Controversial NK subdivision project back for consideration

Developers are back in New Kent seeking the go-ahead for a controversial housing/commercial project that has been lingering somewhat in limbo since first pitched to county officials back in 2006.

This time, however, the company behind Liberty Landing, a mixed-use development proposed for 113 acres on the south side of Route 60 across from the Five Lakes subdivision near Bottoms Bridge, is lowering the housing density.

Just over a year ago in 2012, Virginia Beach-based Boyd Homes (Bridgewater Crossing Inc.) submitted a proposal for a maximum of 608 housing units (344 townhouses, 264 apartments). Now the company has reduced the maximum number of units to 450.

The company had been scheduled to offer a power-point presentation to New Kent’s Planning Commission during the group’s Tuesday meeting, but a snowy forecast forced postponement until the commission’s next monthly meeting on Feb. 18. A public hearing could take place at the March meeting.

The developer is seeking R-3 multi-family residential zoning on the 113 acres in order to pave the way for Liberty Landing. The land is currently zoned for business.

Although public hearings concerning the project have taken place in the past, substantial
revisions in Boyd Homes’ latest proposal are prompting a new round, county planning manager Kelli LeDuc said last week.

Topping the list of changes is the reduction in proposed housing density. The 450 units are to be a combination of townhouses and apartments, but so far developers have not provided a breakdown of each, LeDuc said.

“We don’t know what they’ll end up proposing,” she said. “We haven’t seen any site plans.”

Another change is a slight downward revision in cash proffers to $4,500 per housing unit ($4,000 for county schools and $500 for county emergency services). The total can be revised upward after four years to account for inflation. Back in 2012, proposed cash proffers totaled $5,000 per unit.

Developers are offering to designate a portion of the 113 acres as site for a fire station. Also in the proffers are turn lanes and median upgrades for Route 60 and provisions for recreational and open areas plus sidewalks/paths.

No change in the project’s commercial component, proposed in 2012 to total 100,000 square feet, is mentioned in documents submitted to the county, LeDuc said. But an updated financial forecast estimates the project could provide the county $30 million in net revenue over the next 20 years. A similar estimate in 2012 pegged the figure at $20 million with commercial included.

In a breakdown of potential revenue for the county, developers claim the project will generate $5.6 million in water/sewer fees, more than $2.7 million in proffers, and $1.5 million in net revenue per year “after stabilization.”

In an attachment to the updated proffer statement, developers say none of the housing units are to have more than three bedrooms. Townhouses are limited to up to three bedrooms while apartments can have no more than two. Developers are also required to provide written notice to Five Lakes and Patriots Landing representatives within 10 days after filing formal plans or changes with the county.

Back in 2012, the planning commission held two public hearings on Boyd Homes’ earlier application. At both, opponents complained that the proposed housing density of 608 units was too high. They charged that the project would snarl traffic on Route 60 and add stress to county emergency services. School officials, meanwhile, took aim at the proposal, saying more children would further compound overcrowding in classrooms.

Commission members also weighed in against the proposal, ultimately voting 9-0 with one abstention that November to forward the application to the county’s Board of Supervisors with an unfavorable recommendation.

The next month, the application was set for supervisors’ consideration and a public hearing, but at the last minute, developers asked for a 90-day deferral. There has been no activity since — until now.

Once a public hearing on the latest proposal is held before the commission, planners can then forward a recommendation for supervisors to either approve or reject the application. Final say, following another public hearing, rests with the supervisors.

Liberty Landing had its origin in 2006, first appearing as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) proposal for 95,000 square feet of commercial space and 398 housing units, mostly single-family homes. The economic downturn that occurred a short time later along with new VDOT regulations temporarily sank the project.