Signs or presentations.
You certainly can have a printed presentation and that
to Dr. Brown here at the end and the board
will receive that and ensure that it is in the public record,
you don't have to fill out a card,
but a card does help us get specific information
from a district back to a constituent
or citizen who wishes to speak.
Is there anyone here wishes to speak at citizens time
by a show of hands?
1 to 3.
And what else?
OK You have Five minutes each saying that to five minutes.
Please come forward State your name.
Your name.
The district that you live or the entity that you represent
Thank you for being with us State amy Mendelson
Chili from South Anna.
I had a couple of things.
I think I can check.
One thing off.
Thank you But I have I just happen to look at this.
And there are six rezoning cases and that usually
involves just a single person and having to have a community
meeting and have rezonings.
And for ideas or for proffers And we still have by right
data centers in Hanover.
So in other words, these people have
had to put in months of time to get their lot
for their grandmother but yet we still have
my right without any scrutiny.
So I'd like to for you all to consider getting rid of that.
And then also Appreciate the opportunity
at the Community development committee meetings
to hear what's going on.
But I did notice for the presentation
that Jay presentation it just seems like it's old information
when I Googled it or when I've read it in the past,
a lot of the information that you're hearing
is between 10 and 7 years old or ten and three years old.
And so just to consider maybe other sources,
maybe other legislative reports from other states
might feel authoritative and give you some more information
to make decisions for the new.
Parameters around data centers Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Next speaker, please.
Thank you for being with us Rob Wilhoit.
Chick, how a district.
I want to lead off with tonight.
These meetings are important to me
because I'm missing the wife's birthday dinner with the family
tonight to be here in front of you all.
So don't think that I take coming up here
lightly with that being said.
The planning commission meeting last week was a mess They
voted against staff's letter.
They voted against And this is in regards to Iron Horse.
They voted against ms..
Iverson's recommendations They invoked
China into the conversation.
For God's sakes water usage was about as clear as mud.
They were.
Numbers flying all around this room last week about gallons
use this.
And it was supposed to have been a close loop system.
So what do they need all this water for?
So when this gets in front of y'all of course,
I want to say no.
But you know even though a project
checks all the boxes off, that doesn't make it a good project.
So when it comes in front of you all next month or October,
I hope you all take that in consideration kind
of on the lines with the planning commission,
a lot of them said last week and they've said it in the past,
y'all the buck stops with your so to me, why do
we need a planning commission?
We take care.
Bunch of money.
Staff could report directly to you.
All and then you all could vote from that.
Because to me if they're saying, Well,
y'all are political, which you shouldn't be
this isn't a politics.
It's zoning But if they're going to take that attitude
maybe we don't need them.
Now, that's a pipe dream.
So I. Recommendation is when each one of y'all come up
for reelection and you all should inform the general public
as to who you're going to pick for the planning Commission
because it's like the election for President Vice president
Both can run things, but you need to know where they stand
before they put it into office because we can't get
rid of the Planning Commission.
The only way we can do that is.
Is change all.
And I'm pretty happy with the board.
So just some things to consider.
This was going long.
One of the other cases night, I'll
be brief Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Mr..
Wilhoit.
Next speaker, please Thank you for being with us Good evening,
Mark Turner, Beaver damnedest trick Thanks for the time
this evening, and thank you for creating the Community
Development Committee that studying data center
and the future I would have liked to have seen as I said
last week that two years ago, I think it would have been very
helpful for you folks and the citizens of Hanover to have
done that study Two years ago.
Lot of things were hidden at that time.
A lot of things are now discovered
and you're still discovering it.
And I hope you continue If there's anything
I can do personally to help you with that effort,
I'll be glad to do so Now to the other meeting that took place
last week which was already referenced
was the Planning Commission.
Passage of the trade port moving forward to you folks Trade port
Hanover as i think a lot of you know,
I've been dealing with this for over Four years now.
Originally and still commercial and now data
center for the last Two and a half years.
I'm disappointed in the vote, but I'm also disappointed
in the way it was handled.
The meeting was handled by the commissioners first,
only two commissioners, Emily acknowledged
the effort that you folks are doing on the data center study.
The other five didn't even mention it.
I thought that was a little weird Second, that also use
the excuse of moving forward with data centers,
not just trade Port Hanover, but data centers because it seemed
like it was their job to support the country in defeating China.
On AI and technology.
3 of the commissioners actually said
that in their in their talk, I think they were appointed
to serve the people of Hanover County not the country
fighting China And that was very well pointed
out in their discussion.
I think it's wrong Third, and I know i probably beat this
to horse to death, but I believe that the planning commission
accept the as fact, the threats that the developer
West bellows is still using about developing this.
If the data centers turn down East Ashland
I think you're planning director.
Director of Planning gave a position paper
to the attorney that said it can't be automatically
developed by right East Ashland concept
and for a lot of good reasons.
I read that letter again this evening
corresponded with Joanna's as well, and tried to clarify that.
But based on everything I've heard and seen,
it can't be developed by.
Right.
I think it's a threat.
I think that the Planning Commission should
have stood up to that threat.
But in the end, they all voted the five
that voted for it said, well, we've
got a choice, that a center or east Ashland data center,
if actually that Believe that to be the case.
But that's exactly why they voted
for during the whole planning commission meeting
we had at least 20 speak opposed to the iron Horse project very
well spoken, very well thought out argument against We
had a few opposed during the planning commissioners summaries
before they voted, not a single person
acknowledged those 20 people that had a good argument.
They asked.
They had one person that they acknowledged and thanked,
and that was a proponent One person.
And it was very clear that that was made
for a special acknowledgment.
That person spoke up and opposed this terrible that the data
center So I consider, as I think the other gentleman said,
you have 30s in last week's hearing a joke.
And I think you need to kind of maybe
control your planning commissioner
and if not, replace them.
Thank you for your time Thank you.
Anyone further?
Anyone We will.
Now closer to the time chair recognizes Ms..
Pritchard Thank you, Mr. Chair It was brought to our attention
earlier that today marks 106 years since women got the right
to vote in the United States.
And I've been given some wonderful remarks
that I intend to read out loud.
And we will put these in the record,
you all know that the nation is celebrating our 250th
anniversary, and Hanover county has been an integral
part in our nation's history.
And women in Hanover are a valuable part of the community
in their homes, places of worship,
institutions of learning, farms, businesses and various
civic and public organizations.
And knowing the story of women in Hanover in riches,
our understanding of history and provides essential role models
for everyone and women in the United States have continuously
worked to gain full rights and responsibilities Public
or private legal or institutional as citizens
of the United States on August the 26th,
Congress designated August 26 as designated by Congress
as Women's Equality Day to commemorate the date in 1920
that the United states certified the 19th Amendment and franchise
women the right to vote has been a prerequisite
to stand for public office.
Elected office and trailblazer such as a K piece
Deborah Coats, Angela Kelly.
We speak for all of Prichard Susan P Dibble and Danielle G.
Floyd won elections to serve on the Hanover County
Board of Supervisors and the people of Hanover
elected women into constitutional offices.
With the election of Lois Boucher
not as commissioner of the Revenue in 1974
until her retirement in 1999.
And the election of Mackenzie Babbitt
simcoe to serve as the Commonwealth's attorney.
And November 20 23, the Service of these women
continues to demonstrate the meaningful contributions
possible with broader participate
nations and a government whose authority comes from the people.
It represents And.
Hanover County honors these women
and honors their lasting service and contributions.
Thank you Thank you, Miss Purchase.
Next item on the agenda is planning public hearings Board
welcomes Mr. Pompei thank you for being with us,
sir I wish state of what ?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman The first several public hearings
relate to accessory family housing
units and the first public hearing
is Four one in the Henry district.
This is a request by ms..
Rosen Brooks for an accessory family housing unit
on her property This unit will be occupied with the applicant's
adult child.
And it meets all the.
You standards for accessory family housing units.
The property itself is located on River Road just south
of here east of US route 3O1.
The property is zoned a one agricultural and within that
zoning district an accessory family housing unit requires
a special exception It is in the Kotlin Heights subdivision zone,
which was recorded in the 1960s.
