Planning Commission

City of Petersburg Planning Commission Meeting July 7, 2022 Minutes The City of Petersburg Planning Commission meeting held on Thursday, July 7, 2022, was called to order by the Chair, Mrs. Tammy Alexander at 6:02 p.m. A roll call was completed by Ms. Michelle Murrills. Members Present: Ms. Tammy Alexander, Chair Mr. Fenton Bland, Vice Chair Ms. Chioma Adaku Ms. Candy Taylor Ms. Marie Vargo Mr. Thomas Hairston Dr. James Norman Dr. William Irvin Mr. Michael Edwards Members Absent: Mr. Thomas Hairston Dr. James Norman A Quorum was established by the Chair. Others Present: Mr. Reginald Tabor, Ms. Michelle Murrills, Ms. Sandra Robinson, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Arnold Washington, Ms. Kimberly Cole, Mr. Dean Hawkins, Mrs. Laquisha Johnson, Mr. William Johnson, Mr. Tony Gaines, Mrs. Carolyn Jones, Ms. Patricia Bates, Ms. Teresa Hussein, Mr. Calvin Jenkins, Mrs. Cynthia Jenkins, Mr. Marlow Jones, and Mr. John Lombardo plus countless others who were not allowed to speak because of the limitation of time. 1 Adoption of the Agenda: Chair Alexander called for any changes…Commissioner Bland moved for the adoption of the agenda and Commissioner Vargo seconded it. The motion passed unanimously. Minutes: Chair Alexander asked if there were any changes needed to the minutes. Then Commissioner Adoku moved for the adoption of the minutes from the June 2nd, 2022, meeting; Commissioner Vargo seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Public Information Period: Chair Alexander opened the Public Information Period to anyone who wished to speak on an item, not on the agenda. No one chose to speak and so the Chair closed the public information period. Public Hearings: Chair Alexander read the notice of a public hearing as follows: 6a. 22-REZ-03: A request by the City of Petersburg Department of Economic Development and Planning, to rezone the properties in Petersburg VA, located at 513 old Wagner Road, Tax Parcel ID (PID): 083010003 and 525 Old Wagner Road, PID 083010004, from Agricultural District (A) to Single-Family Residence District (R-1A). The subject properties are .870 acres, and 1.55 acres respectively. The parcels do not meet the minimum contiguous area of eight (8) acres, all of which is zoned as agricultural. The proposed zoning will be consistent with the zoning of adjacent parcels. Mrs. Robinson made the presentation: This request came to the Planning Department from the owner of 525 Old Wagner Road wanting to sell the property. Because the property is less than eight contiguous acres, due to the agriculture designation, the Planning Department is not able to able to issue any construction permits. According to the zoning ordinance, when the property was annexed into the City of Petersburg years ago, these properties should have been at least changed to R1A, but they were never changed. Berkley Estates were changed and at the time it is believed that these properties should have been changed as well, but that did not 2 happen. That is why staff is asking to change this to the R-1A classification. This classification requires that the property be at least 100 ft across the front and at least 15,000 square feet wide. These properties do exceed that. The comprehensive plan for this area does support this. The owner of the property, Mr. Buchanan is here today. Chair Alexander then offered for Mr. Buchanan to speak. He then said that he just wanted to thank Ms. Robinson for her help. He said that he had bought the property in 07. Back then he paid to have water and sewer brought to the property. He was not aware of the fact that this property was not zoned properly and only found out when he put it up for sale. He said originally, he was going to build a house on it, but the economy fell out, and plans changed. And now he wants to sell it. Chair Alexander then opened the public hearing and asked if there was anyone who wanted to speak in favor of the rezoning. No one spoke. Then she asked if anyone would like to speak in opposition. Arnold Washington – 572 Wagner Rd: He wanted to make sure that no one was going to do anything other than a single-family home. Kimberly Cole – 598 Wagner Rd: She wanted to make sure what exactly was happening with the property. She was told that the owner just wanted it zoned so that he could have it as a single-family home. Chair Alexander then closed the public meeting portion of the hearing and asked if anyone had any questions for staff. Commissioner Vargas then asked to clarify if this rezoning is just a clean-up from when this area was annexed from Prince George, and that it should have been not agriculture all along. Chair Alexander then asked what Staff’s recommendation was and Ms. Robinson then answered that the recommendation