FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Fredericksburg Planning Commission will continue a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed planning and zoning package for the Dixon Street/Mayfield area. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The main item on the agenda is the Area 8 Dixon Street/Mayfield Small Area Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Zoning Map Amendment.
The proposal would amend chapters 10 and 11 of the city’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan to adopt a Small Area Plan for Planning Area 8. It would also rezone 44 parcels, covering about 33.14 acres, from Residential-4, I-1 Light Industrial and Commercial Highway to the Creative Maker District. The proposal also would apply form-based regulations recommended in the draft small area plan.
City staff is recommending that the Planning Commission continue the public hearing process rather than make a final recommendation Wednesday. Staff said the additional time would allow the Community Planning & Building Department to continue community conversations before returning to a future meeting.
Area 8 is on the southeast side of Fredericksburg and includes the Mayfield neighborhood, Dixon Park, the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds, portions of Dixon Street, Airport Avenue and Lansdowne Road. The area borders Spotsylvania County and is near the Rappahannock River, wooded wetlands, Route 3, Dixon Street and a major rail corridor.
The draft plan describes Mayfield as a historically African American neighborhood with strong community ties. The plan says Mayfield is locally significant because it reflects the history of segregation in Fredericksburg’s physical landscape and the Black community’s creation of a self-supporting neighborhood during the Jim Crow era and after.
The plan identifies several challenges in the area, including housing insecurity, potential displacement, truck traffic, noise, incomplete pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian crash concerns along Dixon Street, industrial uses near residential streets and the effect of the railroad corridor on nearby neighborhoods.
RELATED: Fredericksburg Planners To Consider Dixon Street/Mayfield Rezoning Plan
Staff said edits have been made to the plan since the Planning Commission’s May 27 meeting. The changes include additional language on Mayfield’s history, a housing section that consolidates anti-displacement strategies, clarification of planned improvements along Airport Avenue and at gateway entrances, a new section on the Creative Maker District and updated implementation steps.
The plan’s housing section calls for stabilizing and supporting existing residents through Community Development Block Grant programs, emergency home repairs, accessibility improvements, homeownership assistance, mortgage and rent assistance, eviction prevention support, tax relief programs and other incentives. It also calls for monitoring economic change in the area and supporting compatible infill housing.
The Creative Maker District is intended to allow a mix of commercial, light industrial and residential uses while using form-based rules to guide development. In Area 8, the district would apply to three areas: the Frackelton Block Factory area, the Airport Avenue/Dixon Street corridor and the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds.
For the Frackelton Block Factory area, the plan envisions possible adaptive reuse, small-scale manufacturing, live-work space, compact retail and public open space. Examples of possible light manufacturing uses listed in the plan include a bakery, small brewery, contractor’s office or tech repair shop.
For the Airport Avenue/Dixon Street corridor, the plan calls for neighborhood-serving mixed-use development with one- to two-story buildings, wide sidewalks, active storefronts, outdoor seating and fewer curb cuts.
The plan says the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds should remain a focal point for events and community gatherings, while noting that the property is privately held and that private investment could be important to future improvements.
The proposal drew public comment at the May 27 Planning Commission meeting. According to draft minutes, four people spoke. Comments included concerns about displacement, housing stability, community involvement in anti-displacement planning and the potential effect of rezoning on industrial businesses.
One speaker, Trudy Smith, president of the Mayfield Neighborhood Association, asked for clarification about how current residents would fit into the redevelopment process without being displaced.
Sabrina Johnson, speaking on behalf of the local NAACP chapter, said the community should be directly involved in meetings and discussions about displacement strategies.
Jacqueline White called for a community-led program funded by the city to promote prosperity, build community wealth and improve quality of life.
Jamie Scully, speaking on behalf of industrial business owners along Howard and Howison avenues, opposed the plan amendments and said the Creative Maker District would effectively displace industrial businesses at a time when the city has few industrial areas left.
Planning commissioners also discussed anti-displacement strategies, industrial properties along Howard and Howison avenues, commercial highway areas along Airport Avenue, tax relief tools, possible gentrification impacts and the need for clearer language in the plan.
The draft implementation section includes infrastructure recommendations such as continuing work with CSX on tanker car storage, evaluating the Lansdowne Road railroad crossing, supporting projects to reduce Dixon Street congestion, addressing sidewalk repairs, improving pedestrian lighting and adding wayfinding and gateway improvements from Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
The plan also calls for exploring a Neighborhood Conservation District, completing the Mayfield National Register Historic District listing, promoting anti-displacement measures, coordinating economic incentives and rezoning some public and open-space land to a Public, Institutional and Open Space zoning district.
Members of the public may speak at the public hearing for up to five minutes. Written comments may be submitted by delivery or mail to the Community Planning and Building office at 601 Caroline Street, Suite 400, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, or by email to planning@fredericksburgva.gov. Written comments must be received by 2:30 p.m. the day of the meeting and must include the writer’s name, address and ZIP code.
The meeting can be viewed on the Fredericksburg government access channel on Cox Channel 84 and Verizon Channel 42, and online at regionalwebtv.com/fredpc.
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