So this particular lots non conforming at just over one
and One and a quarter acres Here is the existing
house on the right.
And where the, be located on the property.
On the sketch plan So you can see
the unit will be to the left of the main house
at the end of the driveway way.
And I'll show you picture of what that unit looks like.
But again, it will be on the same property behind the home
showing a driveway and it will be a two story structure with
a garage below and the unit above
It will be one bedroom, one bathroom home,
and Just over 600ft².
A community meeting was held and no citizens were in attendance
And then staff is recommending seven conditions.
Many of these conditions are comparable to what's
going to adopt with other accessory family housing units
and some are specific to the unique circumstances
of this property.
Limitations on the size, the elevations and colors,
the materials and colors must align with the primary dwelling
minimum setback of 15ft is required
from the side property line.
3 feet is the minimum The special exceptions
valid for three years or until the family member no longer
resides in the residence of the entrance
for her permits required for the second entrance.
The applicant saw the second driveway recently
in that driveway needs an additional permit and then
our standard conditions adherence
to all building inspections and health department requirements,
adherence to all applicable development regulations
That concludes staffs Presentation.
The applicants are here tonight but they
do not have a presentation planned Thank you.
You, Mr. Pompei.
Any questions from respond pack?
Very well.
Thank you.
We will now open the public hearing.
The African is here.
For the record is the applicant.
Thank you Do you have any comments, ma'am ?
That.
OK.
What's the record reflect African does not have
a presentation or any comments.
There's anyone here who wishes to speak
in favor of this application.
Anyone, Anyone in opposition See,
now we will close the public hearing.
This is in the Henry district.
I move for approval of c 2020 6-00017.
Second, we have a motion to second in discussion.
All those in favor please indicate by saying i.
I oppose motion carries.
Be well, We're frozen.
Brooks, Thank you for being here The next public hearing
is also for an accessory.
Family housing unit in the Henry district This particular one
is in the Scotts land in subdivision
And again, the applicant is requesting
a special exception to allow.
Construction of an accessory.
Family housing unit.
This particular unit will be occupied by the applicant's
parents and its design conforms to all
the use standards in the zoning ordinance for this type of unit.
The property, again, is in Scott's landing is
at the end of Scott's Landing Road The property is zoned r c
and it's about one and a half acres Here's
the sketch plan and a view of the existing house
as well as where the unit will be located.
You can see the existing house in blue on the sketch plan.
Dark green is where the unit will be located
It will be located to the side and rear of the main dwelling
and I'll show some elevations of what that will look like.
And again, I'll be at the end of the driveway
with the driveway extended to a garage that's attached
to the unit These are the elevations the one on the left
with the garage doors.
That is what will be visible from the street
And then the unit entrance will be on the side.
So the unit itself will be to the rear of the garage.
So will be seen from the street is the garage.
Then the unit will be in the rear.
And the applicant has submitted a letter
indicating that the HOA has approved
of the design of this unit.
The overall structure is shown in this floor plan.
Again the two car garage at the front and the unit
outline in red with one bedroom and one
bath room at about 900ft².
These are the staff recommending additions.
Again, these are typical for this type of use.
Five conditions total limiting the size of the unit,
requiring that the unit be constructed in accordance
with those elevations, with materials
and color similar to the main dwelling.
Valid for three years or until the family member no longer
resides in the unit.
Adherence to all building requirements.
Health department requirements and all other applicable
development regulations.
That concludes staff's presentation.
The applicants are here tonight to answer questions,
but do not have a formal presentation.
Plans Thank you, Mr. Pompei.
The applicant present Thank you Do
you have any present presentation that's to reflect?
The island does not have a presentation,
but is available to answer questions.
We're now open.
The public hearing is anyone here who wishes to speak
in favor of this application?
Anyone ?
Anyone in opposition See now this is in Henry District.
I move for approval of C 2020 6-00019.
Second, we have a motion in the second in discussion
All those in favor please indicate by saying
i i any opposed motion carries.
Mr. Pompei The next two cases also
involve an accessory dwelling accessory family housing unit
in the Beaver dam district.
This particular request involves two different applications
and they'll be a joint presentation
and a joint public hearing.
A proper amendment to allow the accessory Family housing unit
as well as the special exception itself The applicant is
requesting permission to build an accessory family housing unit
that will be occupied by the owner's parents The design
of the unit and location conforms with all the use
standards and the zoning ordinance This particular case,
due to the proffers that were accepted in the 1980s when
the subdivision was originally rezoning and the proffers
must be amended.
And then there's that special exception request for
the accessory family housing.
The property is zoned R one, and in that zoning district,
a special exception is required The property is
outside the suburban service area and an area designated
rural agricultural and again, the North Oaks Subdivision
except for the lots that front on Mount Hermon Road
itself is zoned for one.
This is a view of the property.
You can see the driveway in the house to the left.
I'll show you where the units located,
but it will be located to the right of the driveway
behind those trees and there is a condition
about the trees remaining This is the sketch plan again.
The unit in red to the right of the driveway
the main house in a shed are in blue.
And then that one shared driveway
will be extended to the unit, which
will have a garage in the rear So the front elevation
actually faces the house.
It'll be a one story structure with a unit
closer to the road in the garage, in the rear.
What you will see from North oaks Drive
is that top elevations will appear like an outbuilding.
And these are the plans The right will be the wall facing
the street with the unit closest to the street, one bedroom,
two bathrooms, approximately 645ft²,
and then a garage in the rear The proffer amendments required
because the proffers that were approved in the 1980s said that
no outbuilding may be used as a residence as well as some other
different features that cannot be used for residential purposes
This is currently an ordinance requirement
already restricted by the current zoning requirements.
So there across that out.
So that they can request the special exception
and then living in a trailer camper
tent basement will already be prohibited because that's
prohibited by the zoning ordinance that's currently
in effect The Planning Commission reviewed
the proper amendment and recommended
approval to a vote of 7 to 0.
No members of the public spoke during the public hearing.
Again, all the proffers will remain the same
except for the First part of Proffer three
that will be eliminated And then there
are six recommended conditions These are very similar to those
that have been accepted with other cases and the cases
you review previously tonight, limiting
the size of the structure, the elevations and colors
must align with the main building or outbuildings
in the property.
So it looks like an outbuilding preserving trees.
The sketch plan showed that area of the disturbance
the trees outside that area of disturbance must remain.
This is valid for three years until the family member no
longer resides with the unit.
And that here install building inspections requirements, health
department regulations and all other applicable regulations
That concludes staff's presentation.
I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have
any questions for mr. Pompei.
Seeing none.
Thank you So what we're going to do,
ladies and gentlemen, is we're going
to combine the public hearing for the rezoning
and the special exception What that means is that if there's
anyone here to speak in favor or in opposition
to either the special exception or the rezoning
they can do that during one public hearing.
But it will by law require a separate vote for each
of these proposals Mr..
And or Mrs. Martin here.
Mr..
Ms..
Martin okay sir, do you have a presentation for me?
I I just show up.
But All right.
Let the record reflect the African
does not have a presentation.
But is available for questions Mr..
Lipper Yeah.
Mr..
Where's Mr. Oliver Oh, let's see.
I didn't see that OK.
Mike.
I didn't see where i.
All right, so, Mr. Lepper you're here for the special exception
The Martins are not here.
All right, let's the record reflect that neither Mr..
Ms..
Martin are here.
Mr. Lippert is present does not have a presentation.
Oh, now open the public hearing.
Is there anyone here who wishes to speak in favor?
Anyone Anyone?
Speak in opposition Anyone Mr. Lippert,
you would have 20 minutes of rebuttal.
But i can't tell you not to use it.
But I'm not quite sure what you would
rebut Thank you for being here.
Public hearing is closed.
Mr. Stoneman, This is in your district, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Chair being in the board of the beaver Dam
District the move that the Board of Supervisors has approved
are easy.
2020 6-000 21 with preference dated July 31st,
2026 Second, there's a motion in a second on a rezoning.
Is there any discussion?
All those in favor please indicate
by saying I. I oppose motion carries Next item
Vice-Chair Stoneman Mr. Chair.
