Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. At this time, I'd like to reconvene for the June 11th Planning Commission meeting, the zoning meeting for the Planning Commission. I'd like to welcome each of you here this evening. A couple of things I wanted to go over right away. We would first ask that you check your cell phones, either put them on vibrate or silence them for the meeting. If you could, join us for the standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Also, at this time, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome any news media that we might have in the room today. And across the platform, it appears that we have all of our representatives in a full quorum. Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome, from the Board of Supervisors, Commissioner Schmidt. Absolutely. Thank you for joining us. Who's going to be on the platform with us all year, but he'll refrain and abstain from voting unless he's needed. All right. That being said, I'd like to turn the meeting over to the Secretary, Mr. Joe Emerson.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will join with you and welcome everyone to the meeting tonight. It is the Henrico County Planning Commission's public hearing for June 11, 2026. This evening it is requested all public comments be provided from the lectern at the rear of the room. For everyone who is watching the live stream on the county website, you can participate remotely in the public hearings. by following these guidelines. Go to the Planning Department's meeting web page at henrico.gov backslash planning backslash meetings. You can see these instructions on your screen as well. Scroll down under Planning Commission, click on WebEx event. Once you have joined the WebEx event, please click the chat button in the bottom right corner of the screen. Staff will send a message asking if anyone would like to sign up to speak on an upcoming case. To respond, select Allie Hartwick from the drop-down menu. and send her a message. She will place you in the queue to speak. The Commission does have guidelines for its public hearings, but we have several different types of items on the agenda this evening. So I will explain those to you when we arrive at those items. With that said, Mr. Chairman, the next item on the agenda are the requests for withdrawals and deferrals. Those will be presented by Ms. Jean Moore. MS.

Thank you, members of the Commission and Mr. Chair. The first is a request for withdrawals and we have none. The next is items requested for deferral and we have four. The first is on page three of your agenda in the Brooklyn District. It is PUP 2026000970. This is Richmond Lodge of Perfection. The request for the provisional use permit is for the continuance and redevelopment or a new building for a lodge. The deferral is requested to the July 9th, 2026 meeting on the applicant's request.

Thank you, Mrs. Moore. Do I have a motion for that?

Motion to defer. Second. Okay.

Excuse me. My mistake. Is there anybody opposed to the deferral? It's out here specifically to hear that. If not, I'll take the motion at this time.

Motion to defer. Second.

All right. I have a motion by Mr. Phelps, a second by Mr. Mackey. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Next, also on page three of your agenda, this is REZ 2026-100916, Imperial Investment Group, LLC. This is a request to rezone from R6C and B3C to B2 located at the northeast intersection of Magellan Parkway and Brook Road. The applicant is proposing just general retail. The deferral requested to the July 9th, 2026 meeting on the request of the applicant.

All right. Once again, is there anyone in the audience on WebEx that's opposed to the deferral? I would hear specifically to hear this case.

Mr. Chairman, there is nobody on WebEx for this item.

Thank you. I'll make the motion to defer.

Second.

All right. Motion by myself, Mr. Dandridge. Second by Mr. Shippey. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Also, on page three of your agenda, moving into the Tuckahoe District, this is Provisional Use Permit 2026-100178, Kermit Farrell for Crown Castle, USA. This is a request to... It replace and extend the height of a wireless communication tower located at the southeast intersection of Gaskins Road and Stone Ridge Road. The applicant is requesting deferral into the August 13th, 2026 meeting.

All right. Is there anyone in the audience or WebEx who was expecting to speak to this case?

Mr. Chairman, there's nobody on WebEx for this item.

All right. Mr. Chair, I move that PUP 2026-100178, Crown Castle, USA, Inc., be deferred to the August 13, 2026 meeting at the request of the applicant.

Second. All right. I have a motion by Mr. Winterhoff. I believe a second by Mr. Phelps. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

The last request received is on page four of your agenda in the Verina District This is case REZ 2026-100545, Beckley-Blueford Investments, LLC. This is a request to rezone from C1 Conservation District to A1 Agricultural District, located on the east line of Beckley Road, approximately 300 feet west of its intersection with Beaverston Road. The applicant is requesting deferral to the July 9, 2026 meeting. All right.

Once again, anyone in the audience on WebEx that is opposed to this being deferred is planning on speaking to this case.

Mr. Chairman, there is nobody on WebEx for this case.

All right. Mr. Chairman, being there is no opposition, I move that RAZ-2026-100545 Beckley-Blueford Investment LLC be deferred to the July 9, 2026 meeting at the request of the applicant. Second. Second.

All right, I have a motion by Mr. Mackey, a second by Mr. Winterhall. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Mr. Chair, that concludes all the requests for deferrals.

Thank you, Mrs. Moore. Mr. Chairman, we now move along to the expedited items. Those will also be presented by Ms. Jean Moore.

So the first is on page three of your agenda. This is rezoning 2026100676, Imago Dei School. This is located at the southeast intersection of Milburn Avenue and Vaughan Road adjacent to the West Line at Interstate 64. Let me see. Sorry. Let me back this up a little bit. This is a request to conditionally rezone from M2 General Industrial District to R4C, one family residential district containing 8.86 acres, located at the southeast intersection of Dill Road and Vaulter Road. The applicant proposes a private school, and the use will be controlled by zoning ordinance regulations and proffered conditions. The 2026 land use plan recommends suburban residential too. an environmental protection area, and staff has received no opposition or concerns regarding this case.

Okay, I'd like to take this opportunity, too, just to thank staff. I know I've been in communication with them as it pertains to this case. So, that being said, I'll move forward. If nobody here to speak to that, would a motion to expedite this particular case? This is REZ-2026-100676. Second. All right. I have a motion by myself. Was that Mr. Shippey? All right. Second by Mr. Shippey. All in favor of expediting? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

The next is also on page three of your agenda is rezoning REZ 2026100739. This is Paul Rubis for Winfrey Road LLC. This is a request to conditionally rezone from RTHC residential townhome district to C1C conservation district conditional on 0.047 acres located at the south intersection of Woodman Road and Winfrey Road. The applicant proposes a conservation area. The use will be controlled by zoning ordinance regulation and proper conditions. The land use plan recommends suburban residential to environmental protection area. And staff has received no comments on this request.

All right, once again, I'd like to thank staff for the work that they've done on this particular case. And with that being said, I move that we expedite REZ 2026100739, Paul Rubin, St. Winfrey Road, LLC. Second. Second. Motion by myself, second by Mr. Mackey. All in favor? Aye. The opposition? Motion passes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, that completes our withdrawals, deferrals, and expedited items for the evening. We now move on to the first items on the agenda. All three do appear on page one. I will go over the guidelines for this part of the public hearing before I introduce the cases. These are three interrelated cases. One's the comprehensive plan, a zoning code amendment, a subdivision ordinance amendment. So we are going to treat our public comment just a little differently than we do for our normal meeting. Individual speakers, which each one will be an individual speaker, I believe, will be given two minutes to make their comments. The timer that's on the lectern to the rear of the room, and we would ask that all of you use the lectern to the rear of the room. You have three lights, and it's fairly simple. like being at the signal light at the intersection in your car, you've got green, yellow, red. Greens go, yellow is caution, red is your two minutes are up. We did ask, and staff was out front with a sign-up sheet. We will take people who are present in the room first for their comments, and then we will go to WebEx in the same order. With that said, Mr. Chairman, We do have these three items, the first being the draft 2045 comprehensive plan. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the county's draft 2045 comprehensive plan. You do have an ordinance amendment to amend and reordain section parts and portions of section 19 of the Code of the County of Henrico to conform to recent changes to the Code of Virginia. clarify the relationship between family subdivision and minor subdivision and improve consistency with the zoning ordinance. You also have another ordinance under consideration to amend and reordain portions of section 24. 19 is the subdivision ordinance. 24 is the zoning ordinance. And I will not read that all of the different sections of that code. But this is section 24 of the Code of the County of Henrico. conform the zoning ordinance to recent changes in state law implement the comprehensive plan and update modify and clarify certain provisions and to amend the zoning district maps to rezone properties to the new a2 agricultural district and before we we begin this i do have a couple of comments i would also like to make and then we will turn this over to staff for their presentations, but I would like for everybody to understand the history of the process that we've been through with this plan. Beginning in January 2021, this process was designed to ensure that every resident that was interested in being involved in the planning process had an opportunity to share their voice and contribute ideas and opinions to the comprehensive plan and these code amendments. Several opportunities were planned and conducted to encourage residents and other stakeholders to participate in safe and informative ways. We did start during COVID, so it was important that we conducted this in a manner both to allow remote participation and safe interaction when joined together, such as the introductory kickoff meetings, surveys, community meetings, listening and suggestion sessions. And recently, we held two more listening sessions, and we also had a large variety of community meeting. A web presence was provided throughout the process, so interested stakeholders could follow the process from their computer or phone. Currently, the website contains drafts of all the planned chapters, which everyone is encouraged to read and provide feedback on. This website will stay up through the Board of Supervisors' actions whenever that may be scheduled. To date, we've engaged approximately 9,000 residents through surveys, 1,950 people in our community visioning exercises, 270 during our 2024 listening sessions on visions and goals, 131 people at our 2025 future land use suggestion sessions. Through outreach at community events such as Glen Allen Day, Earth Day, Plant Native Day, and countywide farmers markets, Another 1,000 people heard about these efforts. We've held 14 information sessions, sent out over 7,500 emails, mailed approximately 5,000 individually addressed notice letters. We've made use of social media, variable message boards, newspaper advertising, and I'm sure all of you are aware we've been featured in various television segments and numerous newspaper articles. We mailed postcards to every residential and business address, notifying 209,000 people. Using the county's Facebook, InstagramX, and Nextdoor platforms, we've informed an additional 123,000 people. It's important to note that during our 12 community meetings that were held prior to our last two, new information was disclosed during those events. We've been posting draft chapters and batches since April so that stakeholders can familiarize themselves with these documents without being overwhelmed. The policies and strategies were developed using feedback from surveys, input sessions, and interactive mapping. Using feedback we received, we established a piece of vision to guide the county's land use and infrastructure decision making over the next 20 years. This vision is intended to reflect ongoing and new initiatives for the county related to a focus on redevelopment of aging, commercial corridors and infill development, environmental conservation, sustainability and resiliency, enhanced transportation opportunities related to transit, pedestrian and bicyclists and environmental justice. The draft plan will update and create new goals and policies to ensure they reflect both countywide and area-specific priorities and developed implementation strategies to achieve the vision of the plan. With that said, Mr. Chairman, I will now turn the meeting over to Ms. Rosemary Deamer to present on the comprehensive plan, to be followed by Mr. Ben Blankenship to present on the amendments to the subdivision and zoning codes. And then after that, we will be prepared to open for public hearing.

Absolutely. How are you, Mrs. Demer?

I'm great, thank you.

