Leisurely summer pace? Don’t bet on it.

Several zoning case hotspots, freighted with issues, should continue to generate attention and concern in Ashland and the County. 

Ashland Town Council meeting June 6, 6:30 p.m.

On the agenda is a follow-up resolution to Council’s approval, on a 3-2 vote, of CPA2022-06, Ironhorse Business Park. This land use change sets the stage for a future rezoning that proposes 1.9 million square feet of flex warehouses and a commercial strip along Rte 54, east of the Exit 92 interstate node.

Click on link to see resolution: https://ashland-va.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=1&event_id=1156&meta_id=80115

Council members assured citizens in the CPA discussions they would have input on design elements for Ironhorse B.P. The mammoth task looms.

Hanover Planning Commission meeting June 15, 6:00 p.m. 

The proposed Hickory Grove development, REZ2023-00003, having churned for two years through several iterations, will be get a public hearing. Applicant proposes 150 single-family homes on the 52-acre parcel at the intersection of Rte 54 and Providence Church Road.  

Traffic and housing density are two issues needing scrutiny, especially in light of the proposed Ironhorse development to the west in Town and County.

Proposed Sheetz at the intersection of Rte 301 and New Ashcake Road

No application has been filed yet. Developer held a community meeting in this Pearsons Corner neighborhood May 22. Among other things, residents learned that developer will file a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to request a gas pump increase to 12. Light, noise, traffic. Residents are organizing.

The Caldwell residential development is now under construction across New Ashcake Road. Stag’s Leap subdivision occupies the southeast quadrant of this intersection. The development pressure at this suburban-rural boundary is yet another example of how rural viewshed and environment disappear.

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In its May 16 meeting Town Council took action on the “action item” CPA2022-06 Ironhorse Business Park. In a vote of 3-2, with Mayor Steve Trivett and Council member Kathy Abbott casting dissenting votes.

“Confusion” might be a good descriptor for the evening. There was never a clear format for discussion or input, though public comment was taken. Council members expressed their concerns and visions for the Ironhorse proposal’s effects on Ashland into the future, but their discussion did not result in a unified position. The motion process, with several missteps, was also hard to follow.

Developers have promised a rezoning application would be filed soon after a CPA approval. Town officials have promised citizens will have ample opportunities for input on specifics as the rezoning case goes forward.

The stage is set for the next act.

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Ashland Town Council will take up consideration of CPA2022-06 Ironhorse Business Park at its May 16 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in Council chambers. This meeting was termed “a continuation of the public meeting” when announced in the May 8 Town-citizen meeting. It is unknown if Council will take public comment.

Developer has said a rezoning application will be filed soon after this comprehensive plan amendment is approved by Ashland. To address citizen worries that the level of detail is already fixed for the flex warehouse development, Town officials have assured citizens that they will have opportunity to have input on various aspects as the rezoning case goes through its process.

Citizens are finding this assurance condescending and insufficient.

Notable concerns with the proposal include:

• additional traffic at this overloaded interstate node;
• environmental damage to wetlands and groundwater;
• loss of green and open space;
• compromise of existing residential neighborhoods and roads;
• hardening of the suburban-rural transition; and
• excessive warehouses adding to a bloated inventory.

Citizens need to keep speaking up before the CPA is passed. This development is a threat to quality of life that Town and County residents value.

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The Ironhorse Business Park proposal is again up for scrutiny and inquiry. 

Ashland Town Council authorized a community meeting for Monday, May 8, 6:00 p.m., in Town Hall, following its 5-0 vote on April 18 to defer action on CPA2022-06 Ironhorse Business Park. 

This is an opportunity for citizens to ask questions, voice concerns and advocate for wise and inspired land use planning as the community contemplates this development juggernaut.

Background of the proposal:

Applicant is seeking to change the land use on approximately 120 acres in the Town to Interstate Commercial, Office/Industrial and Open Space. A rezoning application would then be filed for a development of 1.9 million square feet of flex warehouses and a commercial strip of gas stations, hotel and quick in/out restaurants east along Rte 54.

Another parcel of similar size lies in the County and is the other portion of the Ironhorse Business Park.

Community Meeting Agenda and Format:

Per the Town website, this will be a two-part meeting:

6:00-6:30 p.m. – Citizens visit stations set up with maps, renderings and diagrams; speak with Town staff; and submit questions or comments on index cards.

6:30-8:30 p.m. – Town staff will assemble index cards; read all comments aloud; and respond. All questions and comments will be read.

See this link for fuller description of the community meeting: 

https://www.ashlandva.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=626

Click here for an overview of the proposal and the full application. Questions about the application ahead of the meeting should be sent to planning@ashlandva.gov or call (804) 798-9219.

The next Town Council meeting is Tuesday, May 16, when Council is expected to take action on CPA2022-06, Ironhorse Business Park

Notable concerns:

Residents have raised concerns about additional traffic at this overloaded interstate node; environmental damage to wetlands and groundwater; loss of green and open space; compromise of existing residential neighborhoods and roads; hardening of the suburban-rural transition; and excessive warehouses adding to a bloated inventory.

Attend the meeting. Ask questions. Express your concerns. The citizen voice matters.

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This town hall-type meeting is a follow-up from the Town Council’s deferral of CPA2022-06 Ironhorse Business Park at its April 18 meeting.

The Monday, May 8 meeting is billed as a “special meeting with Ashland Town Council and Town staff for a collaborative discussion and Q&A about the Ironhorse Business Park Proposal.” The meeting will be held in Council chambers at Town Hall 6:00-8:30 p.m.

See this information at this link to the Town of Ashland webpage: https://www.ashlandva.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=6104

Please show up and speak up.

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