Accomack planning commission sets public hearings for two Ag and Forestal District withdrawal requests

The Accomack County Planning Commission voted to set public hearings for two requests to withdraw parcels from the county’s Ag and Forestal District (AFD), a voluntary tax-incentive program that encourages landowners to keep land in agricultural or forested use.

Lee Panda, deputy county administrator for community and economic development, told the commission staff had received two separate withdrawal applications for properties identified in presentation maps as the Tankard (Manchester frontage) site and the Van Kesteren farm on Fairgrounds Road. Panda said the properties include split zoning — commercial frontage with agricultural zoning behind — and the applicants want to subdivide and develop portions of the land currently in the AFD.

Staff recommended holding public hearings so the Board of Supervisors may later decide whether to approve the withdrawals. A commissioner moved to schedule one of the hearings for April 11; the motion carried by voice vote. The commission approved a second hearing date for the other parcel on April 8. Panda said code enforcement officer Syngin Jones would be the lead staffer presenting the cases at the hearings.

Commissioners asked staff about nearby development activity, and Panda confirmed plans for adjacent projects such as Coastal Square had been signed and that a preconstruction meeting had already been held. Panda said that although the two AFD matters were separate cases, the commission could authorize both hearings together for administrative convenience.

Next steps: staff will publish hearing notices and present the full case materials at the scheduled public hearings; the Board of Supervisors holds the final authority to grant withdrawals from the AFD.