I think I know the answer to this. I think we have some folks in here who may want to speak to this particular item. I would just remind you, when you do go to the podium, to state your name, even though you already signed up, and also to your address, so that we can follow along. Back to you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the Commission. I am happy to be here tonight. I've been working on this for five years and did the last plan too, so I will be happy when we wrap this all up. This evening's presentation is going to be a bit lengthy because we are trying to cover the entirety of the plan. So first off, Henrico Next, the county's comprehensive plan update, serves an important role in determining the future of the county. It is the first phase of the planning cycle that looks 20 years out and answers three critical questions. What is Henrico County today? What is the county's vision for the future? And how will we achieve that future vision? As the primary long-range policy document for the development of the county, The comprehensive plan includes goals, objectives, policies, and actions that guide the operations and work priorities for the county, decision-making on development activity, and sets the stage for future public investments that are determined through annual budgeting and capital improvement planning processes. Launched in 2021, Henrico Next was the public engagement process to create the 2045 Comprehensive Plan and will now serve as the name of the document. Throughout this initiative, the county provided several meaningful opportunities for residents to share their ideas to help shape development of the new Comprehensive Plan, identified and evaluated new issues and opportunities to be addressed in the plan, established a cohesive vision to guide Henrico County's land use and infrastructure decision making over the next 20 years, updated goals and policies to ensure they reflect both countywide and area specific priorities, and developed an actionable implementation strategy to achieve the vision. The process was designed to ensure that every resident interested could be involved in the process. Just a bit of a summary again. The numerous opportunities were planned and conducted to encourage residents and other stakeholders to participate. I'm not going to go through all of those because Mr. Emerson covered most of them. And I will skip this because he did cover those. The framework of the plan contains components that address the intended policy direction and implementation of the plan. It's organized in a hierarchy that moves from broad, far-reaching issues to more specific topical items. In addition to an introduction and a summary of key planning influences and how they informed our community vision, the plan has four major components. Our environment, managing sustainable growth, safe and connected spaces, and high quality livable places. They each contain goals that create a link between the vision and more specific policies within each chapter. They will cover natural resources and environmental considerations, future land use, public facilities and services, transportation and mobility, recreation parks, open space and cultural resources, and community character. Finally, the document will include strategies aimed at executing the plan as well as an implementation matrix identifying responsible departments. The key planning influences and community vision chapter documents the various factors that influence the overall direction of the plan. While resident and stakeholder input is necessary so the plan reflects the long-term vision of the community, it is also vital that we address other realities many maturing communities across the country are facing. These include changing real estate markets and a shift from greenfield development to infill and redevelopment. We also look to expand mobility options for our residents while maintaining the county's fiscal health and prosperity. Our environment, previously named natural resources in the 2026 plan, outlines the policies and strategies to responsibly manage Henrico's natural resources so that all residents and visitors can continue to enjoy clean water and air, healthy soils, forests and open spaces, and productive farms now and for future generations. We believe that population growth and economic development can and should occur without diminishing environmental quality. The chapter provides an overview of the community's vision, inventory's natural assets, outlines resilience and sustainability practices, and identifies the regulations, programs, and strategies that advance environmental stewardship countywide. The environmental inventory summarizes the landscapes and constraints that shape responsible growth and conservation. These factors include physiographic provinces, Chesapeake Bay preservation areas, conserved and protected lands, distinct environments including woodlands, farmlands, and suburban and urban land, plant and animal habitat, and physical constraints such as floodplains, wetlands, slopes, sensitive soils, and septic suitability. Henrico maintains more than 3,600 acres of parks and recreation land, and since 2018 has acquired an additional 3,700 acres. The Department of Public Utilities manages approximately 1,000 acres at Runnymede with limited development potential. Over 1,900 acres of battlefield and historic landscapes are preserved by the National Park Service. In addition to the lands protected by public agencies, there are over 4,400 acres in conservation easements. Collectively, these holdings mean that roughly 10% of the county is set aside for open space. Henrico's natural heritage includes rare, threatened, and endangered species. These include three birds, five mammals, one fish, one reptile, two insects, five freshwater mussels, 14 wildflowers or herbaceous plants, and one tree species. The chapter identifies tools such as wildlife corridors, pollinator habitats, and invasive species management as methods to sustain biodiversity. Flood-prone areas provide important natural functions such as protecting water quality, reducing flood risk, and supporting habitat when left undisturbed. Approximately 24,000 acres, about 15% of the county, are mapped as floodplains. Tidal and non-tidal wetlands further enhance water quality by filtering nutrients and sediments, decreasing storm flows, and recharging groundwater. Major systems include the White Oak Swamp and the wetlands contiguous to the Chickahominy River. With the inclusion of the preserved and protected land, approximately 25% of the county has limited development potential. Woodlands support wildlife habitat, improve water and air quality, and store carbon dioxide. In the last several years, Henrico has planted approximately 17,000 native trees on public property and continues to work on expanding the tree canopy. The eastern portion of the county still contains several farms. Farmland plays a role in protecting rural character and environmental health through supporting soil, water, and biodiversity. Initiatives like winter cover crops and sites such as the Runnymede Community Farm highlight these efforts. Suburban and urban areas require solutions to manage impervious surfaces and the urban heat island effect. This chapter advances urban forestry, tree protection, and green infrastructure to cool neighborhoods and manage runoff in these areas. Information on climate change, hazard mitigation, and resilience is introduced in this chapter. Climate change involves long term shifts in temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns over time. It is evident in rising global temperatures, melting glaciers, sea level rise, and the expansion of ocean water. Hazard mitigation refers to steps proactively taken to reduce and eliminate long-term risk to property and life, while resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, withstand, adapt, and recover from a natural disaster. The chapter outlines practical measures such as more efficient buildings, electric vehicles, solar installations at county sites, floodplain property acquisition, and stream corridor restoration to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, lower flooding risk, and enhance water quality. Sustainability means managing finite resources, air, water, soil, plants, animals, minerals, and fuels for long-term community well-being. The chapter includes strategies for green infrastructure, including rain gardens, green roofs and walls, bioswales, and constructed wetlands, and encourages renewable energy, including solar and opportunities such as agrivoltaics. It also promotes compact design, public transit, walking and biking to reduce sprawl and emissions while integrating environmental health, social equity, and economic vitality. Henrico County is advancing a wide range of initiatives that strengthen environmental stewardship, promote clean energy, and enhance community resilience. These efforts include expanding green buildings, investing in renewable energy, improving community access to solar, and enhancing natural resource management. For example, Henrico has 25 LEED-certified buildings and launched a solar renewable energy program in 2019 featuring 11 rooftop arrays and two ground-mounted installations. Henrico County Public Schools is advancing a Living Building Challenge facility at the Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainability in Varina. Through Solar Access Henrico and Dominion Energy, approximately 250 low-income households are expected to receive rooftop solar systems. The county is also installing eight electric vehicle charging stations across libraries, parks, government centers, and recreation sites. Henrico County Public Schools and Capital Trees are expanding the county's tree canopy, adding coverage across roughly 5,000 acres of parks and school property. Residents have recycled more than 40,000 tons of otherwise discarded trash through Central Virginia Waste Management Services. And the Henrico Environmental Action Resource Team coordinates sustainability, conservation, and stewardship initiatives across departments. Managed and sustainable growth is the second component of the plan and has two subchapters, future land use and public facilities and services. The future land use element frames how Henrico will guide growth through 2045. The document emphasizes infill, redevelopment, and the protection of natural assets, aligning with the community vision for managed and sustainable development. The 2045 update strengthens mixed-use guidance, urban development areas, redevelopment corridors, and environmental justice considerations. It also expands strategies for infill, adaptive reuse, and right-size development patterns that respond to aging commercial corridors and market conditions. Building on the framework of the 2026 plan, which included several new concepts, the subchapter organizes land into seven groups, rural and environmental, residential, mixed use, redevelopment, office commercial, industrial, and civic. Each group includes primary and secondary uses and preferred densities, some of which have increased slightly from the 2026 plan to reflect current market trends and a desire to enhance affordable housing. There are nine policies applicable countywide that will guide decisions on zoning, infrastructure, design, economic development, sustainability, and environmental justice. Each policy is supported by specific strategies found within the plan. Our first policy emphasizes that development should follow the future land use map and classifications, ensuring predictable long-range planning outcomes. It guides rezoning decisions, public investment, and department review consistency. Policy 2 promotes integration of natural features, energy efficient design, climate resilience, stormwater best practices, and environmentally friendly development incentives, such as continued support for transit-oriented development to reduce emissions. Our next policy encourages reinvestment in aging areas, modification of development regulations for infill flexibility, evaluation of barriers to reuse, and addressing vacant or abandoned properties to support community revitalization. Policy 4 emphasizes design excellence, compatibility, community character, and development that enhances pedestrian, open space, and appropriate transitions. Updated design guidelines will be a part of the implementation of the plan and will reinforce these objectives. Economic development is a vital part of our continued success, and this policy supports maintaining a healthy fiscal balance by encouraging job growth, redevelopment of underutilized commercial areas, advancing tourism development, and collaboration with the Economic Development Authority. Next, Policy 6 reinforces walkability, multimodal access, recreational opportunities, equitable housing, vibrant third spaces, and community serving amenities, which all serve to reinforce the built environment's role in public health outcomes. Policy 7 aligns growth with public facility capacity, capital improvement planning, and adequate service provision. Continued planning for schools, utilities, transportation, and public safety infrastructure is essential and encouraged by this policy and accompanying strategies. The support of multimodal networks, street connectivity, subdivision design that anticipates future development, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure linking neighborhoods and community destinations is the primary focus of Policy 8. Policy 9 is dedicated to environmental justice and recommends equitable distribution of environmental burdens and benefits, identification of fence line communities, and inclusive planning processes for traditionally underserved neighborhoods. Detailed work on implementing the strategies associated with this policy will require additional study, which will follow the adoption of the plan. We anticipate that this will require extensive discussions with the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and the community to help ensure all recommendations are supported by this future analysis, which will rely on data from a variety of sources. Additionally, the general policy could be used during the review of land use applications upon adoption of the plan. The future land use map reflects the long-range community vision for development across the county. It serves as the foundation for policy and zoning decisions. The land uses depicted on the map were evaluated by residents during a series of meetings last summer. Outside of some specific areas in the eastern portion of the county and factoring in our redevelopment areas, the changes to this map compared to the 2026 map are relatively minor, impacting less than 10% of the county's land area. The map also reflects changes related to portions of Verina where a new land use designation is proposed. In the resident survey, 66% of respondents felt the county should restrict the amount of new development that occurs in rural areas not served by county sewer. The plan proposes the area east of I-295 and south of Williamsburg Road be classified as prime agriculture, rural conservation. The minimum lot size in this area would be five acres. Inclusion in the comprehensive plan does not create the new lot size. That would be implemented through an amendment to the county zoning ordinance, which will be discussed in a separate presentation this evening. Buildings on the redevelopment areas and corridors mentioned earlier, as well as other recent actions to implement new zoning tools, the special focus areas portion of the chapter highlights locations requiring more detailed guidance. Redevelopment areas and corridors, form-based alternative overlays, and legacy plans. The special focus areas are used in addition to future land use classifications, allowing for a more fully defined vision for land use and development in each sub area. Some of the major redevelopment quarters are identified here and include Patterson Avenue, Mechanicsville Turnpike, West Broad Street, Gate and Crossing, Highland Springs, and Staples Mill. Each of the 11 quarters or areas has unique opportunities for reinvestment with a specific vision and strategies for implementing that vision. Some also reference other efforts presented to the board, such as the recent Williamsburg Road study. Form-based alternative overlays offer development flexibility while ensuring high-quality urban form, which there are eight of those in total, including the Best Products Reimagine site and Brook Road North and South. I apologize. The overlays were a result of individual charrettes held to gather information from existing residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. Some have already seen some level of redevelopment, such as Midtown 64 and Virginia Center Commons. Several adopted studies, including Innsbruck, Nine Mile Road, Route 5, Sandston, and Westwood, provide detailed guidance for specific parts of the county and remain relevant in land use decisions. Including them in the plan will ensure their recommendations remain available for the use in future land use decision making. This map identifies the special focus areas throughout the county, illustrating where redevelopment and form-based overlays are emphasized. The second portion of the chapter introduces the key public facilities and essential services that support Henrico County's quality of life. Core service areas contribute to safety, livability, and long-term community well-being and include schools, fire and police services, libraries, and utilities. Specific policies and strategies have been established to provide guidance for capital infrastructure and operations decision-making. Corresponding strategies have been developed to set the policies into motion. There are seven core service areas identified in the chapter. Henrico County Public Schools operates 74 schools and program centers, including 46 elementary, 12 middle, nine high schools, three advanced placement or advanced career education centers, three alternative program centers, and one virtual academy. Henrico's Division of Fire provides emergency medical response, fire suppression, prevention services, and community education from 23 fire stations and training facilities. Henrico operates three police stations and provides 24-7 law enforcement, outreach programs, and emergency response infrastructure. The Henrico County Public Library System serves the public through nine locations, a mobile library service for retirement facilities and daycare centers, and 24-7 online access via its website and digital resources. The Department of Public Utilities provides and maintains water and wastewater services for approximately 94% of the county's residents. Core services include delivery of clean drinking water, sewage disposal, street lighting, installation and maintenance of fire hydrants, refuse management, and recycling services. Public health services are provided at centers located in the eastern and western parts of the county. Assistance ranges from clinical services, restaurant inspections, permitting for wells and septic systems, and environmental health administration. Although wireless communication services are not publicly owned utilities, their inclusion in the county's comprehensive plan is appropriate given their necessity and scope of use. Wireless communication infrastructure supports emergency services, disaster response, traffic management, local business operations, education, remote work, and entertainment. The third component of the plan is entitled Safe and Connected Spaces and is the transportation and mobility element of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan. It was developed with the assistance of Clarion Associates, our sub-consultants, EPRPC, and staff from the Department of Public Works. The goal of the chapter is to identify how to create a safe, efficient, and connected multimodal network that supports residents, businesses, and visitors. It integrates community feedback, safety priorities, and multimodal investments. There are six major travel modes in Henrico, roads, pedestrian, bicycle, transit, freight, and interregional services. The chapter addresses each mode by identifying existing conditions and proposing implementation measures to ensure a balanced multimodal transportation system. The provision of sidewalks ranked high among residents' concerns. The county's pedestrian network reflects the diverse character of its urban, suburban, and rural areas. Sidewalk infrastructure is more prevalent west of I-95, particularly in newer residential developments and along commercial corridors. Sidewalks in older neighborhoods often show signs of wear and exhibit gaps in continuity, primarily due to historical development patterns that predate sidewalk installation requirements. The county is committed to ensuring that pedestrian infrastructure is accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Bicycling plays a major role in expanding mobility choices. The county is home to several nationally significant bike routes. Nearly 16 miles of U.S. Bike Route 76 pass through Henrico, forming part of the East-West Transamerica Bike Route connecting Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. Additionally, a 17-mile stretch of U.S. Bike Route 1, a north-south route along the eastern seaboard that connects Maine to Florida, runs through the northern part of the county. As part of the implementation of the plan, a specific bike plan will be developed that will outline future strategies, including enhancing connectivity through a cohesive network of bike paths and shared-use trails that link residential areas with parks, schools, and commercial districts. The county aims to better integrate transit with walking and biking to support multimodal travel. Currently, transit services, which include fixed route buses, the Pulse BRT line, microtransit, and paratransit are primarily provided by GRTC. Fixed route service is best described as service operating along a designated prescribed route according to a set schedule. Express service, specifically designed for faster travel, utilizes the same route, but with limited stops to serve peak hour commuters. The Pulse Bus Rapid Transit line is a fast, high quality bus service using dedicated bus lanes and stations with level boarding. Microtransit bridges the gaps in fixed route networks using smaller on-demand vehicles with dynamic routing based on real-time passenger requests. There are currently two microtransit zones in the county, the Azalea Zone and the Sandston Elko Zone. Finally, GRTC's CARE Paratransit Service is a specialized ADA-compliant curb-to-curb service for seniors and people with disabilities who cannot ride fixed route service. Henrico's interregional network, rail, air, and intercity buses, connects residents and businesses to the region and the East Coast. Passenger rail is anchored by the Staples Mill Road Amtrak station, Virginia's busiest rail station, with 20 daily trains serving 464,000 passengers in 2024. Due to the growing population, it is anticipated there will be an additional 12 daily trains added by 2030. Strengthening rail service reduces I-95 congestion and supports sustainable mobility across central Virginia. Richmond International Airport served nearly 5 million passengers a year with flights provided by major carriers such as American, Delta, Southwest, and United Airlines. Its master plan outlines future expansions including terminal improvements, additional parking facilities, and the development of an aviation business park to accommodate growing passenger and cargo demands. Interregional Bus Service connects the area to major cities across the East Coast. The Virginia Breeze is an intercity bus service managed by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit that connects rural and underserved areas with major hubs across Virginia and to Washington, D.C. There are five routes, two of which make stops in Henrico. Intercity bus service to Philadelphia, New York City, and Atlanta is provided by both Greyhound and Flixbus. These routes complement our rail and air assets and reinforce Henrico County's role as a regional hub. Trucking remains the primary mode of freight movement in the county. Henrico's proximity to I-95, a critical north-south freight corridor, and I-64, which connects to the Port of Virginia and the Port of Richmond, ensures efficient access to national and international markets. The nearby Port of Richmond, located along the James River, serves as an inland cargo terminal that enhances intermodal freight movement in the region, particularly for container and bulk shipments. Rail freight is operated primarily by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway through ACCA Yard. The rail hub plays a critical role in supporting regional commerce, directly influencing freight movement and economic activity in Henrico, as well as serving as a vital link for goods traveling through central Virginia and the broader mid-Atlantic. Richmond International Airport handled approximately 222 million pounds of cargo and mail in 2024, supporting major carriers such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL. Its strategic location along the I-64 corridor and strong airfield infrastructure provide essential access to national and international markets, supporting a wide range of regional industries. Henrico's integration of truck, rail, and air freight positions the county as a regional leader in logistics and supply chain management. Population growth and land use changes are primary considerations as the county transitions from greenfield development to infill and redevelopment strategies. The roadway network serves as a foundation for safe, efficient, and sustainable connectivity that supports community needs, enhances quality of life, and fosters economic growth. The chapter emphasizes the integration of transportation infrastructure into its broader objectives of managed growth, safety, and high-quality livable places. It aspires to maintain a multimodal network that accommodates vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit travel while promoting equity, accessibility, and environmental responsibility. The major thoroughfare plan is Henrico County's long-range map for the road network through 2045. It assists in planning for growth by identifying where new connections, extensions, and corridor improvements may be needed over time. A core purpose of the MTP is to support an interconnected network that spreads traffic across multiple routes, shortens trips, and improves overall reliability. The map is conceptual. It shows where additional roadway connectivity could be beneficial, but it does not prescribe exact alignments for future roads. When identifying potential corridors, the county focused on areas expected to develop and work to avoid and minimize impacts on environmentally, historically, or culturally sensitive areas. Where practical, the plan emphasizes improvements to existing quarters and highlights opportunities to use the current network more efficiently through strategic extensions and new connections. Staff is recommending several changes to the original posting of the draft MTP. They include the removal of a segment of road identified as running parallel to Osborne Turnpike, the removal of a road through New Market Heights Park, and a road connecting Grapevine Road to Meadow Road. The fourth and final component of the plan is high quality livable places. The first element is dedicated to recreation parks, open space, and cultural resources. The subchapter identifies the division's physical assets and summarizes the historic and cultural resources of the county. It also provides specific policies and strategies to ensure Henrico continues its high quality service in the decades to come. In addition to highlighting how this element relates to other topics in the plan, the subchapter reviews and identifies how community members rated elements of quality of life through the residents and recreation and parks survey conducted earlier in the process. 78% of respondents gave positive ratings for current quality of life and 52% indicated that it has improved over the last 10 years. 92% of respondents said recreation and parks were equally or more important than other priority services provided by the county. Trails, playgrounds, and picnic shelters were the most used or frequented facilities. When asked what the county should provide more of, most answers focused on exercise, paved, and unpaved trails, as well as neighborhood parks, playgrounds, and dog parks. Four policies and associated strategies have been developed to guide implementation. The first is to provide access to safe and high-quality parks, trails, and recreation facilities that meet the needs of county residents. The second policy will be implemented by providing programs to individuals with a broad range of age groups and interests. The strategies for the third policy address the preservation and management of historic sites, buildings, and structures, as well as open space and conservation areas. Strategies for the fourth policy focus on partnership opportunities with other public, semi-public, community, and private organizations and strengthening environmental sustainability and resilience practices. The county's public spaces offer places for recreation, open space preservation, flood mitigation, and protection of historic, cultural, and natural resources. In addition to 28 parks, there are 11 community recreation centers, 16 athletic facilities, and 11 specialty facilities. The division also maintains approximately 65 school-based facilities. Over the last several years, they have offered more than a thousand different events and activities for all ages, abilities, and interests, including summer camps, therapeutic recreation, educational classes, and performing arts. As one of the oldest political subdivisions in Virginia, the county has a long and storied history. There are approximately 30 properties listed on both Virginia's and the National Register of Historic Places. There are three local historic districts, Highland Springs, Sandston, and the Laurel Industrial School. There were also 12 Civil War battles fought in the county, and some of those properties have been protected by either the county or the National Park Service. The second component addressed in the high-quality livable places chapter is community character. The plan primarily focuses on infill and redevelopment, and the section provides tangible guidance for future development. The vision and goal created through community input demonstrates clear support for development patterns that prioritize connectivity, accessibility, and open space as essential components of high-quality livable places. This subchapter identifies five components of character common to each of 11 different character categories. It concludes with a series of policies intended to facilitate countywide cohesiveness and enhance quality of life in ways that are universal to all. There are five elements that help define the character of a place. The first, development pattern, refers to the general layout of streets, blocks, and buildings throughout an area rather than an individual parcel. Massing and orientation refers to building size and shape and includes height and width, as well as the placement on a site and its relationship to streets and neighborhood buildings. Open space includes undeveloped, natural, and park spaces, as well as yards, landscaping, and permeable surfaces. Connections and transitions focus primarily on street and pathway design for pedestrians, bicyclists, personal vehicles, and transit. And parking describes the design of the spaces where automobiles are stored on a site, including on street, structured decks, and various sized lots. The plan identifies 11 character categories represented across the county, each with their own unique combination of the five elements of character. Rural vistas are areas primarily natural in nature, while rural villages are similar but support higher, more diverse levels of daytime activities at specific nodes. Think Curls Neck and Verina Farm. Suburban communities are master-planned residential neighborhoods primarily built beginning in the 1980s with single-family detached housing on curvilinear streets like Twin Hickory and Four Mile Run. Traditional suburban areas are often former streetcar-centered communities that connect to the city, such as Lakeside and Westham. Traditional main streets can be found in Highland Springs and Sandston along East Nine Mile Road and Williamsburg Road. Planned urbanism seeks to integrate the character of traditional suburban and traditional main street areas into a single planned development similar to West Broad Village. Rockets Landing is a local example of a riverfront destination with elements of the traditional character areas as well as planned urbanism with an emphasis on being along the waterfront. Downtown cores correspond to central business districts that develop over time. These areas may serve as key commuter destinations that distinguish themselves by people's willingness to stay in the area after a workday. Urban corridors or areas arise when enough infill development has occurred that transitions between different uses now feeling natural to navigate on foot rather than only via vehicle. The Westwood area is beginning to develop in such a manner. Just down Broad Street, Willow Lawn is an example of a typical commercial center, which are oriented developments that provide key retail and services. Business parks such as Innsbruck are generally independent developments that generate significant economic value for the region. Historically, these areas have only been active during workdays, but Innsbruck is a place where redevelopment is providing more diversified activity. Finally, there are infrastructure and infrastructure and industrial areas, which are intended for the location of high intensity or un-aesthetic uses. The uses present within these areas generally dictate the character of the area, so emphasis should be placed on shielding them from the community at large. Each of the character categories lists preferred and supported future land use classifications. Three general character policies have been identified to facilitate countywide cohesiveness and enhance quality of life in ways that are universal to all areas. Placemaking is a collaborative, community-driven process that reimagines and reinvents public spaces to foster stronger connections between people and their environment. Examples include adding walking paths or playgrounds to underutilized green space or turning parking lanes into pedestrian zones. Wayfinding is using signage, maps, colors, and architecture to help people navigate the physical environment. Examples include signage like arrows and overhead signs that state you are here, and floor graphics, distinctive lighting, and public art. CEPTED stands for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. It is a multidisciplinary approach to reducing crime by designing, managing, and structuring the built environment to deter potential offenders. Principles include natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, maintenance, and activity support. Implementing these policies in ways that are universal to all areas will help enhance quality of life to all parts of the county. Planning is a continuous process and the completion of the comprehensive plan is just the start of the cycle. Most of the implementation of the plan will occur on day-to-day basis as county staff and elected and appointed officials use the goals and policies to guide decisions regarding rezoning requests, subdivision developments, proposed site plans, and the provision of public improvements and facilities. The existing implementation tools shown here include the capital improvement plan, small area plans, the major thoroughfare plan, and regulatory methods such as the zoning and subdivision ordinances. Level of service standards, stormwater and environmental ordinances, and the emergency management plan help ensure development is consistent with county policies and environmental stewardship goals. Additional documents include the 2024 Recreation and Parks Master Plan, the Climate Action and Adaptation Strategy, and the Regional Climate Action Plan. Other tools such as a public facilities and services handbook, design guidelines manual, and fiscal impact model will be developed following adoption of the plan. They will help guide capital investment decisions and coordinate development with public infrastructure needs. They all work together to ensure facilities and services keep pace with projected growth. An implementation matrix has been developed to assist in directing growth and public investments in the county for the next 20 years. It identifies the key planning actions, initiatives, ordinance and code changes, public improvements and other programs and projects the county should pursue to achieve the plan's goals. It also identifies responsible parties and collaborating parties In summary, implementation of the comprehensive plan depends on coordinated planning tools, regulatory updates, monitoring of growth trends, and active collaboration across county departments and partner agencies. The county will continue to update the plan regularly, monitor progress, and ensure that development aligns with community priorities and long-term goals for a sustainable and connected future. That concludes my presentation. I'd be happy to answer any of your questions.