was to approve. Then Commissioner Bland moved to vote on the staff’s recommendation and Commissioner Edwards seconded it with a resolution added to it. The vote was called, and it was passed with 6 yes. 6B. 22-REZ-04: A petition submitted by Dean E. Hawkins, agent for Zahid Rashad, Manager of Real Simple Healthcare, LLC & Polyclinic Park, to amend the approved list of uses for the properties in Petersburg, VA, located at 601 Old Wagner Road, PID: 083010806; 607 Old Wagner Road, PID: 083010807; 613 Old Wagner Road, PID: 083010808; 619 Old Wagner Road, PID: 083010809; 627 Old Wagner Road, PID: 083010005, approved with the existing General Commercial District with conditions, (B-2 ©) in 2008. The owner would like to add the following uses to the list of approved uses: Bank, Credit Union, and ATM: Personal service establishments to include Barber Shop and Beauty Salon; Pharmacy; Printing, Publishing and 3 Engraving; and Restaurant (sit down/drive-thru). The subject property totals approximately 7.3221 acres, 318,950.67 sq. ft. Ms. Robinson made the presentation. She said that this has been in front of the Planning Commission back in the early 2000s. The ordinance that was read was from 2008 when PUD (Planned Unit Development) was changed to B2C…General Commercial with conditions. Those conditions were related to certain types of uses that the applicant was requesting at the time. This is not a rezone per se, this is an application to amend or add additional uses within the existing B2C uses. Under the B2 regulations, it would allow for each of the uses that the applicant has requested. But there were some covenants that were put on the property that disallowed uses like repair establishments, mini-storage units, and things of that nature, but these uses would be in keeping with the B2 regulations but there has been some pushback from the community with respect with a restaurant or something as busy as that coming into the community. The area has been growing so this request is again to add to the uses for this property. Mr. Dean E. Hawkins, Agent for Dr. Zahid Rashad—Applicant: He is a landscape architect. Dr. Rashad bought and developed the property back in 2008. Got permission from the Planning Commission back then to get the property zoned the way it is now. He subdivided the 7-acre lot into 5 smaller lots. And around 1/3 of it will lay fallow because of the wetlands along Wagner Road. So, the property around the 460 area will stay the way you see it today. The area that has been developed so far is two buildings. One is a 10,000-square-foot medical office building that is on the Eastern side of the property and the other is a 6000-square-foot medical office, Dr. Rashad’s office on the Western side of the property. This property is all being developed per the Master Plan. There are still the five different parcels. The business patterns have changed with the years and so with these unused parcels, it is possible to do some of these amended uses on these parcels. My plans today show this building as a restaurant because initially, my plans had it as a restaurant. But we have had other people interested in doing other things with the property over the years. There is an emergency access to the property that today many of the neighborhood use as a cut-through to get into the neighborhood. That emergency access may want to get looked at as another real entrance and exit to and from the neighborhood rather than just an emergency exit. This would lessen the amount of traffic that would then be going to the residential portion of the neighborhood back behind these offices. Currently, that leaves us three other parcels that can be put into use per the Master Plan. The Master Plan for the property is pretty much locked in place and the only thing that we are discussing tonight is the uses that we wish to add. Chair Alexander then asked if there was a traffic study that had been done in that area and Ms. Robinson said that there was not one that was done. She also asked if the commissioners had any questions for Mr. Hawkins. Commissioner Bland then asked what year the existing buildings were built. The answer was 2009-10. 