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| Coming to Ashland Road? |
At its July
7 meeting, the Goochland Planning Commission recommended approval of an application
to rezone approximately 105 acres on the west side of Ashland Road, north of
Interstate 64, from A-2 agricultural, to M-2 industrial general by a 3-2 vote. Commissioners
Matt Brewer District 2 and Tom Rockecharlie District 5 were in dissent. A
companion application for a conditional use permit to allow a structure of up
to 120 feet in height, was unanimously recommended for approval.
Dubbed “Project
Rocky,” the land use change applications were filed under the cryptic name of PDC
TN/FL LPIV, LLC. Andy Condlin, the attorney speaking on behalf of the project,
said that the LLC is a subsidiary of the Pannatoni Development Corporation,
which is an industrial construction firm.
Condlin
said that buildings would occupy 60 of the 105-acre site. He said a great deal
of attention has been spent on landscaping and buffering to minimize the visual
impact of the facility. Project Rocky is a midstream e commerce facility.
Products arrive at the site for sorting and repackaging, then transported to
last mile warehouses to be transferred to smaller customer delivery trucks. He explained
that the cryptic end user would have control over employees. The facility will
operate 24/7. A similar warehouse is being built near Richmond Raceway. The ability
to control truck delivery times—expected to be between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.— will minimize impact of traffic.
The property
under consideration is in an area designated “flexible” by the county
comprehensive land use plan. Ashland Road
north of I64 has been an industrial corridor for some time. It is home to three
rock quarries, an asphalt plant, a variety of industrial users, and the 623
Landfill, which accepts construction and other non-hazardous waste. Construction
of the facility will relocate the entrance to the Luck Stone Quarry on the east
side of Ashland Road to align with the sole access point to the Project Rocky site
and signalizing that intersection.
Project
Rocky, whose end user has not been publicly identified, will consist of a 650,000
square foot building up to 120 feet—not counting an additional perhaps six-foot
roof parapet—55 loading docks; parking slots for 414 tractor trailers, and 1,720
employee parking spaces. The structure will be highly roboticized so that most
employees will work on the lower level of the structure. Most traffic generated
by the project would be between the site and I64, approximately ½ mile to the
south.
Deputy County Administrator for Community Development Jo Ann Hunter said,
in response to questions about fighting fires in the building, which will be
higher than the 100-foot reach of the county’s ladder trucks, that blazes would
be considered a high-rise fire. Condlin said that innovative fire suppression systems
will be installed during construction and that the applicant is already working
closely with county fire-rescue officials during design and construction. He reiterated
at the upper levels will be occupied by robots.
As the function
of the Planning Commission is to review petitions for land use changes and make
recommendations as to the appropriateness of the intended use, the July 7
meeting glossed over the economic impact of the proposed facility. Monetary investment
in the county and the Tuckahoe Creek Service District (TCSD) were mentioned in
passing.
According
to information available on the county website, the project represents an
investment in Goochland of more than $500 million. The land in question is not
currently in the TCSD but has applied for admission. It is projected to add
approximately 1,000 jobs to the county’s employment base. There was no mention
of any incentives offered by Goochland to the applicant.
This application
represents a significant investment in the county, which would increase the
commercial tax base, relieving some of the burden from residential property
owners. It could also speed retirement of the TCSD debt.
What’s not to love? A pterodactyl-sized
fly in the otherwise attractive ointment is traffic. Ashland Road, especially
between Broad Street Road and its intersection with Pouncey Tract Road, which
is in Hanover County, is already congested with dump trucks, tractor trailers,
and general traffic.
Hunter presented the application
and said that she travels through the area daily. If completed as proposed, the
diverging diamond on the existing two-lane bridge would keep the congestion at its
current dreadful level, with the addition of Project Rocky traffic.
The county, said Hunter, is meeting
with VDOT on Monday, July 11 for discussions on the project. Adding a second
bridge and two travel lanes to the I64/Ashland Road interchange with a
diverging diamond would raise the level of service, currently rated D, to a B. Hunter said that the $17 million cost of the two-lane
diverging diamond on the existing bridge is fully funded. The cost of the second
bridge was estimated at $28 million. When asked about the possibility of
getting a second bridge over I64, Hunter said that sometimes “you have to have it
bad before you can get better.” The LOS (level of service, VDOTese for congestion. A is best.) at the I64 interchange is currently “failing”
at morning and afternoon peak traffic hours.
The traffic study is still undergoing VDOT review, said Hunter. No reasons for presenting the applications before the transportation aspects had been fully reviewed was given.