Mrs. Deema, first and foremost, I would like to thank you for that presentation. I know it is an extensive endeavor to try to explain a comprehensive plan throughout a presentation. But like you said, it's a dynamic, living, breathing document. So there is a lot that goes into it across a lot of departments, a lot of hands, a lot of eyes, a lot of folks that input and put into it. So I thank you. for presenting to not only the Commission but to the audience today before they have their opportunity to speak on the matters that truly concern them so thank you once again anybody on the Commission have anything that they want to say before we move on to mr. Blankenship I just further comment I'll echo that mr. chairman and I think hopefully the audience didn't miss this there is a

A key clarification enhancement to the environmental justice section that Rosemary kind of went through quickly. And I think it shows an intentionality by the county to ensure that we take that seriously, that we put in the work to enhance equity and taking care of our communities throughout the county. And I applaud you and the department for making sure that that was enhanced.

Thank you.

Absolutely. Thank you.

All right, good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the Commission. My portion of the presentation will cover proposed changes to the zoning and subdivision ordinances. One element of the changes we are proposing is to implement the comprehensive plans. We will also be discussing changes that are necessary because of recent changes to the Code of Virginia made by the General Assembly. And I will also touch very briefly on some ideas that have been brought forward by members of the community and by the staff and by the elected and appointed officials. So to begin with the comprehensive plan, as Ms. Deamer mentioned, one of the most significant changes in the future land use map is the prime agriculture and rural conservation area. And the main way in which that will be implemented is by the creation of a new zoning district, which we will designate as A2. As you know, we have only one agricultural district in the ordinance now, the A1 Agricultural District. We are proposing a new A2 Agricultural District, which will have a five-acre minimum lot area. The area shown in the bright green on this map, the future land use map, the area being targeted for that new zoning district the land within that area that is currently zoned a1 will be rezoned a2 every owner of property that would be so affected has been mailed a notice a direct mailing specific to that change as i said the big changes are the minimum lot area will be increased to five acres the minimum lot width will be increased to 300 feet i want to emphasize that for those who already own a lot Between one and five acres, those lots will become nonconforming. They will still be buildable, developable lots. We will still respect the right that people have today to build on a lot between one and five acres. However, for those with larger parcels, the future development potential of their property will, of course, be impacted by this change. Another major set of changes that have to do directly with the comprehensive plan update concern our form-based alternative overlay district. As you know, there are five sub-districts around the county now, and those are areas where the county sees the need for reinvestment and redevelopment of some of our older commercial and office areas. We are proposing the addition of three new form-based alternative sub-districts, one in Lakeside, one in Brook Road North, and one as Best Products Reimagined. These materials have been out on the website and available since the advertisement was published on this. We are proposing tonight some changes to those published materials and I want to call those to your special attention. On the Best Products Reimagined site there is an area shown in red on the illustration to the left there on the east side of that sub-district that should be included within the sub-district and we we'll be providing a revised map to show that area within the sub-district. Also, as illustrated on the illustration to your right, there are some revisions to the street hierarchy that have been brought to light in just the last week or two since the consultants have wrapped up their work on this district. In addition to those changes, there are some descriptions of frontage requirements for green streets within the Best Products Reimagined sub-district. And we have some additional fleshing out of those requirements that we would like to have adopted in this set of revisions. Also, some added flexibility. There are a lot of very specific dimensional standards in the street sections and in the frontage standards throughout the form-based alternative overlay. And our experience, particularly in the Virginia Center Commons area, has shown that there is a need in some cases where there are environmental problems or challenges, or where there is existing development that has to be taken into account, there is some need for flexibility in those dimensional standards, and we would like to add that to the ordinance. And finally, we had proposed in the draft that was advertised, adding a requirement having to do with automatic sprinkler systems. We are withdrawing that recommendation. So that would be just standing pat with where we are today, not adding that requirement. Moving on, as I said, not all of the changes being proposed are directly related to the comprehensive plan. There are also several that are required by recent changes to the Code of Virginia. Possibly the most significant of those is that manufactured homes will now be allowed in all residential districts under the same requirements and guidelines as site-built single-family homes. We have allowed manufactured homes in the agricultural district since 1990. That has been a state code requirement. But this year, as part of the overall effort toward increasing affordable housing, the state has determined that we have to allow manufactured homes in all of the single-family residential districts as well. So they will have to meet the same standards as a site-built home, but if they meet those standards, they will be allowed. They will have to be converted to real property. As you may know, in some cases, manufactured homes can be maintained as a vehicle, essentially, and taxed as personal property Under the new state code change, they would have to be permanently affixed to the ground and taxed as real property. And also, the certificate of occupancy must be within five years of the date of manufacture. So this would only be for new or newer manufactured homes to come into the county. Another change that the state has made that I'm sure you've seen in the news is that religious organizations and other 501c3 real estate tax-exempt organizations will be allowed to develop Affordable housing on any excess property they may own any property they own that they're not already using for their primary purposes They could develop affordable housing It will still have to go through most of our development review process But it will not have to go through any legislative review not have to go through rezoning provisional use permit or anything similar to that in order to meet that the Organization must have owned the property for at least five years prior to the application At least 60% of the units must be affordable, and there are specific legal provisions written into both the state and county codes how that is obtained. But the density that would be allowed, and this is, again, a state law requirement that we have no say in at the county level, would be allowed up to 20 units per acre or the highest density within 500 feet, whichever is higher. So in one of the areas where we already have a very high density, say in an urban mixed-use development, It could be even higher than 20 units per acre. Another change that once again the General Assembly has required us to make would reduce parking standards for certain uses within designated transit areas. The state code refers to these only as designated areas as you see on the slide. In our text amendment we are referring to them as designated transit areas just to be a little more clear. But those areas within a quarter mile a mass transit station or a facility or a revitalization area we have to allow parking as low as one half parking space per a multi-family dwelling unit and one parking space per townhouse or single family so those are the the main changes being required by the state code and i also just want to touch on changes that have been suggested again by elected and appointed officials by other departments by our own staff and many of them have come from the community people meet with us and say why is the regulation the way it is they sometimes end that conversation with saying well can't we change that and we always make note of those and we always bring forward sometimes they are viewed favorably and sometimes we decided that the change is not in the best interest of the county but we do discuss all of them some of these are really just clarifications the term inpatient treatment facility is going to be added as well as a separate term for outpatient treatment facilities, just to clarify where those are allowed. Public dance halls, which are currently allowed in the B2 and B3 business districts, would only be allowed in the B3 business district after this change. The way we measure lot width is being adjusted a little bit. We want to broaden the opportunities for accessory dwelling units. As you know, accessory dwelling units have been allowed in the county since 2021 with our major code update. And we intentionally allowed that on a pretty limited basis to begin with in order to make sure that it would be something received well by the county and that we could manage that growth as it has occurred. As it's happened over the last five years, we've been very satisfied with the way our ordinance is working. But we do want to make that a little bit broader availability. There are some changes regarding screened porches in rear yards. where people have a deck that is allowed to extend into a rear yard, but if they put a porch or a roof over that deck, that has to meet the rear yard setback. That has created a lot of conflict for a lot of people, and we're bringing forward an administrative modification for that that will allow for notifying the neighbors but still making a site-specific decision case by case. I mentioned the sprinkler systems already. We are also making some small changes to the multifamily and townhouse parking requirements and a few other housekeeping kinds of changes. And I'm sorry, I should have been flipping through my slides as I was discussing each of those. So that is a summary of the changes that are being proposed. And as I said, there are some that are changes to what has been advertised. If those are amenable to the members of the commission, then we would ask that the motion to forward this to the Board of Supervisors, he would specifically mention those specific items. And with that, I'll be happy to answer your questions.