4 Commissioner Edwards then asked about the use of the emergency exit as a full-time entrance and exit. Since he used to drive his bus down that street, he knows that Wagner Road is a drag strip and he is concerned because previously a bus got into a major accident right there and so because of this, he sees major issues with this use in the future. He would rather the developers keep the emergency exit as such and use a different entrance instead. Commissioner Vargo then asked what the options would be if they did not use the emergency exit. Basically, the option was either to have traffic exit out onto Wagner, which is a busier road, or to have traffic exit out into the neighborhood. Chair Alexander then opened the public hearing. Before it was actually opened up, Mr. Hawkins first went over whom he (and his client) were required to notify. Mainly those property owners who were adjacent to the property itself and not everyone in the neighborhood. Chair Alexander then asked if anyone wanted to speak in favor of adding the businesses. Mrs. Laquisha and Mr. William Johnson, 55 Holly Hill Drive: They own a cosmetology school that they would like to move into a building because they want to expand, and it is a positive area. Chair Alexander then asked if anyone else wanted to speak in favor. Not seeing anyone, she then asked who would like to speak in opposition. Mr. Tony Gaines, 661 Flynn Lane: President of the Neighborhood Association. He was on the Planning Commission back in 2008 when this first came to the Planning Commission. When these businesses were first proposed, Berkley Manor only had one entrance/exit. Today in 2022, Berkley Manor now has three entrances/exits. The developers that put together this Master Plan back in 2008 never once sought out the input of the residents. When the Planning Commission had its public hearing, the residents showed up and spoke then. The Commission then agreed that there should be no business on the corner of Normandy Drive and Old Wagner Road. We agreed that there should not be something like a gas station on that corner because it would be too much for the intersection. So, I am vehemently opposed to this request, and I think that we should take a lesson from 2008 and contact the residents…that is our home that is where we live. Last time, once we were able to sit down and speak with the developers, we were able to come up with a viable solution. Everyone that is here is a Berkley Manor resident and I know that they would oppose this request. Mrs. Carolyn Jones, 582 Old Wagner Road: My family has lived here for five decades. I know Dr. Rashad and several of the medical offices there and those are the types of things that we need. We need to keep it medical. We do not need to have it diverse. With a neighborhood that is growing and expanding. That is the reason why we are opposed to more types of businesses. We don’t want a restaurant there, we can go down to downtown Petersburg, Chester, Richmond to go to restaurants. I don’t want to go out my front door to a restaurant. I 5 want my home to be my home. And all of us want our home to be our home. We are good neighbors, and we really stick together. I mean, we got two letters in the mail, and look what we got to come here today, just by word of mouth, and it just happened in a couple of days. So just imagine if we would have gotten the letter sooner. We appreciate everything, but we are trying to keep our neighborhood a neighborhood. South Crater Road is very busy and has some very nice areas out there and so we do not need to have this in our community right there. You could go talk to Bon Secours or a small cancer institute. Maybe someone could have a small clinic in the area. Just keep it on that same consistent level and that way it will not break into traffic. I have seen a high-speed chase before on Wagner Road. They came into the neighborhood, jumped out of their vehicle, ran off, left their vehicle there, and someone else came up with a different car, the driver got in and took off. We have security cameras, and we keep up with the neighborhood there. We don’t want any unnecessary traffic through there, it has already picked up. These are little neighborhood streets, and yes, the neighborhood now has three entrances, but we now have huge trucks going on these roads which have forced me into the trees at times. I was living there before they built I-95. That is a memory of mine. That is history. We like the neighborhood; we like the military. You know Fort Lee is right down the road. But we don’t need any diversity like that. Ms. Patricia Bates, 666 Bradford Lane: I believe that what you are trying to do here is to make a glorified strip mall. That is what we used to call it back in the day. A strip mall. If you go down Sycamore Street at Yankee’s that is a strip mall and that is what I am talking about. It has a restaurant, a hair salon, and a bunch of little shops. Everything that you are requesting for here. It is not doing any good for here, all it is doing is endangering the residents of Berkley Manor. Before you just put up a building, you have to consider the people who are already here. People who have been paying their taxes and not those who are just passing through. The traffic flow there is horrible. My house on Wagner was one of the first ones built back in 1972. I repeat, this is only building a glorified