Coraggio Consulting
Hanover County Board of Supervisors Meeting, Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Place: Hanover County Board of Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 2h 28m (video)
Official meeting video (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1579/media
Official agenda (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=5546,plainText=false)
Official minutes (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=5591,plainText=false)

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-24. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:05:40] Good evening and welcome to the April 22nd, 2026 Hanover County Board of Supervisors meeting. As is customary, we'll open with an invocation led by Vice Chair Stoneman and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mr. Herzberg. Well, if you bow with me in this good Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, hallowed be thy mighty and powerful name.

[00:05:59] Father, we come to you this evening and we just ask your blessings on our time as we're gathered once again to conduct the business of our beloved Hanover County and for the citizens. Father, we do ask, Lord, that you grant us wisdom and discernment.

[00:06:15] And Lord, I pray that all we do and say, Lord, would be done with humility and respect one for another. Father, I pray that your divine will would be done as we go through these proceedings, Lord. And I do want to recognize that many folks that are here this evening have come to celebrate this magnificent planet we call Earth and our existence on it.

[00:06:37] We're so grateful for that. But, Father, I do think we need to make a special effort to thank you each and every day for the gift that you've given us on this place we call Earth. And so, Lord, I just pray that you would bless all that we do and say tonight may be pleasing in your sight. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[00:06:54] Amen. Would you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:07:17] Thank you, Mr. Stoneman, Mr. Herzberg. I want to recognize Chief Anderson, and I believe Ms. Anderson is with him tonight. Did you know, Chief, that Ms. Anderson was here? I didn't know. Okay. As well as Chief Powers, thank you both for being here.

[00:07:35] We have some time with you later. I want to ask the entire board to come down when we get to the portion with Chief Anderson. I move that we amend the agenda to create an item 7A, Potential Advertisement, a data center tax rate for Hanover County, FY 2027.

[00:07:55] Is there a second? Second. We have a motion to second any discussion. All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Next item on the agenda is comment period. We are welcome and we are pleased to have with us tonight a number of young citizens who I think Sia Saxena, Remington Llewellyn, Owen Newcomb, and Scarlett Hill are with us.

[00:08:25] And Ms. Floyd brought this to my attention. There was an oratory contest reciting portions of Governor Henry's speech, not Governor at the time. And in honor of our nation's 250th anniversary in Hanover, born Patrick Henry, the Hanover 250 Committee and the American Legion, with generous support from the VFW, the Historic Polgreen Church in Patrick Henry Scotstown, held a Patrick Henry Oratory Contest on Saturday, March 28th.

[00:08:55] It was held at the Historic Hanover Courthouse, where Patrick Henry first practiced law and first won the fame in the 1763 Parsons Cause trial. If you don't know about Parsons Cause, it's a really, really interesting trial. certainly held right here. The contest was open to all the students. Contestants had to memorize and recite a portion of Henry's famous Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech, which he gave on March 23rd, 1775 at St. John's Church in Richmond. Henry was living at Scottsdale at the time of the speech here at his home in Hanover. Over 40 Hanover students participated in the

[00:09:30] contest, and contestants were split into five divisions, K-1, 2nd through 3rd grade, 4th through fifth middle school and then finally high school the students giving the speech today were all top were the top performers in their respective divisions and received cash prizes as well as plaques for their efforts and oratorical skills contestants did not use a microphone in the historic courthouse but they did use a microphone at the arts and science festival in mechanicsville high school so we have a microphone here i don't know if they have a chaperone with them or not Real quick, we're gonna get into citizen time. We'll talk about citizen time. We have no issue with signs.

[00:10:07] We certainly welcome signs, but we can't have them in the aisle, so I need to get those signs moved in from the aisle, please. And you can have your sign as long as you're not blocking anyone's view. And just for the purpose, if you'd like to hold your sign up now so you know we have one, please feel free. So we know, yeah, want you to, okay. Thank you very much.

[00:10:27] We see them. So if you're in the back, as long as you're not blocking our deputies or press box, or if you're in front you hold in front of you that's fine so with that I don't know if these young students are chaperoned here tonight I'd welcome the first one their parents are with them will please come on up and introduce yourself I guess we'll start with Sia Saxena Sia with us oh man this is

[00:10:49] exciting yes welcome thank you for being with us

[00:11:25] gentlemen may cry peace peace but there is no peace the war has actually begun the next scale that sweeps from north will bring to our ears of class or sound norms our brethren are in the field why stand we here idle what is it that gentlemen wish what they have is life so dear or peace so suite has to be purchased at the price of change in slavery. Forbid it, almighty God. I know not

[00:11:57] what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. Here, here. Amazing.

[00:12:14] Amazing. Thank you so much. Okay, is Remington with us? Remington Llewellyn. Remington, thank you for joining us. I'm Remington, and I'm from South Anna Elementary School, and I'm in fifth grade, and I would like to thank all of y'all for coming, and thank y'all for having me.

[00:12:37] And I would like to share with you what was said to be what Patrick Henry was holding, paper cutter, while he said his speech. And here's my speech. Here I go. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace, but there is no peace.

[00:12:55] The war has actually begun. The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears to clash with resounding alms. Our brother-in-law already in the field. Why stand we here, idol? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, a peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

[00:13:15] Forbid it, almighty God, I know not what course others may take. But as for me, give me liberty or give me death. Hear, hear. Mr. Newcomb, Owen Newcomb from Cold Harbor.

[00:13:37] Mom, is Ms. Newcomb here, April Newcomb, a teacher? Oh, it's great to see you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Owen Newcomb, and I will be performing the Patrick Henry speech. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter.

[00:13:55] Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace, but there is no peace. The war has actually begun. The next scale that sweeps from the north shall bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms. Our brethren are already in the fields. Why stand we here idle?

[00:14:12] What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of the chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God. I know not the course others may take.

[00:14:28] But as for me, give me liberty or give me death. And Scarlett Hill, homeschool student, is Miss Hill here.

[00:14:47] Scarlett, thank you. Thank you for joining us. They tell us, sir, that we are weak, unable to cope with so formidable an adversary.

[00:15:05] But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?

[00:15:24] Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance? By lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope Until our enemy shall bound us hand and foot Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means Which the God of nature hath placed in our power The millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty And in such a country as that which we possess Are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us

[00:16:01] Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not the strong alone. It is the vigilant, the active, the brave.

[00:16:27] Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat, but in submission and slavery, our chains are forged.

[00:16:43] Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston. The war is inevitable, and let it come. I repeat it, sir, let it come. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter.

[00:17:00] Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace, but there is no peace. The war is actually begun. The next scale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms. Our brethren are already in the field.

[00:17:17] Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God.

[00:17:36] I know not what course others may take. But as for me, give me liberty or give me death.

[00:17:46] Thank you all. That was very special. And we appreciate you taking time out of your schedules to come here and share with the community. That was one of the most special things I've seen since I've been on board. It's very touching and very encouraging for sure. So thank you for spending your time with us this evening.

[00:18:17] I did want to make note, we have a potential deferral on REZ, the rezoning 2025-00030, which is a North Lake RV. We'll entertain any discussion and a potential motion for deferral when we get to the public hearings.

[00:18:36] But I just want to let folks know, if you're in the room, that that is going to be a topic of discussion as soon as we open up the public hearings for our land use cases. Board member comments Miss Pritchard said there may be some folks here that want to speak on Henry Clay. We know we have citizens time Citizens time is going to be opened up in just a moment But you did you want to speak to that miss Pritchard? Thank you, mr. Chair just for a sec Um, I know that I know there are four people here who who are interested in the Henry Clay project And I also know that a couple of those people have probably not been here before

[00:19:12] it might be a little overwhelmed by the number of people in this room most of whom will be talk all of whom will be talking about something different and I just want to make sure you know that you're welcome to come down during the public hearing part I mean Jones citizens input part we'd love to hear from you we don't we don't want you to get stuck in the back okay thank you I have further comments from the board anything here yeah thank you mr. county administrator thank you mr. chairman just a few updates this evening some may had noticed the board right before this meeting began we went over and recognized

[00:19:49] the efforts that are going on in the two buildings that are under construction on our campus. Yesterday we completed a successful election in this community. One of those buildings is being renovated for our election center and the other for our community corrections that will finish the renovations on this building. We hope to open those on this campus. We hope to open those over the summer so construction's moving along well look forward to sharing those with the community there's a number of upcoming activities i just wanted to share this saturday at 10 a.m we will be dedicating the new uh wickham field uh at the montpelier rec center and library uh followed by

[00:20:27] a friendly competition between our firefighters and police uh sheriff's officers um and family so please uh it should be a family friendly event encourage everyone to come out to that This Sunday at Hanover High School, 4 to 7, is the Vintage Car Cruise Inn.

[00:20:45] Monday evening, there are two community meetings. The first, if you're interested in pickleball in the Polgreen corridor on the Polgreen Pickleball Court expansions, that will be at 6 p.m. at the Polgreen Community Center.

[00:21:03] If you're interested in the safety and crosswalks up in the courthouse area that evening, Here at the Martha Ann's Field building at 6 o'clock will be a community meeting on that particular project. And the last thing I wanted to share, we just celebrated Public Safety Communications Week just last week.