Thank you, Mr. Blankenship. Does anyone on the Commission have any questions at this time?

I have a question.

Yes, sir. Mr. Blankenship, with the legislation that was passed to allow the religious entities and the 501Cs to develop on their land, would that make them buy right, meaning they wouldn't have to come before the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors?

Yes, sir. That is the main change that the state has put in place, that we cannot hold a legislative hearing on this.

Okay. All right. Thank you. Yes, sir. Any others before we open up the public hearing?

Just a quick question, and I think this gets into the enormity and the amount of detail and work that goes into this, but there are sometimes things that we do find. And I just wanted to highlight a recommended change that I wanted to provide for the board to consider. on table 4205, which is our principal use table. And this helps provide guidance for the community and for us to understand how different types of properties can be used across the different types of zoning. Under group living, one of the things that I had noticed within the R5 and R6 zoning areas is a mixture of what could be available by right and what also could be available by provisional use permit And when I see that within boarding house and residential facilities and dormitories, I just think there's a great opportunity to provide some consistency to ensure that each of those groups are going through the process. So I would recommend that for all three of those within group living, that they be switched to provisional use permit rather than the two being just allowed by right.

All right. I'll make a note of that. Thank you.

All clear? Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. As we prepare to transition into the public portion, will you get an opportunity to speak? And we definitely look forward to hearing everything that everyone has to say. I would ask, we have about 26 people, according to the sheet, who actually signed up, and there may be some who want to speak who actually didn't sign up, as well as we have a few on WebEx. For the sake of congestion, I would ask the folks who know that they signed up maybe we get about 13 to 15 lined up behind the podium so it's not too congested and then as that number dwindles down the other folks who know that they signed up I would say to start to to gather in the back at that time so thank you mr. chairman while people are moving to the back if someone

Wishes to sign up. We do have staff. Han has her hand up down here. She will get you signed up to speak if you would like. All right.

I got you. So as you're lining up, I do have the names up here. I know there was an Elaine Everly that wanted to be first, or she did sign up first. So... We'll go ahead and let her begin her presentation and addressing the commission. So I ask, please, that you, you know, as you transition, try to do so quietly so that we can hear what she has to say. And remember to state your name and also to your address. Thank you.

Chairman Dandridge, members of the Commission, I'm Laura Lafayette. I'm a resident of Henrico at 2111 Libby Lake West, Unit A. But I stand here today on behalf of the Richmond Association of Realtors. I serve as the CEO of that 5,000-member organization, and we stand in opposition to the A2, the change in zoning to A2. We view that as a dramatic devaluation of the land of long-term landowners in Varina. If someone owns 50 acres today in A1 and that transitions to A2, rather than having potentially 50 homes, maybe not that many, but certainly far more, than the 10 that would be allowed under A2. That's just a dramatic devaluation of the property owner's land and their rights to develop that land. Also, I would say that when you take that much land and you reduce the ability to develop in one end of the county, you put tremendous upward pressure on the price of dirt in the rest of the county that allows for denser development. This county has spent an enormous amount of time, energy, and effort in the last several years, particularly the last two, seeking to address their affordable housing challenges. The Board of Supervisors stood up a $60 million housing trust fund. That trust fund in two years' time has put 400 units of affordable housing, home ownership opportunities on the ground, and this change to A2 directly conflicts with the efforts that the county's made on affordable housing. So I would ask the commission and then the board to reconsider that. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Nick Southwell. I live at 2602 Cox Road in the Three Chop District, and I'm here to voice my opposition to the proposed thoroughfare between Cox Road and Church Road. On the major thoroughfare map, basically what's going on here is the Cedar Chase neighborhood has a cul-de-sac And it is proposed that basically the cul-de-sac be destroyed and that a road go through the cul-de-sac right to Church Road. So it would basically destroy a cul-de-sac in the neighborhood, increase a bunch of traffic in the neighborhood. And basically there's just very quickly four reasons why I think that's a bad idea. First, it's detrimental to all the people that live there. Children play in the cul-de-sac, people bike, people walk, that sort of thing. It won't be safe. There's going to be cars going through that neighborhood 24-7 if it links to Church Road. It's going to be expensive from what I can tell from what's been released. It's going to cost about $7 million, at least that's what's been put aside in the budget. And on top of hurting quality of life and not being safe, And being expensive, I think it's ultimately pointless because a quarter of a mile away, there is Take Cox Road to Guyana up to Church Road. So there's already a cut through that sort of is very dangerous through one part of the neighborhood. This is just going to add another one in. It's not really going to do much. So I would just ask that you all, I guess I just oppose that one, ask you all to oppose it as well. Thank you.

Hi, good evening. My name's Amy Ulmer. I live at 2604 Cox Road. And I just want to reiterate what Mr. Southwell said regarding the thoroughfare map and connecting Cox Road onto Church Road. And in addition to all the reasons he said, I know this has been on the prior iterations of the comprehensive plan. But I do think removal of it at this time makes the most sense, given the development that has occurred there. and now the existence of Guyana Road acting as that connector road and that feeder road to save the county money. And it also would undermine the additional traffic suppression actions that are currently underway and being invested in by the county and require additional investments by the county to further suppress traffic and cut through road use by cars. So thank you very much.

Good evening. My name is Elaine Eberly. I live at 1213 Eberly's Place on the border of Henrico County and New Kent. I have lived in the Verona District for going past more than 75 years. And I would like for my children to be able to also come here to live, and my grandchildren. But with the proposal changing the A1 designation to the A2, is eliminating that possibility. It is diminishing property value and it's a hardship, especially on the elderly people in that area that are counting on the sale of part of that property to be able to help them in an assisted living facility or to have a family member build next to them to help them in their elderly years. Plus the fact that when you look at the thousands of acres that are already protected, either through the National Park Service, our county parks and recreation, the Civil War conservation, thousands of acres are already protected. And the problem is that, and Mr. Blankenship, you used the right word, you've targeted an area. You are stigmatizing that one small area and diminishing the property value of those landowners. But I do have a couple of questions. One, so has the county considered what type of compensation they're going to provide for these people that have lost their property value? Or are they going to reimburse the county real estate taxes that they've paid for all these years? It's not right. It is not the total responsibility of this small designated area to provide the safety that everybody else, and I can keep talking because John Montgomery has yielded his two minutes to me. Anyway, we pledge justice for all, and this isn't.

Good evening. My name is Bill Nelson. I reside at 1820 New Market Road in Verona. I also own property which is affected by this off of WRVA Road. It's a 145-acre property that I have seriously been considering a conservation easement on. If you reduce my zoning to A2 and devalue the property, It limits the ability for tax credits to offset the expense of creating that conservation easement. If you go from 100 lots to 20 lots, it's obviously been devalued. I farm approximately 1,200 acres in Verona. Most of it's lease. I manage, look after property for a lot of these landowners. You're devaluing their properties as well. I'm also a realtor, so I understand the devaluation. I also understand that if you have a current need for 500 units, it has to be met. If you do it on five acre lots, you're gonna eat up about 3000 acres of land at one time. And that's just to fill the first 500 units. If you do it on one acre lots, You know, it's much less. It's probably 600 acres. Anyway, I did not ask for a rezoning to R2A, and I oppose it on my property. Thank you.

Good evening. My name's Chris Applewhite. I reside at 5951 Elko Road in Sandston, and I oppose the A2 zoning. I want you guys to step into my shoes for two minutes. I'm from Southampton County, Virginia. I moved to Richmond, met my wife. We got married in 2000. We bought our dream home on Elko Road in a nice rural setting. We were enjoying life. A few years later, Henrico County purchased land behind us in our backyard and put Elko Middle School there. But fortunately, they left a nice buffer where that has been reasonable and it's been acceptable. Recently, right across the driveway in my front door, we now have a concrete data center that's being built. And the barrier is about from me to you with about one and a half trees. Okay? So... Our tax assessment at the whole time all this is going on has steadily been increasing. And I know if we go to sell our house right now, it's not going to bring what it would have a couple of years ago, even though the tax assessment is going up. So my wife and I have a choice. We own a 75-acre farm four miles down the road on Hines Road, and we have looked into a conservation easement and zoned A1. Financially, it looks pretty good. So we were considering to go build one house on an acre lot, and preserve the other 74 acres for the future generations. But if this A2 comes about, it doesn't look financially advantageous to us. So what my wife and I will probably do is find a way to put 15 houses on that farm and move out of the county because that will be the money we need for our retirement. So it's kind of like this. Conservation easements and land are some people's 401K plans in their retirements. So it'd be like us coming to you and say, hey, the county's got a good plan, but it's going to affect maybe 50% of y'all's retirement plan. And I guarantee you every one of you would be back up in this line here speaking like we are. So I think it's fascinating that we're trying to preserve rural land, yet hundreds of acres of trees have been cut over the last couple of years. And data centers are going up in this area. And yet we're talking about this. I oppose it. Thank you for your time.

Good evening, Mr. Chairman, the board. My name is Ludario Gunde. I currently live at 4001 Three Foxes Drive in Verona. And I will ask you, So before you make your decision, try to go to Verona. Try to understand the impact of your decision on the people here. Unfortunately, this room doesn't reflect the majority of the people that live in that area now. Most of the people, upper middle class African-Americans, they live in that community. It's actually a very mixed community, more than any area in Arakawa County, I'll tell you that. And I will let you know one thing. If you are in that area, it's almost a food desert in terms of restaurants. So if we want to go to a nice restaurant, guess where we go? The West End, right? We drive from Verena all the way to the West End. And I can only imagine the impact of what she's trying to do. The question is why? My wife and I saw it and said, why? And you know what she told me? She said, well, they just applied to build a data center in the future. They want to build a data center. They need five acres or more to pull it off. But she thinks that way. I don't know. So I came to listen to hear why we want to do that to Varina. Don't forget, most of these people build their houses, bought their land, thinking about their future, their generation. You're about to destroy it. Think about you're about to destroy it. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Glenn Childress. I'm the trustee for the Myrtle Holland Family Trust. The trust owns approximately 615 acres in Enrico and 15 tracts of land. You may know the name Holland because on your drive here, you drove by Holland Park, which was named after Edward Holland, who started the trust and turned it over to his wife and his grandson, who's behind me. Now I could talk all day about the financial implications that you're doing to the trust and the property owners, but I'm going to talk about principle for a second. The trust has owned this land for more years than anybody in the planning commission has been alive. And you're going to sit here and create these restrictions on land that was owned before you were even born. You're going to tell a family who's been a steward to this land, from tree farms to farms for generations has taken care of this land. And then you're going to say, hey, now you're thinking about putting this in a conservation easement. But you can't, because we have some people who are in a commission that had this great idea like, hey, let's just rezone it for practical purposes that made sense in a boardroom, but not where the rubber meets the road in the fields of Verona and New Market Heights. So I want you to consider principle. not what looks good on paper, not to say buzzwords like equity and all this nonsense, and think about the real-life implications and the principle of what you're doing. I highly oppose what you're doing, and Mr. Blankenship, you're absolutely right. You are targeting an area of land, and you are targeting a legacy of landowners. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Richard McCoy. I live at 3464 Meadow Road, and I'm the sole beneficiary of the Myrtle Holland Family Trust. Approximately 230 acres of our family's land here in Henrico would be directly impacted by the rezoning and proposal currently under consideration. This land has been in my family for nearly a century. It represents a legacy that my grandmother worked hard to preserve. In early 2000s, my grandmother was offered nearly $20 million by the Wilton Group to develop this property. It was worth $20 million back then. What do you think it's worth now? I'm assuming it's gone up. She chose to keep it in conservation and in land use instead. Since her passing, me becoming the sole beneficiary, numerous developers have approached this trust, but we have turned this down because my ultimate goal was to turn this land into conservation easement. The parcel next to ours was donated by my grandmother to the county of Marico well below market value and now makes up a significant portion of what is now known as Four Mile Creek Park off of Route 5. My family believed in preserving open space and giving back to the community. Rather than selling our land to developers, we have had the opportunity, we chose conservation and responsible stewardship. Today, approximately 230 acres of our family's lands are directly affected by this proposed rezoning. Sorry, I'm emotional. Most of the people advocating for this change do not live in this area and will bear its impact. And singling out just this specific part of Henrico instead of applying countywide is fundamentally unfair. This is exactly why Virginia courts have called piecemeal downzoning and it should not be allowed. After nearly a century of ownership, downzoning, sorry, after nearly efforts and contributions to community, it is difficult to understand why you guys are choosing to do this.

That's all I got.

Good evening, Commission. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. My name is Mike Kelly, and I reside at 6813 Cluck Lane. in the area that would directly be affected by this proposed A2 zoning. A little bit about my background. My family has lived in Verona for more than 100 years. I am the fourth generation of six generations who were born, raised, and continue to live in this community. My roots run deep here, and I'm genuinely concerned about the impact this proposal could have on property rights, land values, future opportunities for families like mine. I understand that some residents support this change and I respect their desire to preserve the open spaces, forest, wildlife, and historic character that make Verona so unique. As a real estate broker who has worked in Verona for more than 30 years, I'm very familiar with local land values and development patterns. In my professional opinion, this proposal would negatively affect property values, restrict property rights, and limit conservation easement opportunities for affected landowners. While I appreciate the desire to preserve the rural character of our community, I do not believe it is appropriate to place these restrictions on a small group of landowners while others nearby remain subject to less restrictive standards. There are other ways to conserve and protect the historic nature of Verona without targeting a specific geographic area and imposing unequal requirements on the residents. For example, does not seem fair that a property owner across the street from me is allowed to develop one acre Lots with 150 foot of road frontage while I would be required to meet the five acre minimum lot size and 300 feet of road frontage if the county believes these regulations are beneficial then why would they apply only to a limited area rather than uniformly throughout the Henrico County this issue is particularly personal for my family my brother well I got another page but anyway I strongly oppose this rezoning, and I hope you all will, too.