Residents of Parkside
Village, a 55 plus community near the intersection of Ashland and Pouncey Tract
Roads, filled the board room and strenuously objected to the proposal.
They contended that the additional
traffic would exacerbate already serious congestion at the intersection of Ashland
and Pouncy Tract Roads, which is in Hanover County. The project would worsen the use of Parkside Village
streets as a “cut through” to avoid the congested intersection. They expressed
serious concerns about the ability of Goochland EMS from Centerville to respond
to calls in Parkside Village in a timely manner, which is already a concern. One
gentleman, who recovered from a serious medical condition, told the
commissioners that if Project Rocky is approved, he will try to have medical emergencies
only between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m..
Parkside Village residents were
skeptical of the applicant’s contention that no employees would travel north of
the site, contending that those who could afford to work for the wages offered at
Project Rocky, could not afford to live nearby. One speaker mentioned that peak traffic back-up
on the I64 exit ramps will get worse with the addition of Project Rocky.
Final
approval is up to the Board of Supervisors, which is expected to hold its
public hearing on Project Rocky at its August 2 meeting.
11 comments:
"Project Rocky, whose end user has not been publicly identified"
How is this remotely acceptable?
"It is projected to add approximately 1,000 jobs to the county’s employment base."
It will not. Every time there is a business proposal in Goochland they roll out these bogus numbers. The majority of these people will come from Henrico, Richmond, and Chesterfield.
"the I64 interchange is currently “failing” at morning and afternoon peak traffic hours...One speaker mentioned that peak traffic back-up on the I64 exit ramps will get worse with the addition of Project Rocky."
Yep.
Dumb to approve given traffic concerns. But we should expect nothing less. I will avoid that intersection at all costs which means having to avoid all of the businesses in that area too.
More needs to be looked into around this. It has very much been done in the dark. The transparency on this proposed project has not been there. The application should have had a clearer name associated with it "AMAZON." We require more details for building 20 homes - meanwhile this will have a huge impact beyond any subdivision being built. This has not been a forthright process in using vague names of applicants and code names, with no mention of Amazon or anything else.
At this point everyone knows it is Amazon- but does the user really matter?
Great article as it captures much of the inanity around the application approval. The District commissioners who approved the application did so without disclosure of the end user, acceptance of a “promise” there will be no traffic from the distribution center between 4AM and 8 PM, a lack of an economic impact study, incomplete traffic study as it neglected volume from Hanover and Henrico counties (plus volume headed north and west to I-95), recognition that road enhancements (TBD) would likely be implemented after construction of the facility (prime example of horse before the cart), no estimate of tax revenue and potential usage and admittance jobs would be filled by citizens of neighboring counties. It is unfortunate that Deputy Hunter and other officials are not familiar with the term-due diligence.
why the rush to push this through?? the I-64 interchange is already failing and there is no question that the additional e-commerce trucks and employee vehicles will render Ashland Road unusable for current businesses and travelers. let’s get the road issues resolved before we go any further.
There are so many problems associated with this proposed development, I’m not quite sure where to begin…
We’re “assuming” it’s Amazon, but we can’t be sure, why the secrecy of the end user?
The tractor trailer traffic is one thing, what about those 1,720 employee vehicles coming and going to work (in shifts) on a road already insufficient for the current traffic on it? Sounds like the roadwork improvement won’t be finished until well after the distribution center would be up and running. Guess those warehouse employees (and the rest of us) better add an extra 30 minutes to their travel time to get to and from work!
I am deeply concerned for those of us living off of this Ashland Road corridor, what happens when we need an ambulance or firetruck? While they’re trying to navigate through the expected additional traffic, it could cost a life or a home(s).
I personally do NOT support “Project Rocky”, we need to stop this project NOW before more time and money is wasted!
This will be a disaster for people who live in Hanover, myself included, who have to go to work using that exit. I have sat waiting to get onto the interstate for 15 minutes when it’s all backed up for a mile. No one in Goochland county will be affected by this, yet they’re the ones profiting. This all boils down to greed.
Amazon has been circling this area for 5+ years. The fact that they decided to land in Goochland should be looked at as a blessing as this will provide MUCH needed revenue to the TCSD as well as the overall tax base. While the traffic impacts should not be minimized, if the deal landed just across the County line you would still be dealing with the traffic and not be getting the financial benefit. Way to go Goochland, this is a big win for the County! - Matt Ryan
When is this all supposed to start if approved
A big win for the county and a huge loss for those that live around the proposed project. If the county is short of funds, do what everybody else does, raise the tax. All this does is cover up fiscal irresponsibility.
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