[00:21:22] And just Monday of this week, we were notified that our Emergency Communications Department has been selected to receive the Virginia Association of Public Safety Communications Officials State Award for team performance in a critical incident. Specifically this ward's recognized for department's professional handling of a shooting incident within the county in the last year be recognized At the spring conference. This is you know are the folks that answer the 911 calls are first first responders Extremely proud of the work that they did in a well-deserved recognition. Mr. Chairman. That's all I have to see. Thank you Mr. County administrator. Thank you for that update

[00:21:59] I'm going to ask chief Anderson if he would come forward and open up his presentation for recognition of citizens for the at the hannover fire and ems citizens fire academy graduates thank you mr chairman i appreciate it it is wonderful to see so many people here this afternoon and i know everybody is here to see not only the performance from our students earlier but also to celebrate in a in the graduation of our first citizens academy um so that's a a monumental event for for this afternoon

[00:22:35] it's truly an honor to stand here before you and represent the women and men of hannover fire ems Today, like I mentioned, is a big milestone. Today is not only about the first Citizens Academy graduation, but it truly is the start of what we expect to be an annual event where we have an opportunity to connect our community directly with the women and men of Hannover Fire EMS.

[00:23:04] They understand the work that we do to protect the community, but more importantly, understand the purpose behind Fire EMS. Over the course of this academy, our community members were given a real look of inside, behind the curtains, if you will, of the fire department and what our operations are.

[00:23:22] They engaged in hands-on learning through fire prevention, inspections, investigations, CPR, hazardous materials awareness, EMS operations, the personal protective equipment that we have, fire ground skills, rope rescue, truck company operations, and vehicle extrication.

[00:23:44] And if you're wondering, yes, they actually went into our burn building and operated hose lines, got to cut a vehicle up through a simulated vehicle accident, and used the jaws of life. I hope that each of our graduates leaves today and the Academy with a stronger appreciation of the women and men of Hanover Fire EMS.

[00:24:08] When we talk about the fire department, it's not just my fire department. More importantly, it's your fire department. It's our community's fire department. I have the opportunity to lead and direct the folks on a daily basis, but it's truly your department that we're leading.

[00:24:24] We have that opportunity to build that connection. We understand that Fire EMS is not just built for the people that are wearing the uniforms, but more importantly, it's built from that strong community partnership. It's that support from you all that support our board of supervisors and ultimately our county administration and then support us to be able to do the things that we do on on a daily basis. One of the things that I value most about this academy is it does help us bridge the gap between public service and public understanding. Our community places a great

[00:25:01] deal of trust in us, and this is that way for us to transparently show what we are doing for you all on a daily basis. To our graduates, thank you for giving us the greatest gift anybody can give, truly your time and appreciation and dedication to the program. The time is truly the greatest gift anybody can give somebody. You were asked questions. You leaned into new experiences.

[00:25:30] You represent exactly what we hoped this academy would be. You helped make the first class a success. And because of that, you have helped build and lay that foundation for the academies to come in the future. To our instructor staff, Cundiff, and everybody else that you had come in, thank you. Thank you for making this possible. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, your professionalism and your passion. Programs like this only succeed for the folks that are able to participate and share that passion and love of the job. And to our Board of Supervisors

[00:26:06] and County Administration, thank you for your continued support in Hanover Fire EMS and recognizing that building relationships with our community is truly how we continue to succeed as a safe organization and a safe community. Thank you. At this time, I'd like to invite the board down uh so we can do a picture once the uh the presentation of certificates are done i'll also ask that the lead instructor john cundiff come forward battalion chief cundiff and uh go through the presentations first of all i want to thank the citizens as the board comes down i want

[00:26:44] to thank the citizens again for taking your time uh to participate learn and help help us uh with information and feedback that's so vitally important um i always tell folks these are not propaganda programs we're not here to indoctrinate you into all the great things that the county does but you do see a lot of the great things that the the men and women of Hanover Fire and EMS do on a daily basis and stand by ready to do but this is the first academy for a number of years I talked about a Citizens Academy for Fire and EMS and that only happened when Chief Anderson came on

[00:27:21] and he made it happen very, very quickly. Not only did he construct the program, he implemented the program, and here we are with the first class. So I think there's a big round of applause for Chief Anderson in making this happen. Thank you, Chief. So briefly, you didn't know you were going to have a quiz.

[00:27:44] Just by a show of hands, how many folks enjoyed it? How many folks learned something new? What did you learn that Fire and EMS does that you didn't know prior to anybody? and shout it out. The danger. When the call comes in, their response is, we're on our way,

[00:28:13] and nobody else is coming. It's them. Sure. Yes, ma'am. Okay. It's a lot, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:28:30] Just to roll out. And this is the one you were telling me about on a weekly basis. Is that right? That's her? Okay. Good. Yes, ma'am. Interesting. Okay. Yeah. That's a lot of technology on those trucks to save lives and help people in their worst day. And I saw one more hand. Yes, sir.

[00:29:03] please oh wow yeah we know we always say and i'll end my comments with this if folks don't know who to call anything that happens in the community if you don't know who to call you call the fire department no matter what it is if you don't know who to call something happens you call the fire department and uh chief comes now did he give y'all his cell phone number because he's going to be your first call so all right and always end with this when you pick up the phone and you need help, what's the number you call? 9-1-1. 9-1-1. It's that easy, right? Some folks say, well, I'm not

[00:29:43] sure. If there's an emergency and you're not sure, call 9-1-1. We answer and we send somebody out, and I'm very proud to be on the board serving with folks like this in this capacity, our joint constituency with Chief Anderson, Chief Powers. It means a lot, and I thank y'all for taking your time to help us be better. Thank you. We're going to call each individual up in alphabetical order.

[00:30:12] you'll come up get your certificate and shake the board's hand and then we'll stay here for a picture

[00:30:17] so miss lisa davis shanaz dyett barbara hancock henley nick hooray gunner irving daniel johnson

[00:31:24] ethan mills lorena oskins stewart oskins brandon pegram mary randolph daniel simpson

[00:32:49] Miss Faye you can come on down Faye Smith William Word

[00:33:18] Get the board to stay here

[00:34:17] The Patrick Henry oratory Participants And this is unofficial but parents Because they're minors Is it a thumbs up okay for a picture to be published I've got enough okay Thank you come on up Thank you for being with us Come on in y'all going to be Y'all are the stars

[00:34:43] the next item on the agenda is citizens time citizens time is a time where anyone who wishes

[00:36:29] to address the board is asked to come forward and welcomed by the board for your comments you do not have to sign up we do have some folks that have but we do have cards they do help facilitate um follow-up information or getting information specific to a district to a board member we ask that you state your name and the district that you live or the entity that you represent while we don't allow presentations at citizens time you are certainly allowed to have a presentation you can give it to dr brown and we will enter that in the public record by a show of

[00:37:03] hands i do have uh mr nelson uh uh miss reagan waggy uh mr clint robertson signed up again you do not have to sign up but if you are here would you please raise your hand we get a count of how many people want to speak at citizens time yeah 15 that's good okay so here's what we'll do we have according to the vice chair's count about 15 people so we'll allow three minutes for a max

[00:37:38] of 45 minutes if you don't get a chance to speak within the 45 minutes uh we'll hold another citizens time afterwards but we do want to try to get as many people in as possible so allow three minutes for folks who are here we'll start with mr nelson he had signed up Mr. Bob Nelson, please come forward.

[00:37:54] State your name, the district that you live, or the entity that you represent. Ms. Pritchard? Mr. Chair, while Mr. Nelson's getting prepared, I just want to remind my folks that while Henry Clay is not a planning public hearing, it actually is a public hearing. So you all can speak during that time, and you won't get muddled up with everybody else.

[00:38:15] Mr. Nelson, thank you for being with us. Thank you. Good evening, Chairman Davis and Board Supervisors. My name is Bob Nelson. I reside in the Ashland District. Last week, the Planning Commission recommended approval of Tracks Mountain Road project. Tonight, I'd like to discuss some major issues with the case. First, the concept plan should not be the single sheet referenced in the proffers.

[00:38:36] Essential information for reviewing construction plans is in the complete plan. Acreage for complying with building coverage requirements is just one example. The complete concept plan should be proffered. Planning staff should insist on it. Second, removal of the dam and pond should not be off limits.

[00:38:54] a subject not even addressed in the proffers. The sediment behind the dam contains microplastics and God knows what else from decades of chicken plant operations. Moreover, the sediment should not be reused on site as TRAC's environmental manager proposed.

[00:39:10] Raiding with noxious sediment to increase the ground level elevation for data center buildings would be a shameless construction practice. Proffers are absolutely required here. Third, we heard about Hanover's history tonight. TRACT claims there are no known or suspected historical research resources on the property or adjacent properties.

[00:39:33] The page in its application is blank, the signature unreadable, and this project is 100 acres greater than the Lake District case. Hanover County cares about historic resources. TRACT has contempt for them.

[00:39:50] Fourth, there are no limits on the number of data centers that can be under construction at one time. This gaping hole in the proffers must be plugged. Fifth, notice should be given, a public hearing should be held, and board or planning commission approval should be required for all construction and management plans.

[00:40:12] Time and time again, TRAC has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted. Today is Earth Day. If the board cares about the environment, denial of TRAC's application is the required result. Thank you.

[00:40:28] Ladies and gentlemen, we we're not gonna have that either. I'm sorry I can support somebody but we're not gonna have outbursts of support or Folks standing in opposition. We're gonna move through this So we recognize most y'all are here to support folks But you may hear some things you like the things that you don't like but we're not gonna have public expression of support or Opposition of speakers next speaker, please. Mr. No, I'm sorry. Miss Reagan waggy miss waggy. Thank you for being with us. Hi Reagan

[00:41:04] Please state your name, the district that you live, or the entity you represent. All right. My name is Reagan Waggy. I'm in the Beaverdam District. I live on Verdun Road in western Hanover, the same farm that I was born and raised on.

[00:41:21] It sits right next to the rock quarry, if you're not familiar with it. And if I had a walk-up song tonight, since that seems to be all the craze, it would be, There Goes the Neighborhood by Sugar Land. Pulling up every single route in this town to tear shit down.