Good evening. My name is Deborah Little. I live at 10225 Turkey Island Road in the Verona District, and I do appreciate us trying not to make Verona into a short pump, and I do. I appreciate that, especially living next door to Curls Neck Farm. But my concern is not about creating subdivisions and encouraging dense development, but preserving reasonable options for families who already own larger parcels. Our property is approximately 8.3 acres. My husband's grandfather bought a large farm. It was called Upper Turkey Island. back in 1940 and we were able to retain the 8.3 acres when everything was sold off. Under the proposed zoning, we would no longer have enough acreage to create another additional building lot. We may eventually need a smaller single level home as we age or one of our children may want to build a home. In the future, the proposed change would effectively remove those options unless we go through costly and uncertain approval processes. Property owners who acquired land under the existing rules made long-term decisions based on those regulations. This proposal significantly changes what owners can do with their property without any compensation. I'm not asking for high-density development. I'm asking that families retain reasonable flexibility to use their land for future generations. A blanket five-acre minimum treats the family wanting to create one additional home site, the same as a developer seeking multiple lots. The proposal may discourage family land transfers and multiple generational living arrangements that have additionally been part of rural communities. Maybe there could be some compromise, like allow existing parcels over a certain size to create one additional Is that over? I'm done. But thank you. I really wish you would consider some alternatives for current landowners. Thank you.

My name is Virginia Ann Sharp, and I live at 6443 Hines Road. The first meeting I attended was at Holland Springs High School concerning this new plan. At that meeting, I was not able to find out exactly where the A2 location was. The staff or the person there could not point it out to me. It's sort of amazing to me that that neon part of that map has not been published very frequently because I have not seen it and I have been at meetings. The five acre area was not pointed out to me at that meeting at Holland Springs. I attended a meeting at Elko Community Center and asked about the five acre plan that I'd heard about. And I asked, didn't this devalue our land? I really got no satisfactory answer. And I was still not sure at that point of the area that was gonna be affected by this rule. The first description I saw written was Tuesday of this week when I received this notice from you all on Tuesday of this week. So as far as your publication to landowners, it has not been effective. My neighbors had told me about it, but I got mine on Tuesday of this week. My grandfather bought the land just prior to 1910. It has been in our family since then. I have many questions. How will this affect the land use program for real estate tax assessments? That's one. How will I find out exactly what this audience means? I don't feel like we've seen exactly what's included. There's been a lot of talk, but you know. And I also being one of those land owners of 400 pieces of property in Horeca County that still do not have broadband available that if you overlap that map and that neon map, it would be very interesting because most of it is in that area. And I am one of those property owners. So when you send me all these websites, I really have. I think that's totally unfair. I am opposed to this A2. It is unfair to those of us who held on to family land, who stayed in the area, made our careers in the area. And I feel like this is just another example of targeting an area that has been ignored for many years as far as services. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Derek Cardwell. I live at 8810 Buffen Road. Just a brief statement. I'm a local law enforcement officer who not only lives in Verona, but I work Verona. I've recently purchased my land, just getting about the five acres, but I have it split into two parcels. Nowhere in this has it explained to me does it consider myself a two because I have the two separate parcels that equal five, even though I own both under the same address. and the fact that you're getting rid of the A1 land, it seems, completely, which also takes away our right for varmint control and other necessities for farming and having agricultural as far as small chickens and stuff like that. I don't see anywhere where you're gonna, like if I cannot varmint control on my own land, you're taking away the freedom for me to do what I need to do on my land that I purchased and pay taxes on, which seems to increase every year, even though I don't see the relevance and where it goes to, especially to the east end. Everything seems to be focused in the west end. And I mean, as a local law enforcement officer, I can tell you right now, most of my time is spent closer towards the city and to all these so-called low-income homes because that's where most of our traffic is. It's a shame that it takes me 15 to 20 minutes to get to a Code 3 accident, which means someone's life is in danger because we don't have the resources we need nor the manpower we need to help our community, the same community that I do live in. That's all I have to say.

Good evening. My name is John Ryan. I reside at 1139 Warwick Park Road in the Varina District. First, thank you for the years of work on this comprehensive plan and for hearing us out tonight. I don't doubt the effort behind it. That's why I'm here. I have one request for tonight, and that is the commission continue the comprehensive plan to allow the public adequate time for review. I'm not here to oppose the plan. However, The final pieces are moving incredibly fast. The future land use chapter and the major thoroughfare map were updated yesterday without a red line or summary of changes. My understanding is more amendments are still forthcoming. A plan this carefully built deserves to be evaluated in its final finished form. Fortunately, there is time to get this right. Supervisors indicated just this week that the board will likely move its own vote to the end of July, citing these exact same transparency concerns. A short continuance costs very little, but it ensures your recommendation reflects a truly completed plan. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Steve Crouch. I live at 6751 Charles City Road. I'm a cattle and hay producer, and I'm a mile from the Charles City line, to give you a preference. The picture you showed up there is an eighth of a mile from me. I farm that property for that family. I've been down here a long time. I have paid a lot of taxes and I've gotten few services. You know, I'm at the end of the county, so you're not going to get much. I'd like to ask how many of y'all own land in East End is going to be affected this severely. And would you like it if it was you? How would you feel about it? He used the word impacted. Affected. We're restricted and limited. I, like many of the folks you have heard, am interested in putting my property in a conservation easement. You're going to destroy that option. Think about it.

Good evening, my name is Fay Weems. I live in the Brooklyn District. I want to comment on item 65 in the proposed revisions to the zoning ordinance having to do with section 245406, which deals with finished and unfinished, that is structural sides of fences. I'm having to whittle my comments down considerably. But under the current ordinance, a Henrico County homeowner who wishes to invest in a fence between his property and that of his rear yard or side yard neighbor must either erect a fence that has two finished sides, such as an expensive vinyl privacy fence, or he must orient, that is, face the finished side of the fence as in a less expensive wooden privacy fence toward his neighbor and face the unfinished or structural side toward himself. At a meeting with Mr. Blankenship in April of last year, I proposed instances where this could be very difficult, if not impossible, for the homeowner, the one who is making the considerable investment of time, effort, and money in an improvement that would likely benefit his neighbor as well as himself. I proposed revisions that would remove the burden placed on Henrico homeowners by the new standards. However, all my proposals were rejected by the planning department in a meeting that took place on or around February 13 of this year. I was not invited to that meeting. I am now suggesting four possible revisions that would, I believe, rightfully return the decision of which way to orient a fence to the property owner who is paying for it. The first would exempt a fence in the yard of any single family detached or duplex dwelling on a residential lot. The second would exempt fences in a rear or an interior side yard of a of single-family or duplex dwelling residential lots, but keep the new standard for fences in the front or in an exterior side yard, that is, in a street side yard on a corner lot. A third would exempt all fences on any family or duplex dwelling lot that was recorded a recorded lot as of September 1, 2021. A fourth would exempt fences on rear interior side lots of any single family or duplex dwelling lot that was recorded, a recorded lot of September 1, 2021. I believe the new standard for fences with both a finished and an unfinished site is arbitrary, intrusive, burdensome, unfair to the builder, and in many cases difficult, if not impossible, to comply with, I respectfully ask the Commission to defer approval of the new wording and the proposed revisions to the zoning ordinance and to consider instead one of the amendments outlined in my newly proposed amendments as of today. Thank you very much.

Hello, my name's T Clarkson, I'm at 105 North Roland Street. I work with Atoka Conservation Exchange, and over the years I've helped hundreds of landowners protect tens of thousands of acres across the Commonwealth using the land preservation tax credit as the primary tool. And you've heard quite a few people talk about devaluing the potential for conservation easements, and that's what happens when you devalue the property. From the get-go, you're limiting that landowner's ability to access the land preservation tax credit that is created by the state. in order to conserve large properties. So I think what you're going to end up with is maybe more five acre lots. And I'm not sure if you've been to other counties around the state where they've done that. What you end up seeing a lot of times is these developments with these huge yards and a bunch of people on zero turn mowers mowing four acres of fescue. it doesn't really look like rural conservation in a lot of those cases. So again, I hope that you'll consider not moving forward with the A2 designation so that your residents can utilize the $75 million a year the state sets aside for specific land conservation. Thank you.

I appreciate you sharing. Excuse me, one second. You mind stating your name one more time? I didn't get your name. Clarkson, thank you.

My name is Curtis Moore. I live at 8283 New Market Heights Lane. I'm really opposed to turning around and going to an A2 zoning. As we sort of said, I'm not going to go over everything you've gone over from that because a lot of people have already covered. But the reality of the two acres of land I have, moving this will run the price of my property down. I'm at the point I'm coming to retirement, and I might want to downsize and go somewhere else and live, somewhere else in the county with a little smaller house maybe, or even to a condo. That's part of my 401K that you'll be messing with at this point in time. I'll leave this. Henrico County has very great recreation and parks facilities. I've been to a lot of places. You've got to look real far to find something equal to what they have. Thank you.

Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the Commission, Ms. Emerson. Thank you very much. My name is John Montgomery. I live at 2666 Kingsland Road, and I first want to express my appreciation to the staff for all the hard work that went into the comp plan and to the prime agricultural and rural conservation proposal. I also want to begin by saying that it's always good to be in a spot where so many people have much of the same aim. And over and over we've heard people say that what they like about Verona and what they like about Henrico County in large part is the ability to preserve and conserve the agricultural, the rural nature of things and what we have there. And so what we differ about tonight, however, is the best way to accomplish that. I happen to believe that adopting the A2 zoning does that and protects it in the best way. We provided to you a group of about 30 residents, of which any given time, 15 to 18 participated actively. prepared some information that we thought supplemented the A2 proposal that the county had brought forward. And so I commend that to you as well as you get ready to go forward. I do believe it's important. One of the speakers mentioned that under the A2 that they would no longer be able to do certain things agriculture. I think it's important for us to know what A2 does not do. A2 does not change in any way the ability to conduct agricultural activity, whatever you can do now in farming, in chickens, in husbandry, all of those things, you'll continue to be able to do on your land. So A2 in that regard would be no different than A1. The other thing that it doesn't do, and this is very important, it does not prevent someone from having their property rezoned. We talked about the value of it, having it rezoned and come forward with a more dense development, even more dense than one house per acre. As a matter of fact, as a matter of fact, that just happened past Tuesday night where a two and a half acre parcel was allowed for four houses. And then finally, I would just conclude, was that my time or my warning? That was my time. Okay, thank you. Then I will conclude. Thank you very much.

Hi, my name is Curtis Bryant. I live at 4901 Windsor Road in Elko.

I'll try to read fast since y'all have an hour and a half. I get two minutes. I'd like to know what information was used for the study that you discussed. You know, Basically explain the data sets, the mapping techniques that you use, environmental assessments, the analytical methods used to measure the habitat changes. Because living down there, I can tell you probably where you live, you don't see what happens to us down there with the deer and the coyotes and every other animal that we have down there. Everything's changed. One of the county employees is gone now, thank goodness. Said we didn't have any eagles. Well, they go after my chickens all the time. So anyway. I'd like to also know what protections, if we do go to the A2, which I'm sure we will, about the five acre minimum lots, because like John just said, somebody down there just sold some property, and we were told that the state is the ones that the county has no say, and they're gonna be able to, they're not even being held to the one acre minimum. So they're gonna probably build 400 homes there instead of 200 homes, and that's down on Elko Road. The last thing I got, and I'm not covering everything, But it has to do with land. Y'all talking about conserving land and doing all that, but you destroyed almost 2,900 acres in Elko with the stupid data centers. We have to live with it. We already know y'all don't live there. So anyway, I like to know, y'all keep saying jobs, jobs, jobs, and all this, when a data center farm like you're talking about or campus only employs about 100 people, and none of them are probably from our community. So my question is, y'all keep emphasizing the economic value of these developments, but we're not experiencing that value in our daily lives. Instead, we're seeing significant changes to the character of our community while bearing increasing costs with electricity, taxes, and everything else. At what point do y'all acknowledge the burden on us, the residents, and how they outweigh the benefits that y'all keep touting?

Okay?

Just be truthful.

Hello, good evening. My name is Margaret Bryant and I also live at 4901 Windsor Road in Sandston. I am a fifth-plus generation Henrico Elko-specific resident. The A1 zoning in Virginia, my family already gave. We gave in World War II when they built the decoy airport and they gave us 15 days to get off our land. We already gave at the office. Virginia, the A1 zoning designates agricultural district, which is intended to preserve rural character, protect farming and forestry operations, accommodate low density residential development, while primary purpose is agricultural. The A2, and I'm only hitting the highlights, blends low density residential with farming, forestry, and rural enterprises, just as John said, while establishing an overreaching law for agricultural rights and taxation and zoning ordinances. That overreaching is what scares me because the overreaching may come from the state and it may come from this body. The overreaching is what kicked my family off their land the first time. A1 allows for agricultural where A2 disrupts the freedom of that land use. A2 promotes the devaluation of the current A1 land. A2 will provide a pathway for more land development under the guise of conservation. A2 definition alone suggests that overreaching future land use, transfer of property to future generations leaves those future generations with worthless land. A2 provides for the land to be scooped up and then redeveloped with sidewalks that Elko doesn't want. A2 conserving or allowing for this environmental justice for these residents when it redistricts A1 to A2, where is that environmental justice? Which is now one of my new favorite phrases after this evening. When landowners transfer from their properties A1 to their family, they can do whatever they want with it. When my father leaves his family and his great-grandchildren, his two acres that join mine and the one acre across the street to me, it'll be worthless. My grandchildren won't be able to build on it because it won't meet the setbacks. I'll never be able to live in a rural setting that my grandchildren are trying to grow up in. A2 restricts the ability to use in that A1 category. The last thing I want to touch on is that environmental justice piece, at what point Did the Elko residents get an opportunity for that environmental justice? I know we had meetings. I attended them. But at what point are we going to be asked about that for our community, for our people, and for our grandchildren? Thank you.

