Last night, a nearly full house of residents from Senseny Glen and neighboring communities met with representatives from the planned development at the farm behind much of Canyon Road. After a short HOA meeting to accept the minutes from last year’s meeting and elect a new president to replace David Wateley, who is leaving due to increased work commitments, David mentioned common complaints we get from homeowners including speeding, dogs barking, and trailers/ campers/ boats parked on the property or the street. The meeting convened at 7:05 without a quorum, so no votes were taken until 7:45, once we had sufficient homeowners to meet the requirements in the bylaws. Helene shared information on dues and the budget for next year. Several future projects were mentioned, including accepting online dues payments and updating the sign at the end of Senseny Glen. The minutes were passed by acclimation, as did the election of the new president, Jed Seaver.
After a short presentation by the attorney representing prospective buyers of the farm, two representatives from Greenway Engineering, and a member of the traffic study team, homeowners asked a number of questions. The team sent a list around to allow homeowners to sign up for updates. The HOA will also get updates and post them here.
Here are the questions and answers given.
What about stormwater and the lake?
The lake will not be touched by the plan and the property will be graded to allow runoff to flow into ponds or other (open) drainage ditches. County ordinances require that the speed and quality of the water flowing into the creek remain unchanged due to the development.
What will happen to the aquifer?
The way the property will drain, the engineers expect no contamination of this water.
Question about lot sizes, buffers, and fencing.
Lot sizes vary between 4000 sq ft for the duplex and 8000 sq ft for the large single-family lots. A 25-ft buffer will exist between the lots, and another 20 ft will separate the backyards of the new houses from the houses themselves. The plan calls for a privacy fence between the properties.
By far, the biggest concerns centered on the density and its impact on our roads. The 283 homes were judged as too much for the property, causing traffic concerns and concerns regarding the infrastructure.
The companies promised there would be no construction traffic on our roads as the vehicles would use the road from Senseny. (There’s little recourse if contractors don’t follow this plan). The attorney pointed to a large water treatment plant that currently sits idle as the solution to the water issue. They pointed to the concurrent BOS meeting to approve new schools (the school board approved a new high school and two expanded elementary schools to alleviate congestion with so many new homes going in). They promised to investigate alternatives to the planned road at the end of Senseny Glen to the new property through the drainage ditch. Homeowners suggested a road through the new Horton property north of the lake as an alternative, especially as it gives access to Rt. 7.
Is there historical significance that would eliminate construction or cause an alteration in the plan?
No, not at this point.
What is the timeline?
It depends, as the process involves approvals, potential changes to the plan, and resubmission. The current timeline suggests building the first homes in 20 months.
What will the impact be on our taxes?
Unknown.
Another question was asked about the schools.
The proffer requires a specified number of schools per unit built. Not clear. The attorney suggested that, based on current conditions, around 30+% of the homes will be sold to homeowners 55+ as a retirement from N. VA.
The plan shows recreation areas. What’s on them?
No clear answer. Maybe playgrounds, maybe green spaces.
Will there be blasting like for Twin Lakes?
NO.
Another question about traffic.
A traffic study was conducted during Aug and May then used to forecast the impact of the project to 2027. The study showed some capacity to absorb new traffic but with some problems. One new car per minute, estimated.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:28.