[00:41:38] You can't get back what you knocked down. There goes the neighborhood. Just be thankful I didn't sing that for you. And I ask you, have you ever heard a Whippoorwill or Bob White? They're birds. They sound just like their name, Whippoorwill and Bob White.

[00:41:57] I can remember hearing them as a child. It's been a long time since I have heard them. And I mind you, I'm on the same piece of property that I was born and raised on. I don't hear them anymore, whether it's the home of the quarry or the residential neighborhoods that have gone up, people moving in, whatever.

[00:42:18] But it feels like there's been unbridled growth in all of Hanover. Are you selling out to the highest bidder? What about protecting our farmers, our timber resources, our wildlife, our water, our peace and quiet?

[00:42:40] Things that I've enjoyed growing up in western Hanover. Things that I have watched dwindle away and be replaced by the constant hum of the current rock quarry. The rumble of so many trucks and cars and the light pollution. It is difficult now to see the constellations in what was a very dark sky as I was growing up, and I am not that old, people.

[00:43:04] I'm sure most residents of western Hanover would rather pay higher taxes than to give up a rural lifestyle. Don't let your legacy on this board be remembered as the reason Hanover is overrun with subdivisions, quarries, data centers, solar farms, etc.

[00:43:24] I ask, would you want any of those in your backyard? I think not. So please don't put them in mind. Leave Western Hanover alone. Thank you. Next speaker, please, Mr. Clint Robertson.

[00:43:40] Mr. Robertson, thank you for being with us. And if you're one of the other speakers that didn't sign up, you can start lining up at your preference. My name is Clint Robertson. I'm from the South Anna District. The kids tonight were very inspirational with their Patrick Henry speeches.

[00:44:00] It reminds all the citizens that united we stand together. We can make a difference. I'm here tonight to remind you about what we expect from our supervisors. The job is very important because you are meant to protect the people of this county.

[00:44:15] I was asked recently if I would run to be the supervisor for the South Anna District. I am honored and flattered that people would want me to represent them. I have declined because I don't want the job, but I am starting to wonder if you want these jobs.

[00:44:32] Right now, the threat of data centers in Hanover County is the biggest topic on people's minds. As more of these are proposed, more and more of us feel threatened. Our environment is threatened. Our health is threatened. Our peace and enjoyment of our rural county is threatened.

[00:44:49] This concern is not a partisan one. People on all sides of the aisles are saying that we don't want these threats in our county. The evidence is pouring in from all over the country. Data centers are literally sucking the life out of communities.

[00:45:05] From abuse of water usage, to the air and noise pollution, to the increase in utility costs. People can no longer tolerate this industry destroying what they love for profit. The promise we often hear is that a data center will bring a windfall of profit to the county. But at what cost? Are the health of our environment and the physical health of our citizens worth it? Some may say yes, but in this county, 80% of the respondents in the development survey said no because they want our county to stay rural.

[00:45:43] There's nothing rural about this industry. The funny thing about the survey is that nobody asked to have a data center built near them. Nobody. If you are paying attention to what is happening in counties around this country where data centers have been approved and built, the people are outraged and they're replacing their representatives.

[00:46:07] I'll let you Google it, but entire city councils and boards of supervisors have been voted out and replaced with people that are guaranteeing no more data centers. Some have even gone as far as suing to stop approved plans.

[00:46:23] That brings me back to wondering if you want these jobs. You have 30 seconds. Thank you. To bring this kind of harm to our county, no matter what the promised dollars are, is unacceptable. You people have been elected to protect this county and the people that live in it.

[00:46:42] I'm asking you to step up and make sure that's what you do. Apparently, people are already seeking your replacements. Your positions are in your hands. Thank you, sir. Next speaker, please. Please come forward, state your name, the district that you live, or the entity that you represent.

[00:47:00] Thank you for being with us. Well, thank you for having me. My name is Cassandra Ziegler, and I don't yet live in a district, and that is the whole crux of this problem. I do own lots in South Anna. And I have been trying so long, four years, to get something built on these two lots.

[00:47:21] But first, there was the whole encroachment from Wegmans and the citizens there wanting not to be industrialized. And I stood for them. And I did what I could to be a community member.

[00:47:38] And luckily, through their comprehensive plant process, it was made a small area and was kind of de-industrialized. Ah, there goes, you know, one hurdle down. Now we're in another phase of development over there, which we're going luckily from a dirt road to something paved.

[00:47:59] And in that process, they are draining areas in order to make certain that, you know, the road doesn't flood and all that good stuff. happens. But guess who got forgotten? I'm pretty loud, pretty proud, pretty out there. How did I get missed? So anyway, I spoke to several people starting in February. One, I didn't get a letter.

[00:48:23] No one said, hey, Cassandra, we're doing this project. Didn't happen. But luckily, I was just driving around, went into the town, saw some things, called some people, and I got a Mr. Ward, an engineer. He said, oh, Ms. Sigler, what we're doing is going to serve you too. I said, ha, I'm good. This is fantastic. Then I came in. I said, hey, can I see the plan? Then I noticed I'm not on the plan. I'm nowhere there. So the solution is likely not going to solve my problem. But Mr.

[00:48:57] Williams, the guy next door, he had some old stuff in his. He like gerrymandered some stuff, put it underground, and the county is pulling it up, fixing it, and putting new stuff. I'm like, hey, Mr. Ward, do what you're doing for him. I'm just right over the way. But no, that did not have, that hasn't happened yet. They said, oh, maybe Ms. Siegler will give you a ditch. I said, I'll take a ditch, but I also have a few thousand dollars that I could lend to my own pipes. Do you want me to get some pipes? You know, call and put them into the yard so you can put them on my thing.

[00:49:31] we can have it happen. Nah, not so much. So I'm waiting to hear back from several emails that I've sent out to plan. I got it, but I'm going to come here. I am definitely a pesty person. I will come back and ask the planning people. I'm going to ask you, put a bug in someone's ear. Try to get some help from Ms. Ziegler and the drying up of the lots so she might build and live happily ever after in this beautiful Hanover County can you give dr. Brown your cell phone

[00:50:11] number or whatever contact information you need you can come on through there you can come on through yeah thank you dr. Brown if you'll handle that and then we'll get it back to whomever maybe okay thank you thank you for being with us please state your name the district that you live or the entity that you represent. Thank you for being here. My name is Catherine Scalaric. I'm in South Anna District.

[00:50:38] I almost didn't come tonight because I'm tired. Winds Church 2022, myself and five other women formed a committee, and we pushed RCI away from Winds Church Road. Yes, citizens can do it, but I was tired because I've been trying to see what can we do to let people like yourselves know

[00:51:14] that we don't want the data center. Well, I'll tell you where I live. I live about a quarter of a mile away. I am a quarter of a mile in, as you enter Wins Church, from 33. Recently, I found out they want to put another data center 1.8 miles off of 33 next to the RV storage place

[00:51:45] 127 acres the one that they're proposing that'll come in front of y'all in three weeks I think and that's going to be a real fun day guys I'm telling you real fun because we are organized we are serious, and you will listen to us. But I almost didn't come because I'm tired of fighting.

[00:52:16] I'm just a poor, weak, old lady. But last year, they removed my right kidney because I found out I had a very weird kidney disease that no one had seen in years at the hospital. And I only worked about two months out of last year and i'm a workaholic so i'm coming back this year my husband has had two bouts of cancer in in the last eight years we live a quarter of a mile roughly away

[00:52:48] from where that data center will be not only water issues health issues electrical issues we have water and sewage everyone around us has water and sewage nobody has county water and county sewage 30 seconds ma'am i'm worried there are these schools there's at least seven or eight schools within a two to four mile radius of this the schools the children the people and then i

[00:53:25] heard the patrick henry speech and i realized that the people that fought the british didn't have a lot of power but they did it because they believed in what they were doing and we do believe in fighting so y'all will have a very interesting time in about three weeks thank you ma'am you're welcome dear next speaker please thank you for being with us hi i'm wanda jacobus i'm from the beaver dam district and i don't know about you guys but i'm tired of hearing about the quarry

[00:54:00] real tired i know you are jeff um we've heard this board and planning commission spend time discussing the impacts of construction the noise dust and disruption those are valid concerns but what's proposed by Luckstone is not temporary construction. It's a permanent industrial activity up to 15 hours a day, six days a week for decades. And that raises a legal issue, not just a policy one. Virginia law recognizes a property owner's right to the peaceful enjoyment of the property.

[00:54:38] When noise, dust, vibration, and industrial activity substantially interfere with that use, it can rise to the level of private nuisance. This board is being asked to approve a use that makes that conflict foreseeable and unaffordable. So I've got three questions. Would you buy a home next to a 15-hour-a-day quarry operation? Would you accept blasting, rail noise, and industrial traffic as a permanent condition? So how can you justify imposing that on existing residents?

