Leesville Road has become one of the busiest places in Lynchburg to build townhomes, and the people who live along it have noticed.
Four developments along the corridor are planning a total of 287 new townhome units, WSET reported Oct. 5. They are Windsor View, The Towns at Misty Mountain, Cedar Ridge and 750 Leesville.
Residents who live and work on the four-lane road say traffic has been growing as construction picks up.
"It can be a little hectic sometimes. A lot more traffic with all these buildings going up," said Robert Forsch, who lives on Leesville Road.
What the traffic study found
An August study by the City of Lynchburg found more than 10,000 vehicles pass through the area every day, according to WSET. The same study found only about one in five drivers obeys the posted 35 mph speed limit.
"It's treated like a highway, really. People are going, you know, they're definitely not obeying the speed limit," said neighbor Melissa Barger.
Mona Thomas, who lives off Leesville Road, worries about what the extra homes will mean for the neighborhoods behind them. "Our houses are on the back end of where the townhouse development is, and that many people trying to get in and out is going to be terrible," she said.
A look at one of the projects
City records give a closer look at one of the four, the townhome project at 750 Leesville Road. In October 2024, the Lynchburg Planning Commission took up a petition from Maddox and Son Construction Inc. to rezone about 11.73 acres there from low-density to medium-density residential and allow 88 townhomes.
A city planner told the commission at the time that a traffic narrative found the development's entrance did not need dedicated turn lanes, though a right-turn taper was required. The site is also served by a Greater Lynchburg Transit Company bus route, with a stop nearby.
The property sits between an existing townhome development on one side and a church on the other, with single-family homes to the north. The petition also asked the city to change its future land use map to medium-density residential, which allows small-lot houses, duplexes and townhouses at up to 12 units an acre. The planner noted that the concept plan met the zoning ordinance's minimum 50-foot setback from the homes to the north, even though neighbors might have preferred a larger buffer.
By April 2025, Perkins & Orrison had submitted a site plan for the townhomes on behalf of Maddox and Son, covering parking, utilities and stormwater management, according to the city's Technical Review Committee agenda. The plan called for disturbing about 9.47 acres.
WSET did not name builders for the other three developments or break down how many units each one includes.
Not everyone sees a problem. Karl Miller, principal broker of Karl Miller Realty, said the area can handle more people.
"Developers are building townhomes and condos, because it quite frankly comes down to numbers," Miller said.
He told WSET the new construction could give buyers a more affordable option in a city with a growing need for housing, and that the townhomes will likely sell fast.
"A traffic jam in Lynchburg is waiting one cycle at a traffic light. We really don't have traffic problems compared to most metro markets," he said.
Why it matters for Contractors
Nearly 300 townhomes along one road is a lot of work for a city the size of Lynchburg. Townhome jobs keep framing, roofing, siding, drywall, plumbing, electrical and HVAC crews busy, and multiple projects going at once on the same corridor can mean steady work for trades that can move from one site to the next.
Miller's point about the numbers is worth noting. Townhomes put more homes on less land. The 750 Leesville plan shows it, with 88 units on about 11.7 acres.
The traffic concerns matter, too. Neighbors' complaints about speeding and congestion could shape what city leaders ask of future developments on Leesville Road, from turn lanes to traffic calming. Contractors who do road, curb and sidewalk work should keep an eye on whether the city responds to its own speed study.
For builders and trades looking for work in Central Virginia, Leesville Road is a corridor worth watching.