Planning commission approves conceptual plan for 23-acre warehouse in West Creek Business Park

The Goochland County Planning Commission approved a conceptual master plan July 17 for a single-warehouse development on 23.18 acres in West Creek Business Park.

The action, taken by a 3-0 roll-call vote, clears the conceptual stage for Summit Real Estate Group and allows the applicant to proceed with a plan of development (POD) review. Planning Manager Carrie Ragland presented the staff report and said the property is zoned M-1 and surrounded by other M-1 parcels and is designated “prime economic development” in the county comprehensive plan.

The conceptual plan shows a single building near the center of the parcel with staff and visitor parking in front and loading docks and trailer stalls at the rear. Ragland said the site will include two stormwater basins and retained vegetation around the perimeter and noted that proffers associated with West Creek Business Park require planning commission review of conceptual master plans within the park.

Applicant representative Malachi Mills of RK&K Engineering said the parcel sits between Route 288 and West Creek Parkway and that the project team is coordinating required off-site turn-lane improvements with VDOT. Mills described a 12-inch water main stub and said the project had requested and received a waiver on July 7 related to separation requirements for fire department access.

“There's a waterline easement … it’s going to be a 12 inches water main coming in,” Mills said. “We worked out earlier with the code modification request because we're jammed up because of the limited access of VDOT, the on-ramp of 288.”

Ragland emphasized that the CMP is general in nature and that the POD review will address engineering specifics; if the POD does not conform to the approved conceptual plan the applicant must return to the planning commission for a revised CMP. The commission’s approval was moved and seconded during the meeting; commissioners Cosby, Patuck and Kimberly voted yes.

The POD is currently under staff review and includes off-site improvements for left and right turn lanes onto West Creek Parkway, site engineering and stormwater measures. The commission’s approval is limited to the conceptual master plan; final site engineering, landscaping, utilities and any needed modifications will be handled during the plan-of-development review and VDOT permitting.

The planning commission’s vote was procedural approval of the conceptual plan; no variance to the county’s zoning ordinance was recorded in the commission’s action record for this item.