Thank you I may move that board supervisors Approved S.C.
2020 6-00010 with conditions We have a motion.
Is there a second motion and a second?
Any discussion ?
All those in favor, Please indicate by saying I.
I any opposition motion passes.
Thank you for being with us, Mr. Palm.
Pay the next planning public hearing
is requesting the Cold Harbor district three zone
ten acres from a 1 2 R six.
The property is currently ten acres and zoned a one.
That's the minimum area within the A1 zoning district
with the minimum lot size that's permitted The applicant is
interested in a boundary line adjustment,
so they are requesting rezoning to r six
to allow just under seven acres to be
transferred to an adjacent parcel in the future.
And then the existing home will remain on about three acres.
No new lots are proposed.
Again, this is to facilitate a future boundary line adjustment
The property is located outside the suburban service
area and an area designated rural agricultural just south
of Route 360.
A Again, the property itself is owned
a one and most surrounding properties
are zoned a1 Here's an overview.
The property as it exists today, there's an existing SIMO family
home off a little Florida road and then there's
a barn in the field behind the home
And this shows how the property will be divided again.
Since ten acres is the minimum lot size in a one,
a boundary adjustment can't occur without this rezoning
to allow the home to be on three acres in the front
and then that barn, which is purple on this map in the seven
acres roughly surrounding it, will be added to the parcel.
That's around it to the south and east The planning
commission held a public hearing on this request
No members of the public spoke during the public hearing,
and the Planning Commission recommended
approval with a vote of 7 to 0.
There are three different proffers
The first proffer relates to adherence
to that conceptual plan.
I showed you with lot to being required
to be deeded and combined with the adjacent parcel tree
preservation and right of way reservation on Little Florida
Road, which is standard with our six rezoning requests
That concludes staff's presentation.
I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have
any questions for Mr. Conflict.
Any questions for Mr. Pompei Mr. Herzberg
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Sir So the reason it's taken the rezoning application is taking
place tonight in the if approve of the boundary adjustment
will not take place right away.
Is that correct It'll occur later for estate planning.
The applicant has indicated that,
yes, this would occur later to accommodate estate planning.
OK So my question is mainly about the future
because we could be here 4 or 5 years from now
The the parcel with the residence on it
would be the R six.
Is that right The parcel with the residence on it
would be Six.
And then the seven acre area would also be r six.
So when it's combined with the adjacent parcel
or the new parcel will have AR6 and a one on it.
OK So the new.
So it's going to be just under the seven
acres is going to have combined with the adjacent parcel.
But it will not be a one.
Is that what you're telling me?
It's a this seven acres.
It'll be zoned r six.
OK And then per the proffers, it become bind to this parcel
that perhaps around it.
So that would mean one parcel with two
separate zoning on the parcel?
That's correct.
OK And so, um the way our r six reads now with the three
acre or the 6.9 acre be able to be divided in the future No,
with the proper condition additions,
it can't be divided unless a zoning amendment
and a proper amendment was approved by the board
of Zoning amendment.
Currently, this kennedy 6.9 acre AR6 lot be
divided again No no, not once.
It's in a subdivision So if they are six is approved,
this would be considered a subdivide
And if it's in a subdivision, it has to be at least 25 acres
to be eligible for AR6.
That is the answer to the question.
Thank you very much.
That's all i have, Mr. Chairman.
Very well.
Thank you, Mr. Herzberg.
Anything further for Mr. Pompei ?
Thank you.
You, Mr. Pompei We're now open the public hearing
Is anyone here for Ms. Kirby?
Mr. Garber here.
Anyone for a care to speak, ma'am Okay.
Well, things are going well tonight
for those who I understand Let the record reflect the applicant
is here does not have a presentation
but available to answer any questions.
Is there anyone here to speak in favor of this application Anyone
saying that anyone in opposition saying now we
will close the public hearing?
Mr. Herzberg this is in your district, sir.
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman The application fits
the area for AR6 is consistent with
the county comprehensive plan motion to approve
or easy to 026-00013.
Second, we have a motion multiple seconds motion to
properly seconded Is there any discussion?
Hearing none.
All those in favor please indicate
by saying I i any opposed motion carries the next planning public
hearing is for amendment in the South
and a district for some property along Ashland Road This is
a request to amend the proffers to relocate
an approved shared access within an existing three
lot subdivision.
There are no other changes to the proffers except for how
these lots access Ashland Road.
When the rezoning was originally approved
all three lots were required to share a 50 foot access easement
Three lots in the subdivision.
Lot two was developed in 2020 and the driveway was
built directly to ashland Road.
Outside of that easement.
Lot one is currently under construction with a house.
Instead of using the existing shared access
easement that's proffered, the applicant
is requesting that lot.
One and Lot three share a new access easement and the lot
two would keep its existing entrance is to Ashland Road.
And I'll show a map that better explains the situation
and what the applicants are requesting So again,
this property is on Ashland road.
All three lots within that subdivision
are highlighted in red They are zoned R six
and they were zoned r 6 in 2004 with Crawford conditions
So this shows how the subdivision is currently platted
based on the 2004 rezoning.
3 lots sharing an access easement and per the proffer
conditions approved in 2004, all three lots were
close to share this easement.
Lot to was constructed and has driveways
directly to Ashland Road.
Lot one the applicant or one of the applicants
is building a house and has a temporary construction entrance
to Ashland Road and then lot three is currently vacant
And then this is a zoom in on Lot one.
And what's being proposed So Lot two, which is over here,
they would keep their existing driveway.
This is the proffered 50 foot access easement that
would be vacated and then Lot one and Lot three
would share this yellow new access easement which
is adjacent to a transmission line easement in orange
So basically moving the access easement from one side a lot
one to the other side of the lot.
One and providing access to lot three.
One of the reasons the applicant has indicated that the easement
should be vacated is that there these wetlands
along the western boundary of the lot.
So to get to the previously approved location both lots
three and lot one would have to cross wetlands,
where the proposed entrance is They
would not have to cross wetlands.
The applicant held a community meeting in April and citizens
address concerns about traffic safety
and having multiple driveways along Ashland Road.
At that time, the applicant proposing that each of the three
lots would have their own access since the community meeting,
the applicant has worked with lot three the lot behind
to coordinate that shared access that i showed you.
So if this request is approved, Lot two
will have access directly to Ashland road and Lot one
and three Love shared access as the planning commission held
a public hearing, one speaker had some questions
and expressed support for the request
and after the public hearing the Planning Commission recommended
approval with a vote of 7 to 0.
So again with the R six rezoning in 2004 six proffers
were accepted The only proffers this would change
would be the conceptual plan and the access proffer
to reflect that new shared driveway for lots one and three
adjacent to the transmission easement
that concludes staff's presentation
The applicants are here tonight.
They do not have a formal presentation plan
but they're happy to answer any questions the board may have.
Very well, thank you, Mr. Pompey.
And any questions from respond Pay.
Thank you.
You, sir The African is present and any presentation
goes very well Let the record reflect the applicant is present
and has no presentation.
But available to answer questions.
Is anyone here?
We will now open to public hearings.
I don't want to hear who wishes to speak
in favor of this application Please
come forward State your name.
The district that you live or the entity that you represent.
You have three minutes.
Thank you.
You, ma'am.
Amy Mendelson Chilly neighbor to any neighbors
there I was here 22 years ago, and I think that this is going
to work out for everybody.
I just want to caution everybody about ashland Road and traffic
in general We had a dump truck turn over yesterday
So as more and more subdivisions become proposed I just
want everyone to consider possibly trying to limit truck
traffic I know that they did that on Howard's mill
and it can be very effective and safe,
so I appreciate that letting my new neighbors have their access.
Thank you.
Thank you, ma'am.
Anyone else to speak in favor ?
Very well.
Anyone to speak in opposition Anyone seeing?
None.
We will close the public hearing.
Combustible.
This is in your district, ma'am.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Move Approval of rezoning 2020 6-00020 for zero.
Arizona two with profit dated July 29th, 2026.
As preventive as presented.
Thank you We have a motion to approve rDC 2026 00002.
