Arlington County Board Approves New Hotel Near Courthouse Metro Station

Arlington County:

“The Arlington County Board today approved a plan to build a new hotel in the Courthouse neighborhood, at 2401 and 2407 Wilson Blvd. The hotel will replace an existing one-story 1950s strip shopping center and surface parking lot.

The Board also approved building four new single-family homes behind the hotel on N. 16th Street, in the Lyon Village neighborhood, where four older single-family homes currently exist. The developer has worked with the County’s Historic Preservation staff to choose styles consistent with the houses traditional to Lyon Village.

The 93,000 square foot, eight-story hotel on the northwest corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Adams Street will have 161 rooms, 80 underground parking spaces, a bar/cafe associated with the hotel, 1,200 square feet of separately leased ground floor restaurant space and will be approximately 500 feet from the Courthouse Metro station.”

~Writes Arlington Newsroom

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The Village at Chicago Park is a go

City of Harrisonburg:

“Harrisonburg City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the project proposed at 1041 and 1049 Chicago Ave., near Mount Clinton Pike. The property owners, Theda and Merle Brunk of Dayton and John Harding of Clemson, S.C., sought to rezone the 2-acre residential parcel to a relatively new residential classification, R-7, that offers more flexibility with zoning regulations and requires a minimum of 15 percent open or green space.

Fifteen single-family and duplex homes are proposed, ranging in size from 1,500 to 2,100 square feet. A new private street, Saturday Drive, will offer access into the development. Councilman Richard Baugh said the project offers a ‘good balance for density,’ as opposed to ‘cramming’ as much as possible on the site. Stacy Turner, the director of the Harrisonburg Department of Planning and Community Development, said city staff endorsed the idea because it’s smaller in scope.

Last year, council approved the same R-7 zoning classification for Collicello North, a 30-unit development planned on the northern part of Collicello Street. Both developments are designed to be environmentally friendly and promote walking and biking.”

~ Writes Preston Knight of DNR Online

Gloucester Point condo proposal subject of public hearing

Gloucester County:

“The Gloucester County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 7:30 tonight in the colonial courthouse to receive comments on a rezoning application that would allow construction of 50 condominium units at Gloucester Point. Moody Homes Holdings Corporation is the current property owner, said planner Tripp Little. The site is located in the Gloucester Point Magisterial District on the west side of George Washington Memorial Highway (Route 17), across from the Gloucester Point Shopping Center.

Little said Moody Homes has applied to amend the Gloucester County zoning map to reclassify approximately 11.09 acres from MF-1 conditional (Medium-density multi-family residential) to a similar zoning designation that would allow switching the format of the project. Moody Homes now wants to utilize a condominium form of ownership for the 50 units without any age restrictions, rather than the same number of units sold as duplexes with fee-simple development proposed to be built by another developer who never built anything on that site.

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors will have the final say on the rezoning request and will schedule a hearing on the matter later. Little said that board approved an age-restricted project for adults 55 and older called Magnolia Point for that property in January 2005 for applicant K&S Land Holding. Magnolia Point was never built, Little said, but part of a road leading into the project was completed as well as a pumping station that has never been brought on line.”

 ~Writes Bill Nachman of Gazette-Journal

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Supervisors deny Greens South at Willowsford rezoning

Loudon County:

“The Loudoun Board of Supervisors rejected Wednesday night a portion of the Willowsford development group's plans to increase residential housing on the sprawling southern Loudoun community's grounds. Owners of The Greens South at Willowsford submitted a rezoning application last year to build an additional 557 single-family detached residential units, increasing the development potential from 245 to 802 units.

The board's denial for the rezoning was in line with the recommendation from county staff, which noted in a report ‘the county’s budgetary plans have neither anticipated nor programmed additional school capacity, public facilities and transportation infrastructure necessary to serve the proposed additional 557 single-family detached residential units.’ Additionally, the property, located west of Lightridge Farm Road and south of Braddock Road, falls within the Upper Foley Sub-area of Transition Policy, which serves as a ‘visual and spatial transition between the Suburban Policy Area to the east and Rural Policy Area to the west,’ according to staff.

Supervisor Janet Clarke (R-Blue Ridge), who represents the Willowsford community, voted for the denial, noting the costs associated with bringing new residents and families – an estimated 1,800 people -- to the prospective new units. Supervisor Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn), chairman of the board's finance committee, said approval of the Willowsford application could set a precedent the county isn't ready for.”

~Writes Trevor Baratko of the Loudoun Times

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Apartment, Entertainment Complex Proposed In Purcellville

Town of Purcellville

“The Franklin Johnston Group last week presented its proposal for the Catoctin Creek Towne Center—a development of multi-family apartments and an entertainment and sports center on 28 acres between Maple Avenue and Hirst Road in Purcellville—before a large crowd at the Purcellville Planning Commission meeting.

