“East Ashland” is a new name for proposed development of 101 rural acres located in the southeast quadrant of I-95 and Rt. 54, formerly known as “Ashbury.” The Town of Ashland’s Planning Commission recently recommended DENIAL due to concerns regarding traffic, the size of the proposed development, density, and inconsistencies with Ashland’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
In 2005, Wilton Development Corporation filed an application entitled “Ashbury” for rezoning the property. Because “Ashbury” didn’t conform to the Town’s land use plan, the Town Council denied Wilton’s rezoning request in January 2006. Wilton Development then turned around and filed a lawsuit against the town. Since then, the Town Council and Wilton Development have met to negotiate a settlement, although litigation is still ongoing.
“East Ashland” would include:
- Two hotels (for a total of 444 rooms), a meeting center, and a restaurant site.
- Planned Shopping Center: three out-parcel restaurant sites, an anchor store and other shops (totaling 179,000 square feet), residencies, and a mix of public and private streets.
- 80 three-story buildings with retail/office uses on the ground floor and residential dwellings on the top two floors
- 98 townhouses along the perimeter of the shopping center.
- 71 single-family lots
***The Ashland Town Council will hold a public hearing at the Town Hall on July 24th at 7 p.m. IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE THERE!***
Filed under: 2006 Comp Plan |
hanoversfuture.org 
What is it about corporate development that thinks people need more than all stores within a 3-mile diameter of their homes? We don’t. There is no question why the phrase, “As beautiful as urban sprawl”, has never been coined. Ashland simply does not need this development, period.
This community has everything it could possible have within 5 to 10 miles. And then there is Short Pump and across the river.
Why start bringing all of it here and causing more traffic and runing the small shops in Ashland out of business, why?
It seems that the time has come when the laws meant to protect the citizen, are in fact destroying the small towns due to greed and the dishonesty of Corporate America. There will come a time when we will fight back using the, down home way!
Our small town is about to be smothered by this development. The town council took a courageous stand in denying Ashbury and they should get our support in denying this version of Ashbury. Some rumblings around town say the council should “cut a deal” I say keep you backbone coucil people and don’t let Wilton and developers like him pry open Ashland for the insane kind of development that is in short pump, Massaponax, and every other exit in NOVA.
This is the time for citizens to fignt back or it really will be too late once we have two five story hotels, hundreds of town houses and homes & commercial districts at this exit.
Tell your coucil members not to get weak kneed now!
The reason why sprawl in the metro Richmond area all looks the same? The Wilton Companies. Will the green buildings movement ever take hold? From an aesthetic point of view, do planners, architects, and development companies enjoying looking at this crap that they build? I’m sick of hearing the term “anchor store”….why not just say Kroger/Ukrops/Food Lion surrounded by nail salon, chinese buffet, check cashing, or some other generic retail chain? If we don’t change these patterns of ugly development, they will change us!