Henrico Planning Commission recommends mixed-use development at Virginia Center
Table of Contents
The Henrico County Planning Commission Feb. 9 endorsed a mixed-use development proposal on more than 93 acres in the Virginia Center area. The parcel is located along Jeb Stuart Parkway and Virginia Center Parkway, near where those roads intersect with Telegraph Road and Battlefield Road, respectively. The proposal next will be heard by the Henrico Board of Supervisors at its March 14 meeting.
The proposed development would be mixed use housing and commercial, with an emphasis on attracting life sciences research to Henrico County. A representative for the applicant, Sauer Properties, explained that life sciences companies were relocating to nearby areas like Petersburg but couldn’t currently relocate to the Richmond area because of a lack of ready and zoned sites. He argued that attracting such users to the area would broaden and increase the county tax base.
The development would also contain 450 condos or townhomes next to a 2,000 square-foot fully-enclosable community area, as well as 330 apartments with an attached community center.
The residential areas would be supported with a green space, a dog park, and multiple bike and pedestrian trails, including along Jeb Stuart Parkway. Retail space also may become a part of the final development.
Several nearby residents expressed some concerns about the increased traffic volume and whether the current road width and combination of signals and stop signs could handle it, especially with trails and sidewalks also being added. They asked for a review to account for low visibility and tough turns in some areas. One resident also asked if the development would include Section 8 subsidized housing.
Commission members and county planners said that they would review the safety considerations and that even intersections could be widened to ensure safe turning off the main road. They also promised to review timing of the only current traffic signal and noted that they will evaluate the need for an additional traffic signal when the development is completed. The applicant’s representative pointed out that the original plan for the site was a corporate campus, but no suitable residents could be located, so this mixed-use proposal will actually contain 30% less traffic.
Three Chopt Commissioner Melissa Thornton asked whether the roads could be put on a “road diet” to ensure the trails and sidewalks could be accommodated, and the applicant’s representative indicated that the bike plan is still fluid.
“There’s a lot of development and it’ll have an impact on the area for at least 15 if not 20 years,” Commissioner Chris Archer (Fairfield District) said. “We understand this impacts long-term residents but change, and more traffic, is inevitable.”
* * *
The commission also approved a request for a provisional use permit for a mixed-use residential and commercial development on 20 acres at the intersection of Westmoreland Street and Jacque Street in the Near West End.
The site will include 500 family residential homes initially and eventually 1,000. Commercial uses may include a combination of restaurants, retail, and offices. Existing businesses on the site may stay or relocate, but the Ukrops Bakery facility will remain.
Thornton asked how this development will affect area safety, and a representative for the applicant, Family Holdings LLC, said that it would increase lighting and sidewalk access. Commission Chair Bob Witte (Brookland District) asked for a 175-foot height restriction, consistent with the Libbie Mill development, and the applicant agreed to that additional condition.
