Hearings set in Ashland, Hanover next week on two long-delayed developments

The wheels are once again in motion for two proposed mixed-use developments on Ashland's eastern boundaries.

After months and years of deferrals to work around community concerns and staff requests, Ashland and Hanover County leaders will again seek the public's thoughts on the latest plans for the East Ashland and Providence Creek communities.

Public hearings are planned for next week. Both projects are proposed for the eastern side of Interstate 95 along state Route 54.

What are the details of the projects?

East Ashland is currently pending approval from Ashland and Hanover because it spans both jurisdictions.

It's proposed for about 262 acres, south of state Route 54.

The county would incorporate 132.5 acres. Plans include 376,300 square feet of commercial space plus 634 residential units.

Within the town, there are plans for 271 residential units. There would also be about 547,000 square feet of retail, office and other commercial space.

On the north side of state Route 54 would be Providence Creek, a 73-acre mixed-use community proposed for the eastern side of Woodside Lane that is awaiting a decision from the county.

The plans call for closing Providence Church Road and rerouting it through a 10-acre field that sits just south of the road and the proposed development.

Are there any other developments going up in this area?

Woodside Estates is a 158-home community already under construction at the end of Woodside Lane. It would be located next to Providence Creek, if that development is approved.

Hickory Hill is farther east on state Route 54 and has been approved by the county for 277 homes, though there are currently no plans for construction.

What is happening next week?

There will be two public hearings, one in Ashland and one in the county.

The town Planning Commission will have a public hearing on the East Ashland proposal Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall building, 101 Thompson St. in Ashland.

Town Mayor Faye Pritchard said at a recent community meeting that the commission will likely vote that night on a proposal. If approved, it moves to the county Board of Supervisors for a public hearing on Dec. 10.

Additionally, the county Planning Commission will have a public hearing on the Providence Creek proposal on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the county administration building, 7515 County Complex Road. If approved, that proposal also moves to the supervisors for final approval.

What has taken the projects so long to get approval?

Community concerns -- and a lawsuit -- have held up approval on both projects.

For the developers of Providence Creek -- Felts & Kilpatrick Construction Inc. -- next week's meeting will be the fifth time coming before the Planning Commission.

A plan was recommended for approval by the commission in March but never made it to the Board of Supervisors for final approval because plans were changed to address lingering concerns. One of the biggest was what to do with Providence Church Road. The plan that was recommended for approval in March kept the road open.

Now, the plan is to relocate it. The primary reason is safety, and county planning staff have repeatedly said publicly that the three-way intersection of state Route 54, Providence Church Road and Woodside Lane needs to be improved.

However, at a community meeting last week, residents and members of Providence Baptist Church, which is located on the road, continued to express opposition to closing or relocating it. Some county leaders share those feelings.

Supervisor Aubrey M. Stanley and Board Vice Chairman G. Ed Via III told the audience that they support keeping the road as it is.

East Ashland is another matter.

East Ashland was originally called Ashbury Village and was part of a 2005 rezoning request. Those plans were turned down by the Town Council in January 2006.

The developer -- the Wilton Development Corp. -- filed a lawsuit against the town for denying the request. A settlement followed in 2007, and part of the negotiations included a new proposal -- East Ashland -- which scaled back the number of residential units and provided more green space within the community. While that initial East Ashland rezoning request was approved in September 2007, a new application for East Ashland was subsequently filed with additional changes.

This latest application is what's up for comment at next week's public hearing.

Contact Holly Prestidge at (804) 649-6945 or .