Briefly… for Dec. 13, 2012-Jan. 2, 2013
Liberty Landing deferred for 90 days
A public hearing before New Kent’s Board of Supervisors on rezoning land to pave the way for Liberty Landing, a proposed 608-unit housing development with 100,000 square feet of commercial space slated for the Bottoms Bridge area of New Kent County, has been postponed after developers requested a 90-day deferral.
Representatives of Boyd Homes, the Virginia Beach-based developer, asked for postponement to provide more time to study comments received from county and school officials as well as the public regarding the proposal, said county administrator Rodney Hathaway. Supervisors approved the deferral request at Monday’s meeting. The matter is now postponed until at least the board’s regular meeting in March, Hathaway said.
Developers have applied for R-3 Multi-Family Residential status for 113 acres, currently zoned for business, on the south side of Route 60 across from the Five Lakes subdivision.
Proposed for the site are 344 townhouses and 264 apartments to be built behind the commercial space, which fronts Route 60.
Housing density being too high, impact of more students on already overcrowded schools, added stress to emergency services, and increased vehicle traffic are chief among complaints registered at two public hearings on the application held before the county’s Planning Commission. Last month, commission members forwarded the application to supervisors with an unfavorable recommendation. So far, the developer has offered respective $4,500 and $500 cash proffers per housing unit for schools and emergency services.
One arrested following raid in CC
One suspect is in custody and more arrests are expected in the aftermath of a raid at a Charles City residence conducted by county sheriff’s personnel and officers from the Twin Rivers Multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Force.
As officers approached a house in the 6800 block of Courthouse Road on Nov. 20, a man exiting the residence was observed tossing a plastic bag into nearby bushes. Officers retrieved the bag and found it to contain heroin. Zachery Russell, 20, of the 12000 block of Sterling Heights Lane, Charles City, has been charged with one count of heroin possession. He has been released on bond and is awaiting arraignment in county general district court, a sheriff’s report said.
Woman pleads guilty to drug charge
A Charles City County woman agreed to a deal with the Commonwealth on Nov. 30 in Charles City Circuit Court. Tiffany Dawn Hinchey, 37, of 7621 Roxbury Road, entered a guilty plea to one count of possession of cocaine stemming from an incident on May 26.
According to a summary of evidence presented by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler, a Charles City deputy was dispatched to the intersection of Wayside and Roxbury roads on report of a person walking in the middle of the highway. Upon arriving at the scene, the deputy saw Hinchey, who was identified by witnesses, on the side of the road. Hinchey was arrested for public intoxication and upon searching her, the responding deputy found a small pipe containing residue in her pocket. The residue turned out to be cocaine after being identified in a lab. Under the plea agreement, Hinchey received a five-year suspended sentence.
Vandalism, theft under investigation
New Kent sheriff’s personnel are investigating separate incidents of vandalism to a company’s equipment and theft of copper involving several county residences.
Overnight on Dec. 6-7, thieves vandalized residential irrigation systems and stole copper/brass vacuum fittings. At least 20 residences in the Brickshire subdivision near Providence Forge were impacted.
Several pieces of machinery belonging to Bruce Howard Contracting and stored off Evergreen Road were vandalized during the Sept. 7-8 timeframe, resulting in several thousand dollars in damage.
Anyone with information about either crime should call the sheriff’s office at 966-9500 or Crime Stoppers at 780-100. The contracting business is also offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution.
Arrest made in New Kent burglaries
One arrest has been made and more are expected in connection with Sept. 27 break-ins and thefts of lottery tickets at the Exxon station located at 2445 New Kent Highway and Rick’s Stop and Shop in Quinton. Shavon Natrice Martin, 26, of the 100 block of Hampton Club Drive, Hampton, faces four counts each of burglary and grand larceny.