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Supervisors delay public hearing on Preston Hollow land exchange after questions about uses and value
Summary
The New Kent Board of Supervisors heard a preliminary presentation about a proposed land swap with Preston Hollow near Exit 211 and agreed to defer holding the required public hearing after members raised questions about the developer’s intentions, property values and whether the YMCA or other users might be involved.
The New Kent County Board of Supervisors on June 9 heard a preliminary presentation about a proposed land exchange with Preston Hollow involving county-owned property at Interstate 64 Exit 211 and decided not to schedule the required public hearing at this time.
County staff described a request from Preston Hollow to swap roughly five acres of county-owned land at the I-64/Talleysville interchange for about 5.9 acres of adjacent privately owned land. The county parcel holds Fire Station No. 5 and the New Kent visitors center; those uses occupy about 3 of the county’s 15 acres.
The county presentation noted the swap would be a straight land exchange and “does not grant any additional permissions or housing opportunities,” staff said. The board was reminded that state code requires a public hearing before disposing of public property.
Supervisors said they had substantive concerns about timing, transparency and the county’s bargaining position if the swap were processed before more information was available. Several members said they wanted direct talks with potential partners, including the Greater Richmond YMCA, which county representatives have discussed as a possible occupant of part of the site.
“Perhaps the rest of the Board would like to meet with the Y as well to get a feel for how serious they are about possibly bringing the YMCA to New Kent County,” Supervisor [name as in transcript] said during the discussion.
Because board members had not received the developer at the meeting and sought additional background on property values, existing development commitments and the status of a proposed grocery anchor in the nearby plan, the board elected not to set the public hearing date. The chair explained the meeting before the board was a request only to proceed to a public hearing later, and supervisors chose to discuss the item further before scheduling public input; one supervisor suggested revisiting the matter on Aug. 11.
No formal vote on a land swap was taken. The board instructed staff to continue conversations with project partners and recommended supervisors meet separately with the YMCA and Preston Hollow representatives before authorizing a public hearing.
The item will return to the board at a later date when members have had additional briefings and when Preston Hollow or the YMCA can appear to answer questions.
