Henrico supervisors approve warehouses in Montrose area, despite environmental justice concerns

At its April 9 meeting, the Henrico Board of Supervisors approved plans for four warehouses and offices in the Montrose area of the Varina District (between Williamsburg Road and Charles City Road), over the concerns of some residents who are worried that too many industrial developments already exist in the area.

The first, from Lingerfelt Development LLC, will total 176,960 square feet in size and be located on Williamsburg Road at its intersection with Clayton Road.

The other three warehouses will be developed by VOZ724 Park City LLC and be located on Charles City Road near its intersection with Brighton Road. One will be 70,500 square feet, while the other two will be developed in phases (3,600 square feet for the first phase of one building, and 24,000 square feet for the first phase of the other, with the second phases adding 9,600 and 36,000 square feet, respectively). The smaller warehouse also will include a 240-by-580-foot storage area that may be expanded in the future.

One resident shared frustrations about the level of industrial development that has been approved in the Montrose area, designated an environmental justice community by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“We have to recognize this permitting decision would destroy the last green space in this entire community, a community that has six landfills in the immediate proximity, four of which are active and one of which is under a consent decree right now for repeated violations” speaker Gray Montrose said. She noted the presence of Montrose Elementary School less than a mile away. “What if we said no to some of the industrial developments and put in a park so these kids have clean air to breathe?”

“At some point we’re asking, begging you: please stop putting the industrial burdens, the industrial uses in one spot, and that’s our community.”

Another shared her frustration about mandatory smart meters being installed on homes in the area under the threat of turning off power service.

Andrew Condlin of Roth Jackson, representing the applicants, said that the proposal that this was meant to be an infill development within a designated industrial area.

“Having this development could very well provide for jobs and we are committed to making road improvements as required by VDOT,” he added.

Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said that although he wished the industrial uses had been more spread out years ago in the area, it is still home to a diverse group of residents and uses.

“From the city to the airport, there are multiple landfills,” he said. “There are junkyards, there are distribution centers, there are factories. The [Environmental Protection Agency] report says that there’s a high air toxic cancer risk. And all of that may be true. The community is more than that, though. There’s a pharmacy, there are restaurants, there are homes all around. There are some classic places people travel to. .. small businesses all up and down that particular corridor.”

“There are a lot of homeowners in Montrose who have front and back yards, so there’s a lot of green space in the community of Montrose.”