Fredericksburg Planning Commission Recommends Approval of Special Use Permit for Old Mary Washington Hospital Project
Developer is proposing the adaptive reuse of the hospital building, converting it to apartments.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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The Fredericksburg Planning Commission on Wednesday voted to recommend approval of a special use permit request from Rebkee Project Management, which is proposing to convert the old Mary Washington Hospital building at 2300 Fall Hill Avenue into 242 apartments.
Rebkee needs the permit in order to increase residential density on the property from eight dwelling units per acre, which the current zoning allows by-right, to 43.5 units per acre.
The project involves the adaptive reuse of the old hospital building, which has been used as office space since the construction of the new hospital in 1995 and currently sits vacant aside from one tenant. In addition to the 242 apartments—which will be a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments that will rent from $1,000 to just under $3,000 per month—Rebkee’s plan for the building includes a coffee shop and daycare facility on the ground floor.
The Planning Commission is recommending that City Council approve the special use permit with eight conditions—five that were suggested by staff and three more that were added by Commissioners following a public hearing on Wednesday evening.
Commissioners proposed that as conditions of approval, the applicant must add a six-foot fence between the existing green space at the corner of Fall Hill Avenue and Bunker Hill Street and the homes that back into the green space; must add a secured bike cage to the general development plan; and must commit to imposing no parking fees on tenants.
Commissioner Thomas Johnson said he hopes the three added conditions communicate to future residents of the project the need to be respectful of their neighbors. Residents of the neighborhood who spoke during Wednesday’s public hearing said they’re concerned that tenants will park along city streets, either to avoid having to pay a parking fee or because there isn’t enough dedicated tenant parking.
“These conditions need to send a signal that it is ethically responsible [for tenants] to to keep within these boundaries [of designated parking areas],” Johnson said. “The bike cage being protected communicates that bicycles need to be there. The point of these ideas is that to make this work, parking in these existing neighborhoods has to be protected, in order to get the benefits of this project while not incurring the ill will of the neighbors.”
Kate Schwartz, the city’s historic resources planner, told commissioners that since the project involves the adaptive reuse of an existing building, there is no parking requirement. However, the project provides 280 parking spaces for residents, which is in excess of the 267 that would be required by the city’s parking ordinance if it involved new construction.
Land use attorney Charlie Payne, representing Rebkee, said there is a trend away from car ownership among younger tenants.
“From my experience working with clients who build multifamily projects, they’re typically over-parked when they meet the minimum standard, and that’s because people have fewer cars,” he said.
Planning Commission Chair David Durham noted that the city has a process in place for residents to seek “resident only” parking enforcement in the neighborhood.
“The future tenants of 2300 Fall Hill Avenue need to know that if they start abusing the parking in neighboring streets, what will happen is those residents will seek resident only parking … [so] it behooves them to tread lightly with their neighbors,” he said. “It is a fact that if they abuse it and it becomes a problem, the city will approve resident only parking restrictions,” as it has done in the College Heights neighborhood.
Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing Wednesday and at a community meeting last week also brought up concerns about traffic, especially as it builds up between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. from the light at the intersection of Fall Hill and U.S. 1. They also noted potential pressure from other residential developments in the neighborhood—the 63-townhome development Mary’s Landing and the proposed adaptive reuse of the Medical Arts building.
According to the traffic study submitted by Rebkee as part of the special use permit application, the average daily traffic generated by the apartments, the coffee shop, and the daycare together will be 20% less than what’s generated from office use.
The memo prepared by planning department staff for Wednesday’s meeting included traffic projections for the three new projects in the area, which show a cumulative decrease of 859 daily vehicle trips under the new residential uses.
City staff also prepared an analysis of traffic on Fall Hill Avenue and part of Washington Avenue between 2001 to 2023, based on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s annual average daily traffic counts. The analysis shows an overall decline of about 1,200 vehicles in that time, but notes that “the chart does have some volatility year-over-year and shows traffic rates increasing from a low four-year average of 14,775 [average daily trips] between 2013-2016.”
Mike Craig, director of community planning and building, explained that there is a “capacity improvement project” ongoing at U.S. 1 and Fall Hill Avenue that’s meant to make the intersection more functional, as well as more bike- and pedestrian-safe.
Rebkee’s plans for the old hospital building—which represent a $50 million total investment—also encourage pedestrian safety and connectivity, such as by adding a pedestrian crosswalk between the building and James Monroe High School.
Schwartz noted that the small area plan for this part of Fredericksburg, which was approved in 2019, emphasizes the potential for commercial redevelopment of underused shopping centers and office buildings like the old hospital and the PNC Bank building at 2403 Fall Hill.
“One of the big lessons [from that process] was that there were not enough residents to support shopping center redevelopment,” Schwartz said. “So while you can walk to [Fredericksburg Food Co-op] now, there need to be more residents in order to drive commercial redevelopment”—a move that could be spurred by the future residents of the old hospital.
Commissioner Mary-Margaret Marshall said she feels “torn” by the project.
“I don’t want this area to sit vacant,” she said. “I just wish there was more of an investment in the neighborhood and what their needs are.”
But, she continued, “[Rebkee] is a hands-on developer, and they care about this site.”
Marshall joined with the majority of commissioners in voting to recommend approval of the special use permit. The one dissenting vote came from Jane Macdonald.
There will be another public hearing on the application before City Council in coming weeks.
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