West Virginia's Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan Counties are on very different growth paths. Read the Full Story >>
Housing Growth
New Construction Permits In Jefferson County Expected To Hit 1,500 in 2025
Residential construction continues to boom in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Read the Full Story >>
Birdhill Subdivison Stormwater Management Plan Reviewed by WV DEP
National homebuilder Lennar has plans to build 720 houses on 195 acres in the Birdhilll Meadows subdivision off Route 480 in Kearneysville. Read the Full Story >>
Review For Birdhill Subdivison On Feb 25
The Jefferson County Planning Comnmission will review the Birdhill subdivision preliminary plat on February 25. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Commission Reviews Impact Fees
The Jefferson County Commission is reviwing impact fees for new construction. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Foundation Recaps 2024 Efforts
Jefferson County Foundation is a regular presence at public meetings in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Read the Full Story >>
County Commission Looks At Changes To Impact Fees
Jefferson County has been collecting impact fees on new construction projects since 2004. The initial fee schedule was based on a 2003 report prepared by TischlerBise, a Maryland-based consulting firm that specializes in fiscal and economic planning for local governments. The county had TischlerBise update its recommendations again in a 2015 report. At that time, Read the Full Story >>
Home Building Construction Continues On Fast Pace In Jefferson County
County-wide, including Charles Town and Ranson, there were 612 permits issued to begin new home construction in the first half of 2024. Read the Full Story >>
Draft Map For The Future Of Jefferson County Proposes New Growth Areas
The Jefferson County Planning Commission is holding a final input session on Monday May 13 for public comment on the future land use map and action items for the new county comprehensive plan. Read the Full Story >>
Panel Discussion On Growth Around Shepherdstown
On Wednesday, April 24 at 7:00 pm The Observer hosted a panel discussion on the growth that is expected to affect Shepherdstown-area residents in the next decade. Following the presentations, the panel took questions from the audience participants. Read the Full Story >>
Housing Construction Continues To Rise In Jefferson County
County-wide, including Charles Town and Ranson, there were 776 permits issued to begin new home construction in 2023. Read the Full Story >>
Harvest Hills Project Requests Rezoning, Plan Shows 1,000 New Houses
Arcadia Land, the developer of the Harvest Hills subdivision, is asking to rezone the land from Rural (which limits density) to Residential Growth (which would allow high density). Read the Full Story >>
The Road Ahead For Jefferson County
Route 340 is finally being widened south of Charles Town (below) and the construction of new homes continues to tick up dramatically. There is still a lot of open space and active farmland in the county, but many residents have concerns. Read the Full Story >>
Many More New Homes In Jefferson County
For the first six months, the county’s Office of Impact Fees reports that 386 residential construction permits were issued. Read the Full Story >>
Developer Seeks Increased Housing Density For Harvest Hills Subdivision
Arcadia Development Co, developer of the Harvest Hills subdivision is requesting a zoning change from rural to residential growth, which would allow for higher density of housing on the site. Read the Full Story >>