The New Kent County Planning Commission on Aug. 18 voted to forward with a favorable recommendation application ZM125, a request from Matt and New Kent LLC to rezone a 289.1‑acre parcel (tax map 32A‑1) from Economic Opportunity to Industrial.

The recommendation follows a staff presentation that said the county supports the request “largely due to the property's existing by right development potential, remaining, relatively speaking, unchanged between the 2 designations,” and highlighted proffers the applicant included to limit incompatible and water‑intensive uses.

Patrick Silva, principal planner with the Department of Community Development's Planning Division, told commissioners the applicant submitted a traffic impact memorandum showing the rezoning would reduce overall passenger‑vehicle trip generation compared with the Economic Opportunity designation and that the Virginia Department of Transportation and the county’s transportation development division reviewed the application and “expressed minimal concerns.” He also said the Department of Public Utilities flagged the need to account for water availability in the Talleyville area.

Applicant representatives described the proposed industrial campus and the proffers intended to mitigate impacts. Mick Risley, applicant representative for Matt and Companies, said the development team has one site‑plan‑approved building (Building C) and described the campus as including a 1,000,000‑square‑foot building with up to three additional speculative buildings. Matthew Roberts, representative with Herschler, said the change is intended to capture industrial uses not available under EO while removing some incompatible EO uses, and that the development would be “consistent with and be compatible with your planning goals for the area.”

Roberts and other applicant representatives told commissioners the proffers include proscriptions on certain high‑water or incompatible industrial uses and a commitment that the applicant will design and construct a wastewater pump station for the site at the applicant’s cost. Roberts stated, “we are proffering to a $10,000 contribution at the time for a certificate of occupancy on this site.”

Commissioners asked about specific water‑intensive uses such as distilleries and microbreweries; Silva and the applicants said some distillation uses require a conditional use permit in the industrial district and that tenant suitability would be constrained by available water capacity. The applicants said they had studied available capacity and intend to market within those parameters; Risley said, “we don't have any of those uses in our portfolio currently. We didn't want to restrict ourselves from it. That being said, we are aware of our water capacity at the site.”

The applicant told commissioners the site master plan underwrites roughly 1,900,000 square feet across four buildings as a baseline, and that the primary site access is a right‑in/right‑out designed to push traffic to the I‑64 interchange. Commissioners and applicants discussed future right‑of‑way reservations and a grant‑funded feasibility study for a wetland crossing that could provide additional roadway connectivity; staff said final design for any wetland crossing is expected in spring 2026.

After discussion, Commissioner Ms. Bennett moved to adopt resolution PC‑15‑25 to forward application ZM125 with a favorable recommendation to the New Kent County Board of Supervisors. The motion passed with 10 votes in favor and 1 abstention (Moyer). The Planning Commission’s favorable recommendation will be considered next by the Board of Supervisors.

Because the action was a favorable recommendation only, substantive conditions that would change the site or trigger new requirements—such as detailed traffic studies or site‑specific water capacity approvals—remain subject to review at later permitting stages, including site plan and any conditional use permits required.