[00:55:10] Because once it's approved, it's not theoretical. It becomes a land use decision that authorizes ongoing impacts. There's also a second legal issue, comprehensive plan consistency. The comprehensive plan designates this area for agriculture and conservation. Under Virginia planning principles, while the plan is not strictly binding, it is the guiding document approving a heavy industrial quarry in a direct conflict with that designation. It requires a

[00:55:42] clear finding that that use is appropriate. We don't have that finding. The impacts are not only substantial, they are permanent and expanding. Industrial noise, dust, health impacts, blasting and vibration, the rail crossings and extended blockages. It doesn't fit its surroundings. I'm not opposed to Luckstone making lots of money, but location does matter. Placing this industrial quarry in the middle of a rural area is not just a mistake, it creates a legal conflict between the

[00:56:21] county's approval and residents' property rights. You have 30 seconds, ma'am. Thank you. Because the question is not just can this be approved the question is should the county approve something that it knows will fundamentally interfere with the lawful use and enjoyment of surrounding properties thank you thank you ma'am next speaker please thank you robert beaverdam district i'm here to discuss cup 2025 tax 0007 with sc 2025 tax 0015 slug stones project dwell i am opposed

[00:57:01] to this project but i was surprised to see a third party review by jmt on the tia thank you Hanover County for listening to its citizens and procuring that third-party consultant. That doesn't shouldn't end there. We should have a water third-party consultant to address since all of our constituents in this area are on wells. I would like to highlight two of the three items from their memorandum. Although site distance measurements were not taken, there was one potential site distance concern not noted along the study area that should have additional investigation at the approximate location of proposed site drive number two there is a horizontal

[00:57:39] curve to the east and it appears the road site downgrades based on visual inspection from the curve to the proposed site drive number two it is recommended that this area be reviewed and proper measurements taken to account for the heavy truck's potential need for additional stopping distance see figure three and then it calls out green book standards that's a standard that every transportation engineer would know of. Item C, spot roadway widths measurements were taken along the steady study segment. East of where the railroad crosses Verdon Road, total roadway widths consistently measured between 21 feet to 22 feet. That is east, which includes Martin

[00:58:16] Marietta, who is two miles away from the proposed location, to US Route 1. West of where the railroad crosses Verdon Road, the total roadway widths measured approximately 18.5 feet. It should be noted that west of the crossing is where site entrance number one and two are proposed at the proposed location. Has consideration been given to widening the roadway and shoulder width of Ferdon Road given the expected truck traffic along this two-lane road with existing lane widths of less than 10 feet each. The existing roadway does not meet standards per Appendix A1

[00:58:47] of VDOT Road Design Manual. These are two of the items of 24 items I raised in my own document submitted to an email to youth supervisors the planning department vdot and transportation board on august 24th 2025 the reason i'm bringing this up is if the applicant luxton and its representatives would engage acknowledge or even respond to adjoining landowners me being 1 000 feet where my property sits and my family's these issues along with many more would be addressed in the

[00:59:25] resubmitted TIA now the county's time money and the community have to deal with an extension and further delays with this application which I was recently told was approved I hope Hanover County will encourage the applicant as it has done in other applications to encourage to engage with their community if this is how they are going to act during the application period I ask you how will they act and treat the community if they're allowed to operate thank you thank you sir next speaker, please. Thank you for being with us. Donna Zamorski, Ashland District. I didn't plan

[01:00:02] on getting up here today, but a thought crossed my mind after what the Planning Commission told us. If they truly believe that we are just a small little group opposing data centers, have a referendum. Put a pause on this. Have a referendum and let your citizens vote. That would be fair and that would prove that you're listening to us. And that's all I have to say.

[01:00:26] Thank you, ma'am. Next speaker, thank you for being with us, sir. Hello, my name is Mike Withrow, and I'm a 25-year resident of the Cold Harbor District in Hanover County. This is the first time that I have felt compelled to speak at a Board of Supervisors meeting, and if I'm being honest, public speaking is a little outside of my comfort zone.

[01:00:45] I'll also be honest and say that I had not really given a lot of thought to data centers prior to last week when attending the Planning Commission meeting at the urging of a close friend. What I saw and heard at that meeting was disappointing and honestly shocking, and that's why I'm here today. The first thing that stood out was how many of your constituents showed up to voice their concerns with data centers and this proposal.

[01:01:05] In fact, you had folks from Henrico and Goochland who showed up at the Planning Commission meeting to voice their concerns, showing that this is a regional issue that has impacts beyond the Hanover border. The other thing that stood out to me was how trusting the Planning Commission seemed to be in accepting the 17 proffers from TRAC, despite several inconsistencies that were raised not only by constituents, but also members of the Planning Commission themselves.

[01:01:27] Here are just a few. Dominion Energy, when responding to a question from Commissioner Abbott, indicated that we have not seen an increase in energy usage of this magnitude since the Industrial Revolution. When also asked who would potentially lose power during a high utilization day, the data center, or residence, all we got was a stock answer of our priority is to make sure every customer's light stay on.

[01:01:48] I'm sorry, that is not an answer, and it does not give me comfort. It was mentioned that Hanover County is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by multiple constituents, yet those concerns were never mentioned or addressed by the commission or tracked. Concerns were raised regarding the balloon test, the decibel test, the peak water usage, etc.

[01:02:06] Anyone that lives in Hanover has experienced water restrictions. Are residents going to have to continue to conserve water while the data centers burn through at least 600,000 gallons of water per day and up to 2 million gallons on peak days? NPR just did a story on how unpopular these data centers are across the country, and I would urge you to read that article if you haven't done so already. Residents of Louisiana have complained about brown water that smells like disinfectant since construction has started on a new Mehta data center in the area. Because of that, residents are having to drink bottled water. Will Mehta leave us with brown water? Will Elon Musk bring his 27 jet turbines to Hanover

[01:02:42] County? As mentioned last week, will you fine him if he exceeds noise levels? And do you honestly think he would care? I know that I'm not an expert on data centers, but what I do know is that you aren't either. These billionaires will send their legions of experts who will promise you the world but will have little incentive to care once they get what they want. People are waking up. Thank you. People are waking up like I did last week. We will no longer allow this to happen. Just like they did in Festus, Missouri. A vote for the data center means a vote for your replacement at the battle box. All four council members that voted to approve in Festus were shortly voted out. You

[01:03:20] represent us, not unethical billionaires, whose only goal is to hoard our wealth and our resources. Please listen to your constituents and vote no for this proposal. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Thank you for being with us. Thank you. My name is Sandra Withrow, obviously also a resident in the Cold Harbor District.

[01:03:40] I've been researching the information on these proposed data centers for weeks now, and 95% of the information that I have seen has been negative in some way. The only real perspective that I've seen in support is from local tradesmen who are very much hoping that this will create a temporary local job for them during the build-out, which it probably won't. So I'm asking a few questions. Why are we pressing to proceed so quickly then? Aren't all good things worth waiting for? Haven't you ever had to pass on an opportunity

[01:04:16] because the timing wasn't right? Only to discover that a better opportunity presents itself at a later point, or that the perceived missed opportunity turned to be a disaster that you're glad your fate avoided. Data centers are complex enough issues that we need to slow down and use great caution. So the sheer fact that TRACT wants to move so quickly is very alarming. Speed is their objective. And for them, it's act now and let us deal with the repercussions later.

[01:04:53] And since Hanover has such a rich history of memorable quotes, I would like to provide you with a few. I don't have Mr. Henry, I have Mr. Clay here in my quotes today. But I want to start with TRAX CEO, Grant Von Ruyen, a South African, he's their CEO and owner.

[01:05:13] And he was quoted in Data Center Dynamics in September 24, stating, our primary objective is to deliver speed and certainty for our customers. Regardless of who's doing the vertical development, what they value most is the ability to move with speed and certainty. Predictable developments where the roadblocks have all been removed. That's his words. Track's priority is to their potential client, not to Hanover residents. And those clients, they actually see us as the roadblock. Last week, Commissioner McGee said, and another

[01:05:52] quote. The data centers are coming. The data centers are coming. That was very ominous. You can quote me now. I'll tell you what, the mosquitoes are coming too. 30 seconds? No problem. Because my quote is that the mosquitoes might be coming, but I am certainly not going to stand outside in my front yard unprotected with bare limbs and let them suck my blood and intoxicate my body. That doesn't make good sense that's not good judgment so what i'm asking for you guys is to use your

[01:06:28] good judgment our own henry clay here it is he weighed in on that sentiment and he stated and i quote statistics are no substitute for judgment 250 years ago hanover county led the charge to free ourselves from oppression from an elite force thank you ma'am we need that energy now thank you thank you next speaker please good evening i am brandy banton i am with friends of hanover and i live in the South Anna district tonight a lot of people have touched on many topics that I also am concerned about water it's Earth Day it would have been

[01:07:08] wonderful for you guys to join us outside before all of this even just to breeze through but we do have some plants left over if you guys would like some we can bring those in for you one thing that keeps bothering me about what we're watching happen here in Hanover County is it feels like the comprehensive plan is just I mean it's bendable it doesn't really matter why did we put so much effort into it I read an article on Pony farm and the developers were

[01:07:42] bragging about how they could show other developers the blueprint to just basically push through counties like ours and Goochland since it was a dual County rezoning and approval. They could provide the blueprint. These, the comprehensive plan is just, you know, it's just one little obstacle. We now know how to do it. We can show you how to do it too. And that should be concerning. I mean, it really should. I live off of Vontae. There are trucks coming up and down that road every day. It takes a toll. There are, these data centers will

[01:08:22] not capture all of the infrastructure costs. There will be so many costs that are brought to Hanover County residents. And I will tell you to hear Mr. McGee with that velvet Southern voice of his that should be narrating Civil War documentaries tell us that he didn't, you know, he didn't really care. I mean, he was just, you know, we're going to pay more. We're going to spend more. I think that there's a serious disconnect here you represent us it matters we matter we understand there's revenue issues we understand that we have to figure something out but at the end of the day

[01:09:00] if you're telling us come hell or high water or no water whichever comes first but if you're telling us that it's all about the dime and you're not going to listen to what we want when we're electing you and we are paying the taxes that pay you is this really what you guys want to be doing Do you guys belong here? And I say that gently. I'm sure you have all done wonderful things for the county many times in different ways. You have 30 seconds, ma'am. But I attended a meeting in December and one of the developers that was presenting, he talked about traffic. This was

[01:09:36] on 301 right across from Hanover High School. And he talked about how when residents piped up and said the traffic is going to be a nightmare, he took videos of the school buses and what it looked like after school. And he said, when the developer came back up, he said, traffic is like water. It's going to follow the path of least resistance. And you guys were like, yeah, sounds good to me.

