New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 29, 2024

Development sparked in NK

By Community Member | April 29, 2009 2:22 pm

Since the economy turned south late last year, new development projects in New Kent County have been on hold. But indications are things are about to change.

Plans are now before the county to upgrade a country inn and spa slated for the New Kent Vineyards development. Then there is a rezoning application designed to pave the way for 111 single-family houses in a new subdivision in the county’s western end. And finally, the group that proposed building a landfill in the county is seeking industrial zoning on just over 1,187 acres along Interstate 64.

Public hearings on all three matters could come before the county’s Planning Commission as early as June. And a hearing could be held on an application submitted last year for a housing/commercial development proposed for Bottoms Bridge.

Developers of New Kent Vineyards are seeking to amend the Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance governing the project to provide for a larger than originally planned country inn and spa.

For now, the PUD ordinance allows 16,000 square feet, but developers are aiming at 90,000 or more to accommodate a four-star facility featuring 75 rooms in the $600 per night price range.

The economic impact to the county will be “quite significant” if the upgrade is approved, county economic development director George Homewood told commission members during their April 20 meeting.

Conceptual drawings of the proposed inn and spa, dubbed Mirbeau at Viniterra, also feature several outdoor gardens, terraces, and pavilions, all to be built on land west of New Kent Winery in the development’s Land Bay I. The Mirbeau company operates a four-star inn and spa in the Finger Lakes region of New York state.

The 111-house subdivision, meanwhile, is being advanced by Richmond-based Godsey Properties LLC for close to 129 acres off Tunstall Road (Route 612) and bounded by the Kenwood Farms, Deer Lake, and Essex Hills subdivisions. The applicant is seeking R-1 open space subdivision zoning on the land, which is currently zoned for agriculture.

The developer proposes to build 111 single-family houses in the $160,000-$240,000 price range at a density of one dwelling per .86-acre. Sixty-four acres are to be left in open space with just over 13 acres dedicated for recreation.

At build out, the subdivision, dubbed “Dunham,” is estimated to generate 1,776 vehicle trips per day on nearby roads and add an estimated 53 children to county schools. Developers also estimate the subdivision could generate close to $320,000 annually for the county in real estate and personal property taxes.

Thus far, however, developers have not issued a proffer statement to the county.

Richmond-based developer SPF Investments, the group that unsuccessfully attempted to build a landfill in the county, is seeking to rezone most of the company’s land on the southeast corner of the I-64/Talleysville interchange.

An application is before the county to rezone just over 1,187 acres from economic opportunity to industrial. No land uses have been specified, but Homewood said a landfill is not in the picture. New Kent has a law on the books prohibiting landfills.

Most of the land slated for rezoning fronts on I-64 and Olivet Church Road (Route 618). Close to 474 acres are to remain under the economic opportunity designation.

A June public hearing could be in the works for Liberty Landing, a PUD detailed in the Chronicle last October. Virginia Beach-based developers Bridgewater Crossing Inc. and Boyd Homes submitted an application last July seeking PUD zoning for 113 acres on the south side of Route 60, across from the entrance to Five Lakes.

Developers propose to build 285 homes along with a minimum of 102,000 square feet of retail space. The housing breakdown includes 84 townhouses, 35 cluster homes, 107 patio homes, and 59 single-family residences ranging in price from $245,000-$350,000. Developers envision close to 20 stores generating an estimated $15 million in annual sales.

Sixty-seven acres are to be left in open space. At build out, developers estimate an additional 92 children in county schools and another 7,000 vehicle trips per day on county roads. Net revenue for the county over 20 years, developers say, is estimated at $11.3 million.