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Medium-density housing like this is envisioned for the 1,059-acre Carmel Church tract. |
A1,059-ACRE TRACT of mostly undeveloped land at Carmel Church could become a vibrant, mixed-use development anchored by a commuter rail station.
Key features would include office and industrial space, residential neighborhoods, a big-box center and a park. Land also would be set aside as possible sites for a library,
Owners Tommy and Litton Thompson, who are brothers and business partners, have submitted a request to Caroline County to rezone the property for planned mixed-use development. They hope it will come before the Planning Commission in a few months.
"It's certainly an exciting project in an amazing, unique location right in the center of the Golden Crescent [which stretches from Northern Virginia down Interstate 95 to Richmond and then east on Interstate 64 to Hampton Roads], and has amazing possibilities," said Tommy Thompson, who owns Virginia Land Investments in Richmond with his brother.
The Thompsons bought the land, which lies mainly in the area bounded by I-95, U.S. 1, State Route 207 and the North Anna River, about seven years ago as an investment.
"It was [about] 1,000 acres of industrial land with four miles of I-95 frontage and rail going through it," said Thompson. "We didn't have any idea of the potential for it."
Caroline County officials, however, had identified the land as a prime site for a train station and approached the brothers about developing it. Reedy Church District Supervisor Maxie Rozell also put together a subarea planning commission to decide what should happen in Carmel Church, one of the county's three primary growth areas.
"Caroline County is really interested in preserving its rural areas, and wanted to adopt a smart-growth policy in a growth area," Thompson said. "We worked with them to come up with a new-urbanist, high-density plan. We thought it was just an exciting vision for what could happen to the land."
The Thompsons hired Dan Sloan, a McGuireWoods lawyer and national counsel for the U.S. Green Building Council, to help draw up the plans for a sustainable development they're calling Carmel Church Station.
As they began working on the project, the county got
According to a 2008 VDRP study, the Carmel Church Station site plan indicates build-out of 636,500 square feet of office space, which
"While this could be viewed as somewhat aggressive, it may be supported by attracting commercial tenants that rely on travel to the Washington, D.C., and/or Richmond areas, which would be easily accommodated by the enhanced Amtrak service," the study said.
There were 67 retail establishments in Caroline in 2005, and 39 had only one
"This causes county shoppers to travel to Fredericksburg and Richmond for a variety of shopping needs," the study said. "The retail build-out associated with the Carmel Church site plan may reflect the reality of bringing more and varied shopping opportunities to a vastly underserved market."
And the site plan indicates build-out of 2,935 residential units, mainly apartments, condos and townhouses. They would total 3,249,500 square feet, which is about 67 percent of the total projected for the county.
"They have several other projects in the Carmel Church area that are oriented toward single families," Thompson said. "We don't feel that this project will compete with, but will complement, Ladysmith Village and Pendleton."
The VDRP study estimates that construction of Carmel Church will create an average of more than 500 jobs per year during the assumed period of construction between 2013 and 2030, and generate about $78 million in property taxes during that time. That's about 70 percent of the property taxes projected for Caroline from new development in those years.
The Thompsons, whose main business is a video-production company, plan
"It's a projected $2 billion investment over the life of the project," Tommy Thompson said, "and allows the county to preserve its rural nature by concentrating growth in one area and bringing rail to the county, which will provide a whole 'nother boost to the development of the county."
Cathy Jett: 540/374-5407
Email: cjett@freelancestar.com
