Board approves rezoning for Gallows Road housing project
The Board of Supervisors on Oct. 27 approved a rezoning application to allow Madison Homes to develop 32 single-family detached homes on an 8-acre site on Gallows Road across from Woodburn Elementary School.
Residents of nearby neighborhoods did not object to the housing development but have raised significant concerns about its impact on the already unsafe conditions on Gallows Road.
There is a crosswalk with a flashing light in front of the school, but there have been numerous near misses, as many vehicles fail to stop for pedestrians.
The Gallows Road Transportation Study, expected to be released by FCDOT by the end of the year, will recommend two synchronized, three-way traffic signals at Aston Street and Hemlock Drive. However, funding isn’t available, and installation would be years away.
Earlier this month, representatives of safe streets advocacy organizations, neighborhood groups, and the Woodburn PTA urged the county to defer approval of the rezoning project until the developer agrees to pay for the traffic signals.
Instead, Madison Homes will provide a one-time cash contribution of $50,000 for the signals.
At the board hearing, Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez noted that residents’ concerns about traffic and safety extend beyond this specific rezoning proposal.
“Those concerns are legitimate, and I understand the frustration residents feel about the pace of transportation improvements,” Jimenez said. “I want to assure the residents of this community that when the Gallows Road corridor study and its recommendations come before the board, I will be advocating for prioritizing this section of the corridor for implementation.”
Related story: Gallows Road study advances
To make way for the construction of the 32 new homes, 11 existing houses will be demolished. Nine curb cuts will be removed, and the new development will have a single point of access on Gallows Road.
The project includes a 10-foot-wide trail along Gallows Road, new private roads and sidewalks within the development, and a stormwater facility on the southwest corner of the property able to handle a 100-year storm.
Related story: Supervisors approve Comp Plan amendment for new housing on Gallows Road