Is there a second?
OK.
We have a motion, a Second and discussion.
All those in favor please indicate by saying hi.
I oppose motion carries.
I also wanted to make note i didn't see earlier.
Chief Mike Harmon is in the audience, and chief,
we're so glad to see you here.
I don't if you're here for zoning case,
but the mic is always yours.
If you've got anything, Chief.
But thank you for being here and thank
you for your long and dedicated service to Hanover County.
It's a pleasure to have you here, sir.
Mr. Pompei the next planning public hearing is request
in the Beaver Dam district for a conditional use
permit to allow a school within an existing church
This is for independence.
Christian Church, which is located on Independence Road
northwest of the town of Ashland Is the property
is currently zoned a1.
The existing church pre dates current zoning requirements
of the church itself does not have a conditional use permit
in the A1 Zoning district.
A school requires a conditional use permit,
so this request is to allow a school within that existing
church building.
And here's an overview.
The property you can see the church,
the parsonage and the different parcels
owned by the church itself of course,
is a church operating here right now
and could be continue to be used as a church
as part of this request.
A school would use some of the school
or some of the church building during the week
and then their current plans are to operate Tuesday
through Thursday with plans to expand
to five days in the future.
Classes are 915 to 1:30 p.m. with
teachers and full operation occurring from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Right now, the applicant's proposing 25 students in grades
kindergarten through fifth grade with a possible expansion up
to 45 students.
And they'll be two adults per 16 children, which
are volunteers and parents.
So minimal trip generation based on the number of students
and the conditional use permit allows
for some expansion based on what the applicant has indicated.
No changes to the site itself.
The classes would occur in the existing church building.
And they would use the existing playground
And then here is a view of the church building
facing Independence Road.
The rear where the classrooms are and then the parking areas
and playground again exist.
They'll be used by the school The planning
Commission held a public hearing on this request.
No people spoke during the public hearing,
and the Planning Commission recommended approval
is a vote of 7 to 0.
There are five recommended conditions for the school.
It's limited to kindergarten through fifth grade and any
expansion requires an amendment limited to 45 students,
which allows some flexibility for expansion over
the current operations Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday If church events and school events
will be regularly held simultaneously,
a site plan amendment will be required to make sure
there's enough parking on the site.
And then the standard condition for all are conditional use.
Permits must comply with all applicable regulations that
conclude staff presentation.
There are representatives from the church here tonight.
They do not have a presentation plan Very well.
Any questions for Mr. Pompei saying
that as he can present this?
Thank you Does anybody know presentation.
But available for questions.
Let the record reflect the applicant is present
does not have a presentation but available for questions.
We're now open to public hearing.
Is there anyone here who wishes to speak
in favor of this application Anyone in opposition
to go very well.
Seeing none.
We will close the public hearing.
Mr. Stone is in your district, sir Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I move that the Board of Supervisors
approve c u p 2020 6-00008 as submitted
with recommended conditions.
So I have a motion.
We have a second.
Very well.
Any discussion on a motion?
Properly seconded Hearing that all those in favor
please indicate by saying I opposed motion carries Respond.
I'll pay the next request is an amendment to an existing
special exception in the South and a district
to allow structures taller than permitted
on this particular property.
It was rezone owned in 2005 to M one limited industrial
on Lake Ridge Parkway near sliding Hill
Road in the m1 zoning district.
The maximum building height is 35ft.
In 2022, the applicant came forward with a special exception
request to allow buildings up to 42ft
in height into industrial buildings
that are roughly 125,000ft².
That could be that maximum height of 42ft.
So the buildings have they constructed the condition that
was approved with that special exception in 2022,
says the maximum building height is limited to 42ft,
include appurtenances The applicant submitted a building
permit for hvac equipment that will be on the rooftop and will
exceed that 42ft in height.
So the requesting an amendment to the special
exception to allow buildings up to 48ft in height.
The buildings themselves will not
change as part of this request.
It's again to allow that larger and taller HPC equipment
on the rooftop This property is designated
industrial or light industrial in the comprehensive plan.
And again on Lake Ridge Parkway, just north of sliding hill
Road one unique issue associated with this properties
at the edge of the industrial area.
So there's industrial north and east along Lake Ridge Parkway.
But the stony run condos are immediately
adjacent to the west.
And then you have some townhouse units on the opposite side
of Lake Ridge Parkway to the south Again,
this property is zoned M1, moving
north along lake Ridge Parkway.
There's M M1 and M two.
Industrial zoning And then when you move south, immediately
adjacent to the property, there's
R five, which are old multifamily zoning,
classified ation This is an overview.
So again, the buildings are built
and exist and the Hopkins for proposing new rooftop equipment.
You can see the stony run condos are to the west
immediately adjacent to the property.
And then this is the building where the new units are proposed
And you can see where those rooftop units will
be located on the building.
Again with stony run Commons immediately
adjacent with the application the applicant
submitted site line views that show how the property looks
from different vantage points at ground level,
and it demonstrates that the units will not
be visible from ground level But they also completed a drone test
where they had a mock up of the equipment placed on the roof
and the drone was able to see what
the views would be from different vantage points
off the ground.
So this is the view from 36 to 42ft above grade,
which corresponds to the height of nearby
residential balconies on that stony
run car condos prior object.
And you can see that the existing parapet shield
the units from view You had to go up to 60ft with the drone
and then you could see the top of the mock up units So with
this particular case there were two community meetings
and in the middle that drone test was conducted that helped
demonstrate what the mock up with the mock up units,
what the real units could look like once they're actually
installed with this request.
All the conditions from the originally approved special
exception will be the same.
But the ones that we revise will be the building height one
to allow building height up to 48ft versus 42ft,
including any appurtenances.
And then AC equipment on the roof
must be screened from public rights of way
or adjacent properties by the building parapet
and the drone test in sight line drawings
demonstrate that that condition will be met,
that concludes staff's presentation.
The applicants are present and they do have
a presentation planned as well.
You say they do?
Mr..
They do.
I thank you.
And here, any questions from Mr. Pompei Oh most of all.
Mr. Pompei, can you just verify for us that the sheet that shows
the location of the proposed AC has distances from the edge
of the building, as well as the dimensions
of each of the units It's hard to tell on the this level,
but Ms..
Hunter is looking at the actual plan
to confirm whether that's the case
We do the full set of plans.
Do you have the distances and dimensions of the units Just
make sure we have the documentation Thank you.
Anything further for Mr. Pompei?
So, you know, thank you, sir.
Now open the public hearing.
The applicant is here Is that correct?
With the presentation?
Yes, sir Please come forward.
You have 20 minutes for presentation
and then you will have five minutes
for rebuttal Please state your name.
The entity that you represent.
Thank you for being with us.
Hi My name is Kelsey Hutton.
And I'm Kyle finn.
We're with the architecture team for the project
with Forum Architects.
The tenant is called Rose and Electric.
They are an electric subcontractor
and they'll be occupying this building further office.
Their very excited to be part of Hanover County in the Richmond
community project Overview include 28,000ft²
of office and training space with additional
space for warehouse use.
And you see some of the 3D images of the interior space
And so as mentioned, this is a site plan showing
the building one location.
And here is a little bit of a blowup showing those distances
from the exterior of the building
as well as the different rooftop units called out.
And here is an overview of the site line diagrams
that we made sure to blow them up.
So they're a little bit more visible.
So you can see a few of the different areas
throughout the building one location
and as some additional information we've provided
some visual representation of what a similar rooftop would
look like with the specific model being the green X
And as mentioned, there are some drone photos as well as these
are directly on the rooftop.
During our mock up exercise.
So you can see the mock up location
there with the drone photos.
We isolate add balcony one and balcony
to as shown on this key, key plan
here at two corners of the condominium.
And so if we go back one image, you can actually see.
So this is at 60ft.
So this is 20ft above the fourth floor condo balcony a balcony
one with the mock up image for reference,
showing the first time that you will see
the rooftop units on the roof So again,
20ft above the balcony, one.
And then this is from balcony two
at the balcony level at 41ft.
And this is looking at the other corner of the building
and again at 62ft.
