Henrico self-storage facility proposals bring public opposition

Plans to develop two self-storage facilities prompted opposition during the Dec. 12 Henrico Board of Supervisors meeting.

Supervisors first heard 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. 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. The site is currently vacant.

Entrances would be at Mountain and Woodman Roads, but only allowing right turns in and out due to the existing medians, and sidewalks would be built along both roads. The development also would include 75-foot buffers along the south facing residential developments.

During the public comment period, some neighboring residents objected to the plans, arguing that the development would irrevocably harm the character of the area, that the right-turn-only exit would lead drivers into neighboring residential neighborhoods to turn around, that the loss of drainage and habitat would push animals and pests into their neighborhoods, that there were already multiple storage units in the area with more being developed, and that this storage facility would harm their property values.

“Even though we can do this, is it in the best interests of the community when there are so many other open storage facilities in the area?” asked one resident.

Andrew Condlin, speaking for the developer, noted that the proposal included a plan to hold and treat stormwater to minimize drainage onto the surrounding area. He also pointed to the size of the buffers and the redesign of the building to remove windows on the side facing these neighboring residential areas. In response to a question from Fairfield Supervisor Frank Thornton, Condlin said that the revised proposal was the very best that could be done to accommodate neighbors’ concerns, especially given the developer's agreement to limit hours of operation and provide a bus shelter.

He also indicated the owner could move the exit to allow left turns onto Mountain Road when a plan of development is submitted.

“I think we’ve responded to every concern we can without stopping entirely,” Condlin said.

“Questions about animals and trees, these are good questions to ask, but when we live in an urbanizing area, people have the right to buy a piece of land and put things on it that are in sync with the community. This is what they do," said Thornton, “Our job is to get to an equilibrium.”

The board voted unanimously to defer the case until Jan. 23 to allow more work on addressing citizen objections.

* * *

A proposal for a mini-storage facility near the Richmond Airport raised similar concerns. The site sits on Old Williamsburg Road near its intersection with Antioch Church Road. Neighbors offered objections about the impact to wildlife, the possible destruction of Civil War-era graves, the danger to children in the area from the increase in traffic, the nuisance from additional lights, the possibility of attracting vagrants, and one neighbor’s concern that construction runoff would render his wells unusable and force him to move. One resident spoke in support of the development, though he also suggested the proposal could be modified to be taller and therefore have a smaller footprint on the site.

Randy Hooker spoke for the applicant and noted that the traffic for a mini-storage site would be one-third of a similarly-sized office. Limitations on sewage disposal caused by the soils around the airport means that an office complex is out of the question there, Hooker said.

The board voted to approve the proposal.