Henrico supervisors approve rezoning to allow up to 99 townhomes in Landmark development

The Henrico County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a conditional rezoning that will allow up to 99 townhomes on a 15.65‑acre parcel within the Landmark development, located on the east line of Dry Bridge Road south of Old Williamsburg Road. The board recommended approval of REZ2025‑100474 with proffers dated June 9, 2025.

County planning staff told supervisors the 2026 Comprehensive Plan designates most of the site as urban residential and that townhomes would be “a logical continuation of the Landmark development,” with agency reviews identifying no substantial concerns. “This request is acceptable and recommends approval,” Planning Director Joe Emerson said during the hearing.

Supporters and the applicant described the project as a market‑driven change from an earlier plan for 41 single‑family lots and, prior to that, age‑restricted apartments. Attorney John Montgomery, representing the applicant, said the change aims to provide a product at lower price points and to make more efficient use of land: “The housing market is just extraordinarily expensive. In order to build the homes for the folks that we were hoping to be able to live here … this is the method in which we can accomplish that.”

Proffers attached to the rezoning set minimum dwelling sizes and building materials, call for 89 units to be no less than 1,550 square feet (10 units may be as small as 1,280 square feet), and guarantee garages for most units. The plan retains underground utilities, a stormwater BMP consistent with previously approved plans, sidewalks throughout the development and two points of access on Dry Bridge Road. The applicant also agreed to a 25‑foot transitional buffer along the line with the adjacent Pine Grove neighborhood.

The project includes a redesigned pocket park of roughly a half acre and connects to an existing trail system tying multiple sections of Landmark together. Montgomery described an adjacent 1.5‑acre park elsewhere in the larger development, saying the change in park locations results in a net overall amenity gain: “We increased the size of a park immediately adjacent to it to 1 and a half acres.”

Supervisors and staff discussed traffic and pedestrian safety at the Dry Bridge/Route 60 intersection, where planned road improvements and signalization were said to be funded by the developer. Montgomery said the developer has placed funds in escrow for the signal work and that design and procurement are underway; he gave an escrow figure for intersection improvements of just under $850,000. Board members pressed staff and the developer to continue coordinating with VDOT and county public works on sidewalks and crosswalks to improve pedestrian access to Taylor Farm Park and nearby destinations.

Board members also asked whether the housing trust fund would be used in the project. County housing staff said the trust fund reduces purchase prices for buyers and that in a nearby development the county provided roughly $112,000 per closing; Montgomery and county staff said partnerships with builders have already resulted in 16 units in the broader Landmark/Gateway area being committed to affordable purchase prices, with some sales expected to be below $200,000 once land‑trust or trust‑fund subsidies are applied.

Following the public hearing, Supervisor Tyrone Nelson moved to recommend approval of REZ2025‑100474 with the proffers of 06/09/2025; the motion was seconded by Supervisor Rogich and carried. The board’s vote was recorded as an approval during the July 22 meeting.