[01:09:59] That's a cross from a high school. And I'm bringing up random examples because it's not just about data centers. It's about the structure and integrity of this board and the comprehensive plan, the process. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Thank you for being with us.

[01:10:14] Hi Ashley Covington, Cold Harbor. Good evening. So the first time I spoke before you, I told you that Amazon was being sued for contaminating groundwater. Well just this week it broke that they will be forced to pay $20.5 million in fines. But will that uncontaminate the groundwater? No. So what good is $20 million when the land you live on has been poisoned?

[01:10:40] Do you want that for Hanover? TRACT wants you to believe these hyperscale data centers are just for social media and cloud storage, things we've had since the '90s. That is not true. Let me explain the difference.

[01:10:56] Traditional data centers, the ones that power our email and photos, were built for 5 to 10 kilowatts per rack. That's it. Their cooling systems work with air. Their power needs are modest. These hyperscale facilities are different.

[01:11:13] They are not for you or me. they are for AI. AI workloads needs 50 to 100 kilowatts per rack. That is 5 to 10 times the power density. The heat generated is so intense that air cooling no longer works.

[01:11:31] These facilities require liquid cooling and millions of gallons of water. They are built specifically for training artificial intelligence, running machine learning models, and powering surveillance systems that monitor and analyze activities in real time.

[01:11:47] When TRAC tells you this is just for your email, that is a lie. It is also shocking to realize that the hyperscale data center industry moves in 12 to 18 months technology cycles. New chips, new cooling systems, new power requirements, they change constantly.

[01:12:05] But the construction takes 18 to 36 months. By the time these facilities are finished, the tech inside them is already obsolete. Industry experts are warning that billions are being committed to infrastructures optimizing for the last phase of AI, not the AI we will actually be running in a few years.

[01:12:27] This is not a stable industry. This is a frenzy. And Hanover is being asked to bet our land, our water, and our children's future on it. When Mountain Road vote comes, remember the Amazon settlement. Remember the 18-month technology cycles and the 36-month construction timelines.

[01:12:47] Ask yourself, why are we destroying our county for an industry that cannot even keep up with its own technology? Protect our land, protect our water, protect Hanover. Vote no to Mountain Road and consider a moratorium while we see what happens with Hunting Hawk.

[01:13:05] the one and done that you all have already approved. We don't need to throw in another one before we know what happens. Thank you. - Thank you, ma'am. Next speaker, please. - Good evening. My name is Madeline Farrow. I'm from the Mechanicsville district, and I graduated from Hanover Public Schools in 2016.

[01:13:26] And in that time, I've accumulated two degrees and gained a career experience in the legal field. Both my parents and my older brothers work in law enforcement for Hanover County. So I'm not gonna grill you too much on data centers just yet, but I would like to say both of my degrees are heavily based in research.

[01:13:50] So I will be back and I will have a lot to say, but I wasn't planning to speak today, but I just kind of felt like I should say something because at the beginning, before citizens time, the chair asked, you know, how many people are planning on speaking? Please raise your hand.

[01:14:05] And about 15 to 20 or so people raised their hands. And I just happened to be looking at Mrs. Danielle Floyd, who made a cringing face and rolled her eyes, which is honestly, wow, because like, I was just here to listen because I want to learn more.

[01:14:20] I want to understand my community, but that's also her job as well. So, you know, if you have somewhere else to be that is more important, please, you can go there and give your seat to somebody else, but, or hear me out. You can just listen.

[01:14:37] do your job um and the last thing i would like to say is i didn't realize how many kids would be here right like this is great um i love getting people involved in their community at a young age that's what that's what makes your community a good place is getting kids involved at a young age and providing community resources the fact that there are children here asking you not to build a data center should be enough that should be enough i don't pause that ma'am this lady's taking her time she quietly stood please allow her to speak without interruption i'm sorry you

[01:15:13] can you have additional time please no but that's pretty much all i have to say is you know there's kids here kids in other areas where data centers have been built have spoken up about their concerns why are kids concerned about data centers and air pollution why aren't they having fun you know and you know just think about that like really think about things please i'm asking you to but not because you know i want to stand up here and waste my breath to a bunch of adults who really shouldn't even have to think twice about this.

[01:15:44] So please, think about this. Think about the fact that there are kids here. And I will be back. Thank you, ma'am. Next speaker, please. Thank you for being with us. Good evening. Matt Hammond, Beaverdam District. I'm here as a father, a neighbor, and a resident of Hanover County.

[01:16:03] And I'm in opposition to the proposed Luckstone Rock Quarry Asphalt Plant and Concrete Plant. Today's Earth Day. A lot of people have reminded us that. It's also a reminder that the decisions we make now are going to shape the world. our children grow up in. For me, that's my kids playing outside, riding their bikes, still teaching one of them, and one day learning to drive on our local roads. As a father, I often think about their future. It consumes me. I hope it's a bright one. Kind of like this shirt. That the legacy we leave behind is a community that is healthy, safe, and

[01:16:38] resilient. That's why this proposal concerns me. This is not a remote industrial site. This complex is going to sit next to homes, farms. It's going to be in your neighbor's backyards. It's going to be across the street from friends. It's going to fundamentally change the character of the community. The project includes three quarry pits that require continuous dewatering, removing groundwater, also under attack by the data centers. It's going to remove groundwater to depths that have not been disclosed. That should be concerning. That means sustained pressure on the aquifer that residents, livestock, and farmers depend on. Wells, irrigation, and natural

[01:17:17] groundwater flow will be affected. Air quality is another serious concern. Quarry operations along with the asphalt and concrete plants generate dust and fine particulate matter that travels well beyond the site even with the dust suppression that they promise. We already see evidence of this on Verdon Road and Ashland Road. As a parent I think about what that means for my children playing outside. Increased exposure by another quarry on the same road is only going to drive these pollutants up for my children. What about their respiratory issues? What about asthma? What about other long-term health impacts? Are you considering that as you cast your vote?

[01:17:56] It's also traffic and safety. This project is expected to add 500 dump truck trips per day to our local roads. In our community, teenagers are just learning to drive. They're gaining experience behind the wheel. I don't know that I want to teach my daughters to drive on Verdun Road. What choice do I have? Adding a constant flow of heavy trucks significantly increases the risks for everyone, especially inexperienced drivers. I sit at the bottom of the driveway sometimes to pick my daughter off the bus you can see school buses and dump trucks narrowly avoiding

[01:18:33] each other by driving off the road this is 30 seconds sir sure thank you all beyond and beyond all this is quality of life many of us chose to live in hanover county for its space because it's quiet and because of its connection to the natural environment this project's going to permanently alter that i respectfully ask that you oppose this project thank you sir we have about seven minutes left in citizens' time, but I'm going to allow everybody here to go ahead. I know some folks ran over, so we're not going to shut it down right at 45 minutes. I'm going to allow everybody who's in line to speak. So thank you for being with us. Please state your name, the district that you live,

[01:19:12] or the entity that you represent. Sarah Morgan, South Anna District. So I think I talked to you guys last time I was here. I talked a little bit about German Shepherds. I have German Shepherds, and I looked up a bunch of stuff on AI about German Shepherds. It was wrong, right? That's kind of where my wealth of knowledge is, German Shepherds. Guess what? I also love Elvis, right?

[01:19:34] So I looked up some stuff about Elvis and watched some YouTube videos, and a bunch of Elvis stuff came up. It's all crap. It's all AI slop, stuff that Elvis didn't do, right? I know Elvis didn't do that, and there's all these videos of Elvis doing stuff he didn't do, right? I'm like, okay, what else is out there? A friend of mine sent me some links to some Facebook pages about Donald Trump in Legoland. AI images of Donald Trump in the sand of Iran, Legoland. It's all fake, all AI

[01:20:11] slop, right? Stuff that Trump said about something that he didn't really say, something that Biden said that he didn't really say, something that Obama said that he didn't really say. What about our kids? Do they have the critical thinking skills to know that this is AI slop? And guess what else I found out. AI is being used in child pornography. There is a lawsuit right now pending.

[01:20:38] Some adult women found out that their childhood pictures of them standing at a bus stop wearing clothes was transformed into naked pictures of them so that it would be transformed and used in virtual reality so that adult men could have sex with them. There is a lawsuit pending. Elon Musk is currently not showing up for his hearing in France because of this type of infraction.

[01:21:13] So I'm asking you, do we want to support AI? This is about AI. Now, you say, some people say, I'm saying it because it's in my backyard, and it is in my backyard. It'd be within a mile of my house.

[01:21:28] But guess what? If I was independently wealthy, I would go to everybody's backyard, and I would stand up against AI. We need regulation on this. There is no regulation on AI and until we have that regulation until there are laws in 30 seconds They keep people from twisting things and making fake news We need to we need to stop this you are the last line of defense County boards of supervisors are the last line of defense against this these kind of data centers that support AI

[01:21:59] Thank you, ma'am. Next speaker, please. Hi, I'm here for something totally different. I'm Rachel. I live in Mechanicsville I'm a nurse in the community. I'm here for the shelter, animal shelter. They need a new one.

[01:22:20] I've been a volunteer there since last year. I would beg all of you to go inside of there and see how it is, see what they need, and give those voiceless animals better care, a new shelter, because it's way past due.

