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The flyer
A quick invitation to the October 13 meeting. Put it on a bulletin board or hand it to a neighbor.
Get meeting updates — join the email list
PRESERVE EASTMONTOct 13 · 7:15 PM
Elliston · Shawsville · Fotheringay
STOP THE FOTHERINGAY
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
349 homes planned on the Fotheringay farmland.
Stateson Homes wants to pave it. The Board votes on the rezoning - and decides October 13. This land shapes who we are — and the meeting is where it's fought.
Who we are: Preserve Eastmont is a group of concerned citizens working to preserve the rural nature of our community. Questions or want to help? Email us at preserveeastmont@gmail.com.
Will you be there?
Read up on the development
What Stateson Homes is proposing
Read up on the development
What Stateson Homes is proposing
The owners of Fotheringay want to sell a large portion of the property to Stateson Homes for a development beside the historic home and Eastern Montgomery Elementary School. The request would rezone about 263.5 acres of the roughly 660-acre historic property near 8339 Roanoke Road in Elliston from Agricultural (A-1) to Planned Unit Development-Residential (PUD-RES). We're asking the Board to say no.
349 homes
152 townhomes and 197 single-family homes
About 263.5 acres
Rezoned out of the roughly 660-acre historic Fotheringay property near 8339 Roanoke Road in Elliston
Agricultural to PUD-Residential
The request rezones the land from Agricultural (A-1) to Planned Unit Development-Residential (PUD-RES)
5–8 years
The estimated construction timeline
The October 13 vote
The Board votes on the rezoning - and we're asking them to say no
The county's Elliston–Lafayette Village Plan calls for a rural village where local history, farms, natural resources, small businesses, public services, parks, and community institutions support daily life.
Be in the seats, not just the comments
OCTOBER 13
7:15 PM
Board of Supervisors meeting — This is when the Board votes on the Fotheringay rezoning — the most important meeting yet. Arrive early, the room fills. Every seat in the room shows the county how many of us oppose this.
Wear Eastern Montgomery maroon, black, and white to show support for our community.
Location & details
Montgomery County Government Center
755 Roanoke St., Christiansburg, VA
Can't make it? The meeting streams live at youtube.com/montgomeryva — but the seats are what count.
I'll be thereThe room is the message
You don't have to talk. Just show up.
The Board counts the room. Every seat filled on October 13 tells them Eastern Montgomery opposes this — no speech required. Pledge below and watch the wall fill.
Counting pledges…
Here's how you can fight back
THREE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED.
You don't need to be a speaker or an expert. Pick one — or do all three. Every one of them moves the Board.
Talking points
Know what to say.
01 · Not the plan we were promised
The plan had to change to fit the project.
The county's plan describes Elliston as a rural village shaped by farms, history, and community. The plan had to be amended to make room for this subdivision, beside a historic estate dating to 1796. Growth should follow the plan, not rewrite it.
02 · Loss of farmland
We can't grow more farmland.
Montgomery County lost 16,555 acres of farmland between 2017 and 2022 — about 16% of its farmland. Once Fotheringay's fields are paved, they won't come back.
03 · Scale and services
One vote could double a village.
The handout estimates around 1,000 new residents — roughly doubling Elliston's population — and approximately 3,000 daily vehicle trips on our roads. Ask how roads, police, fire, and rescue services will handle that growth.
04 · Flooding and runoff
More pavement. More runoff.
This location has a history of flooding. More roofs, driveways, and parking lots mean more stormwater rushing toward creeks and neighboring homes — and years of construction traffic on the way there won't help.
05 · Fiscal impact
Who pays for the added services?
New homes also mean demand for classrooms, buses, roads, and emergency services. Ask the Board to show how the costs of serving 349 homes compare with the tax revenue the development would bring in.
06 · Not against growth
We're not opposed to growth.
Many of us support thoughtful growth. We oppose this scale and volume in this place: 349 homes on this farmland is too much for a rural village.
Contact the officials
Make them hear us.
These are the seven members of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. Email them today — and include your name and address, which the Board asks for. Then send the same message to your neighbors.
Gunin Kiran
District A
Derek W. Kitts
District B
Steve R. Fijalkowski
District C · Vice Chair
Michael Todd King
District D
Anthony M. Grafsky
District E
Mary W. Biggs
District F
April DeMotts
District G · Chair
Email all seven at once
Pick where you send email from. A ready-to-send message to all seven supervisors opens with the subject and sample letter filled in — just add your name and address and hit send.
Nothing opens? Tap "Copy all emails," then use the Copy button on the sample letter below and paste both into any email.
Email script
Subject: No rezoning for Fotheringay
Dear Supervisor [Name],
I'm a resident of Montgomery County, in the Elliston/Shawsville area. I'm asking you to vote no on the rezoning of the Fotheringay farmland from Agricultural to Planned Unit Development-Residential for the 349-home Stateson Homes development.
I'll be at the October 13 meeting, and I ask you to represent the people who live here.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address - the Board asks that emails include it]
Phone script
Hello, my name is [name], and I live in [town], here in Montgomery County. I'm calling to ask Supervisor [Name] to vote no on the rezoning of the Fotheringay farmland for the Stateson Homes development. That farmland should stay undeveloped. Thank you for your time.
Be brief, be polite, and always give your name and town.
Pledge to show up
Put your name on a seat
Take the seat
Pledge to be at the October 13 meeting and we'll fill your chair on the wall above. You don't have to speak. Your presence sends the message.
Help get the word out
PRINT IT. POST IT. PASS IT ON.
Bring a neighbor into the room on October 13. These materials are free to print and share.
2 pages · Read & share
The handout
The meeting details, proposal summary, talking points, and ways to contact the Board in one place.
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