The project requires a Comprehensive Plan amendment, rezoning and special use permit. Once the project has gone through the regulatory process, the Franklin Johnston Group would purchase the acreage needed for the multi-family apartment component, while Tilley Entertainment would purchase the commercial portion of the property, according to a Franklin Johnston Group representative this week.

The Virginia Beach-based apartment development group, which manages apartment communities across the country, is proposing to provide more housing for workforce employees and seniors in the town and in western Loudoun in general. Bowman Consultants land use planner Chris Mohn cited a lack of affordable housing in the town, noting it had been 12 years since an apartment had been built in town.”

~Writes Margaret Morton of Leesburg Today

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‘Blue Goose’ Redevelopment Includes Funds for Pond, Custis Trail, Metro Entrance

Arlington County

“The developer that plans to demolish the “Blue Goose” building in Ballston has agreed to contribute more than $6 million to community improvements for the Ballston area. The proposed site plan amendment for the project will go before the Arlington County Board at its meeting this Saturday, Jan. 25. The Shooshan Company hopes to bulldoze the distinctive blue building at the corner of Fairfax Drive and N. Glebe Road and replace it with a nine-story office building — to be used to house the Marymount University programs now in the Blue Goose — and a 15-story residential high-rise.”

~Writes Ethan Rothstein of Arlington Now

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Commission balks again at Meadowbrook Flats development

City of Charlottesville

“For the second time in three months, members of the Charlottesville Planning Commission have not looked favorably upon a proposal to redevelop the southeast corner of Emmet Street and Barracks Road. Developer William Park requested a deferral of the design review for the latest version of Meadowbrook Flats after it appeared the commission would not recommend approval.

The commission doubles as the city’s Entrance Corridor Review Board, which grants certificates of appropriateness for projects along ‘designated significant routes of tourist access,’ according to the city’s website. Meadowbrook Flats would be in a entrance corridor.”

~Writes Sean Tubbs of Charlottesville Tomorrow

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City Planning Commission recommends new homes along Water Street extended

City of Charlottesville

“A plan to build two dozen homes between downtown Charlottesville and Carlton Avenue along Water Street Extended received support from the Charlottesville Planning Commission. If a rezoning is granted for the Water Street Promenade by the City Council, Riverbend Development would be able to build nine more homes than the 15 allowed by-right.

'We tried to design this to look something like the Fan in Richmond and not have a suburban product,' said Riverbend’s president, Alan Taylor. 'The lot width in the [current zoning] is 50 feet. These lot widths are going to be between 35 to 38 feet, and we just thought it was a more urban product.'

Plans for the site include 24 three-story houses, each with a basement and garage, the donation of the historic Coal Tower to the city, and public open space surrounding the tower.”

~Writes Effie Nicholaou of Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Planning Commission supports third West Main student complex

City of Charlottesville

“The Charlottesville Planning Commission has voted to recommend approval of a special-use permit for 1000 W. Main St., the third high-density, mixed-use residential complex in the works for that area. Concerns about the project’s impact and whether the market exists for additional housing for University of Virginia students along West Main drove discussion past midnight and into early Wednesday morning. The first student housing project nearby, the Flats at West Village, is leased to a 9-percent occupancy rate for its opening in August.”

~Writes Maggie Ambrose of Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Waynesboro Place Development Crops Up Near I-64

City of Waynesboro

“For years, planners in Waynesboro have known that their growth zone was going to be outside of the old downtown and near Interstate 64. Now they're seeing that come to life with some up-and-coming construction projects.

A partnership between a construction company and a real estate firm will add a whole new dimension of economic opportunity to a quickly growing part of the city. Imagine a luxury apartment community topped off with a pool and walking trail, along with new shops on Windigrove Drive, and you get Waynesboro Place. The concept is a little unconventional for the city, but developers say they're tapping into an unmet market…

The vision is to reel in increasing demand from young professionals and empty-nesters for a higher-end pad. Yagel is supervising that project as part of the partnership between Charlottesville-based Pinnacle Construction and Triangle Realtors.”
~Reports NBC29

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Apartment complex coming up in Waynesboro

City of Waynesboro

“More than three years after the city approved an ambitious, mixed-use development plan for the West End, construction is set to begin on the first residential buildings for Waynesboro Place. The developer has built an extension to Windigrove Drive past The Home Depot that dead-ends on the construction site, which will host the first phase of the the project — a 243-unit apartment complex. Those rental buildings are slated to be the first of many to go up, said Greg Hitchin, Waynesboro’s director of economic development…

Waynesboro Place was approved in 2010 to include 38,500 square feet of office space to be built in the early part of the development. A later phase is to include 6,200 square feet in retail, restaurant and office uses, plus another 120,000 square feet to be designated for retail.