[01:22:36] I personally spend two to three days a week there walking dogs, taking them on outings, paying for dog walkers to go when I can't go because they sometimes don't see the outside and that's wrong. Please include more money for the shelter and your proposed budget because they deserve it. Thank you. Thank you ma'am. Next speaker please. Thank you for being with us. Please state your name, the district that you live, or the entity that you represent. Rob Wilhoyt, Chickahominy.

[01:23:12] I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated how the vote went yesterday. I'm frustrated that we get in front of planning commission you know month after month and they hear us but they don't listen um you know the route 33 project data center the one that's going to come out data centers in general they use a lot of water track said on on this particular the 33 project they could might have to dedicate at certain times 90 of the flow that's in that pipeline to their project well what's going to

[01:23:45] to happen to the public that's only got to have 10 percent. So my thought is, you know, we don't have the water. We don't have our own reservoir. What if the city of Richmond or Henrico says we're not going to sell any more water to Hanover? Then what do we do? These data centers are built. They've got to have it. They're not going to turn the switch off. So, you know, my suggestion, I don't know the science behind it, but what I would suggest that y'all do when this thing comes up is get them to proffer that that cooling system is a closed-loop.

[01:24:17] No water is dedicated to that project for the cooling of those buildings. You know, water for everything else in it, that's fine. But I would certainly suggest, if it's just a flat no, we're not going to build it, that we, you know, look at them having a closed-loop system.

[01:24:37] Thank you all very much. Thank you, sir. Yes, ma'am. Thank you for being with us. Hello, my name is Stephanie Donahue. I am not a resident of Hanover. I am a friend, and I am a resident of Henrico, and I will stand with my neighbors and with my friends of Henrico and stand and yell out, no, never.

[01:25:02] We do not need data centers in a rural district. This is Earth Day. If you want to kill our planet, go off and find yourself another one. We like our rural areas of Earth.

[01:25:20] That is Earth in the aspects. And in honor of Patrick Henry, give us liberty. Say no to these data centers, not just this one, not the next one.

[01:25:39] Never, never let these data centers come in and suffocate and kill us. If you say yes to these data centers, it's death. For us, for the billions of animals and plants that live and make up this life.

[01:26:01] If you're not a Hanover resident, I'm going to ask for your final thoughts. Why is that? Am I not allowed to stand up? You've been allowed to speak, but Citizens Town is for Hanover citizens. So I'll ask for your final thoughts. Well, I will stand with my neighbors and say no, never to all of these data centers.

[01:26:23] Thank you, ma'am. Okay, the time is 721. The board will take a five-minute recess to ask staff to prepare for the public hearings as well as the planning public hearings Actually, I know there's a couple of things So we'll we'll take a 10-minute recess on that and give staff the time to do that. Thank you. We are in recess

[01:26:41] This board is back in session the chair recognizes Miss Pritchard. Thank you, Mr. Chair

[01:38:40] I know that it is generally our policy that during citizens time we don't respond to citizens. It's their time to talk and it should be their time to talk and it shouldn't be a dialogue back and forth because honestly we got plenty of time to talk. But when someone comes up to the dais and attacks one of my colleagues, who I know to work very hard, I feel like I need to say that whatever you think of the way we vote, everyone at this desk

[01:39:18] works really hard and that while it looks like we show up every couple of weeks and sit here for a couple of hours, the reality is every one of us serves on five, six committees. Every one of us takes emails and phone calls from citizens. And I would simply ask that people think twice before they make personal attacks. My colleague didn't deserve it. And frankly, we should be better than

[01:39:44] that. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Purchase. Thank you Mr. Purchase. The next item on the agenda item number six is consent agenda. Have all board members had an opportunity to review the consent agenda? Is there any board member who wishes to remove anything from the consent agenda? Hearing none is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? I move that we approve the consent agenda as is. Second. We have a motion and a second in the discussion. All those in favor please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Item number 7A or 7 public hearing for possible disposition of public property, Henry Clay Elementary School. Mr. Todd Kilduff, Deputy County Administrator, thank you for being here.

[01:40:28] Bradeski, Mr. Walter, again, Todd Kilduff, Deputy County Administrator, and I have a presentation for you for your first public hearing of the evening for the consideration of disposition of publicly held property, specifically the Henry Clay Elementary School property. Just as a quick background for anybody sitting behind me that may not know or somebody listening at home that may not know, but with the construction of the Ashland Elementary School complete, and I can't believe it's almost the second school year done there, John M. Gandy Elementary School and Henry Clay Elementary School were vacated.

[01:41:01] John M. Gandy was almost fully demolished, but demolishing Henry Clay was definitely not what the citizens wanted. So we sort of found ourselves in a process to move forward, and what did that process look like? I will get into that here in just a second. But the school system actually owned the properties.

[01:41:19] And I say properties because there was multiple. So schools aren't allowed to sell properties, donate properties, anything like that. Only the board of supervisors can do that. So in October of 2024, the schools surplus their five properties that you see highlighted on the screen. And the next month, November 2024, the county board of supervisors accepted that property and directed staff basically to keep the lights on, keep the grass mode, those kinds of things.

[01:41:44] but we weren't pumping a lot of money into anything else like HVAC renovations, roof renovations, those kinds of things. It was really just keeping the lights on. And with the aerial image, it's the same image you just saw on the previous slide. The two ball fields on the north side of Hanover Avenue, we had been directed to basically keep those in county operations and have Parks and Rec maintain the field. So we've been doing that ever since we took ownership of the property.

[01:42:10] Parks and Rec has been great in going out mowing the fields and taking care of those. But the four parcels on the south side of the road are the parcels that staff was directed to move forward with a process with. And I'd like to say that that was at the direction of our Community Development Committee, which Ms. Floyd is the chair of, and Ms. Pritchard and Ms. Dibble both serve on.

[01:42:29] I appreciate your leadership during this entire process. And I can't believe it's been about 14 months since we actually started it. But a lot has happened since then. But the first directive, which is extremely important to this Board of Supervisors and to Ashland Town Council, citizen feedback so that was really the first step staff was tasked with was reaching out to the citizens and finding out a little bit more about what they were looking for so ashland did their survey the county did a survey we did an online survey and we actually held two community meetings and had a significant amount of public feedback and on your screen you can see the full gamut of of i would say comments back and some of them are extremely we did our best to try and

[01:43:07] categorize them as best we could it wasn't easy with some of the comments we received but in all all honesty, the two largest comments, largest slices of the pie were for community centers and housing. The community center piece was a little bit more of a difficult conversation. We've had several conversations with citizens throughout the entire process about it, even at Ms. Pritchard's town hall a few months ago. The county, again, was not putting any money into this. The town of Ashton was not putting any money into it, but we also weren't demoing the buildings. So it sort of led to what happens with the property.

[01:43:39] And that would be moving towards disposition of the property or something else. And it would be-- and as you saw in the actual advertisement, it would be for disposition of the property to a company, which I'll get to here in just a moment.

[01:43:57] We have been trying to be as transparent with this process as possible. And we thought the best way to do that was to create a website for this. So on the Engage Hanover's website, We have a section specific to the Henry Clay Elementary School where we've posted every presentation we've done, even the acceptance of the properties back in November of 2024 that I mentioned.

[01:44:16] There's a timeline on there, and if you look on the website today, you'll see the timeline ends with a public hearing this evening. So we've tried to be as transparent with everything we've done, but this has been a very long process. There's been a lot of different steps, which I'll get to in just a second. So there have been some citizens. I just wanted to go on the record mentioning this because Ms. Pritchard and I have had conversations.

[01:44:34] We've had citizens reach out to us that because some of these processes do take time, some of them up to six, even nine months, some have felt like maybe there was, we weren't doing anything on it or maybe there was something else that we weren't telling them or some, that's definitely not the case. I'll go into more depth than that in just a second. But I did want to go on record, letting everyone know some of these processes just took time.

[01:44:53] And what we learned out of this is if we were to ever go through this process again, we probably treat it a little bit more like we do the broadband updates where we do monthly updates. So even if there's nothing to report, we can add that to the website. So there's something that we learned out of the process as we went through this. And I'd also like to state that the town of Ashland staff and city council and citizens have just been great to work with.

[01:45:15] As a matter of fact, they've done some of the heavy lifting for us, which I have on this slide. And this is actually really important. The Henry Clay Elementary School and the gymnasium next to it, which we also call the War Memorial, were not listed as historic. Some people thought they were. They weren't. But the town said, we would like to take that flag and run with it and take it through the historic process.

[01:45:33] the state's historic process, which they did. And I'm proud to say that in March of 2026, which was just last month, the state's Virginia Department of Historic Resources Board approved both structures to be historic. And that actually pushes it into the next process. It doesn't take any more of our time, no money, no paperwork or anything.

[01:45:51] It goes right into the National Registry process, which takes a few weeks. I was expecting to hear something this week. I haven't heard anything yet. But we have no reason to believe it will not be listed on the National Register as well. But again, that's all part of the same process. But that leads us to sort of the meat of this public hearing this evening.

[01:46:08] With all that feedback, we brought all that back to the Community Development Committee. And the Community Development Committee then directed staff to create an RFI request for information to put on the street for developers to propose on what they think the property could be. And again, an important piece of the solicitation we put out was all the citizen feedback.

[01:46:27] It was a pretty big stack, but we added that in there. We wanted them to know, this is what the citizens are saying. Can you propose to us something that meets that intent that does not affect the external structure of that building? The Community Development Committee actually asked us to also create a subcommittee made up of two Community Development Committee members, two county staff members, two citizens, one of them sitting in the back.

[01:46:50] Appreciate him showing up, Mr. Woody. And two Ashland Town Council members. So we had eight that sat on the subcommittee to review all the proposals. And we got a few that were way out in left field, but we found one that seemed right for what the citizens were looking for and the feedback that we had received.