So 28ft above the condo balcony, you can see as well as you
referenced the image the mock up on the rooftop for that is
specifically rooftop unit to thank you Thank That concludes
a presentation that does.
Thank you very much Thank you.
I'd like Oh, come on.
Oh, yeah.
We still have a possibility.
Request ready.
Board members, you have questions?
Mr..
Could you go back to your elevation drawings?
So just to give a little bit of context
the reason that I asked them to fire the drawings is
because there's elevations in these views
were drawn from the ground.
And the adjacent structures are four stories tall.
So we took the drone, flew it up to the fourth floor balcony,
and they actually had a mock up of each of those on the roof.
And we move them around It was also some issues
getting the notifications out.
So there was no one at the meeting.
And we all know that telegraph Road shows up.
So that was another reason for the drone.
But it was an exercise that I felt was important to and sure,
those folks that lived in those condos
so that when I approved this project for rezoning,
they weren't going to see any of these units
And so we've now approved that.
And I thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Anything further for the applicant?
I okay.
Thank you.
Thank you Zero.
Anyone here to speak in favor of this application?
Anyone?
Anyone in opposition ?
Seeing none.
We will close the public hearing.
Mr. Ball, this is in your district now Yes, sir.
I move approval of see 2020 6-0001A second.
We have a motion and a second.
Any discussion?
All those in favor, please indicate by saying I oppose
motion carries Mr. Pompei The next public hearing involves
a proposed industrial project in the Ashland district,
where the applicants requesting a conditional use permit
to allow two warehouses larger than 75,000ft²,
an area This area is in the North Lake Industrial Park just
off of Lake Ridge Parkway, within the suburban service area
The property is zoned m two and it's been
zoned M two since 2000.
Again, it's part of the North Lake Industrial Park.
All surrounding properties are zoned m to A and B three.
And for reference, this is just northwest of the Lewis town
Road interstate 95 interchange.
The property itself is currently vacant and just under 15 acres,
but you can see the surrounding area.
Not only is it zoned for industrial and business use,
it's been developed for industrial and business use.
There's an existing industrial warehouse
immediately to the west and then RV sales to the east.
This property itself is not access Lake Ridge Parkway but it
accesses to existing cul de sacs within the North
Lake Industrial park.
So again, the applicant is requesting this conditional use
permit to allow two warehouses larger than permitted which is
larger than 75,000ft² within the interior of north Lake
Industrial Park with an ordinance amendment a few years
ago any warehouse larger than 75,000ft² individually
or 100,000ft² on a total site must
get a conditional use permit.
So in this particular case two buildings were opposed.
One building 125,000ft² and one building is 108,000ft².
And this is speculative development in the mBTA zoning
district When the property was zoned in 2000,
it was approved with multiple proffered conditions
So if this property is approved it have
to adhere to the conditional use permit conditions, as well
as the proffered conditions This is the sketch plan that
shows the two buildings north Lake Park Drive is on the left
and then another called a section
sunshade lane is on the right.
And you can see the two buildings adjacent to one
another, One side of these buildings
will accommodate the employee parking
and then the truck parking and loading
area is on the opposite side of the buildings.
There's landscaping along North north Lake Park Drive
as well as the perimeter of the site.
And then there's additional landscaping
within the parking areas And this landscaping
is conditioned as well.
So it's addressed.
And required by the recommended conditions
And then these are the elevations
is the typical warehouse type building
similar to what is already in the area because of the size
of the warehouse as it did trigger local requirements
for a traffic impact analysis However, that analysis indicated
that no turn lanes or additional approved ments
are warranted because of this property.
Again, it's in the North Lake Industrial park, which does have
an improved road network to accommodate industrial traffic
There are some other warehouses that
are similar immediately adjacent and nearby
on Lake Ridge Parkway.
So, for example, this existing building
looks very similar to the elevations you saw
for the proposed building And it's also
similar in size and scale So there's precedent for this type
of building in the area.
The planning Commission held a public hearing on this request.
There were no speakers or in the public hearing,
and they ultimately recommended approval with conditions
with a vote of 7 to 0 there are ten recommended conditions
by staff and a lot of these relate to the site design
and elements shown on the sketch plan.
So the property can be used for warehouse and distribution up
to 233,000ft², a standard condition with industrial zoning
request is that mechanical square must be screened from
view monument type signs must be used,
sidewalks must be provided from the parking areas
to the building entrances, and then the next several conditions
relate to the landscaping shown on the sketch plan to ensure
that that landscaping is installed as the site develops
including location of landscaping
and 30% of the landscaping must be native to the area.
And then the final condition is a standard condition with many
of our conditional use permits and must adhere
to all applicable development regulations
That concludes staff's presentation.
The applicant's representative is here tonight
to answer any questions the Board
may have that they do not have a formal presentation planned.
Thank you.
Any questions for Mr. Pompei Thank you, sir.
The applicant present presentations are.
Let the record reflect the actions present does not
have a presentation willing to answer any questions the board
may have any questions.
The applicant with board very well
We're open to public hearings.
Anyone here to speak in favor of this proposal Anyone?
Anyone in opposition Seeing none.
We will close the public hearing This is in the actual district.
Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. Chair Nothing makes
me happier than to see business go where business belongs Um.
Lutron already has buildings in North park,
and they are good corporate citizens
Their original building is a really
nice addition to that area.
Um, I'm told that those native plantings
will include pollinators which always makes me happy.
So with that, I move to approve c u p 2020 6-00007.
Second, we have a motion on the second.
Any discussion ?
All those in favor please indicate by saying
i i any opposed motion carries.
Mr. Pompei this next planning public hearing and the last one
scheduled for tonight is a request in the Beaver Dam
district for a conditional use permit to allow a small scale
solar energy facility capable of producing
up to three megawatts of power.
This particular property is located in the Beaver Dam
district, but is just outside the town of Ashland
off of Blunts Bridge Road.
It is in the rural agricultural areas
as designated the comforts of plan
So just outside the suburban service area the property
is zone 1 and many of the properties
immediately adjacent in the county are zoned a1.
Once you get into the town and to the east side, up plants
Bridge Road, there are some residential zone properties,
including the Ashland park subdivision right now,
the front portions of the property are primarily open.
Closest to plants Bridge Road and then
once you get farther west and north, closer to a creek,
there's more wooded property there While the property itself
is 101 acres.
So the couple acreage is 94 acres.
There's an existing house on the property on the southeast corner
that is on the same parcel but is
outside of the conditional use permit area.
And the will remain as a residence
So again, the applicant is requesting this conditional use
permit to allow a three megawatt solar energy facility
based on the zoning ordinance.
That's considered a principal small scale facility requires
a conditional use permit.
And like many other solar facilities,
once it's constructed, it'll be primarily on with employees
visiting for periodic maintenance These types
of facilities are based on comprehensive plan
recommendation as the solar energy storage policy
recommendations in the zoning ordinance, which
has specific use standards, these were developed a few years
ago to provide guidance on how these types of facilities
should operate and look, this is a view of the site
from one Bridge Road.
You can see it's open You can see the existing home that will
remain And then this is the sketch plan that's
required within the conditional use
permit Some of the key features.
It shows the panels towards the middle
of the property and the required perimeter buffers.
Those buffers are required by ordinance
and recommended by the comments of planning and policy
The dark green is existing vegetation that will remain
the lighter green is a planted buffer
and the compound itself will be fenced
And you can see where the stormwater management ponds will
be located at the rear of the property
between the compounds and the required perimeter buffer.
The applicant would like to have the opportunity to log or timber
that wooded property in the future if they choose to.
So with the sketch plan, the area outside
of the perimeter buffer and outside the compound
could be timbered in the future.
That's permitted by right in the A1 zoning district.
But again, those buffers must remain
and the applicant submitted these renderings that show
the view from one spurge road.
Once the required perimeter buffers planted.
And as it grows over time.
So again with this conditional use permit and the sketch plan,
the areas closest to Blunt Springs Road remain open fields
and then you'll have the planted buffer
and then you'll have the panels So with the distance
in the buffer, particularly over time
as the vegetation grows these indicate they'll be minimal.