Good evening, my name is Irvin Wilson. I live at 680 Crib Lane, Sandston. I am a third generation Verano resident. I live on my family's property, which is protected with two conservation easements. I am really, like John said, I'm really pleased to hear how many people here value the rural character of Verona and value their land and want to keep it protected. But I am very concerned that if we don't take a bold step with something comparable to the A2 zoning proposal or some other bold step to, or combined with other bold steps to protect what we still have, we're gonna lose it. You may be able to hold on to your land and retain the value in it, but If your neighbor has to sell out and builds 20 houses or 100 houses on their farm, think of the impacts that that's going to have to you and everybody else up and down the road. You're going to have the impacts of additional infrastructure, more traffic, and more than likely you'll also you know many people will find themselves in a situation where they're going to face condemnation types of situations um where their land is you know or a piece of their land is going to have to be taken so i hope i guess the the thing i would really like to to see is that the county with regard to at least this zoning part of the comp plan hit the pause button on this and give us an opportunity for more education and to explore some other ideas, because a whole lot could be done. And a lot of us, all of us really, are operating in a realm of ignorance to a certain degree as to what the effects could be. And so I would encourage us to hit the pause on this. Thank you.

Did you guys dim the lights for me? That felt important.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah, back on. Becky Lakin. I live at 9500 Deep Bottom Road. Back beginning in the fall of last year, a group of citizens at the kind of proposal of A2 as possible gathered together. John Montgomery mentioned them. About 40 people, 18, 19 at any given time. And the reason that we gathered together is because we saw A2, this A2 work from the county, as actually an invitation into conversation. an invitation into collaboration, an invitation to important community discourse about what we want for our future. Thanks for whoever shushed him. An invitation about what we might want for our future together. What I think I'm asking for today is for us actually to enter into that conversation. We presented that community group presented a counter proposal that addresses some things around conservation easements and land value loss It addresses things around small businesses They put a lot of thought into it and I and it was a noble effort and the right thing to do But I don't see it reflected here. And so I think my ask is like we want to keep what I think a lot of us call the rural character of Varina, whatever that looks like for many of us. We want to keep working our land. We want to keep family lineage and history alive. We want to put things under easement. We want to farm stuff. We want to have cattle. We want to have houses. We want to be taken care of when we age. Our differences, we're not so far apart from one another in that. What we've not been given the opportunity to do is to have a conversation about it, except right now in front of you all, and that's not really a conversation. That's more of an argument. So I'd invite us to press pause, too, and to enter into productive discourse. Like, what do we actually want out there together? And I think that's what I'm advocating for today. Thank you very much.

Do I need anything to start this? Never mind. I see it already. My name is Timothy Cumbo. Timothy Combo. I live at 2401 Turret Cork in Verina here in Henrico County. I was going to say something along the lines of what the lady just said is between the A1 and the A2 zoning is because we own almost six acres and I'm retired military. I came from a very crowded area where I hate having my neighbors encroach on me like 100 feet next to my house. So Verina drew us when I retired from my career for its charm and the rural aspect of it. So everybody here in agreement is in agreement of keeping the rural aspect of the land. I, however, have a differing opinion on the A1 and A2. I'm in favor of A2. I haven't seen any real restrictions that the other people are talking about that I can do on my land. However, I think people need to look at what you really want to prioritize as your tax, your property tax value, or having people move in next to you. Because the A2 seems to prevent that. The A1, you're going to have a neighbor a lot closer to you. So I'm in agreement with If the board would, if you would pause this decision between A1 and A2 and let people that actually live there come up, try and communicate for an alternative that will still preserve the rural aspect of Orion. That's all. That's all I've got to say. Thank you.

All right, I'm looking at the back of the room, and is there anybody else in the audience? All right, so we do have several on WebEx, and let me say this. I do appreciate all the insight, feedback, and everything that everybody had to say as it pertains to where you live because I know that's where your heart is. So with that being said, I'm going to ask for the folks on WebEx if they're still patiently waiting so that they can say their piece as well.

Mr. Chairman, I am unmuting Chris Gadricks.

Thank you.

Can you hear me? We can hear you loud and clear, Mr. Gaydrix. Okay, thank you. My name is Christopher Guy Gaydrix, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. However, I'm the authorized representative of Kissinger Properties, LLC, which owns 40 acres at 7171 Turner Road, which would be impacted by this proposed A2 district. The property has been in my family since it was purchased last, approximately 50 years ago by my late grandfather, Marine Colonel Guy H. Kissinger Jr. And it's been maintained under the expectations of the current A1 zoning. While I understand the county's goal of preserving rural character, this proposal goes significantly beyond that by increasing the minimum lots from one acre to five acres and arbitrarily targeting a large swath of area. We don't have any current development plans for that property, but based on standard planning considerations, that would reduce my property's development potential by approximately from approximately 22 to 28 lots down to five to six lots. That's a reduction of 75 to 80%. I would ask the members of the planning commission or anybody who is for this A2 rezoning, how would you feel if somebody arbitrarily came to your property and reduced it by 75 to 80%? This is a substantial and measurable loss in economic use and value, and it removes longstanding property rights without clear justification specific to my property or others like it. I respectfully ask the commission to reject this proposal. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gatrix. All right. I think we have at least two others.

Yes, Mister chairman, I am unmuting Victoria.

Evening, can you hear me?

We can hear you.

OK, thank you. Good evening. I'm the contracted builder Sapphire Construction or pending subdivision here in Henrico. I'm here on behalf of my client who cannot partake in the meeting. Excuse me one second.

Excuse me one second. I would just like for you to state your name at the beginning so we can capture it on the record.

Oh, sorry. Good evening. I'm Victoria Claire. I'm the contracted builder with Sapphire Construction for a pending subdivision here in Henrico. I'm here on behalf of my client who cannot partake in the meeting, unfortunately. And recently, we are in the final permit stage of this neighborhood. We are opposed to this A2 zoning. This will greatly affect my client who has valued her property with the potential lots built into the subdivision, which has also potentially allowed for her family to live together in close proximity, but also at a comfortable distance of approximately two acres per lot. This has been a family dream, and it's coming together very nicely and very soon. She has allowed for wetlands and conservation to surround the property, always considering the land and conservation plans that Henrico has. The subdivision plans on bringing beautiful homes to increase the value of the neighbors and create more residential locations for upcoming families who will add to this community. If this must pursue forward, I am asking for a clause that would grandfather in any pending plans that could or would be affected should this proposed zoning happen. But I do want to know we are opposed to it. That's all. All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. We have one more on WebEx. Is that accurate?

Yes, Mr. Chairman. I am unmuting Sandra Hughes.

Sandra Skipper Hughes. I'm a resident of Humerica County at the 2521 Powderhorn Drive, but I also am the heir and owner of about five acres on Kingsland Road. And I am concerned about the unintended consequences of a decision to convert this ordinance from A1 to A2. I am opposed to this conversion. My reasoning being that the unintended consequences, I think in light of the fact that I am a minority who I've lived in this County, I grew up in Verona and I also, realized that many of the properties owned by minorities in the county had very, very narrow lots. The five acres that I own does not have 300 square feet of road frontage. And so therefore, even if you switched it over to the A1, it would prevent us from doing anything with some of those lots because of the lack. They are narrow, deep lots. right now with 158 square feet of road frontage it's it's not a problem you can you can build on it the other thing that i'm concerned about is the adverse impact that it's going to have on affordability for the elderly the affordability for young family members that i may have and um and others who are trying to at least get a start you can do well with one acre as it currently is. So my question to the board is why? What is it we are attempting to accomplish? And I thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mrs. Hughes. All right. I think everyone's had an opportunity to speak. And once again, like I said, I appreciate the sentiments and everything that you shared. So that will conclude the public hearing portion. as we move forward. Any comments from the commission or anything before we move forward?

Yes, Mr. Chairman. I would just like to thank everyone who came out. This is the kind of representation that we need. The reason I heard someone ask how did we get here, how we got here, It's because of the participation that we had throughout the process. I think it was a stat that said 66% of the residents who participated in the polling requested the new A2 to A1 zoning. So that was the information that the staff had to go with. So as they were going through the process, that's what we were working with. As we got a little further along, we had some community meetings, and that's where I know I spoke to several residents, and they were questioning going to the A2. And I said, well, what happened was when we had the polling and other meetings, nobody was there to say that they opposed that. So I've asked that they come out, speak to your Board of Supervisors member, and let them know how you feel about it, because that's the only way we can get the information, is you have to tell us. and we see you and we appreciate you, you know, but if you do, this is not a back and forth right now. We, we, we were closing the public speaker. I'm just telling you how we got here. I'm not accusing anybody. I'm not doing anything. I'm just trying to explain to you how we got here. And, and with some transparency, this isn't, wasn't something that somebody was trying to slide under the rug or pull a fast one or anything like that. It was just part of the process. So that's, that's, that's how we ended up where we are.

Thank you, Mr. Mackey.

Mr. Chairman, I want to echo what Mr. Mackey just said. It's very interesting. We, the commission, nor the staff, dreamed up this A2 classification that really did come from citizen input. Glad that we're hearing more citizen input tonight. Clearly, we've got to weigh all of the different views and fine-tune what is an effort to protect land, to protect the the rural character of Ryan. And if we can't do that through some kind of tweaking or revisitation of this A2, then perhaps we need to go back to the start. But I think given what we've heard tonight, we do have some work left to do. As was mentioned, the Board of Supervisors is not going to hear this until at least July. And under the circumstances, I would make a motion that we defer our action on the 2045 comprehensive plan toward July 9th, 2026 meeting. For decision only, we won't have time to do another full public hearing like this, but I do encourage you to provide more input leading up to that meeting. So that would be my motion, Mr. Chairman.

Second. I have a motion by Mr. Shippey, second by Mr. Winterhoff. All in favor of moving the decision until July 9th, say aye. Any opposed? Motion passes. We'll defer this one.

Mr. Chairman, for the record, that is decision only, correct?

Decision only. I think Mr. Shippey did state that. So the public hearing portion, although you can reach out and contact your commissioner, your board of supervisors, a member, but we won't have a public forum setting like this, but it will be for decision only. And I just want to make that clear.

Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, I'll also add that the website will remain open. The link for public input will remain open. So email us with your thoughts and we'll get all those compiled into the commission for their consideration. Mr. Chairman, you still have two other items to take action on. I would suggest since they're all interrelated that possibly a similar motion for the other two items would be in order.

Yes, Mr. Secretary and Mr. Chairman. Agreed, I would move that we defer action on the revisions to the subdivision ordinance to July 9th, 2026, meeting for decision only as well.

Second. I have a motion by Mr. Shippey, second by Mr. Mack. You all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

And finally, I do move that we defer actions on the revisions to the zoning ordinance to July 9th, 2026, for decision only as well. Second.

Motion by Mr. Shippey. Second by Mr. Phelps. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Mr. Chairman, these items will be on your agenda for decision only on July 9th. Again, I would remind the group both present in the room and online that we will leave all these documents up on our website Planning Commission makes a recommendation. It goes to the board. Another public hearing. Board has their deliberation. So all of this will remain on our website through the process. Please take a look at it. Use those links. Provide us your input. And certainly you're welcome to contact me or any of my staff to discuss your concerns. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Mr. Chairman, with that said, we have some regular hearing items yet to move through this evening. And your first item appears on page four. Let me go through the public participation for those items because it will be a little different from what we just did. The commission's guidelines for public hearings on rezoning cases, the applicant or their representative will have 10 minutes to present testimony. A portion of that time can be saved for rebuttal of opposition statements. Individual speakers in support and not part of the applicant's presentation will have up to two minutes to present their testimony and collectively will not exceed 10 minutes unless the chair extends their time so that That means those speakers have a cumulative two minutes each, no more than 10 minutes in total for the group. Individual speakers in opposition, similar, will have up to two minutes to present their testimony, will not exceed a total of 10 minutes unless the chair extends its time. Time to respond to questions of the commission will not be included in the allotted time for public participation. Again, the Commission does maintain verbatim minutes of the meeting. Commenters must provide their name and address prior to speaking for the public record. And of course, the timer. I think everybody that's been here understands the green, yellow, red concept. And when the yellow light comes on, you do have approximately 30 seconds to wrap up your comments. With that said, Mr. Chairman, we now move to page four of your agenda. for REZ 2025102340, DRB 3 Trucking LLC, request to conditionally rezone from A1 Agricultural District and B3 Business District to M2 General Industrial District, 5.983 acres, located at the intersection of Darbytown Road and Miller Road. The applicant proposes outdoor storage. and trailer parking. The 2026 comprehensive plan recommends planned industry. The site is in the airport overlay district and the staff report will be presented by Ms. Kelly Drash.

How are you, Mrs. Drash? Before you get started. That's great. I'd like to just ask, is anyone in the audience on WebEx that would like to speak to this particular case?

Mr. Chairman, there is no one on WebEx for this case.

All right. Thank you. Mrs. Drash, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a request to conditionally rezone 5.938 acres located at the southeast intersection of Darbytown Road and Miller Road from A1 and B3 to M2C for outdoor storage and trailer parking. The property is partially developed with several aging structures fronting Darbytown Road and a large unpaved parking lot to the rear containing commercial trucks and trailers with an undeveloped grass area further south. The 2026 comprehensive plan recommends planned industry, which encourages high environmentally environmental quality standards, coordinated design, a planned layout and minimal impacts on adjacent uses. Surrounding uses include a gas station and convenience store, the airport distribution center planned industrial facility, I eight 95 and residential homes to the South on Miller road, including the Granger state's neighborhood. owner purchased the property in December 2020 and received a notice of violation from community maintenance in April 2021 for storing commercial trucks and trailers on the property. In an attempt to remedy the violation they submitted a PUP application but later withdrew it because it would not cover the entire area needed for storage. Another notice was then issued in June 2025 for the same violation. This second violation remains active and led to this application which now proposes a rezoning the entire existing storage area as well as the currently vacant fields. As shown in the proposed concept plan, access would be off Miller Road through a gate to a paved parking area and a large gravel storage lot enclosed by a fence. Two new carports are proposed in addition to the existing structures that would remain. The applicant has indicated minor commercial vehicle repairs, such as changing tires, brakes, fluids, and oil, would occur on site. Altogether, the proposal would represent a significant expansion of the current operation through the entire site. In addition to the concept plan, the applicant submitted proffers and elevations. Some of the topics addressed by the proffers include use restrictions, landscaped areas, building finishes and materials, screening, right-of-way dedication, hours of operation, and truck pickup. trash pickup. The elevations mostly illustrate the existing exterior appearance of the buildings with minor improvements proposed. Staff remains concerned about a number of outstanding issues which have been shared with the applicant on a number of occasions. These include the overall site design, screening, buffers, permitted uses, hours of operation, trash pickup, and unnecessary proposed expansion of a use which does not reflect the 2026 plan's goals for the site. Additionally, the building elevations and materials proffered do not include assurances. The comprehensive plan recommends planned industry, which encourages high environmental quality standards, coordinated design, a planned layout, and minimal impacts on adjacent uses. These expectations would not be fulfilled by the subject request, which would simply reuse an existing site, provide minimal improvement to several aging buildings, significantly expand southward for undefined future outdoor storage, and move related impacts closer to surrounding residences. Based on inconsistencies with the 2026 plan and surrounding development and over intensification of the site, staff believes the proposed use would not be appropriate. I would also note the applicant held a community meeting on November 18th, 2025. Several surrounding residents attended and spoke about concerns regarding the proposed use, truck, traffic, and general site conditions. Based on all of the staff and citizen concerns listed, staff recommends this request be denied. This concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Mrs. Drash. Does anybody have any questions? I'd like to speak to it.

