Henrico supervisors approve controversial Sheetz on Staples Mill Road

By a unanimous vote, the Henrico Board of Supervisors Dec. 12 approved plans for a controversial Sheetz drive-through, as well as 14 townhomes, on Staples Mill Road across from the Amtrak train station.

The project had faced significant opposition from nearby residents, who expressed concerns about pedestrian safety, increased crime and traffic, health and privacy, noise and light nuisances, harms to existing locally-owned gas stations, environmental impacts and the costs of site cleanup, cut-through foot traffic, alcohol sales, and damage to property values.

Residents noted the limited number of commercial sites located next to residences in that area of Staples Mill and that this would be the first 24-hour business located next to residential land, saying this indicated the Henrico Planning Department, in its analysis of the project, was incorrect to say that the development would be consistent with the area.

The proposal had been under consideration by the Henrico Planning Commission for more than a year and revised several times before the commission recommended approval in November in a rare 4-1 vote. The project includes a request for a provisional use permit to allow 24-hour operations. An originally included carwash had been dropped from the proposal after the planning commission hearing. A 320-foot tree and wetland preservation buffer on the west side would serve as a buffer.

The site would feature 14 townhomes, each 1,700 square feet.

One resident told supervisors Tuesday that nearly half of the remaining major concerns would be addressed if the Sheetz were not allowed to operate 24 hours. Residents pointed to a similar Wawa at Parham Road and Three Chopt Road that has more limited operating hours and lacks a drive-through. Changes to the Sheetz proposal, they said, were insufficient, referencing a negative petition with nearly 200 signatures and asking the board to deny the application or make additional changes.

Some residents addressed Brookland Supervisor Dan Schmitt (whose district includes the site) directly.

“I’m asking you to provide leadership to the board on this, because it will harm your taxpayers,” one said.

Schmitt said that “many of these residents’ legitimate questions have been addressed, but not all” and thanked planning staffers and the applicant for their work on the case. In response to his questions, various county officials explained that:

• the county would have the authority to hire contractors to address trash and then bill the owner for that cost, if necessary;

• Sheetz loudspeakers are be required not to be audible outside of property lines;

• any noise violations from Sheetz could be addressed by Henrico Police department or through court action;

• there are 22 sites along Staples Mill Road with the right to 24-hour use, though the two next to residential areas are not currently doing so;

• the largest number of police calls to area gas stations are shoplifting cases, with only one violent crime reported at the Wawa at Staples Mill and Bethlehem Road;

• the board has the right to hold a public hearing to examine evidence and either revoke a provisional use permit or add new conditions, giving the board options if problems are later discovered;

• the Virginia Department of Health indicated that it had no information about health risks caused by living next to gas stations;

• the Department of Environmental Quality submitted that the emissions from gas pumps and cars had declined significantly due to technological advances and that underground tanks and tanks were double-walled with monitors and regular testing;

• no gas tank leaks had occurred in many years within Henrico, but owners of land are required to provide financial assurances for future cleanup;

• the fencing options along the edge of the property will completely block visibility, and blinders also now will be required on lights to reduce light pollution.

“I take these concerns very seriously, and I’ll be standing in residents’ backyards throughout construction to monitor things,” Schmitt said. “At the same time, there are 74,000 people in Brookland and 345,000 in the county and we have to consider them along with the residents of the area when making land use decisions. I’m comfortable that we can hold the applicant accountable.”