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Board adopts Route 33 small-area plan to shape future development along gateway corridor
Summary
After months of public engagement, the board adopted a 900-acre Route 33 small-area plan that designates commercial frontage on Route 33, an industrial campus interior to the corridor, and large buffers along Wind's Church Road to preserve rural character while guiding future economic development.
The Hanover County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the Route 33 gateway small-area plan, a 900-acre strategy the county developed with more than 4,000 website views, public meetings and community input.
Planning staff described four character zones in the study area: a commercial frontage zone along Route 33 intended for neighborhood-oriented uses with parking behind buildings and a 50-foot thoroughfare buffer; a Route 33 North rural buffer meant to preserve woods and limit visibility of new development; an interior industrial campus for light industrial and clean manufacturing uses with an internal road network and a 62-foot height maximum (transitioning to 35 feet closer to Winds Church Road); and a Wind's Church Road corridor that retains rural character with a recommended 200-foot buffer from the ultimate right of way (SEG 3360–3440).
Staff and the planning commission recommended two revisions during the process: creating a 200-foot vegetated gateway buffer between the Chickahominy River and Route 33 with industrial uses set behind it, and reserving a 50-foot right-of-way along Wind's Church Road for emergency access with secondary access possible only after a detailed traffic study tied to a specific development. The board accepted the planning commission’s revisions and adopted the plan with minor drafting clarifications requested by Supervisor Dibble to avoid implying transmission-line routing and to mark optional internal roads as conceptual (SEG 3463–3490, SEG 3839–3844).
Supporters said the plan balances economic opportunity and preservation of rural character. Some nearby residents who testified asked for clarification on buffer composition, expressing concern about visual changes or potential berming that could change the approach to private driveways; staff said the plan calls for preserving existing vegetation and supplementing plantings rather than wholesale berming in most locations (SEG 3648–3676, SEG 3704–3730).
The plan does not itself rezone property; any specific project will still go through public hearings. The adopted small-area plan will be used as the county's guidance when evaluating future development proposals along the Route 33 corridor.
Sources: Planning presentation (Andrew Pompey) and public testimony at the Board of Supervisors hearing.
