Henrico Board of Supervisors affirms state of emergency, approves new housing in Tuckahoe
Henrico County officials affirmed a state of local emergency through a unanimous board of supervisors vote on Tuesday, and officials warned residents to stay cautious as more bad weather is forecasted this weekend.
County Manager John Vithoulkas declared a state of local emergency on Jan. 23 after a winter storm was predicted to hit Central Virginia, with Dominion Energy warning residents about the possibility of “widespread power outages.” The state of emergency declaration gave county officials the ability to make preparations more quickly, Vithoulkas said.
“We had equipment ready that other localities did not to fight this storm,” he said. “I think you could see if you drove around the region, just the difference that our crews were able to make.”
Henrico’s Department of Public Utilities had 300 staff members working during this past weekend to clear major roads, and emergency operations workers provided more than 1,000 meals to road crews as they were clearing streets. Subdivisions and smaller streets have been more difficult to clear, Vithoulkas said, because the county’s snow plows often are unable to tackle the build up of ice.
The county had also made preparations last week to open the Henrico Sports & Events Center in case of an emergency but did not need to do so.
“I think we’re all grateful we ended up not needing half of those tools, but they were there,” said board vice-chair Misty Roundtree (Three Chopt District).
Road conditions have become more favorable, with the county opening government facilities on Wednesday, but Vithoulkas warned residents to “not let your guard down,” as more snow is expected this Saturday and Sunday.
Henrico County's public schools will be closed all week, after officials announced Wednesday that they have cancelled classes for Thursday and Friday.
14 single-family homes and new carwash approved in Tuckahoe
The board of supervisors also unanimously approved a rezoning case that will allow 14 new single-family homes to be built near the intersection of Church Road and Covey Run Drive in the Tuckahoe District.
Tuckahoe District representative Jody Rogish had deferred the case last November after hearing concerns from neighbors about potential school overcrowding and wildlife impacts. However, he said that after the developer made several adjustments, neighbors in the Covey Run Homeowners Association stated they would be in support of the approval.
The new homes would be zoned for Gayton Elementary School, which Rogish said has as many as 81 seats open for new students. The developer agreed to add a 10-foot buffer behind each of the lots, as well as conserve the wetland areas on the site.
The board also approved a rezoning case that will allow a carwash to be built near the intersection of Patterson Avenue and Quail Lane in Tuckahoe and a case that establishes one acre near the intersection of Wilson Road and New Market Road in Varina as conservation land.
The board voted to defer a rezoning case that would allow 60 new single-family homes to be built in Varina along Nine Mile Road and Newbridge Road until March 10 at the request of the developer. The board also deferred a case that would allow the county to exchange about 0.6 acres on Galaxie Road to the Islamic Center of Richmond.
Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.
