Proposed Staples Mill Sheetz sparks opposition at Henrico Planning Commission meeting

A proposal to rezone eight acres of land along Staples Mill Road opposite the Amtrak station to allow construction of a Sheetz gas station sparked major opposition at a Henrico Planning Commission meeting last month and prompted commissioners to defer a vote until their Nov. 10 meeting.

Eight residents of the homes along Bremner Boulevard and the adjacent development that opens to Glenside Drive spoke against the plan for the Sheetz, which would operate 24 hours and include a carwash, which would have more limited hours. The property currently is zoned for single-family dwellings, townhomes, mid-sized offices, and compatible commercial uses.

Opposing speakers at the Oct. 10 meeting said that 200 total residents had signed a petition to request blocking the rezoning request, citing concerns about health, environmental impacts, crime, increased traffic and accidents, and lowered property values. One resident suggested that the distance between the site and nearby homes raised the risk of toxins affecting their children.

“They don’t let you build gas stations this close to schools,” the resident said.

Another told commission members that the Sheetz would make homes unsaleable and that the environmental cleanup could cost more than any revenue raised.

“The cumulative property loss would be over a million dollars. Is Henrico County comfortable taking that out of the hands of its residents?”

Another resident noted the lack of sidewalks at the site and said that traffic already backs up from Glenside onto Staples Mill Road.

An additional argument focused upon crime, with a speaker telling the commission that there already are 10 stores selling alcohol within a mile radius of the block in question; that the county receives more calls about drunk and disorderly conduct in the vicinity of convenience stores than elsewhere; and that the neighborhood already deals with property crimes, trespassing, and thefts on a regular basis.

“There’s no need to build a convenience store on steroids so close to a quiet residential neighborhood,” the speaker said.

The length and emotion of residents’ remarks in opposition led Brookland District Planning Commissioner Bob Witte to remind speakers that they were repeating points. Commission Chair Melissa Thornton (Three Chopt District) asked the residents not to applaud each other.

“We know you feel strongly about this,” she said. The commission did extend the 10-minute time limit so that every resident could speak, though subsequent speakers needed to constrain their comments.

Attorney Andrew Condlin, representing applicant Rebkee Co., noted that the condition of the rezoning request would permanently guarantee a six-foot fence and trees to shield neighboring homes and prevent walk-throughs, that the gas pumps would be set back farther from nearby homes, that the traffic would be either directed through the existing light for the Amtrak station or out through the adjacent CVS and the light at Bremner Boulevard, and that the plans would accommodate existing residents’ rights of access.

He also noted that the company’s review of a year’s worth of police calls originating at nearby a Wawa or Sheetz only found 14 regarding accidents and disabled vehicles.

Commissioner Greg Baka (Tuckahoe District) asked Condlin to elaborate about the health and environmental concerns.

“Quite frankly, we go above and beyond what’s required by the regulatory standards, Condlin replied, noting that environmental regulations require the applicant to capture leaks and stormwater runoff and that all the tanks are lined.

Witte asked a police representative to speak about police calls. The officials explained that calls aren’t necessarily linked to the police district where they originate and that every call, even about the same incident, is logged separately.

“If 10 people call about shots fired, that’s 10 calls,” he said.

Witte thanked those in attendance for the vigorous debate and moved to defer consideration to the Nov. 10 meeting.

“Staff presented a good case but I know we haven’t done enough research to make a decision at this time,” he said. The commission approved Witte’s proposal unanimously.

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At the same meeting, a proposed mixed residential and commercial development on Augusta Avenue next to Willow Lawn brought some opposition as well.

The almost three-quarter-acre development would include 162 residential units with a pool and parking lot. A resident who spoke said that the area was designed for offices and adding so many new people would lead to less available parking per resident than Henrico regulations permit, affecting neighbors.

He also said that the applicant’s parking study was misleading because it was based upon weekend use when the offices were closed.

Condlin, representing applicant 4911 Augusta LLC, responded that office parking ended after working hours, that other side streets hadn’t been included in the study, and that the Willow Lawn area had significant mass transit options.

Witte asked how much offstreet parking the development would use and Condlin responded that the applicant expected residents would be utilizing it, though it wasn’t under their control. The commission unanimously recommended that the rezoning and provisional use permit request to proceed to the Board of Supervisors.

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Additionally, the commission endorsed: • a request to rezone more than nine acres along Telegraph Road, just south of its intersection with Magellan Parkway, to allow a townhouse development;

• a request to rezone one acre at the intersection of Thompson Street and Carter Street, to allow an existing adult day care center to remain:

• and a request to rezone 15 acres on Charles City Road, almost a mile east of its intersection with Monahan Road, for an existing vehicle storage lot, assuming the applicant removes all inoperable vehicles and puts up a security fence.

Each request also will proceed to the Henrico Board of Supervisors for final consideration.