River Road projects approved
Spotsylvania supervisors approve rezoning for assisted-living center, new housing
BY DAN TELVOCK
Date published: 11/11/2009
BY DAN TELVOCK
Spotsylvania supervisors last night unanimously approved 63 housing units and a 90-bed assisted-living facility on the scenic byway River Road.
Chris Stacey won approval of his rezoning for 18.6 acres on the south side of River Road, less than a half-mile from its intersection with Bragg Road. HH Hunt will build the assisted-living facility. Stacey said he will build 33 single-family units and 30 age-restricted townhomes.
This is the third time HH Hunt has been involved with a rezoning for an assisted-living facility on River Road. Supervisors denied a much-denser project a little west of this land in 2006, saying it wasn't the right location. HH Hunt sued the county over the decision, but dropped the lawsuit this summer.
Nineteen residents spoke, with three against the project. Those three people urged supervisors to protect River Road from further development.
"Good project, bad location. How many times do we have to keep saying this?" said Rita Van Arstel, who has lived on River Road for 22 years.
The land was zoned residential, and Stacey could have built nine homes without county approval.
To offset the effect his development will have on county services, he will give the county $957,405 in cash, $50,000 for fire and rescue and $185,000 in transportation improvements. He will build a taper lane for right turns onto River Road and a left-turn lane off River Road into the development.
The other 16 speakers said the county needs an assisted-living facility because the last one was built almost 14 years ago.
Garnett Campbell, who had owned one of these tracts, said Stacey's project is much less intrusive than the original proposal from HH Hunt that requested hundreds of new homes.
Supervisor Jerry Logan, who lives on River Road, said the board has made the effort to save River Road, including making it a scenic byway in 1997.
"This is not a threat to River Road," Logan said. "This is a good transition from the Walmarts and the heavy stuff in Central Park and the heavy density in the city."
Supervisors tabled a second rezoning for 127 housing units off Hudgins Road. The Hicks family wants to develop the 48-acre family farm.
Supervisor Benjamin Pitts, whose district the project is in, asked it to be tabled until the Dec. 8 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438 Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com
Date published: 11/11/2009
Most recent reader comments:
man...
(posted by
pensfan71
, Nov. 11, 2009 10:48 am)  
spotsy needs to stop. there's plenty of other land to develop, leave this road alone. more parking lot runoff into the river, more traffic on an already dangerous road, and this will destroy the scenery as you head downhill toward the river. pointless
|