Supervisors voted July 26, upon request from applicant, to defer REZ2023-00003 Hickory Hill, II, LLC (Hickory Grove development) for 30 days. The public hearing will take place August 23 during the 6:00 p.m. session.

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Are citizens staying alert?

REZ2023-00003 Hickory Hill II, LLC (Beaverdam District)

In more than a two-year process and several iterations, this 52-acre rezoning, located at the intersection of Rte 54 and Providence Church Road, goes to a Board of Supervisors public hearing Wednesday, July 26  at 6:00 p.m.

Applicant proposes 150 age-restricted, single-family detached  homes for a gross density of 2.87 dwelling units/acre.

Some changes that would provide a better fit for this development with its neighbors:

• decrease density to mirror the 2.63 dwelling units/acre of Providence
• increase buffer behind existing homes on Rte 54 East by removing proposed homes on the south side of Hickory Grove’s Audrey Kell Way

Hanover’s two-year Comp Plan update nears public hearing stage

Envision Hanover held the third and final round of public comment in July 10-18 sessions at branch libraries and a webinar. The draft Comp Plan will go to a Planning Commission public hearing August 10.

Visit the Project Resources page to see all Comp Plan draft text and maps and to read feedback summaries from citizens and staff. 

Citizen input is vital to scrutinize concerning aspects. Some examples:

• Woodside Lane extension – a “concept road” that would slash right through Washington Lacy Park, a jewel in the Suburban Service Area
• a proposed Economic Development Zone north of Ashland, further hardening the Historic U.S. 1 warehouse corridor
• parks and green spaces, a citizen priority garnering low priority in this update

Timeline for hearings and vote on Hanover County’s 2023 Comp Plan:

Planning Commission 

•Public Hearing: August 10 

•Additional Discussion + Possible Recomm. (if needed): August 17

Board of Supervisors 

•Public Hearing: September 13 

•Possible vote by Board of Supervisors: September 27 or October 11

And what’s happening with Ashland’s Comp Plan update?

The Planning Commission’s work session schedule is posted here. Only two non-Ashland residents attended the July 12 work session on land use and community character and design. An August 9 session is slated for housing. Anyone interested in Ashland’s future? Contact Planning at 804.798.1073 or planning@ashlandva.gov

Updates on some Hanover Co. Planning cases

CPA2023-00003 I-64 Industrial, L.L.C and 

REZ2023-00006 M. Garland Anderson, II

These twinned cases came up for public hearings at the July 20 Hanover Planning Commission meeting.

This approximately 80-acre parcel lies in Goochland and Hanover Counties (Oilville area), with 44.4 acres situated in Hanover. Applicant needs a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) to change the land use from Agricultural to Business-Industrial. A change would then allow the rezoning of the Hanover parcel from A-1 to M-2 to build an industrial park straddling the county line.

In unanimous votes July 20, Planning Commission deferred both cases for 30 days.

Residents in this rural Hanover area are dismayed, to say the least. Many questions arise. Among them, why is Hanover County dancing to Goochland’s fiddle?

CUP2023-00006 Pearsons Corner Associates RLLP (Beaverdam District)

Community meeting:

Tuesday, July 25, 6-7 p.m. 

New Hanover Presbyterian Church

10058 Chamberlayne Road

Mechanicsville, VA 23116

Applicant requests a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow 12 pumps for a Sheetz gas/convenience store planned for the northwest corner of U.S. 301 and New Ashcake Road. 

Go here to read the application. Per applicant, “. . . Sheetz will bring valuable commercial tax dollars to the County.”

Lights, traffic, noise, trash and development strangulation coming to another rural crossroads.

CUP2021-00005 Springfield Farm Solar, LLC (Beaverdam and South Anna Districts

Community Meeting

Monday, August 21, 6:00 p.m.

Elmont Elementary School

12005 Cedar Lane

Ashland, VA 23005

Applicant seeks to build a 326-acre, 80MW solar facility on a 938-acre batch of parcels located in Beaverdam and South Anna Districts. Per the applicant, the facility will be a “utility-scale” project that “will power over 20,000 homes”.

Read here the recently revised application. Click here to see Planning staff’s comments on amended application.