[01:47:08] So that brings us all the way up until December of last year. And the chosen company that the subcommittee had looked through and had been brought back to the Community Development Committee was Echelon Resources Incorporated-- or sorry, LLC, I think it is. I apologize for that.

[01:47:23] It's Echelon Resources, LLC, owned by Mr. Edwin Gaskins, who was also here this evening. So he's here to answer any questions, should you have any for him. But we sat him down and had an interview just like you would have with an employee. You want to make sure that who you're hiring for a job is the right person.

[01:47:38] So we sat him down and asked some pretty tough questions. We wanted to make sure that not only was his vision for Henry Clay Elementary School right, but also he was the right person for the job. And the answer is yes, because that's why we're here this evening. But we did ask about the external structure. You can keep that yes. Have you had past successes?

[01:47:55] Yes. Are you interested in historic tax credits? yes, so on and so forth. I won't read through all that. But what's interesting is what he was proposing, which is rental units. There was some conversation about potential condos for sale or that kind of thing.

[01:48:10] But what we have learned is that the IRS has very strict laws with historic tax credits. You have to rent for five years. You don't have a choice. After five years, you can continue to rent or put up for sale if you want to. But you have to rent for five years. And that's what he has proposed. And I'll show some images here in just a second on that.

[01:48:27] but he was not interested in the other three parcels on the south side of the road, just interested in the one big parcel that has Henry Clay Elementary School on it. So for Echelon's past successes, Mr. Gaskins provided us with this image. It shows all the projects he's completed of this type of structure, and all the red ones are in pre-development, so they're in some sort of fashion with him. But what we were interested in more specifically was, have you ever done one that was a school? And the answer is yes. So he provided us with these images from Halifax Lofts. It is a school, or was a school. It's now lofts, and as you can see,

[01:49:04] a lot of the images on the right side of the screen there keep a lot of the integrity and the intent and the original structure of what the school was. The staircases, the original floors, the windows, some of the cabinetry, the cubby holes that the kids used to use, those kinds of things. Some of that is required by the historic tax credit process, so he doesn't really have a choice. But at the same time, it's also a selling point for him. People do want to see that. If they know they're going to be living in a school, they want to see those kinds of features and that kind of stuff. So here's another image that he provided to us. Again, flooring, windows, all that stuff

[01:49:42] were kept intact. And it's hard to see, but in the back wall, you can see a little bit of rectangles painted in gray. Those are the old chalkboards. So those were repurposed as wall features. So wrapping up here in just a moment, but as far as the agreement goes, it took several months back and forth going with Mr. Gaskins, and you have actually been provided with a copy of the agreement in your board packet to go over sort of what does this look like, and that was the direction from the Board of Supervisors and staff to move forward with those negotiations.

[01:50:12] So the offer was $50,000 for the property. The county would maintain ownership of the other three parcels that had the War Memorial on it, the two ball fields in the playground on the south side of Hanover Avenue. As he moves through this process, and I do have a slide later that shows a little bit more about the process, but he said once we close, then he could begin construction in six months with a construction duration of about two years.

[01:50:39] So back to sort of the length of things. Again, we started this process, I guess, arguably November of 2024, but the first citizen outreach was January of the following year, 2025. But all these things took a lot of time. Ordering the survey, that's now complete and has been complete for a little while, but that took about six months to get. The environmental assessment phase one took a little bit. The draft contract took several months.

[01:51:03] So the only reason I'm retouching on that is, again, because we've had some questions and some comments from some citizens about why some things just seem to be static. They really weren't. There was just still a lot of things happening. It just took time to do them. That includes the historic piece and a few other things.

[01:51:20] Should the board approve of the transaction and the disposition of the property to echelon, that would be sort of the county's piece. But what's interesting is this county-owned property in the town district, or in the limits of the town. So they would still have to go through the town's rezoning process.

[01:51:37] So there's still some steps to take from Echelon after tonight, should this be approved. And then I think in tandem, I could be wrong, but I think in tandem, he can go ahead and begin the historic tax credit piece of this. Can't do that yet until it hits the National Registry, but I think that can begin very shortly.

[01:51:53] So I covered a lot of ground, about 14 months and hopefully 14 minutes. But if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. And again, Mr. Gaskins with Echelon is here as well. Thank you. Thank you, Administrator Kilduff. Any questions for Mr. Kilduff?

[01:52:12] I don't have a question, but I do have a comment, if it's all right now. Sure. Yeah, an opening comment, sure. I think one of the things that there's been a little bit of confusion about, we did go ahead and ask for historic designation for the War Memorial Building.

[01:52:28] We have no clue what's going to happen with the War Memorial Building. There's still a lot of conversation around that, but we know the developer doesn't want it. But that historic designation does not stop us from tearing down that building if that ultimately becomes the thing we most need to do.

[01:52:46] And before we applied for a historic designation for all of that property, we made sure that that was true before we went for it. Thank you, ma'am. Anything further? Okay. Thank you, Administrator Kilduff.

[01:53:04] We will now open the public hearing. Is the applicant present, and do they desire to have a presentation or just simply be here? But well the the developer be here to answer any questions Let the record reflect. Mr. Gaskins is present and we'll be happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Mr. Gaskins Is there anyone that wishes to speak in favor of this project anyone in favor seeing none anyone in opposition?

[01:53:33] Seeing no one we will close the public hearing. Miss Pritchard. Thank you. Mr. Chair Um, I want to say that this is I think everyone who knows me knows this has been a real passion project for me This is a historic school in the middle of a historic neighborhood, in the middle of the center of the universe.

[01:53:57] And it is extremely important, because this is part of the fabric of our community, that everything about it go well. We were very fortunate to have a committee of people who were dedicated to doing the work, dedicated, I can't say enough about Mr. Tucker and Ms. Stiles and the members of the Ashland Town Council who were part of our committee.

[01:54:22] um miss floyd our staff we looked at this thing so hard and and i know that there are neighbors who still have concerns if you live across the street you should have concerns um we're going to do everything we possibly can to get that right and those conversations don't end tonight but i think a number of us looked at other things that mr gaskins had developed i went up to maury school in Fredericksburg and I'm quite happy to report that number one it's a beautiful property it's in the middle of a very affluent neighborhood it is much

[01:54:59] I think like what we're doing here and I think it's worth saying that what doesn't happen here is that these these buildings get developed and then mr. Gaskin goes away and we never see him again and he owns most of these properties he maintains ownership after the build and honestly the work is good and I think it gives me a good bit of faith that the town council is as happy as we are with this project so with that I would like to make a motion to

[01:55:36] authorize the county administration to execute all documents necessary to sell the publicly held property g pin seven eight seven zero five zero eight four five six two echelon resources LLC second we have a motion we have a second any discussion mr. Herzberg thank you mr. chairman I remember when the community meeting was held at the Henry Clay Elementary School over a year ago it's wintertime it was really cold and I met with Supervisor Pritchard and I met

[01:56:11] lot of the residents of the area and I'd like to say congratulations Supervisor Pritchard I know you put a lot of time and effort and work into this and I do think it's especially with the geographic location being in the town this is a good use for an existing building and happy to support this and congratulations again and also thank you thank you very much anything further I I want to thank Ms. Pritchard for her hard work.

[01:56:51] I know this has been extremely laborious in some cases, not getting here necessarily with the disposition of the property but laboring through all of the nuances that came with this project. And I want to thank Mr. Gaskins.

[01:57:07] I know when I saw the company name, Mr. Gaskins has a very good history with Hanover County. and also enjoys a good reputation in this community. And we were speaking earlier, and I said this outside of your presence.

[01:57:23] When I saw this, I said, well, upon consideration, I do know that this is a very niche business. This is not one that folks can just jump into. And you were an advisor as well as the company looking to purchase the property.

[01:57:40] And so having that background and having the expertise, truly it's defined by an expert opinion, having the expertise in this was very, very comforting because of the way you packaged everything up and you talked about what needed to be done, how the process would work on your end, the time frames that you would need, the regulations that you would adhere to.

[01:58:05] It was comforting to know that that you'd had a great deal of experience and that and having known you in other capacities and working with Hanover County, knowing your character, that means something. It really does. And so I was I was glad I haven't seen you in a number of years.

[01:58:21] I was glad to see you tonight, but I was really glad to see that this was able to be undertaken by such a good company with good leadership. so we do have a motion we do have a second i will now call for the vote all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion passes by way of chair discretion with the agenda i am going to we talked earlier about having a possible request for deferral this is in the ashland district miss pritchett doesn't have any issues with a parliamentary change i'll ask the vice chair to read that motion unless you have a motion prepared in front of you Chair recognizes Vice Chair Stoneman.

[01:59:02] Thank you, Mr. Chair. Vice Chair would like to move that the Board of Supervisors defer RAZ 2025-00030 North Lake RV LLC to May 27th, 2026.

[01:59:18] Meeting and remove the case from public hearing agenda. Second. We have a motion. We have a second by Ms. Pritchard. Any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? That case has been deferred. Next item on the agenda is item 7A, proposed advertisement for data center tax rate.

[01:59:38] As many folks know, the last public hearing the board had, we voted on tax rates. We voted on the budget, a number of different things, appropriations. One of the things that we did not vote on was a tax rate for FY27 for data centers.

[01:59:55] So that's being taken under consideration by the board. So we're here tonight handling public business as it relates specifically to tax rate potential for data centers. With that, we do have to authorize a public hearing, and we have to have an amount that we place in there in that motion and then subsequently in that advertisement.

[02:00:20] So with that, I'll ask Dr. Brown, do you have anything, sir, that you'd like to say? Deputy County Administrator Dr. Jay Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the Board of Supervisors. Again, my name is Jay Brown, Deputy County Administrator. You should have received the information, a brief analysis of regional comparisons on data center tax rates.

