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Vol. 4 No. 41 | Richmond Suburban News | June 26, 2019
Lake District vote deferred Mayor encourages continued By Jim Ridolphi for Ashland-Hanover Local
overall cost to the county to facilitate the development. The revised plan reduces the number of residential units from more than 2,800 to 1,787, resulting in a density of 5.5 dwellings per acre, down from the original density of 8.5 dwellings per acre. Single family detached lots have been eliminated in the new proposal, and the residential units are comprised MALONEY of apartments and town homes. The Planning Commission recommended denial in Ocotober 2018, and the applicant, Marchetti Properties, requested a deferral from the Hanover County Board of Supervisors’ consideration to allow time to alter the plan. In a letter to Planning Director David Maloney, attorney Jeffery Geiger who represents Boyd Homes said the GEIGER “revised plan maintains the core principles of compact, phased, well-planned famil- economic growth that enables Hanover County
HANOVER -- The Hanover County Planning Commission delayed a recommendation regarding a revised plan for a mixed use development off Route 33 near the Henrico County line. The Lake District failed to gain the commission’s approval last year, but developers presented a tweaked plan at last week’s meeting. The original plans were modified, decreasing the amount of residential units and increasing the acreage for commercial and industrial development. The new parameters left some commissioners seeking more time to consider the application to rezone more than 323 acres to create a live, work and play community centered around a 16-acre lake. But a number of speakers expressed iar concerns regarding traffic, schools and the
see LAKE DISTRICT, pg. 2
Hanover County Cannery will open for business on July 1 ASHLAND -- July signifies the opening of canning season. Canning, the old practice of preserving fruits and vegetables, has traditionally been done in the home. Hanover County has a cannery that also operates as a commercial kitchen where residents, non-residents and commercial customers may process their produce on
Metro Creative Connection
commercial-grade equipment including large kettles.
The Hanover County Cannery, which is located at 12491 Taylor Complex Lane in Ashland, opens on Monday, July 1. It will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in July and August. The cannery will be open on Saturdays in September and October. see CANNERY, pg. 8
involvement in high speed rail By Jim Ridolphi for Ashland-Hanover Local ASHLAND — High speed rail and the potential effect such a project could have on the Ashland area is a subject never far from the minds of town residents. The RVA2DC project caused quite a stir in the community two years ago when options were discussed regarding the construction that some estimate is “decades away.” In response to the Federal Railway Administration’s recent release of a Tier II Final Environmental Impact Study, Ashland Town Council passed a resolution expressing the town’s position and concerns regarding the future project. In 2017 and early 2018, Ashland considered a plan that would provide increased passenger train service on the RVA2DC corridor. Working with the Virginia Department of Public and Rail Transportation, a draft environmental impact study was submitted to the Federal Railway Administration for approval. “That has happened,” Town Manager Josh Farrar said at the Tuesday, June 18, regular council meeting. “After all the waiting, on May 31, 2019, the FRA approved that draft and released the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS), so we are in the 30-day window where we can comment on that final FEIS.” Farrar described the resolution as the town’s political response to the FEIS. The document outlines the wishes of a community, including a desire for more options to be studied that are
Jim Ridolphi for Ashland-Hanover Local
Ashland Mayor Steve Trivett said the public needs to stay involved in the RVA2DC project. The high speed rail issue dominated last week’s Ashland Town Council meeting.
not based on 1900s railroad technology. When looking at town options, the only viable solution is a deep-bore tunnel through the downtown area. “That would be the only one in the future that we would even consider,” Farrar said.
The document also expresses a desire to work with “anyone and everyone” to get to a place that includes better technology. “Let’s not live in the past, but look toward the future,” Farrar said. Ashland resident Ian Sutton was unequivocal in his thoughts on the issue. “High speed rail and Ashland do not go together,” he said. “We do need technical solutions and one of those solutions is tunneling.” Sutton said the cost of underground solutions is somewhat prohibitive “but it works” and suggested the process could be getting less expensive. Betsy Hodges of the Ashland Museum expressed her organization’s support for the resolution and the positions contained therein protecting the economic vitality, history and culture. Council member George Spagna said any option that puts a choke-point in Ashland “was bound to be a losing option.” He views the FEIS as only a stop gap that does not permanently solve the problem. “We’re not going to get a 19th century solution which is going to preserve Ashland. We need a 21st century solution,” see RAIL, pg. 2