After weeks of debate about a large housing development that could double the village of Elliston’s population, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors chose to wait a little longer to make a decision.
It voted unanimously to postpone a vote on the 349-unit development until its next meeting on Oct. 26. That came after a long public hearing with speakers on both sides of the issue.
There will not be a public hearing on the proposal at the Oct. 26 meeting, according to county Public Information Director Jen Harris. But people can speak during the regular public address portion of the meeting, she said. Board meetings begin at 7:15 p.m. at the County Government Center, 755 Roanoke St. in Christiansburg.
Tuesday night, Supervisor Steve Fijalkowski said, “Whether we vote for it or against it, there’s going to be a lot of unhappy people and I hate seeing that, but a decision has to be made one way or the other.”
Supervisor Mary Biggs offered clarification on delaying a decision.
“When we make a motion to defer, we want to have time to consider everyone’s comments that came forward tonight on both of these issues,” she said.
The board room was packed Tuesday night for the hearing on Stateson Homes’ proposal to convert more than 263 acres of land on the historic Fotheringay property into the mixed residential development, with 225 single-family homes and 124 townhomes.
The board approved a comprehensive plan amendment last year to make such a development possible on the property.
Elliston has a population of 855, according to the most recent Census numbers. The development could bring more than 1,000 new people to what’s long been a quieter, rural eastern Montgomery community in between Christiansburg and Salem.
Longtime Shawsville residents Janice and Ed Hixon were two of a number of attendees at Tuesday’s meeting wearing “Preserve Eastmont” stickers.
Thirty-three people spoke, with the majority not in favor of the development, during a meeting that lasted until almost midnight.
“People choose to live in a rural area because they don’t want all the traffic. They don’t want all the noise,” Ed Hixon said.
“This is going to double the size of the Elliston village,” Janice Hixon added, “And we have concerns about traffic. Because we’re getting older, we don’t drive as much, but we have to go to doctor’s appointments and you have to travel to do anything. So we’re concerned about that.”
Carie Kingery, a development supporter, said, “We cannot preserve a community simply by keeping it exactly as it is, we preserve it by making sure that there is future for continued growth.”
Zack Milton also was in support of the development.
“Any kind of growth needs an opportunity,” he said. “The county has already prepared us for growth, but we have never had the opportunity. Let’s not waste this one.”
According to a staff presentation by county Planning Director Brea Hopkins, the homes would be built in three separate construction phases over five to eight years, including construction of a recreational area, trails, sidewalks and public streets.
Average home prices are expected to cost an estimated $285,000 for the townhomes and $385,000 for the single family homes, according to a presentation from Stateson Homes representatives. Annual tax revenue from the homes is also expected to be about $1 million.
The property is more than 600 acres and there would be a considerable buffer between the housing development and the historic Fotheringay home, well-known in the region and visible from U.S. 460. The house was built in the 1790s and is on the national historic register.
The Stateson Homes request is not the first development proposal on the property. In 2023, a company decided to drop its plan for a solar farm on the land after significant community opposition.
