Spotsylvania Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Sheetz at Heatherstone Drive
The application will now be considered by the Board of Supervisors.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
The Spotsylvania Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously voted to recommend denial of a proposed Sheetz gas station and convenience store to be located at the intersection of Route 3 and Heatherstone Drive.
“I have gotten so many opinions against your project,” said Commissioner Tim Gronau to representatives from Sheetz who attended Wednesday’s meeting. “There’s no way in the world I can support it.”
Powell’s Furniture currently occupies the site in question, county planning staff said. According to the general development plan, the existing building would be demolished to make room for seven fueling pumps, a 6,100-square foot convenience store with a drive-through and outdoor seating area, and 43 parking spaces.
The proposed convenience store and eating establishment use is allowed by-right in the commercial zoning that applies to the site, but the fueling stations require a special use permit.
County planning staff recommend approval of the special use permit, citing the “business-friendly” nature of the gas station, which “contributes to the County’s commercial growth goals,” and the fact that the Traffic Impact Analysis conducted by the applicant shows that the project will “generate primarily pass-by trips,” rather than new trips.
But the staff report provided Wednesday also notes some traffic concerns. According to the Traffic Impact Analysis, the project will generate an additional 1,211 vehicles per day.
“This increase in traffic will impact Plank Road (Rt. 3), which currently handles 53,000 vehicles per day,” the staff report states. The analysis also indicates that the entire Heatherstone Drive/Rt. 3 intersection will have a C-rated “level of service” in the future—and the eastbound left turns from Rt. 3 onto Heatherstone Drive will have a failing level of service.
The applicant’s traffic impact analysis has “not recommended any improvements for the eastbound left turn lane movement to address” this problem, the staff report states.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on Sheetz’s application on Wednesday evening and listened to at least an hour of comment, all in opposition to the project.
Many of those who spoke attend Faith Baptist Church or have children who attend Faith Baptist School, both of which are close to the proposed site.
Other speakers said they live in the nearby neighborhoods of Heatherstone, Wilburn Farms, and Clyburn Woods, all of which consist of single-family detached homes.
Those who spoke cited concerns with traffic, safety, public health, and the impact on real estate values.
Heatherstone subdivision resident Michael Polvay told the Advance that he and his neighbors were not aware of the project until they received a letter dated July 17 from the county and one dated July 23 from the law firm representing Sheetz.
The letters invited neighbors to a virtual community meeting, held by the law firm, on July 31.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Jessica Pfeiffer, a planner with the law firm Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, P.C., which is representing Sheetz, said a community meeting was not required, but that one “should have occurred sooner and should have been in-person.”
She said the July 31 meeting was “not successful” and that the law firm would like to have “a successful meeting” with neighbors before the public hearing.
For that reason, she said, the firm requested Wednesday morning that the Planning Commission defer the public hearing to September, but commissioners declined to defer it.
The Board of Supervisors will now consider Sheetz’s application and decide whether or not to grant the special use permit.
Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit our website at the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past month, our reporting was:
First to report on a Spotsylvania School teacher arrested for bringing drugs onto campus.
First to report on new facility fees leveled by MWHC on patient bills.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Provided extensive coverage of the cellphone bans that are sweeping local school districts.
And so much more, like Clay Jones, Drew Gallagher, Hank Silverberg, and more.
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!