Plans for 358-home development along Nuckols Road advance

Plans for a 358-home subdivision near the I-295/Nuckols Road interchange in Glen Allen earned the endorsement of the Henrico Planning Commission at its Nov. 13 meeting.

The commission recommended approval of the proposal, from Main Street Homes of VA Inc. and Schell Brothers, for the Westford Glen community, which would be built on 76 acres along Nuckols Road between Hickory Park Drive and Fords Country Lane, adjacent to I-295. The proposal includes 322 townhomes and 36 single-family homes.

A small amount of commercial development – limited to retail shops or restaurants – would be added at the intersection of Nuckols and Hickory Park. Drive-throughs, gas stations, convenience stores, and similar commercial uses would be prohibited there.

The developers have indicated they may further expand Westford Glen if VDOT gives up a portion of Fords Country, building to a similar level of density. They also reserved the option to build up to an additional eight townhomes and four single-family homes if the layout of the current land allows it.

Multiple residents spoke in opposition to the proposal, largely due to the addition of that many homes to an already dense area of Glen Allen. Speakers also pointed to other large developments having just been approved in the area.

Several residents talked about lines of cars backing up at nearby intersections and having to wait multiple traffic light cycles, and up to 10-15 minutes, before they could make left turns, especially onto Nuckols Road. A few even said they had trouble navigating the traffic to make it to the meeting.

“I don’t want to live in Loudoun County. I moved here,” said Dennis Furman.

Some residents did praise the developer for being willing to pay for road improvements, with one even saying that was enough for him to support the proposal.

There were also concerns that the landfill site would cause smells and leak into the planned water features. One speaker alleged that emergency response resources haven’t kept up with the population increases, claiming that has caused a lack of response and police being shifted out of the West End to cover other areas.

Residents also cited Henrico Public Schools’ report that a development of this size would risk overcrowding the area elementary and high schools.

“All of the schools in this area are overcrowded,” said local parent Jessica Cruz. “Any time you go to an open house in the Deep Run district, it’s swamped. Parents want to have their kids in that school.”

Jeffrey Geiger of Hirschler Fleischer, speaking for the developer, responded that the completion of the entire project, with all the houses being added to the area, likely would take 8 to 10 years, which may spread the impact of this many new homes over a longer timeframe.

As part of the development, Hickory Park Drive would be extended as a public road and would connect to Fords Country Lane, with entrances on both.

A 25-foot buffer would be installed along Nuckols and Fords Country, and a 30-foot-wide linear park would be placed along Hickory Park. A third lane would be added on the northbound side of Nuckols, along with right turn lanes onto Hickory Park and Fords Country, subject to VDOT approval.

The Henrico Department of Public Works also is studying traffic changes it could make to Nuckols’s intersections with Hickory Park and Fords Country, such as restricting some turns.

The proposal next advances to the Dec. 2 Henrico Board of Supervisors meeting for final consideration.