Council Okays Rezoning to Set Stage for Multi-Million Development while Rogers Talks New Police Station
By Jeff Toquinto on March 28, 2023
It took up roughly two minutes of the near 45 minutes of the regular session of Monday night’s Bridgeport City Council meeting, but it will pave the way for the next new multi-million dollar development in the municipal limits.
Following a brief explanation from Community Development Director Andrea Kerr, Council unanimously approved a rezoning request at White Oaks that will set the stage for the development’s first residential community. It was part of a relatively short Council meeting that was preceded by an hour-long work session.
The unanimous vote by Council on the rezoning at White Oaks followed the recommendation of the Bridgeport Planning Commission. It was at the Feb. 27 meeting of the Commission where the request of High Tech Corridor Development (HTCD), the developing group at
White Oaks, was made to modify its planned unit development to allow for additional acreage to go from business zoning to residential to pave the way for new homes.
White Oaks, was made to modify its planned unit development to allow for additional acreage to go from business zoning to residential to pave the way for new homes.
Ironically, the revision is not the first in the same area where HTCD has requested a rezoning. Kerr told Council that in September of 2022 Council had approved a similar request that changed the zoning from Business-2 to Residential-3 for the same project. However, more land needed to be changed to the R-3 designation to make the planned residential development work.
“When they did the subdivision of the plat on the layout, they realized that some of the houses (that were planned for the development) were creeping into the B-2 portion,” said Kerr, who said she was supportive of the change so that the spillover “wouldn’t muddy the water.”
The brief explanation and quick action by Council means the matter just needs to come back before Council for a final reading before approval is granted and work can begin. There will be no public hearing as that was held during the Planning Commission portion of the process.
The stage has now been set for Oakwood Estates, which will consist of 22 single-family patio homes. Along with the homes, the 
residential development will feature a clubhouse with a pool in a two-phased project covering just slightly more than eight acres. The cost of the project will exceed $10 million, it was stated after the February Planning Commission meeting.
residential development will feature a clubhouse with a pool in a two-phased project covering just slightly more than eight acres. The cost of the project will exceed $10 million, it was stated after the February Planning Commission meeting.
While that was fast, a large portion of the meeting during the regular and work session involved the Bridgeport Police Department and Chief Mark Rogers.
Rogers made a presentation to Council in the work session on four tours he and other city officials have taken to newer police facilities with the Martinsburg, Wheeling, and Beckley Police Departments, along with the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department. The new facilities were all in the range of $10 million. There has been no official cost estimate done on a new Bridgeport facility.
The chief said information was gathered on what worked and what those at the new facilities felt did not work.
“We wanted to know about the headaches and successes as we head into the planning,” said Rogers.
While the presentation lasted about 15 minutes and did not involve decision making, Mayor Andy Lang did mention that the site of the former Towne House East Motel, just below Twin Oaks, still appears to be the likely spot of a new location.
Rogers also spearheaded the regular session. He gave his annual department report to Council during the session. More on that presentation in the days ahead on Connect-Bridgeport.
As for other items in front of Council, a pair of key items on the agenda were postponed. The ordinance approving a “Master Fee Schedule” that would update more than a hundred city fees from those charged by Parks and Recreation to the Bridgeport Fire Department was asked not to be acted on by Lang in the work session.
Lang was not in opposition of the changes, but he was concerned about another ordinance that needed to be approved with the Master Fee Schedule. The schedule’s approval would require an ordinance revising the city’s codified ordinance. Lang, after discussion with City Attorney Dean Ramsey at the work session, felt it would be best to make sure all of the language was in place to make the changes secure.
City Manager Brian Newton said there was still plenty of time to get any issues addressed. He said it just needed to be approved by July 
1, 2023. Newton said the fee schedule was needed since many of the city’s fees had remained the same for more than a decade. He also pointed out some fees would remain the same and a handful would drop. He said last week that most of the fee increases would be “modest.” Once in the regular session, Council unanimously agreed to postpone the two related ordinances.
1, 2023. Newton said the fee schedule was needed since many of the city’s fees had remained the same for more than a decade. He also pointed out some fees would remain the same and a handful would drop. He said last week that most of the fee increases would be “modest.” Once in the regular session, Council unanimously agreed to postpone the two related ordinances.
You can click HERE to see the fee schedule in question. There is a possibility some of these could be modified when brought back to Council.
One thing not needing to come back to Council will be the 2023-24 fiscal year general fund budget. Council unanimously approved the $21.1 million general fund budget. Along with that budget, the coal severance and excess levy budget for the year were also given a thumbs up by Council.
In items that do not have the same financial impact, Council approved on second and final reading an ordinance approving the benefit sections to the Bridgeport Employee Handbook. It was unanimously approved.
There were no public comments during the session. Pastor Jeff Vaughan of Grace Baptist Church gave the invocation.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Community Development Director Andrea Kerr explaining the rezoning to Council, while Mayor Andy Lang, far left in the second photo, brings up a point in the work session. Third photo is of City Manager Brian Newton, while Police Chief Mark Rogers is shown below.
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