Henrico planners endorse planned storage facility, warehouses

The Henrico Planning Commission Nov. 9 endorsed a proposal from General Land Company LLC to build a self-service storage facility and retail strip at the southwest intersection of Mountain and Woodman Roads, just off I-295 in Glen Allen.

The site is currently vacant, though it contains a floodplain on the western side that limits what can be built. The surrounding area is largely residential, including the Townes at Woodman, Mountain Laurel Townhomes, and Greenhouse subdivision. The proposal includes a three-story self-storage facility and a nearly 11,000-square-feet of retail space with four tenants, including one food service establishment with a drive-through. Entrances would be at Mountain and Woodman roads, but those only would permit right turns in and out due to the existing medians, and sidewalks would be required along both roads. The development also would include 50-to-80-foot buffers where it borders residential areas, and construction would be limited to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

One resident expressed concerns about the proposal.

“I’m under no illusions about how the county is developing, especially in this area,” she said. “I am concerned though about building more storage units in this area.”

The woman noted that there already are 11 storage units within three miles.

“The existing units can’t be full because they’re advertising $1 for a new unit.”

Her primary focus, though was the environmental impact.

“I’m very concerned about the mature trees in that area,” she said. “They’re 100-150 years old. They also provide animal habitats. So I’m opposed. I’d like to see something more meaningful for our community put there.”

The applicant’s representative, Andy Condlin, responded that the developer has scaled down the project and changed the design to make it look more like an office. He also noted that the site would also be only open to the public from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“The idea was that this was a quiet use next to residences,” Condlin said. “We feel this is an excellent use to serve a market that has not been satisfied.”

“I hear where you’re coming from,” Fairfield District Planning Commissioner Chris Archer told the resident. “This has been a very difficult property to deal with.”

He also pointed out that the commission had rejected multiple proposals that wouldn’t work with the surrounding area.

The proposal now will advance to the Henrico Board of Supervisors for final consideration.

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The commission also endorsed plans for four warehouses with offices along Williamsburg Road and Charles City Road (near where they intersect and close to Richmond International Airport).

One would be a 124,600 square foot facility on Williamsburg Road between Millers Lane and Clayton Road, proposed by Lingerfelt Development LLC. The next two warehouses are being proposed by VOZ724 Park City LLC for 70,500 and 24,000 square feet respectively, with the smaller including a 240-by-580-foot storage area. Both are located on Charles City Road near its intersection with Brighton Road.

The fourth proposal, also from VOZ724 Park City, would sit on Charles City Road closest to the intersection with Williamsburg Road, on 5.5 acres. The site may hold a cemetery, and construction may require a sewer pump station, making construction more complex than the other, similar warehouses.

In response to a question from Varina District Commissioner William Mackey, the applicant representative (Andy Condlin) noted that there are potential tenants being considered for two of the four sites and one tenant, a commercial mover and storage facility, already signed up.

“We’re happy to be able to provide more jobs to the area,” Condlin said.