Henrico Planning Commission endorses 6-story Gateway Apartments building on Parham Road

The Henrico Planning Commission March 14 endorsed a proposal by Gateway Apartments, located on North Parham Road between Fargo Road and Quioccasin Road, to remove 20 apartments and build a new six-story building. It would contain 100 apartments and commercial space on the first floor, which would face Parham. Gateway also would replace the pool and integrate the existing clubhouse into the first floor of this new building.

Several neighboring residents expressed concerns about the impact to traffic, especially with one of the two existing access points from Parham being removed. Others noted the impact of a taller building on the neighborhood across the street. Two commenters specifically noted the difficulty for pedestrians in crossing Parham safely.

“Parham is already massively congested and it backs up traffic right past the entrance already,” said one.

Henrico Traffic Engineer John Cekja said that an existing pedestrian crossing on the north side of Fargo Road – half a mile to the north and requiring the crossing of Fargo Road to access – is in “substandard condition” and would be put on a list for improvements. He also noted that removing one entrance would reduce the risk of car accidents and allow the creation of a right-turn lane, so that entering cars would cause less traffic.

Applicant representative Andy Condlin said officials with the apartment complex didn’t believe there would be a significant impact to neighbors, pointing out that the proposal only amounts to a net height of eight feet taller than the current maximum allowed height, since the building would be graded lower. He also mentioned that there would be sidewalk connections all along the front of the property. In response to a suggestion from Three Chopt Commissioner Bob Chippee, Condlin agreed to consider additional vegetation along the front to further reduce noise.

Brookland Commissioner Robert Witte pointed out that the number of parking spaces was lower than what seemed to be required.

“It seems like you’re missing one-third of the spaces you need,” With said.

Condlin explained that the number being built reflected the assumption that daytime commercial vehicles would leave before residents returned at night, that these new apartments were largely studios or one-bedrooms that would produce fewer cars, and that the other portion of the larger apartment complex had extra parking.

At the conclusion of discussion, Tuckahoe Commissioner Brian Winterhoff promised to carry concerns about pedestrian safety in the area to Tuckahoe Supervisor Jody Rogish.

“I’ll be calling him tonight about this,” Winterhoff said.

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Additionally, the commission approved a request to create a conservation district on 1.6 acres of land in Glen Allen on the north side of Mountain Road between its intersections with Woodman Road and Clayton Country Lane, spanning the pond there.

It also approved a 197-foot telecommunications tower on Doran Road, south of its intersection with Macallan Parkway. It would sit on a 50-by-50-foot area within a 28-acre site on the western side of the road.

All these proposals next will be heard by the Henrico Board of Supervisors at its April 9 meeting.

Finally, the commission indicated that it would be considering changing the zoning ordinances for vaping shops that govern their distance from each other as well as from schools. This would also be an opportunity to bring them into compliance with recent changes to Virginia law. A work session on the topic was scheduled for April 11.