Henrico Planning Commission to weigh proposed Highland Springs subdivision, gas station on Laburnum Avenue
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The Henrico Planning Commission July 10 will consider a proposal from Dorado Capital LLC to build 49 single-family homes on North Airport Drive in Highland Springs, east of its intersection with North Washington Street.
The proposal is a scaled-down version of one initially introduced last October, which also included 61 townhome units. The subdivision would only have one entrance, onto Airport Drive, and would include a “pocket park,” though the developer hasn’t indicated what that park would contain.
The site includes a conservation district, and area residents have expressed concern about destruction of habitats and impact to wells at two community meetings, along with the possibility of increased traffic. The Planning department has not supported the proposal yet, asking for more information about sidewalks, driveways, landscaping, buffers, construction times, and the streetscape facing Airport Drive.
Also at its July 10 meeting, the commission will review a proposal for a gas station and convenience store at the southwest corner of the intersection of West Laburnum Avenue and Alma Avenue. The site is vacant but used to house an auto repair business.
Convenience stores already are allowed, but adding fuel pumps would require a permit from the county. With residential property so close, the Planning department is not recommending approval of the proposal. Gas stations perceived by residents as too close to neighboring homes have been a source of contention in the county many times during the past few years.
Separately, a drive-through soda restaurant is being proposed at the intersection of Eastridge Road and Jesse Senior Drive on the site of a former bank that also contained a drive-through. The Planning department doesn’t oppose the proposal but has noted concerns around parking and traffic flow, since the site sits right next to the intersection of Parham Road and Quioccasin Road, and backed up traffic could cause problems on Parham especially.
The meeting will begin 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.