To get the plan approved over some objection from nearby residents, the builder agreed to road improvements expected to ease traffic congestion from the Interstate 64 interchange to Rosser Avenue. A connecting road to the adjacent, existing neighborhood has already been paved, though it’s not yet open to traffic.”

~Writes Calvin Trice of the newsletter.com

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Loudoun Supervisors Weigh Two Residential Rezoning Requests

Loudoun County

“Another residential development application is facing the prospect of a denial vote from a Board of Supervisors that made clear its disinterest in approving another batch of houses that will require services provided by taxpayers for years to come.

Despite receiving support from some of the surrounding property owners, The Greens South at Willowsford project—which would increase the number of houses allowed on a 737-acre tract in the county’s Transition Policy Area from 245 to 802—did not find many backers on the board during Wednesday night’s public hearing. Supervisors will take final action on the application Feb. 5, but several said they would not vote in favor of the proposal, citing concerns with the proffer package and potential transportation impacts. County staff members estimated an additional 4,735 daily trips if the rezoning is approved.

Willowsford’s developer is proffering a 21-acre elementary school site—although supervisors noted a high school is what is needed in the area—a 60-acre public park and tomake 350 of its units age-restricted. For transportation, the developer has proposed to build two southbound lanes of Northstar Boulevard, Grassland Grove Drive along the front of the development, and dedicate right-of-way to make Northstar Boulevard six lanes, among others.”

~Writes Erika Jacobson Moore of Leesburg Today

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Commission Greenlights Proffers Exception for Harper’s Mill

Chesterfield County

“A request to change the terms of a major subdivision’s zoning conditions got speedy backing from the Planning Commission despite county staff’s recommendation to deny the request over the issue of cash proffers.

The developers of the 1,100- acre, 2,400-home Harper’s Mill community off Otterdale Road south of U.S. Route 360 have applied to change the conditions included in the original 2003 zoning case. The vast majority of the subdivision, 993 acres, has yet to be developed. Developer Mark Sowers and a company he’s affiliated with, HMG Investments, are attempting to change the timing and terms of some road improvements and to make some technical changes regarding setbacks and other conditions.

Planning Department staff indicated in a report that they had no opposition to those requests. But Sowers was also asking to keep the project’s cash proffers at the level set in 2003, and planning staffers said that request went against county policy. While the other changes are acceptable, according to the staff report, the proffer request ‘exceeds the Board [of Supervisors’] five-year time limitation to consider such requests.’”

~Writes Michael Buettner Chesterfield Observer

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Martinsville's Henry Hotel gets $600,000 from State for Revitalization Project

City of Martinsville

“City leaders wanted the old Henry Hotel building to continue to serve Martinsville, but needed extra money to make it ready for builders. Local schools recognized by Virginia Board of Education

This week the governor announced a 600 thousand dollar state grant to help fix up the old Henry Hotel.

About six years ago the city bought the building for nearly a half-million dollars. The project was put on hold while city leaders looked for grants and a redevelopment firm that agreed to do the remodeling.  City leaders chose a firm from Petersburg, Virginia that plans to convert it to an apartment building.”

~Reports Justin Ward of WDBJ 7

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Massey Building Converted into Apartments

City of Richmond

“The first residents are moving into 4N4 Midtown, an apartment building at 4 N. Fourth St. at the corner of Main Street in downtown Richmond. The building, a historic reuse project, is the former headquarters for Massey Energy Co., which was bought by Bristol-based Alpha Natural Resources Inc. in June 2011.

To date, 31 of 74 apartments have been leased. The building has a basement and four stories above ground. The first 18 units on the top floor were ready for occupancy in September. The final certificate of occupancy is expected in two weeks.”

~Writes Carol Hazard of the Richmond Times Dispatch

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Downtown Bank Tower’s Rehab Begins

City of Richmond

“The first stages of construction on a long dormant downtown skyscraper are taking shape. More than $500,000 worth of building permits were issued in late October for work on the Central National Bank building at 219 E. Broad St. The permits, which authorize interior demolition and renovation, scaffolding, and barricades, are the first major public signs of progress toward the planned rebirth of the 23-story, 240,000-square-foot tower.

Washington-based Douglas Development Corp. plans to transform the former bank building into more than 200 apartments. Cindy Morris, asset manager for the developer, confirmed that Douglas plans to begin construction in the coming months. W.M. Jordan has been awarded the contract for this initial phase of the development approved in the permits.”

~Writes Burl Rolett of the Richmond BizScene

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Council Approves Second West Main Student Housing Building

City of Charlottesville

“More construction cranes will soon be coming to West Main Street now that Charlottesville’s City Council has approved another housing complex aimed at students. Councilors voted 4-1 Monday to approve The Standard, a 600-bedroom, six-story building to be erected by Landmark Development. The Athens, Ga.-based firm specializes in upscale student housing projects.”

~Writes Sean Tubbs of Charlottesville Tomorrow

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