Henrico Planning Commission endorses fast-food drive-through, Eastern Henrico residential plan

The Henrico County Planning Commission endorsed a proposal to rezone four acres at the corner of Staples Mill Road and Lucas Road to allow a combination Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins with a drive-through. The site is a short distance from Hermitage High School and would sit across Staples Mill Road from the Wawa at that intersection. One of the conditions of the proposal is that the developer take on the expense of widening Staples Mill Road at that location and associated relocation of the stoplight to allow for the additional traffic in and out of the site.

The commission also endorsed a proposal to rezone more 11 acres on the south side of North Airport Drive (Route 156), down the road from I-295 and near where it meets North Washington Street/Hanover Road, for a single-family residential development.

In response to questions from Varina District Planning Commissioner William Mackey and a nearby resident, staff members noted that the development would use a septic tank instead of county sewer service but that county water service would be connected to the site, meaning that the development would not affect neighbors using wells.

The developer also agreed to a request from Mr. Mackey to limit their hours of construction on Saturday to limit noise impacting neighbors. While the proposal had initially met with serious concerns from nearby residents, Commission Chair Bob Witte (Brookland District) noted no community opposition at this meeting, possibly because of changes made by the developer.

Both proposals next will be heard by the county’s board of supervisors, which holds final decision-making authority.