Henrico Planning Commission to weigh 4 residential development proposals Oct. 9

At its Oct. 9 meeting, the Henrico Planning Commission will revisit three proposals for residential developments that were deferred from its August and September meetings, as well as one new proposal. Together, the proposals could amount to 259 residential units, though planners are not recommending approval of all four cases.

One of the returning proposals is for a 95-home subdivision to be called “Washington Park” located along North Washington Street in Highland Springs, just east of its intersection with Delbert Drive. The applicant, Gem Capital LLC, has been working on this proposal since August 2024 and has requested six deferrals since then, the most recent being in August. Planners recommend approval and have noted that no new information has been received since August.

A second returning proposal, to add 39 single-family homes to the River Mill development in Glen Allen at the intersection of Winfrey Road and Woodman Road, was deferred from the commission’s September meeting at the request of the applicant, Winfrey Road LLC. Planners have suggested the proposal add more information about block length, sidewalks, street parking, and open space. Meanwhile, members of the River Mill HOA met with the developer Sept. 2

The third proposal to be considered also was deferred during the August meeting. Ridge Homes LLC has proposed 21 townhomes on Brook Lake Drive, west of its intersection with Brook Road and bordering the Lakeside Landing development. Planners already had concerns about the design being incompatible with the surrounding area and this development being too isolated and too small. Since those concerns haven’t been addressed, they’re now recommending denial.

A new proposal scheduled to be considered by the commission would permit the construction of 90 townhomes and 14 zero-lot detached single-family homes in the Varina District, on North Laburnum Avenue, south of its intersection with Kingsridge Parkway.

The 23-acre site has a stream running through it and would be developed in phases. During Phase I, the detached homes and 30 townhomes would be built on the portion south of the stream. During Phase II, the other 60 townhomes would be built on the northern portion. The development, tentatively named “Steeple Lane,” would have two access points from Laburnum. The development would include multiple open spaces with various amenities for residents, children, and pets, according to the proposal.

County planners have indicated that they would support the proposal if more information were included about home foundations, sidewalks, and the vegetation along Laburnum. The only school in the area that may reach capacity if this development is built would be Highland Springs High School.

Once the commission has voted to make recommendations on the cases, they will advance for consideration by the Henrico Board of Supervisors, which holds final decision-making authority.

In addition, the commission also is scheduled to revisit a proposal from Lingerfelt Development LLC 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. 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 project to take shape. As the Citizen previously reported, this is a plan of development, so the commission can approve it instead of just making a recommendation to the board of supervisors.

The commission’s 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 wish to attend in person or via livestream can find more information online.