strip mall and endangering the residents of the neighborhood. Ms. Teresa Hussein, 636 Old Wagner Road: Right now, there is only one entrance to this property. You pooh-poohed expanding the emergency exit and it has already been established that there will not be an entrance on Normandy Drive. So, if you follow that line straight ahead off of the only entrance and exit, you will see my driveway. Currently, I am dealing with medical waste trucks that fishtail into my culvert. I also get to watch the prison van bring prisoner medical patients to the medical center and I get to watch men in little orange jumpsuits jump out of the van. (I am not sure that will be allowed if this becomes public as you want.) I know that the massive trucks that will be coming to deliver will also be ending up in my culvert and will block my driveway. This is not esoteric; this is not let talk about that this is the sign of the times, and we need to bring in some business and traffic flow. Let's seriously talk about the sign of the times… and empty storefronts a mile and half away from us on Crater Road. They want to build their empire and make their money. Great…Awesome, Crater Road is right there. There is enough going on in this neighborhood already. And let’s be really clear, there are pets and children walking by. If you have traffic pulling in and out of that one and 6 only entrance/exit at all hours of the day and night because with an ATM it will be all hours, they are going to mow somebody down. This is going to raise the possibility of crime, there is going to be more people and especially with an ATM. That is just the reality. The restaurant…yeah that sounds awesome, but is there going to be a liquor license with that? We don’t want someone selling liquor in the neighborhood because we already have enough issues with traffic in the neighborhood, we do not need to add liquor to it. If it is going to be fast food, let’s be honest. Every branch of fast food is up there on Crater Road. Beyond that, there is also trash. And besides the trash there is noise. This is a quiet little neighborhood. The loudest noise is the train going through. There is also the light pollution. Currently, there is a sign that stays on all the time. It faces Wagner Road. There are also constant security lights and again that is right outside my master bedroom window. So, I am already dealing with the light pollution that is from the businesses that are currently there, we do not need more businesses that will keep later hours with more noise and light pollution. It will be 24/7. More specifically it will be more traffic on the weekends when we are already more strangers coming into the neighborhood on the weekends when people come to visit the neighbors and living in their homes. This is a bad idea. Because the library announced that the library would be closing in 30 minutes Chair Alexander took a consensus of the 30 or so people who were there to speak and asked if they were wanting to speak against the changes. And the answer was yes, they were all basically against the changes. She then said that yes, she would allow people to continue to speak but by this point, there were only about 20 minutes that they had to speak. Mr. Calvin Jenkins and Mrs. Cynthia Jenkins, 590 Old Wagner Road: We have lived in the neighborhood for 22 years. One of our main concerns is the traffic that this is going to bring to the neighborhood. We are fine with the medical offices because almost everyone is gone by five no later than six and they keep the parking lot clean. We are very worried about the traffic. Mrs. Jenkins said that if there was going to be lots of traffic they would have to back into their driveway because they have to back directly onto Old Wagner Road. They do not want more traffic in the neighborhood. Mrs. Kimberly Cole, 598 Old Wagner Road: I am pretty much in agreement with everything everyone has said. I just want to add that there are stop signs on Old Wagner that people just ignore. There have already been two bad accidents. One was right at my door. Right now, they are building new houses down the street and there are lots of big trucks bringing in supplies. We have lived here for only a year and the traffic increase has been tremendous. We chose this neighborhood because it is a quiet neighborhood. There are lots of people who walk and who walk their dogs and this additional traffic could cause harm to someone. Between the big trucks and the cellphones that everyone has in their hands…I’m sorry but my neighbors' lives are more important than your phone call. I believe someone could get hit. With the additional traffic, there would also be trash. There is a bus stop right on the outside of our property. My husband has to come home (he is a bus