Divisibility from Blunts Bridge Road
So this particular project aligns with many of the policy
recommendations It's outside of the suburban service area
it's outside of agricultural and fossil districts
and it has some of those design features
that are recommended in the policy,
recommended in the conference of plan and require by ordinance.
So 150 foot wide perimeter buffers.
There is an RPA buffer of 100ft at the rear of the property
and then again retaining that field in the front The proposal
includes the following plans which
are required by the ordinance as well as the policy.
A decommissioning plan or a threatened and endangered
species.
Screening and operations and maintenance plan with facilities
less than five megawatts.
Assigning agreement is optional.
In this case, the applicant chose not
to submit a siting agreement.
If you do not submit a siting agreement the Planning
Commission must find that the facility is in substantial chord
with the comprehensive plan The Planning Commission did make
that finding that it is in accord with the Conference
of plan and although the applicant has not submitted
a signing agreement with the proposed conditions,
they have agreed to a one time payment as recommended
in the policy of $26,070 per megawatt and that payments made
prior to site plan approval There was a community meeting
held in April and there was questions about how the property
would be seeded and stabilized The anticipated
construction timeline,
how the landscaping will be handled after decommissioning
and some questions about the lifespan of the facility
There are 14 recommend the conditions in the staff
report and these align with the policy and the features shown.
The sketch plan again, a facility
that produces up to three megawatts of power
is permitted in the Cup area.
That payment of $26,070 per megawatt prior to site plan
approval, decommission in accordance with the plan that
submitted maintenance and the core of the plan that was
submitted, landscaping provided with a performance agreement
prior to site plan approval.
Land disturbance must be supervised by a third party
as it occurs The hours of clearing, grading and pile
driving activity are limited Anti-reflective coatings
required on the panels.
Road conditions along DuPont's Bridge Road
must be checked before construction
and after construction to make sure there's no damage
caused by the trucks survey.
The construction of this facility lighting
is limited in height and must have house side shields
coordination, fire and EMS The couple expire for five years
unless construction begins a planning inspection must be done
after the facility is completed to ensure that all
these conditions and the features shown in
the sketch plan are adhered to.
And then development will be in accordance
with all federal and state regulations.
That's our standard language.
The one thing that you all have your dyas,
is we do recommend a change to condition 15 legisla lation
regarding solar facilities is changing
and any applications submitted prior to July 1, 2026
has to meet the current zoning ordinance
requirements that are in place.
So this ordinance or this application
was submitted prior to July first, 2026.
So it has to meet our current zoning ordinance requirements,
staff just recommends with these changing legislative actions
at the General Assembly, that there be the specific sentence
added to that last condition that it must comply
with the current zoning ordinance regulations
and the sketch plan already reflects these regulations.
The conditions already reflect these regulations that
are currently in effect and reflect the expectations
of Hanover County But this just adds clarity
that we as a community if this particular request is approved,
expect it to meet the currently adopted regulations The Planning
Commission held a public hearing There were
two speakers in support and 2 against There
is some support for the pollinator laws
that are proposed as part of this project.
It balances agriculture with development
and stewardship of the land.
The buffers were appreciated and all
generate tax revenue with minimal demands
on public services.
Those in opposition were concerned about visibility.
The timbering and stormwater runoff That
concludes staff's presentation.
The opponents are here tonight and they do have a presentation
planned very well.
Any questions for Mr. Pompei So you can hear Thank you.
Open to public hearing.
You Africans are welcome to come forward.
We have 20 minutes for presentation.
Vice chair will keep that time Mr. Public
can you remind me how to use this Oh,
it's just forward, backward.
And then how do I start ?
OK.
Please state your name and the entity you represent.
Thank you for being with us.
Good evening, Chairman Chairman Davis, members of the board.
My name is Esther Ackerman.
I'm a development manager with Hexagon Energy,
as well as the lead developer on the Blunts Bridge Solar Project.
I want to thank you all for being here this evening.
And thank you, Mr. Pompei, for your presentation plans.
Bridge Solar is a proposed three megawatt project that
is going to be sited on about 26 acres of a larger 100 acre
parcel located just north of the town of Ashland We designed
the project to prioritize view shared and environmentally
friendly choices Since maintaining the area's
rural character matter to both the landowners
as well as all of the surrounding residents
this project will also bring benefits to the county,
including tax revenue from both the land and the project itself
as well as participation in the state's shared solar program,
which allows local Dominion Energy customers to subscribe
to projects such as this one to receive
discount on their electric bill For a quick introduction
into hexagon,
we have over ten years of experience
here, founded and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia,
and we have over ten years of experience
developing small projects like these
all across the Commonwealth.
And we have several projects of this size
and other varying sizes already in operation here in Virginia.
It took a great number of people at Hexagon
to bring this project together.
I've highlighted some of them, including myself
on the screen for some background on the landowners
since that's really where the story begins Vincent and Diane
Harris own this property.
It's been in their family for several generations
and they're here with us this evening.
Currently their property split between timber
They're permanent residents and row crops.
Like many landowners with a property of this size
they've been approached on numerous occasions
by various developers looking to buy
their property to develop it into something
like a housing subdivision.
They did not want that and they felt like a small project,
such as this one would allow them to retain ownership
of their land, get a steady revenue stream for the next 35
years to help maintain that land without having to sell it,
subdivide it or develop it in such
a way that would permanently alter the character
of this neighborhood.
They partnered up with us back in 2024
to help achieve this goal.
Now, as i mentioned, this project
covers approximately 26 acres of the larger 100 acre parcel.
Those 26 acres included the panels
that you see on your screen as well as the stormwater
ponds and the internal access roads
We had two top priorities when we were designing this project.
The first was to minimize environmental impact
and the second was to minimize future impact I'll touch
on environmental impact in just a moment,
but I'll stay on view shot for a brief moment Our fence line
which is the dotted line that goes around our panels as well
as around the stormwater facilities,
is about 180ft away from the nearest
property boundary to the north.
I'm highlighting it on the screen right now.
In most other areas, though, the fence line is much farther away
from property boundaries For example,
the fence line is about 700ft away from Blunt Bridge
Road to the east, and about 550ft away
from the nearest residence.
We were fortunate that over half of the property as Mr. Pompey
mentioned, is currently in mature timber,
covering essentially the entire area.
That is to the west and north of our panels.
The dark green areas on the map are the 150 foot wide buffer
of that existing vegetation that we're guaranteeing to protect
for the lifetime of this project Now to the east of the panels
and to the south of the panels, we
will have to plant new plantings to be able to create
that same sort of screening.
Thankfully the county solar policy and zoning ordinance
has very robust planting requirements
to ensure that the project remains
invisible throughout its lifetime.
We are also, per the conditions required
to post a surety bond guaranteeing
that the landscaping buffer is maintained
for this project lifetime.
Now, as mentioned by Mr. Pompei, one question
that came up during our Planning Commission hearing
was about the wooded area that sits
between our panels and the 150 foot wide vegetative buffer.
It's labeled on the site plan as tree mass.
That may be tempered by landowner in the future.
That area is covered in loblolly pines that was
that were planted back in the 1970s
with eventual harvest in mind.
And some neighbors had concerns about whether timber
in that area at any point throughout the project's
lifetime could cause stormwater runoff
or erosion control issues.
As it related to our project.
The answer from our perspective is no Our stormwater facilities,
as they relate to the project, were designed to stand
on their own merits and so they're
the existence of those trees or lack thereof, will not impact
their ability to function appropriate Lee However,
despite hexagons confidence in this answer,
the landowner supervisor Stillman
and I did meet to try to find additional ways
to try to address these concerns from these neighboring
landowners.
And we landed on what we felt like was a good compromise
that the landowners are going to work to try to have
that area timbered before construction timbered
and reseeded with new trees before construction
of our project begins.
That way, First off, to intensive land,
disturbing activities are not occurring at the same time.
And then secondly, those seeds have some time
to establish and take and stabilize
the ground cover west of our project
before our construction begins.
I'll also remind everyone again, the timbering
that we're talking about sits outside
of our 150 foot wide buffer.
