Henrico Planning Commission to consider development proposal on Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area buffer
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Lingerfelt Development LLC is proposing to build a warehouse and distribution facility in the Varina District, at the end of Techpark Place and next to a tributary of White Oak Swamp Creek.
The Henrico Planning Commission will consider the proposal during its Sept. 11 meeting.
Part of this facility would be stormwater management infrastructure that would have to fall within the 100-foot-wide buffer zone along the creek required by the Chesapeake Bay Preservation ordinance, because the creek is part of the Chickahominy River Watershed. Therefore, an exception to the Preservation Area must be authorized in order for the development to take shape.
The commission can only approve this request if it finds that:
• granting the exception won’t give Lingerfelt Development any special privilege denied to similarly situated property owners;
• the request is not based on conditions or circumstances that are self-created or self-imposed, and the request doesn’t arise from permitted or nonconforming conditions related to adjacent land;
• this is the minimum exception that would relieve the problem;
• the exception will be in harmony with the purpose and intent of the zoning ordinance and won’t substantially harm water quality; and
• that reasonable conditions are included to avoid any harm to water quality.
Henrico Public Works officials are recommending approval of the exemption, saying that the developer has worked to minimize the impacts of this stormwater management system on the Resource Protection Area. Unlike most commission cases, this is a plan of development, and therefore the commission can approve it instead of sending it to the Henrico Board of Supervisors for a final decision.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the Administration Building at the Western Government Center (4301 East Parham Road). Members of the public who want to attend in person or via livestream can find more information online.