driver) from a full week's work and before we can cut the grass, we have to clean up all the garbage; paper cups, papers, cigarette 7 butts, beer bottles, all kinds of trash that would significantly if this became a business area. These are our homes and not a business area. Mr. Marlow Jones, 3554 George Street: He wanted to come up front to speak to everyone. He said that he wanted to come up front and fight for this being everyone’s neighborhood. He said that he deserved to be able to speak up for everyone. He said to the owner that if you wanted to be ready for the future then you should have planned for the future. He said that no one wanted a restaurant in the neighborhood; not in 2008 and not today. He said that he wanted to make sure that everyone on the Commission had been out to see the property so that they could understand what they were voting on. It is always a mess and Dr. Rashad does not maintain it properly. We have to call every wait to get the grass cut. I definitely do not want to have a restaurant in my neighborhood. Thank you. Chair Alexander then asked if there was anyone else who wanted to speak as time was running out. Since there was not, she closed the public hearing. She then asked if anyone on council had any questions. She then asked staff for their recommendations. Ms. Robinson responded. There are several complications that have to do with this property that the residents have expressed. As such the proposal shall be deferred so that staff and the applicant can work with the community to find what they would accept. And then the city can work on the traffic issues. Chair Alexander then asked for a motion in response to the staff recommendation. Commissioner Edwards moved and Commissioner Bland seconded it. It passed 5-1 passing. 6c. 22-REZ-05: A petition submitted by John Lombardo, lessee, or agent to rezone property in the City of Petersburg, located at 3450 South Crater Road, PID 087030815, from Planned Unit Development District (PUD) to, General Commercial District (B-2). The owner would like to be permitted to construct and operate a stand-alone car wash or car washing and detailing operation with accessory vacuum spaces, and similar facilities at property addressed as. The proposed use is permitted in the B-2 District with a Special Use Permit (SUP). The property is approximately 0.0789 acres, 34,369 sq. ft with a total street frontage of 195 feet. The subject property is located immediately adjacent to the South Crater Road Shopping Center, zoned PUD. This was tabled until the next meeting. 6d. 22-REZ-06: A Petition submitted by the City of Petersburg Industrial (Economic) Development Authority, owners, agent to rezone property in the City of Petersburg located at 8 2655 Stedman Drive, Petersburg, VA, PID: 039020800, from Single-Family Resident District (R- 1A) to Mixed Use District-3 (MXD-3). The purpose is to facilitate marketing the property and to encourage appropriate, compatible commercial and industrial uses. The property is approximately 21.939 acres. (In the middle of this, the security guard came and told us that we had 10 minutes and we had to get out of the library even if we were not done). Ms. Robinson said that this request was from the Economic Development Authority. This zone was made specifically for medically related business, and it had to be at least 10 acres. There are two mobile home parks and a church on the sides. Commissioner Vargo asked to make sure that the whole parcel was actually in Petersburg and no part of it was in Prince George County and yes, it is all in Petersburg. Staff recommendation was to approve the request which Commissioner Edwards moved, and Commissioner Vargo seconded. Commissioner Irvin wanted to make sure that everyone that came to speak would be included in everything. Ms. Murrills then called the role, and it was passed unanimously. 7. Old Business 7a. Comprehensive Plan Update- the funding was approved and so the consultants will be working on the Comprehensive Plan Update. 7b. Capital Improvement Plan Update-The commissioners would be discussing this in the next meeting. 8. New Business – none 9. Announcements - Commissioner Edwards said that he had a question… We are a City appointed board doing work for the City and we are being rushed out of here by our City. So, who do we have to talk to to get this fixed? Mr. Tabor said that instead of being in the library we could have our meetings at the train station. Commissioner Edwards said that we only meet once a month and that he seriously doubts that keeping someone at the library until 9:00 is going to break them. Rather than rushing the citizens through their testimonies. 10. Commissioner Irvin made a motion to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 7:58. 9 10