amount of homes proposed. If a plan, as currently held, with two acre lots for homes. I would support that type of proposal.
Thank you for your time. We believe there are serious public safety concerns, infrastructure limits and potential school overcrowding that need to be addressed. The new development would bring an estimated 2,100 daily trips into Senseny Glen, Twin Lakes, and Sovereign Village. Safety concerns include, lack of sidewalks. According to a 2022 study completed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “pedestrian safety has become more prevalent for governmental agencies to address and prioritize for strategic implementation. Abou-Senna, H., Radwan, E., & Mohamed, A. (2022). Investigating the correlation between sidewalks and pedestrian safety. Accident; analysis and prevention, 166, 106548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106548. The article concludes by stating “the likelihood of a pedestrian crash per mile along roadways with no sidewalk is three times greater than the likelihood of a crash per mile with the presence of a sidewalk.” Other traffic safety measures such as speed bumps and curbs should be considered. Along with the lack of preservation of trees, and no plan on reduction of light pollution. The proposed entrance is directly over a stormwater drainage area, the greatest concern is water management. According to an article published by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water) when there are strains on water supplies and aging water treatment systems can have consequences such as: higher water prices, increased summer restrictions to manage shortages, etc. In addition, according to the EPA, from September 2024, the average American family uses 300 gallons of water per day at home. With the addition of 300 new homes, the impact would be an estimated 90,000 gallons of water a day, when we already face water restrictions during certain times of the year. Current schools are overcrowded, please reference the article from December 4, from the Winchester Star. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Please reference the letter sent to Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission on behalf of the residents of Senseny Glen. If approved, this rezoning would significantly increase vehicular traffic in Senseny Glen to the tune of over 2100 trips a day. The neighborhood does not have curbs, gutters, or sidewalks and has a significant amount of pedestrian usage and children at play. This has safety implications for the residents. If an entrance to the community has to be through Senseny Glen and Canyon, I would ask for traffic calming measures or one-way entrances to be explored. This would also significantly increase traffic on Senseny Road. In the Proffer, Clarke County shows a traffic study has not been done to assess impacts on Senseny Road and Salem Church and Triple J intersections. If approved, this rezoning would also place strains on the water/sewer system. The county has experienced droughts over the last few years and issued water usage/drought warnings on multiple occasions. The system is also stressed due to current approved developments. Frederick County water states in the Proffer they cannot guarantee system capacities for this development. If approved, this rezoning would also have impacts on Frederick County Schools. Millbrook and James Wood are already over capacity. Admiral Byrd is projected to be over capacity by 2033. The use of modular classrooms throughout the county is becoming increasingly common. On December 4, 2024, the Winchester Star featured an article referencing the cost of these for only two schools. It was in excess of one million dollars. Lastly, within the Proffer, the developer has included plans for Route 37. The developer credits money back to itself for this. This will fall to the taxpayers of Frederick County. I would like to thank the Planning Commission for reviewing these comments. If the development is to be built, I would like to see it add benefit to the residents of both the current and planned community.
Red Bud District. While we acknowledge the development’s location within the Urban Development Area (UDA) and understand the need for growth in Frederick County, we believe key issues must be addressed to align the project with community values. The project will generate over 2,100 daily trips, significantly impacting nearby neighborhoods like Senseny Glen, Twin Lakes, and Sovereign Village. Traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, should be considered. Senseny Glen lacks curbs, gutters, and sidewalks, making the road unsafe. Increased traffic will worsen safety issues. The narrow, Senseny Road has seen about 20 accidents from March to December 2024. Additional traffic could increase accident risks. The developer receives a credit for Route 37 improvements, benefiting them more than the community, leaving taxpayers to fund the most expensive portions. The proposed entrance crosses a stormwater drainage area, raising concerns about water management. The Frederick County Water Authority has noted limited system capacity. This development could strain resources, especially during drought conditions. With ongoing drought warnings, adding 300 homes could further burden the stressed water system. The development will increase demand on local schools, including Millbrook High, already over capacity. Admiral Byrd Middle is projected to exceed capacity by 2033. The added strain could necessitate costly expansions or modular classrooms, with projections exceeding $1 million. The Proffer Statement lacks a tree preservation plan and fails to address light pollution. Measures should be taken to protect trees and limit light intrusion into existing neighborhoods. I urge the Board and Planning Commission to consider these concerns and revise the Proffer Statement to benefit both new and existing residents. Thank you for your attention to this matter.