Yes, yes, Mr. Chairman, I had a question. Ms. Drash, I understand some of the violations are still in effect. Is there anything outside of the rezoning that the applicant could do to clear up the violations, and are they aware of those?

They are aware. I believe the applicant is aware of the violations, and I believe that, from my understanding, they are going through the rezoning process because of and trying to address the violations that are outstanding.

That's all I have.

All right. Thank you. Anybody else on the commission? All right. At this time, if you desire to speak to this case, I ask you to go to the rear of the podium. Remember to state your name and address.

Mr. Chairman, I believe this is the app. I got you.

Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the commission. My name is Randy Hooker with Engineering Design Associates on behalf of Donnie Blankenship. which he's here with me tonight. Yes, there is a fair amount of history with this property. Mr. Blankenship actually approached planning prior to purchasing the property, discussing his desired use. And at the time, he could park trailers on the B3 zone property. Unfortunately, a new zoning ordinance came about, and that use is no longer an option for him to park trailers on the B3 zone property. So we've been working pretty diligently with staff trying to address concerns, and I'm not trying to belittle anybody, but I just feel like we've been thrown many hurdles, and we've When Donnie purchased the property, he was told by public utilities that he will not be able to connect to county sewer. The county sewer is just west of this site. The depth of that sanitary sewer line, where it stops today, is at minimum depth. The area is flat. You need to have slope on sewer to get it to drain, and it cannot be extended. And we've been, you know, said multiple times by reminded by staff we needed to connect a sewer it's not possible through dpu's own regulations um screening has been a concern donnie pointed out several recent developments that screening is provided but it's not a 14-foot fence it's maybe eight or ten foot fence maybe and we feel that A 14-foot fence is not reasonable. We feel that additional landscaping can be provided to provide adequate screening of the site. Another thing too that was brought forth by staff was to provide a berm, similar to what's provided for Airport Distribution Center. The berm for Airport Distribution Center was built by materials taken from the site to build the basins, install the stormwater system, to install the water and sewer lines. That's a significant amount of dirt. To do one linear foot of the berm for airport distribution center requires over two dump trucks. I mean, that berm along the airport distribution center is pretty significant. And to try to impose that on one the DRB property, we don't feel like that's proper. So, what else I had to say? Donnie has a very small business. His business, 80% of his business, is he hauls water from Niagara Distribution Center on the other side of the Veronica Bridge distribution area that's 50 mile radius from that plant to retail stores and such. He has just a few drivers at the most, and those drivers are gone for a few days at a time. They're not in and out of this site. And again, there's nothing stored at the site other than a vehicle, truck, a couple trailers or whatever. The purpose of the gravel lot is for storage, is for potential additional income for donning, for storing trailers. This whole area around the airport, there's always demand for trailer parking. We've seen that in many projects we've been involved in. So I just request that you consider all the factors in this development. That's all.

Thank you.

I had a couple questions, Mr. Hooker. Yes, sir. Thank you all for being here. How would the rezoning answer the sewer issue?

It won't. It's not possible. It's not possible for us to tie into the San Jerry sewer. But it's been an ongoing comment from staff to connect to it.

All right. I know you talked about the fencing and everything. I remember the community meeting some time ago. I don't see any residents that had the complaints here. I couldn't locate my notes. But I remember it was quite a bit of opposition to the usage and everything. It just seemed like it just wasn't a good fit for the location. I mean, I can't Imagine that if we have a problem with a sewer that we would bring in more development there I mean you would bring more people to the location to the site when you Essentially this is for trailer parking.

I mean there is some office proposed, but that's very it's an existing house They'll be converted to used for office. There's existing septic there today that the house is already connected to County water so there would be no additional demand on utilities for this property again the majority I would just be parking trailers Donnie is like I said it's a very small business he's got a very very small margin he's working with especially today with fuel prices the way that they are so we're trying to be good stewards of the community trying to propose a plan to have a plan to move forward with this problem.

Well, I understand that, and we're in no way trying to not allow Mr. Blankenship to operate his business, but we have to hold Mr. Blankenship to the same standards that we hold everyone to. And if this application doesn't meet those standards, then we just can't support it.

I mean... I guess I'm not clear on what standards are not being met.

Well, the issue with the sewer, the fencing, I know that you did come forward with some elevations, but it doesn't seem like they meet the guidelines and the regulations that we would prefer on that location. I mean, we have to uphold the level and quality of the buildings at all the sites in that area. I mean, we can't allow, you know, lesser than, you know, just for one person. I understand that his business may not be as big as some of the other ones, but we can't provide him any special, you know, circumstances.

Yeah, no, I don't feel like we're requesting that. I think what we're looking for is just consideration. And, I mean, this is not redevelopment. And I guess that's the impasse is this is not redevelopment versus just trying to rehabilitate existing structures.

I understand that you are aware of the violations that currently are there and what the county is asking for in order to meet the criteria to support this. You'll have some time between now and when it goes to the Board of Supervisors to try to meet with staff, meet with us, and see if we can alleviate some of that before it goes before the Board. But at this time, I can't support it. I understand your perspective, and I respect it.

The only concern I have, especially with the sanitary sewer, I mean, our hands are tied. We have no option. And I've asked to know provided the comment utilities to discuss it with them and I didn't receive that information I'm sorry could you say it again miss you said what about asked to know who provided the comment within public utilities regarding the requirement to connect to sanitary soon I have not I never received that information so yes sir mr. Mackie I can check into that I was just looking at their comment they do say that there's a

8-inch sanitary sewer line in Darbytown Road. Off-site extension of sanitary sewer line approximately 250 feet will be required. It says analysis of the existing sewer's depth will be required to confirm if it can serve the site. So I think that engineering has to be done.

It's been done.

Well, again, then that's a discussion with utilities. And that's not something that, that this group can weigh into, but I certainly can contact utilities. Of course, this is born out of a community maintenance enforcement action. As you're aware, there are residences nearby. It's a planned industrial area. The other option the applicant has is to conform this back to the existing zoning and fit within that.

I think that's a conversation you might need to have and see if that might be the best option.

What other requirement are they saying I'm not meeting or we're going to meet? I'm a little unclear. I've stated multiple times to Kelly that it's nothing that I will not do to rezone it. They actually are the ones that told me To rezone my property.

They can't pick you up on the mic. All right, thank you, sir.

The county actually told me to rezone my property. It was their recommendation to rezone it. So that's what I did. And it's nothing that we have not, what requirement have we not met to rezone? It's no fence I said I would not do. A 14-foot fence is not feasible whatsoever. There's no fence in Henrico County that's a 14-foot fence. Does anybody up here know a 14-foot fence? She tried to tell me it was required. When I put in an email, she came back and said, oh, well, it's not required, but this and that, blah, blah, blah. It took her two weeks to reply back to me. Any landscaping, I told her I would do. It's nothing that I would not do that's required in y'all's ordinance or whatever. Nothing. I've stated that many times. I'm not sure about the sanitation, the sewer pipe. That's not my department. I don't know. But it's nothing far as a design that is not in y'all's requirements or zoning. So I'm a little confused. It's like I'm being spun around a ring here.

If you reverted back to the original zoning, what wouldn't you be allowed to do that you're currently doing?

Nothing. You wouldn't? Nothing. I reached out to the county before I bought the property. I paid... almost $300,000 for the property. I called the county originally. I talked to someone in zoning. I told them exactly what I was going to do. They said it was fine. I could do it. Okay. I started doing it. Six months later, I had a resident on Miller Road call and complain and said I was tracking mud down the road in front of their house. That was a lie. Never did that. And then it's just snowball effect. They said, oh, I couldn't park there. then I had meeting after meeting and I spent thousands of dollars just starting I mean time multiple years and I go to means with this dash and multiple other people multiple times they tell me that well you just need to rezone the whole property so that's what I'm doing spending more money then I come here and she's telling they would not deny it what what requirements are we not meeting that's all I'm asking What requirements am I not meeting?

All right. Can I get a little bit of clarification on the fence, just that portion of it?

Please. The screening code requires that outdoor storage be screened, must be screened, all of the materials that are within it.

For the height of the trailer?

It's the height because it's an outdoor storage use, or that's the use, and so everything that's being stored must be screened. Okay.

Did you hear what she said? Yeah, but in the ordinance it does not say that.

That's correct. It has to be screened from, it can't be visible.

They're saying that the trailers can't be visible to the road, and that's why.

By fence or by fencing and screening and landscaping? Because in the ordinance it says by fence and landscaping, y'all's ordinance. It don't say it has to be a 14th or whatever fence. Read the ordinance. It says in the ordinance, it says screening.

Mr. Blankenship, you want to step up since you're here and you're our resident code expert.

And I do have a quick question, too. What other locations has a 14-foot fence at this moment?

None. Well, I don't know. You'd have to ask. Okay. Thank you.

There are two different sections, subsections of screening, paragraph A and a paragraph B. Subsection A is the one that applies in this case. and it is headed areas to be screened by buildings or walls. Now subsection B is headed areas to be screened by walls, fences, or landscaping. And that applies to wall mounted utility and mechanical equipment or to loading docks or to stormwater retention or detention and some other uses. But outdoor storage areas as a principal use is in that subsection A, which is areas to be screened by buildings or walls. The following areas, must be screened by the principal buildings on the site or architecturally integrated building elements or opaque walls or fences of approved height design and materials compatible with the principal buildings. So if you have items six feet high that you're screening, then your fence has to be at least six feet high. If you have items eight feet high that you're screening, your fence has to be at least eight feet high. If you have 14 foot high items that you're trying to screen, unless you build a berm, you're going to be left with a tall fence. I think that's probably why I wasn't present in that meeting. Probably why the idea of a berm was raised, because if you could build a berm, uh, then that would count, you know, that would be included in that height. The items to be screened were behind that berm.

All right. Now did that include, um, landscaping or anything, trees and included with a fence?

Well, as I said, the, uh, the, Areas to be screened under subsection B includes landscaping, but the items in subsection A have to be screened by buildings or walls. So we would normally require landscaping in addition.

Yeah, you would have to have it in addition. Mr. Blankenship, the B3 portion of the property, could any of this operation be allowed in the existing B3 portion?

I'm not intimately familiar with what the use is. Under the current ordinance, the 2021 ordinance, storage of commercial truck trailers would require at least M1 zoning. Prior to September 2021, we would have allowed that use in the B3 area of this site without rezoning, but not in the A1 area of this site.

Sure. Mr. Mackey and members of the commission, I'd What I can tell you is that community maintenance, when they do enforcement work based upon complaints, they will very often advise the property owner if they're in violation to research their opportunities and or file for a rezoning on the property. That doesn't mean that it's going to work. So I'm not sure who talked to Mr. Blankenship. I don't think anybody misled him on what the code said in regards to his use. If you could provide me a name or possibly the office that gave you that information, I'd be more than happy to look into it. But I'd need a name of the individual that gave me that.

This is back in 2020. I mean, I bought the property in 2020. It was a lady I spoke to in zoning. I don't even remember her name. I can't.

Right. Well, very often it can be somebody in the program center.

Christina Dargan, maybe. Dargan, I can't. I'm not sure. I'm not 100% sure. I mean...

Right, and you do have residential uses in close proximity, which adds complexity to this, and you do have quite a bit of industrial activity, as you know, in this area, a new building in this area that is meeting all the criteria of the code.

All right. I appreciate it, Mr. Blankenship. I don't have anything else right now. If anybody has any questions or comments.

All right. Thank you. I appreciate it.

All right, let me just ask Mr. Blankenship, you willing to sit down with me and staff and see what... Sir, I'm willing to do whatever y'all, like I've told Ms.

Dash, I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to get this passed and behind me.

All right, now this is in no way a guarantee that you get a recommendation for approval, but I will have a meeting with you and staff and whoever else needs to be there and... We'll get this figured out. I really appreciate that. No problem. All right. So, Mr. Chairman, I recommend, I move that REZ-2025-102340 DRB, the third trucking LLC be deferred to the July 9th, 2026 meeting at the request of the commission. Second. Second.

All right. I have a motion by Mr. Mackey, second by Mr. Winterhall. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Thank you. You're welcome. Mr. Chairman, we now move on to the next case on your agenda, also appearing on page four. It is a provisional use permit application 2026100750, Lois Lewis Jolly, Jolly or Jolly? for White Hood and Chaco Properties, LLC. This is a request for a provisional use permit to allow an indoor event venue. It is located on Nine Mile Road, east of its intersection with New Bridge Road. The 2026 comprehensive plan recommends commercial concentration. The site is located in Enterprise Zone, an airport safety overlay district. The staff report will be presented by Ms. Molly Mallow.

Hi, Ms. Mallow. How are you?

Doing well. How are you, Mr. Chairman?

Doing well. All right. I want to just state, anybody wishing to speak to this case, I see you already at the podium. Do we have anyone on WebEx?

Mr. Chairman, there is no one on WebEx for this case.

All right. For the person at the podium, please state your name, address, and you can proceed.

My name is Shalita Washington. Um, Lois is my sister, so I don't reside in Henrico County, but I'm here in support of her and to speak on her behalf. Um, thank you everyone.

Oh, no, it's not your turn.