In head-spinning fashion, the County has been simultaneously receiving and reviewing solar facility applications and drafting a solar policy. Hanover needs parcels for small and large parks, a citizen-requested amenity. Will solar facilities pre-empt needed green spaces?

 Update on County solar and alternative energy draft policy

Planning Commission held a brief work session July 20 on the draft policy. Citizens may still read the policy and provide comment here. Commissioners will discuss the policy in their August 10 Comp Plan public hearing. Citizens and their County need to get this right, and put a damper on cheerleading from the industry professionals.

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Be in contact with your Supervisors and Planning Commissioners. Don’t allow your future to be handed to you. The citizen voice matters.

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The end of a long haul, two-year update known as Envision Hanover is approaching; final public hearings and a vote date have been set. But first . . .

Round #3 of Envision Hanover public input sessions is July 10-18.

A series of in-person and virtual events will be held July 10-18 to receive feedback on Topical/Focus Areas (Environment + Resiliency, Community Facilities + Utilities, and Transportation) and to provide an update on overall plan recommendations. 

In-Person Meetings (Presentation + Open House)

• Monday, July 10, 2023 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Rockville Library
• Tuesday, July 11, 2023 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Atlee Library
• Thursday, July 13, 2023 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): 

Mechanicsville Library

• Monday, July 17, 2023 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Ashland Library

Stop and Chat (Informal Office Hours)

• Tuesday, July 18, 2023 (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.): Atlee Library

Webinar

• Monday, July 10, 2023 (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Register Using Microsoft Teams

Important: Go here to read the presentation to Supervisors at their June 28 work session which considered these final three topical/focus areas. Lots of information to take in. Citizens and County need to get heads together for good decision making. A sampling from the presentation:

• Parks & Recreation master planning is way overdue, by about ten years. What’s being done for the long term to improve and expand our park system? The latter requires land. Is it too late to identify parcels in suburban and rural areas for P&R?

• “Concept roads” such as Woodside Lane extension, Woodside Lane parallel road and Jamestown Road extension have huge, negative implications for those neighborhoods. Washington Lacy Park would be a casualty of these road extensions. This beautiful equine and passive park saw considerable citizen effort to become a reality. Now what?

• And with “focus corridors”, that countywide, brain-numbing list of thoroughfare headaches, can citizens hope for beneficially transformative changes for both suburban and rural corridors?

• The proposed Economic Development Zone (EDZ) north of Ashland is a proverbial black hole sucking up attention. How would the establishment of that EDZ affect land use planning, existing residential neighborhoods, fiscal expenditures, road system and more? A proposed I-95 interchange in that vicinity is still a bright, shiny object for some.

• Recommended Residential densities seek to provide a more gradual transition at the suburban-rural interfaces countywide. The lowest density proposed is Suburban Transitional Residential at 1.5 units/acre. Citizens have supported retaining rural character. Density changes would support this goal.

Visit the Project Resources page to see all Comp Plan draft text and maps and to read feedback summaries from previous events.

Proposed timeline to finalize and vote on 2023 Comp Plan:

Planning Commission 

•Public Hearing: August 10 

•Additional Discussion + Possible Recomm. (if needed): August 17

Board of Supervisors 

•Public Hearing: September 13 

•Possible vote by Board of Supervisors: September 27 or October 11

Following is current info on some Planning cases. Updates coming.

REZ2023-00003 Hickory Hill II, LLC (Beaverdam District)

Approved by Planning Commission, 7-0; slated for Supervisors’ public hearing July 26 in the 6:00 p.m. session.

REZ2023-00006 M. Garland Anderson II (Hanover County-South Anna District and Goochland County)

Slated for July 20 Planning Commission public hearing.

CUP2023-00006 Pearsons Corner Associates, RLLC (Beaverdam District)

Community meeting tentatively set for late July.

CUP2021-00005 Springfield Farm Solar, LLC (South Anna, Beaverdam Districts)

Community meeting tentatively set for late July.

Solar Policy and Alternative Energy draft is on the Planning Commission’s July 20 docket. Go here to read the draft policy and to comment.

Be in contact with your Supervisors, Planning Commissioners and County Planning officials. Stay informed. Visit our Facebook page.

Let your voice be heard. The citizen voice matters. 

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