So that will not be impacted.
Moving on, if you look at the map on the right hand side,
you'll see a red dot at the intersection of Ashland park
Drive and Blunts Bridge Road That dot
is where this photo was taken.
And this photo is actually a rendering
of what the vegetation should look
like throughout the project's lifetime.
It will obviously get taller than this
But thanks to the extensive setbacks and the planting
requirements of the county, the project should
be well shielded from view.
The last thing I'll touch on here is interconnection.
So we plan to interconnect to distribution
lines that run along the property right along the road.
You could see them in that photo actually right there.
And then they're going to distribute
power across Hanover County, running
back to a local substation.
This is not a transmission level project
It does not feed into the larger transmission
lines that crisscross the state and to the power
is generated here.
And it's also used here by businesses and residences.
As I mentioned earlier, this project
is also going to participate in the shared solar program.
That program was created by the state legislature a few years
ago, and it allows local dominion Energy customers who
might not have the ability to put solar on their rooftop
but want to see the benefit of solar Subscribe
to projects like ours to receive discounts on their electric bill
Moving on to environmental consideration, which was also
our priority with the help of third party engineers,
we developed a preliminary stormwater and erosion control
design that shows that we can meet both state
code and county standards.
Our stormwater engineer is here with us
this evening in case you have any specific questions.
The final stormwater and erosion control plans
will be submitted at site plan approval,
but the county requirements here are also very robust.
And then as you might have seen in the conditions,
One of the conditions is that we will have to have a third party
engineer inspect the site weekly throughout the construction
to make sure that any land disturbance
activities are meeting erosion control
standards beyond engineering.
The site itself was also chosen to minimize some
of these environmental risks.
So first off, you'll notice that the project is avoiding
all delineated wetlands.
Those are further to the west on the property
right over here The other thing that I want to point out
is that even though the panels are set back fairly well
off of Blunt's Bridge Road, there seemingly
is more area for us to have set them back further If we
were only prioritizing views.
Shed on Blunt's Bridge Road But as you head from East
to west on the property, as you follow my mouse,
you'll see that right over here, the topographic lines start
to get pretty close together And that just means that the slope
is getting pretty steep.
So if we were to only prioritize the view of Blunt's bridge road
and push our panels further back,
that would require us to build on steeper slopes
and require more grading.
And we just wanted to avoid that.
We wanted to build on a flatter area.
I just point this out because I want
to emphasize that when we were designing
where this was all going to go.
We wanted to prioritize not just view
shed, but also environmental, welfare of the property.
And again this map also just shows
the areas on the property that have a greater than 6% slope.
They're highlighted in purple just,
you know, adding this in here to show just
how flat the areas that we're putting our panels on
are just so we can avoid grading to the greatest extent possible.
The last thing that I'm going to point out
is that we do plan to use a Virginia
native and naturalize grasses as well as pollinator
friendly species as part of our under panel vegetation
It's part of our vegetation management plan
that we submitted as part of our application.
The groundcover choice is going to help reduce soil erosion,
help with onsite water management,
thanks to those deeper root systems,
and then also create habitat for pollinator species
and potentially open up the possibility for some beehives
on the site after construction is complete I've been actively
engaged with the community throughout the development
process reaching out as early as September of 2025.
That was two months before we submitted a permit application.
Just so folks can have some input beforehand
I really enjoyed getting to know this community consistently
People told me that they preferred this kind
of development over this becoming a housing subdivision
since they understood that this property is ripe for that kind
of development.
We hosted a hosted a community meeting back in April.
About 15 people attended and as mentioned by Mr. Pompei,
they asked questions about vegetation
management, decommissioning, height of equipment.
We also attended the Hanover County Public Schools
career expo back in March.
That was super fun getting to know some of the teachers
and students and just telling them
how energy development in the United States works
and maybe some of them might be interested in general energy
development in the future.
I'm not going to go into detail on these next two slides.
I've just included this to highlight our conformance
with both the zoning ordinance, solar policy and Comprehensive
plan the county's comprehensive plans,
specifically calls out consideration
of alternative energy sources and a continuous theme
throughout the comprehensive plan
is maintaining the area's rural character while not impeding
necessary development I hope that this presentation is
shown that we've prioritized those aesthetic.
Consider Asians to fit seamlessly into this area
while promoting economic development
and a landowner's continued ownership of the property.
This list shows the agencies reviews
and studies that need to happen before construction can begin.
Not going to go through each and every single one,
just highlighting the level of diligence
that needs to happen before that shovel can go in the ground.
Construction is estimated to take approx nearly 4 to 6 months
and staff is recommended to few conditions
to keep those disruptions minimized and controlled.
Land disturbance activities, as I said,
will be overseen by a third party
engineer at our own expense and a bond
will be posted with the county to make sure that roads are
promptly repaired if they are impacted by construct then
we'll also coordinate with the local school system
to make sure that our delivery times do not overlap with school
bus pick up and drop off times to help
ease some of that traffic.
Once operational, this project becomes
a quiet and invisible neighbor.
Unlike more intensive development
This project can be decommissioned
and a decommissioning bond will be posted
before construction begins to make sure that
money you need to set aside.
And then it will be updated on a regular basis
to make sure that those funds remain
adequate for decommissioning.
We believe this project offers some real benefits to the county
Solar is a safe, well-established technology
with projects like this one operating without issue.
All across the country and the state The project
generates revenue for Hanover County
without drawing on county resources
like roads, water sewer or schools.
Appreciate it.
Aligns with the county's comprehensive plan and it
protects the view shed and is low impact to the community
And it lets the landowner retain ownership of the property
and avoid further development for decades.
Planning staff included 14 conditions, all of which
we agreed to.
We've been collaborating with them for several months,
since November of 2025 and made adjustments
to the project as needed.
We're going to continue to work collaboratively
with the county moving forward, and so we respectfully
request your approval of our conditional use
permit I'm happy to answer any questions.
Any questions for the applicant will not take
away from your time, ma'am.
Any questions for the applicant So you have a question, Mr.
Could you explain to me what exactly the robust planning look
like the robust plantings So the planting requirements require,
according we're basing them all off of the county requirements,
they require a certain number of both deciduous
and evergreen trees to be planted
within a certain density.
I don't remember the exact numbers,
but within a certain density all along that
150ft in front of the panels.
On top of that, some of those have to be lower vegetation
that remains fairly low.
Some of it has to be able to grow a little bit higher
So it's a combination of deciduous and evergreen,
to make sure that even in the winter.
This project remains screened So I guess I will take exception
to you're describing that in our ordinance as robust
because I think it's minimal and I'm concerned anything further
for the applicant seeing none.
Thank you.
You, ma'am.
Thank you.
Is there anyone here to speak in favor ?
The Senator.
Please come forward State your name.
The district that you live or the entity that you represent
You have three minutes.
Thank you, sir Rob Wilhoit.
Jacquard, how many district?
I know you all are shocked to see me up here supporting this
but it is a good marriage of keeping agriculture
and production and technology.
I've been told that they are going to have a hay operation
for the doctors horses and eventually they are
going to do some apiary work.
There So agricultural is still be there.
The farm will stay there and they
don't impact the environment.
So this is one I could definitely go rah,
rah, rah to and hope y'all will approve it.
Thank you.
You.
Thank you.
Anyone further in support, please come forward State
your name, the district that you live
or the entity that you represent.
Thank you for being with us Giving
members of the board and Chairman Davis,
my name is Seth Kargbo.
I'm with a nonprofit in Virginia called Energy right
And we're dedicated energy education as well as a support
of public engagement within the county
here tonight to just speak to the role of distributed solar
that this project ties into But first one, I've just come back
up and just talk about these projects
and what they bring to the table In general,
solar provides a pathway to meet our state's growing energy
needs while upholding property rights
in an appropriate environmental safeguards,
as well The participating landowners in this project
are voluntary volunteer.
We chosen to work with the developer
and the developer has been transport with surrounding
landowners about their efforts to mitigate potential impacts
to the neighboring properties.
These projects also deliver broader public benefits.
