Warren County supervisors on Oct. 21 tabled a rezoning and related conditional-use permit request for a roughly 28.23-acre assemblage on Winchester Road that a developer hopes to convert to industrial use and to host a building up to 220,000 square feet.

Staff described the application as a request to rezone four adjacent parcels (Tax Map 12: Lot 6F and Tax Map 4: Lots 44B, 43A and 45B) from Agricultural and Commercial to Industrial to permit a roughly 220,000-square-foot warehouse or other light industrial uses. The applicant, represented by attorney Nicholas Cummings for Stafford Loan Investments, submitted a voluntary proffer package that included limits on some uses, a 220,000-square-foot cap on building size and a monetary contribution to the county for fire-and-rescue support based on building area.

The county's zoning administrator said the applicant had obtained Town of Front Royal approval for an out-of-town water connection and that the town approved a maximum daily water allocation of 4,500 gallons per day for the proposed development as submitted. The application originally included a much larger estimate; the applicant and town revised that figure during review.

Supervisors and staff drew attention to two outstanding concerns: the potential impact on Fire & Rescue services from a building of this scale and the implications for county water resources (including the difference between wells and an out-of-town water connection). Several supervisors requested firmer, objective information on how a project of this size would affect emergency-service response capacity and whether the proffered monetary mitigation would adequately offset operating costs.

The planning commission recommended approval after iterative proffer revisions; staff recommended clarity in two conditions before final action (striking a parking-ratio condition so the zoning ordinance default would apply and clarifying that the 220,000-square-foot limit applied to the building footprint, not the entire developed surface area).

After discussing the need for a more explicit impact analysis from Fire & Rescue (or an applicant-conducted study) and further clarity on water use and well retirement, the board voted to table the rezoning and the related conditional-use permit to the December regular meeting to allow time for additional information and potential negotiation of conditions.

Why this matters: The site lies in the county's Highway Corridor Overlay District and would change the use of land close to existing residential parcels and county services. If approved, a large industrial building of the scale proposed could generate traffic, demand for utilities, and increased service needs for emergency responders.

What's next: Supervisors instructed county staff to request comments and an impact assessment from Fire & Rescue, to confirm water-connection requirements and abandoned-well procedures with the health department and the Town of Front Royal, and to return the rezoning and CUP to the board at the December meeting with any supplemental analysis and recommended conditions.