BEDFORD — A developer’s plan to build attached homes in a neighborhood taking shape at Smith Mountain Lake received approval from Bedford County planners Monday.
The planning commission voted to amend a master plan for Downtown Moneta/Mayberry Hills, a mixed-use commercial and residential development on Virginia 122 in Moneta several miles north of the Hales Ford Bridge.
The change allows single-family attached dwellings on nearly 40 lots of Mayberry Hills — the residential portion of the project across the road from Downtown Moneta — still to be developed. County zoning defines “attached” as two single-family dwellings that share a common wall area, each on its own individual lot.
The plan, which county supervisors approved in September 2005 as part of a land rezoning application, originally called for single-family detached dwellings that did not allow attachments by any means.
George Aznavorian of NBI Development, LLC, in Moneta, said the revision would give him flexibility to build two-or three-bedroom homes with a garage. The common wall would be between two garages, he told commissioners.
He said that “patio homes” like the ones he plans are selling in the current housing market and are “probably the most sought-after commodity.” He also said the attached configuration would use space more efficiently.
“We’re not changing the number of homes,” Aznavorian said in regards to density. “If anything, we’ll have less.”
Mary Zirkle, the county’s chief of planning, said attached dwellings was not the same as a duplex because the dwellings have separate lots.
Aznavorian said the patio homes would be smaller than detached homes built in the subdivision’s first phase. He said he would like to have four patio homes ready by spring and that he is hopeful construction will begin in early 2010.
The commission decided Monday that the plan’s revision was minor, which means allowing the attached homes is final and does not have to go before supervisors.
Monday’s decision marks the seventh time since 2006 the project’s master plan has been revised. Zirkle said the six other revisions, which ranged from increasing density to adding a traffic circle, were also found to be minor.
Downtown Moneta, a development similar to Lynchburg’s Wyndhurst, houses a number of businesses and was envisioned to revive Moneta’s town center.
Lynn Barnes, who serves the Moneta area on the commission, complimented Aznavorian for continuing development in such a struggling economy.
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