They diversify our energy supply,
strengthen grid reliability and generate new tax revenue
without adding residential population or new demands
on schools and other public services
What distribute Solar does and how.
So it's part of, rather than feeding into high voltage
transmission lines as esther mentioned,
they these facilities connect directly to local distribution
line system.
This makes full use of the infrastructure
that the county and the utility has already invested in,
and it can reduce the need for costly transmission upgrades.
It also means these projects can typically be sited and brought
online faster than large remote facilities
because those depend on significant new transmission
buildout.
All in all, it helps Hanover keep pace with growing energy
needs in our community and lowers the reliance
on regional infrastructure timelines
and any other unnecessary as I guess you could call it.
But I also just say that Dominion's shared solar program
is something else that i saw that this ties into and just
for people context if you Google just how many homes.
This could benefit, typically between 450 600 homes that could
subscribe to that program.
And that knocks off its subscription base.
So residents receive a letter in the mail Typically once
the site's online or is approaching that I
guess, that switch on date.
But it will reduce bills for those families that subscribe
by about 10 to 15%, which is a huge cost savings,
essentially you're negating a few bills per calendar year.
And so on.
So it's a direct up revenue recruitment system.
I guess you could call it.
But just so you consider this project and the merits
that it brings to the county, thank you for your time
Thank you for being here.
Anyone else and support anyone in opposition support
supporter Opposition Circle.
Yes, sir.
Please come forward.
Thank you for being here Oh, my name
is Vincent Harris I'm one of the owners of the property
11 The Beaver Dam District.
I don't want to be ridden under it because I suspect many of you
have already seen my presentation
from the planning Commission.
So video perhaps.
But i am very much in support of the project
because as has been already said our goal
was to try to keep the farm up three four times a week.
We receive mail, telephone calls,
ask us to sell our property for a subdivision The property has
been in my family since before the Civil War
and we wish for it to stay.
That way of We will presently using
it for agriculture and timber.
We will continue the timber portion
and we will continue to some of the agriculture
as the previous person spoke about our our daughter in law
has a horse, and she wants us to raise hay on 10 or 15 acres
and we hope to do that.
Once the project is finished I really appreciate
the details that Hexagon has gone through
and the communication that they have provided of to anyone who
will listen, anyone who has questions
I think they're their plan is, is very, very good.
And I am convinced that it meets all of your requirements
and it certainly meets our requirements.
And i will in a moment, I'll get out and let my wife come up.
Who's going to give you a little bit of the history
of how we got where we are.
But I do hope that you will consider this carefully
and approve this so that we can move on with this project
Thank you for your time Thank you, sir.
Anyone else in favor Yes, ma'am.
Thank you for being with us Hello Hello.
Thank you for giving me some time
to give you a little history about this farm A little history
about cross Creek Farm.
Joseph Franklin Cross born in 1834, died December 10th, 1903.
And his wife Virginia, England.
Ginny, who was the daughter of England.
And if you know anything about Ashland,
you probably know the last name England They
married April the eight, 1869.
She died October 28th, 1920.
Joe and jenny bought the farm somewhere around the 1860s.
They are buried in the family cemetery on our property
Their original homestead site is still visible on our property
Their son, one of their sons, Eddie Clifton cross,
was born in 1883.
He was deeded the farm in 1924 by his siblings He married Marla
collins, a neighbor girl who lived in the farm on a farm
next door and 1925 Ed died in 1949.
His widow died and 1974 Benson and I were the next caretakers
of this farm that has been in our family since the 1860
That's 157 Seven years.
And we want to pass this farm down to our children
and to our two grandchildren, their brothers.
We need your support for this Blunts Bridge Solar Farm project
to allow this farm to be self-sustainable
for future generations of the cross family descendants.
Thank you We really appreciate your support.
Thank you for being with us.
From anyone else in support anyone in opposition ?
Seeing none.
We will close the public hearing.
Mr. Stone, Ministers, in your district,
sir, I don't suspect that the applicant had any rebuttal.
Nothing to rebut.
But just for the record, there's no rebuttal Mr. Stone.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like, thank staff for four for their presentation
and this requirement of I just want to commend you.
Our first meeting was probably less than encouraging
and And so you work diligently You've
had a comprehensive approach to this project from the beginning
and then your presentation for me was I
thought was pretty exception.
So I appreciate that you got a lot in
and a short amount of time and brevity is a high value for me
So I do appreciate that.
I do think there's some things like say it conforms to comply
and substantial setbacks from Blunts Bridge Road.
I think are important I like the fact that you're going
to continue to do agricultural activities on the property
makes it makes that a plus for this you
know actually people to be able to use their property
to the highest and best value And I
have a lot of respect for that.
So in the interest of brevity, I'm going to move that the Board
of Supervisors approved c p 2020 5-000 23 and submitted with
recommendation recommended conditions Second,
we have a motion.
The second is a discussion.
Ms..
Devil Thank you, Mr. Chair Mr. Harris.
Mr..
Ms..
Harris.
My heart goes out to you for wanting to keep your farm
and I want you to keep your farm.
But I still take a stand that the screening that
is going to be very disappointing for the people
that live across the street and I'm
not really sure how we could show graphics Three years Five
years, 15 years when we haven't identified exactly
what we're going to plant.
So, um that was evergreen screening and that's
not what's in our ordinance But aside
from that I will be supporting this project because it's more
important that we preserve of your family's farm
and preserve your ability to keep agriculture So
that's my statement, and we'll see how it looks in ten years
and we'll talk then.
I'll call you Mr..
Very well Any further comments, Mr. Chair Ms..
Pritchard Thank you, Mr. Chair And Mr. Steinman.
Well, this is not in My district as the crow flies,
it is less than a half a mile from my home.
I have walked the property with Ms..
Rackham and.
And this is of all the, of all the solar facilities
we've talked about.
This is the poster project for our policy
There is good planting.
There is good location in the middle of a field.
So that there's real sight sight,
one sight distance There's great screening.
You can't see this from the right.
I've walked every bit of this power,
every bit of this property.
And when the plantings are done.
You won't be able to see this I just cannot commend
everybody who worked on this.
And I thank Mr. Steinman I'm on this road
almost every single day, and I look forward
to seeing you be able to keep this land in its rural nature
And I saw the gravestones on your property.
Another crosses I'm right off of England Street.
Congrats your license for all your hard work
Everybody involved.
And thank you, Rebecca, for all the time.
I mean, I'm sorry for all the time there for all the time
that you spent taking us around the property.
I appreciate that.
Anything further?
Yeah, I think this is a poster project for many folks.
We see this often, particularly with solar folks
who want to preserve their farmland
and use a portion thereof for revenue
in order to support this operations
and have a legacy to pass their heritage land down
to future generations.
And so the time that was taken to make
this project come to the board at this point was extensive.
And so i appreciate all the hard work of folks who did that.
And hopefully at this, and I'll be supporting the project,
and hopefully, if this project does pass,
will we'll be able to use this in the future for a case study.
One objection I have, but it won't affect my vote.
I was sure hoping when I saw that tear that that was going
to be Burgundy and orange but it wasn't And while I oppose
the tear will not affect my vote So i'm
somewhat of a Cavalier fan unless they're playing tech.
So with that, we have a motion, which has been properly Second,
I will now call for the vote for the supervisors.
All those in favor, please indicate by saying I,
I any opposition motion carries Congratulations.
Are there any announcements from board members?
Yes, sir.
Mr. Pritchard I'd like to remind you that this Saturday is
at the crack of dawn.
Is the Ashland half marathon sponsored by sports backers
and with two terrific participants,
Dr. Brown and Mr. Kilduff will both be running in that race.
And i don't know if I can in good
conscience invite anybody to come out at 7:00 in the morning.
But please if later on, come and see them before they're done
anything further Ms..
Pritchard has retired and now doesn't understand that
there are two 7:00 in the day.
And I appreciate that I do not have a relationship
with numbers with seven.
I'm mr. County Administrator.
Mr. County Attorney.
Nothing.
So there's nothing further.
This board will adjourn until 2 p.m.
on Wednesday, September 9th.
In this boardroom.
This board is adjourned We are going home