Yeah. So we need to hear the case. I'm sorry about that. All right. And then you'll be able to speak after Ms. Mallow presents.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Commission. As mentioned, this is a request for an indoor event venue in attendance space of the New Bridge Square Shopping Center. The existing business, Occasions 2, has been operating since 2024, and this provisional use permit would bring the use into compliance with the zoning ordinance. The site is owned B1 Business District, which requires a provisional use permit for the proposed indoor recreation uses. Surrounding uses include the Coventry and New Bridge Square Apartments, the New Bridge Learning Center, and other tenants in the shopping center, including Food Lion. Shown here is a layout of the interior of the tenant space. The business hosts private events such as weddings, funerals, and baby showers, and can be reserved from 8 a.m. to midnight every day of the week. Business hosts an average of 12 events per month and no food preparation is done on site. No exterior building modifications are proposed with this request. The 2026 Comprehensive Plan recommends commercial concentration for the subject site. Although the proposed use would be generally consistent with this designation and the site's location within the Enterprise Zone, following the distribution of the staff report, Henrico Police notified staff of recent calls for service at the property and within the parking lot which have resulted in them rescinding their positive recommendation of this application. Based on this updated information from police, staff is no longer supportive of this request. However, if the Planning Commission deems this request suitable, staff recommends the conditions outlined in Section 5 of the staff report. This concludes my presentation. I would be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Mrs. Malo. Anyone have any questions?

Well, I'll wait until the officers come and speak to it, and we'll all hear it together. All right. They sent me an email with the incidents and everything. There's no need. I'll just wait until they come up.

All right.

Thank you. Let me go hear from the officers first. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. How you doing, sir? If you wouldn't mind just giving us like a brief overview of the cause and incidents that you had to respond to.

Yes, sir.

Kind of give us a little bit of understanding.

Sure. My name is Billy Moffitt. I'm the crime prevention and planning unit manager within RICO police. I'll go in chronological order starting at the beginning of April when this property came back on our radar. We understand the property has been in operation since 2017 So we did full calls. We did some more research and went back to 2017 So we pulled that as well and I have that if you'd like to hear that On April 3rd at 1149 p.m Multiple calls for service came in in reference to a gathering of approximately 50 individuals in the parking lot that attended a club next to the Food Lion. Nine officers arrived, and the individuals indicated they had been drinking, and a fight ensued, but was broken up before the officers' arrival. When you say the club, you're talking about this specific... That's how these individuals referenced occasions, too.

All right.

Yeah. On April 4th, At 7.41 p.m., a caller advised of approximately 100 juveniles from the subject business in the parking lot were trying to instigate a fight. Officer responded, did not see a fight, but stayed in the parking lot due to the large crowd. There were four total calls on April 4th, with loud screaming from the background. Calls for service came from the food line, indicating the customers of the subject business were impacting adjacent businesses at that point. On May 3rd, at 1.19 a.m., officers were called to the subject property in reference to a large party in this subject business. The caller noted that a group of individuals were in the parking lot, noted they were going to start shooting partygoers when they were leaving the business. On May 9th, at 11.01 p.m., officers responded to a call for service regarding a loud party going on. in the business next to the Food Lion, which is the subject business. On May 10th at 1257, 12 officers responded to the parking lot in reference to a shooting in progress. Four gunshots, we were told, occurred amid a crowd of hundreds of people. Once on scene, the officers began to canvass the parking lot for victims, suspects, property damage, weapons, Evidence of the shooting from 12.57 a.m. to 1.28 a.m. Additional callers in the area advised of a large group of juveniles running up Barker Avenue and heard five to six more gunshots off in the distance. The most intense call that we had occurred on May 29th between 10.25 p.m. and the last call came in at 12.31 a.m. on the 30th. 27 officers responded to 6017 Nine Mile Road, reference a disorderly situation and underage drinking. Upon arrival, the listed address bearing the company name Party Box had a club going on inside. This is direct notes from the police report. With over 100 people outside waiting in line, armed security manning the doors the officer made contact with the person who said he is the individual responsible for managing the club officers had to maintain high visibility patrol of the event in order to control the groups that began to become disorderly this resulted in fights taking place in the between folks in the line and officers had to insert themselves for the criminal behavior It had been made aware to the officers currently on scene that this establishment had been causing problems from the previous weekend, the May 10th shots fired, and the event may be housing more individuals than the building may be permitted to house. Officers remained on the scene while the establishment officers worked to close the establishment down for that night after all of that occurred. On May 30th at 12.31 a.m., Officers arrived in reference to an assault that took place. Hundreds of individuals were noted by the officer leaving the business. That's all I have leading up to this date. I do not. when that was noted in these reports many times the officers arrived and saw people leaving on foot the largest one occurred on May 29th May 29th and spilled over to Saturday the 30th I'm thinking high school graduation

All right, thank you, Mr. Moffitt. I appreciate it.

Did anybody else have any?

I'll hear from the applicant.

Good evening, Mr. Chairman, the Commission, to everybody present. My name is Lois Louis Jolly of 6015 Nine Mile Road. I have been a resident of Henrico County for over 30 years. I am the founder and CEO of Jolly Inc., an event planning and decorating service doing business as Balloons and Things, Occasions Event Hall, and Occasions II, which has been servicing Richmond and Henrico and all other surrounding counties for the last 19 years. Our main location is located at 1108 East Nine Mile Road. In 2017, I opted to lease the space at New Bridge Shopping Center to serve as a storage and partially as an alternative affordable option for gathering space where we allow residents to host their most memorable moments of their lives, such as birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, anniversaries, et cetera. I am a former foster parent and current adoptive parent through Henrico County. So bridging community has been my life's calling. We have been hosting community events for many years. Just yesterday, we hosted Food Truck Wednesday by bringing various small businesses, food truck vendors to our location to give Highland Springs and Sandston residents more food options at least once a week in an area that is considered a food desert. This space is not only commissioned for profitable business, but we also intentionally donated to serve as a community resource center by partnering with a nonprofit called Divine Inspirations Family Network. Our continuous mission for Occasions II is to be a facility that celebrates life's important milestones and achievements while servicing the community through outreach. We are also a huge bridge for the bored teenagers of the area by providing a safe space, workforce skills, and community service. We have already been doing this for the last nine years, and I'm asking that you be in favor of us to continue doing so by approving the provisional use permit. We have reviewed and made improvements and adjustments that were suggested to provide a safe environment for our clients, neighbors, and community. Thank you. I just want to address the officer's reports really quickly. All of those dates that I can recall were prom season. Henrico County, especially the East End, does not have a place where the youth can express themselves, where they can celebrate their achievements. They don't have anything. So we have provided a space, a safe space. Inside of our facility, we can control our space. Outside of our facility, we cannot. Unfortunately, when these children come to us, they can come how they come, how their parents send them or how their parents don't even know that they're doing. Some of them come intoxicated. We won't allow them in. Some of them come, you know, smelling like weed. We won't allow them in. When you see the lodge cries outside, it's because we won't allow them in. Okay? If we host an event for the teens, we are heavily secure with security. We make them hire, you know, at least eight security guards every single time. So when these incidents are happening, it's usually on the exit of the building. And at that point, we can only control them but so much. Police get called. We are cooperative every time. I've been in business for 20 years almost. Most of these people have known me. Most of them have. I've serviced their children from babies. So I'm asking that you continue to review this and allow for us to provide these services not only to the children but to the adults that we service. I mean, we service everybody. I'm in the community. Everybody in the East End pretty much knows me. So thank you. All right.

Um, Ms. Ms. Jolly, what's, what's the maximum occupancy of your location of your building?

Hey, Michael County deemed it, um, 150. However, it has been under review because of this provisional permit. So it's kind of like in the air. So we, we keep ours at a hundred. We don't let anybody else in past a hundred.

All right. Well, but what I mean, but current, well, whatever you're operating on it now, it's a hundred.

Okay. A hundred. but the building can hold 150 as per Henrico County, but we keep it as 100 because it's a two-fold building. So the building has two sections to it. So we just try to keep it organized.

And what type of events are you planning on doing there?

So we do all types of events. We do baby showers. We do birthdays. We do anniversaries. We do weddings. We do wedding receptions. We host, you know, repasses. We do all types of events.

All right. Had you seen the list of conditions that you would have to agree to to get to support?

Yes, I just got that information on Tuesday. And so we have been working to make the changes and the improvements as required.

All right. So, Mr. Emerson, this is my first time going through a situation like this. If they agree to all of those, is that like a contract and they sign it or? or they just orally agree to it and we have it on record, and if they violate it, then the permit gets pulled?

No, they are actually requirements, and if they violate it, you have to have, if the board approves it, then there has to be basically a recall and a rehearing to revoke the permit normally. Unless we put some sort of condition on it, which I don't think this has, that has an expiration date and they have to come back, We have done that in the past as well. Say it's good for 12 months or 36 months, and then they have to return, and if there isn't a clean record, then you just don't reissue it. So you could put a 12-month requirement on it that it return to you. That's a pretty quick turnover. This information was provided, as you know, after the report was issued. If you wanted to, you might consider deferring it to look at the concerns a little closer and look at the conditions, and we could talk some more about how you could possibly craft the conditions to be more acceptable to you.

Ms. Jolly, if one of the conditions was it would expire in 12 months, you have to come back and we'd look into it again. Would you be willing to agree to that?

I would be able to agree to that. I would not like that because... Well, I understand that.

I mean, we don't like a lot of the stuff that's going on out there, and we have to do something to clean it up. I mean, it's just that simple.

I understand. I mean, I will say this. I mean, as you know, we've been in business since 2017. We haven't had these calls, so this was just the first year that we've tried to service the teenagers of the area, and we were learning.

You know what they say. Times change. People change, and we have to do our due diligence to change along with them.

So we may not do that next year for prom season. You know what I mean? I understand. We're just trying to figure it out and still service the community how we have always serviced the community.

The minimum would be you would have to agree to all these guidelines that the county laid out as well as the 12-month renewal to come back before the commission.

Okay. Can we pass out also? We have created a plan of action, so we just want to – do you mind? Sure. I don't mind. Okay. And is it okay for my constituents to go ahead and speak?

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Shauntee Powell. I am the founder and director of the Round Expositions Family Network. I'm here today speaking on behalf of our community partnership with Jolly Inc. and owner Louis Jolly. who has generously allowed us to use this space to serve the community. Ms. Jolly has donated this building space because she believes in the importance of supporting families and creating opportunities for positive community impact. Through this partnership, Divine Inspirations has been able to provide resources, distributions, community events, and access to wraparound services that support individuals and families. Our mission is to strengthen the community by creating opportunities for families to connect, access resources and participate in positive activities. Having a consistent space allows us to serve residents in a more organized, effective and meaningful way. The reason we are requesting this provisional use permit is so that we can continue using this space in alignment with county requirements and provide a structured location for community programming and recreational activities. This space is more than a building. It is a place where families can receive support where residents can connect and where positive opportunities can be created. Partnerships like this help bring resources directly into the community and create a foundation for continued growth and engagement. We respectfully ask for your support in allowing this permit to move forward. We are committed to being a responsible community partner and continuing to provide services that benefit the community. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you.

Hello again. My name is Shalita Washington. Like I said, I am the sister of Lois Jolly. I would like to say, first, thank you all for your time. Occasions 2 is an established event venue located in the New Bridge Square Shopping Center that serves families, churches, schools, nonprofits, businesses, and community groups throughout Henrico County. The venue hosts weddings, graduations, repasts, school sponsor functions, community meetings, and other events that bring people together. This request is not for a new business or a major expansion. It is a request to bring an existing operation into compliance with the county's zoning requirements so that it can continue to service the community. We understand concerns have been raised regarding incidents that occurred after certain events concluded. Those concerns have been taken seriously. And in response, the applicant has worked collaboratively with the county staff and Henrico County Police Division to help develop a comprehensive CPTED plan that includes surveillance cameras, lighting improvements, employee training, incident documentation, event closing procedures, trespassing enforcement, and ongoing coordination with law enforcement. That plan you have in your hands right now. The applicant welcomes these conditions and is committed to operating responsibly while being a good neighbor to surrounding businesses and residents. The vast majority of events held at Occasions 2 are positive community gatherings that celebrate milestones, strengthen families, support students, and bring residents together. On behalf of the applicant, I respectfully ask that your support of this application and the opportunity for Occasions 2 to continue serving Henrico County under the conditions recommended by the planning staff and the Henrico County Police Division. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms. Washington. I appreciate each of you for sharing. I just want to kind of speak to this because I'm familiar with the area as a father of two past Highland Springs graduates. I'm familiar with the area. And a lot of what you have listed here in regards to the weddings, the baby showers, birthday parties, graduations, religious events, all of that, I understand. What may need to be in my main concern is the night element of the events that take place that attract a certain element of young folks who right now are displaying that they lack the discipline to enjoy an event at an hour. And it's sad to say, because I was a young person too, and I wanted somewhere that I could release and enjoy myself and dance and have a good time. But at the same time, as a parent, the safety of those young folks, and as you admitted, The inability to control that element outside of your venue is what gives me pause and concern where Henrico has to be involved when you don't really want them to have to be involved. You know, you want folks to have a good time, go home safe. And I think that's every parent's and guardian's desire. So I would say that seriously give real consideration to vetting the type of event and the hours of that type of event that will draw people who might have an undesirable or their own, you know, whatever. And you know where I'm going with that. So, you know, that's just my point to it because, like I said, I'm vested in the community. I don't live but so far from there. And, you know, I just would not like to see my kids or anyone else's kids in the community in an unsafe setting where Henrico will have to be involved and people's lives will change forever over rash decisions and unruly behavior. So that's just my opinion.

Thank you for that, Mr. Chairman. And I echo a lot of that. Full transparency, I mean, up until just a couple of days ago, we were, at least I was on board with this. Police was on board, staff was on board, and then we got this new information. We have to take it seriously. I do need more time to look over what you gave me, see if it meets the criteria of the type of safety that we're looking for. We don't want to shut people's businesses down or anything like that. We want to give you the opportunity to earn a living just like everyone else, but we have to have safety at the forefront of everything that we do, point blank and period. end of conversation. So having said that, Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that PUP 2026-100750 Whitehead and Chico, is that correct? Chaco, I apologize. Properties LLC be deferred to the July 9th, 2026 meeting at the request of the commission. That'll give me time. We'll be in contact with you. Give us time to go over this. You also have a little more time to look over what they gave you. And, and I'm, I'm putting the stipulation of the 12 month. I will be putting that on. If, if we recommend approval, the 12 month, you have to come back and, you know, we reevaluated and see how everything's going.

Okay.

Second.

I have a motion by Mr. Mackey, second by Mr. Winterhall. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Mr. Chairman, moving on to the next item on the agenda is the consideration of the approval of your minutes from your regular meeting and work session on May 14th, 2026. You do have an errata sheet. We either have or we will be making those changes. with your concurrence and, of course, any other changes and or corrections that you or the Commission see fit, we will be happy to make. I move they be approved. Second.

All right. Motion by Mr. Shippey. Second by Mr. Mackey. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Mr. Chairman, I have nothing further for the Commission this evening.

All minds are clear. Meeting adjourned.