[02:00:42] That comparison, just very high level, shows that Hanover was currently at 45 cents per $100 of assessed value. And when you look at across the Commonwealth, the rates are very all over the place, from northern Virginia all the way to southwest Virginia.

[02:00:59] And so you have that information, and so we do have a draft motion for you for any rate that the board so desires. Just one point is that I understand that the rate that you advertise that the board cannot approve of anything above that rate, only lower.

[02:01:15] Right, and for purposes of public record, the proposed and published advertised rate would be maximum rate. The board cannot go above that rate, but as with any other tax rate, it could go below on a final vote. but the public hearing will be on the proposed tax rate in the motion.

[02:01:34] And as advertised, the chair recognizes Vice Chair Stoneman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move that the Board of Supervisors authorize the advertisement of a public hearing at the Board's June 24th meeting to consider a 2026 tax rate of $3 per $100 for data center equipment.

[02:01:54] We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Second by Ms. Pritchard. any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye the opposed motion passes we'll now enter our planning public hearings chair recognizes mr andrew pompey our deputy director of planning mr pompey thank you mr chairman the first public hearing item for the night in regards to planning is a special exception in the beaver dam district this is a request to prevent a private garage for more than four vehicles on manheim drive so again the applicant would like to build

[02:02:32] garage for more than four vehicles in this case it's about 1500 square feet 50 feet by 30 feet and they would use this building for private storage and it conforms to the ordinance requirements in section 26-280 again the properties on manheim drive in the beaver dam district the property is just over 11 and a half acres in zone a1 in the a1 zoning district if you're located within the suburban service area which this property is a special exception is required for garage of more than four vehicles or 1,000 square feet. And again, this particular proposal is for a 1,500 square foot garage. On the sketch plan, it's shown in orange and the existing home is in

[02:03:11] blue. The garage will be between the home and Mannheim Drive. The property is wooded and one of the conditions that we'll go through later on in the presentation requires that existing trees remain on site. The applicant has submitted elevations and rendering show showing what the building will look like it will be a forest green color with metal siding a black roof and white doors and the trim will be black as well this is an aerial view of the property again is primarily wooded with the existing home off of manheim drive and you can see the view from the street

[02:03:46] and where the garage will be between the home and the street with some existing trees remaining these are the staff recommended conditions the garage will be limited to 1500 square feet as proposed it'll be built in substantial conformance with the approved elevations and one of the facades doesn't have any windows or doors or any features closest to an adjoining property owner the recommended conditions include adding one feature on that particular elevation tree preservation existing trees five inch caliper or grater will remain to help shield the garage from view the garage will only be used for personal storage and repair of personal items and

[02:04:24] will not be used for commercial purposes and the final condition that's standard for all of our special exceptions is the adherence to all development requirements. That concludes staff's presentation and the applicants are here tonight and I do believe they have some questions or comments regarding the staff recommended conditions.

[02:04:43] Very well. Any questions for Mr. Pompey? Seeing none, we will open the public hearing. The applicant is here. Does the applicant wish to make a statement or have a presentation? Applicant, for the record, the applicant has no presentation but is available for questions.

[02:04:59] Is there anyone here who wishes to speak in favor of this application? Seeing none, anyone in opposition. Seeing none, we will close the public hearing. Mr. Stoneman, this is in your district, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Kelly, did you have some questions?

[02:05:17] I mean, Mr. Pompey just referenced that you might have some questions for us. Any other questions before we pass, before we go through this? Okay. Ma'am, if you do have a question, please come to the microphone. Thank you. Please state your name in the district that you live.

[02:05:36] You're speaking on SE 2026-00004. Welcome. My name is Carol Kelly, and I'm in the Beaver Dam District, and this is my proposal for a garage at our home. And the only question I had, you know, some of the things were to put a window on the side that's going to be seen possibly from Manheim Drive.

[02:06:04] But the way it is oriented and the vegetation that is currently there, you're not really going to see it. Plus, it's forest green, which is going to blend in with all the holly trees, bushes, evergreens that are there. In my opinion, I think putting a window on that side really draws your eye more to it than leaving it just a solid green that's going to blend in with the forest.

[02:06:30] There's woods behind it. There's woods surrounding it. So that would be my question of why we would have to do anything like that when, to me, that's going to break it up and make it more visible. to the eye if you're coming down the street and there's only one view coming down main manheim that you're going to see it and that's if you're coming from the left to see it coming the other way you won't see it at all thank you ma'am i'll turn these inquiries over to mr stone yep thank you ma'am i think it pretty much answers my question for that so yeah so yeah so um i think

[02:07:07] it makes sense i'm very familiar with with uh with this area and i've been to your location and And it makes perfect sense. I mean, it would would draw your eye to it. It's really doesn't create I don't think it's going to create enough value with that size of a building to put up just one window in it somewhere It probably works with it. So I'm okay. We kind of skip that. Okay. Thank you. All right. So Just for clarity, I think when when you say skip it, you mean remove that I would like to remove that condition. Yes, okay

[02:07:42] So you'll be looking if you are to make a motion, whatever that motion might be You would likely amend that to remove that window if that's your pleasure, sir. Okay, we go back to the motions, please I just have a comment. Okay. We don't have a motion on the floor. Oh, sorry All right. Well, that being said I'm gonna go ahead and make a motion that we we approve se 2026 - zero zero zero zero four

[02:08:18] And we want to remove the condition of with having a window or some other feature Facing the road. So the chair we have a motion in a second The chair recognized a motion to to be to approve se 2026 00004 With conditions in the following single amendment to be to remove the requirement for the window and all other conditions remain in place Is that the motion that is the most is the second stand This motion as the motion floor second stands. Is there any discussion chair recognizes furniture? Thank you, mr Chair, and thank you. Mr. Steinman. I'm going to support the project

[02:08:55] So I want to say that up front but this just happened in my district a month ago, and we the I will tell you that the applicant had the same exact Conversation and and we made them put the window in now. We did say that it didn't have to be a real window It could be some sort of feature, but Um, I think we need to long-term have a conversation about this because I do think consistency is important That's it. Mr. Palmpey, can you go back to the picture of the property?

[02:09:30] There we go. Thank you. Okay, any further discussion? I would like to kind of respond to Ms. Pritchard on that one I do understand that and I did kind of grapple with that a bit and I had a lot of conversations With the applicant about it and and yeah, I do agree with you about the consistency as it sometimes

[02:09:51] Sometimes for me, I've kind of got to use my good common sense on some of it, not to make light of it, but I just feel like in this particular situation, because of where it's at, I'm not sure if it works for me, but I do absolutely agree we need to be consistent in certain circumstances, but I think of this one, like I said, I appreciate your support.

[02:10:16] Very well. Any further comments? Yes, Ms. Dibble. Yeah, I'll just piggyback on what Mr. Stoneman has said. I think in this specific project, which I think is what we need to do, is look at the specifics of every project. I think that that window adds nothing to the project, and I just don't think we need it.

[02:10:38] I think Mr. Stoneman is spot on in that there's enough evergreen in that area. And I don't know that anyone would ever see it where it was proposed when you look at the angles of the road. only the people driving up your driveway might possibly look if they look in that one little spot.

[02:10:57] So for that reason, I fully support Mr. Simmons' assessment of this situation. And my second stands. Very well noted. Anything further? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye.

[02:11:13] Any opposed? Motion carries. Mr. Pompey.

[02:11:23] I'm playing battle with IT on the microphone. The next public hearing item is a special exception in the Cold Harbor District for an accessory family dwelling unit on Black Walnut Lane just north of Hopewell Road at the New Kent County line.

[02:11:40] In the A1 zoning district, an accessory family housing unit requires a special exception. In this case, the unit will be occupied by the applicant's mother and adheres to all the use standards in Section 26-280. The property is zoned A1, and again, this type of use requires a special exception in this zoning district.

[02:11:57] It's immediately adjacent to the New Kent County line, and it's zoned A1 with some adjoining properties, zoned A1, AR6, and RC. This is a sketch plan that's submitted showing where the unit will be. Black Walnut Lane is to the right. The existing home where the applicant lives is in red, and then the dark blue color, that is where the unit will be built, so it'll be to the side and rear of the existing home at the end of the driveway.

[02:12:22] These are the floor plans. The unit itself will be 800 square feet with one bedroom and one bathroom, and there'll be a screen porch with a garage and workshop in that area. The applicant submitted some building elevations showing what the unit will look like and there are some conditions that relate to the specifics of the architecture and materials. This is a view from Black Walnut Lane and you can see the existing home on the left and then where that green circle is will be where the unit will be constructed at the end of the driveway. Staff has recommended five conditions. Many of these conditions are standard for this type of request, which is regularly reviewed by the Board of

[02:13:00] Supervisors. The size is limited to a quarter of the size of the main home, so we know larger than 850 square feet, the applicant showing 799 square feet. The materials and colors must be similar to the main house. No cement block foundation in the windows must be similar to ensure that everything looks like one site and one coordinated development. The standard validity condition, it's valid for three years or until the family member no longer resides in the unit. It must adhere to all building inspections and health department regulations in the standard condition where any special exceptions such as this one must adhere to all applicable development regulations. That concludes

[02:13:39] staff's presentation. The applicant is here tonight to answer any questions, but they do not have formal comments or presentation plans. Thank you, Mr. Pompey. Any questions for Mr. Pompey? Ms. Purchard. Thank you. This is not directed of this case, a piece of the case. When you say it can be made composite materials well that also included hardy plank that's intended to capture hardy plank hardy planks a market name or specific brands I know I was just trying to get the gist of what it all that's that's correct okay thank you do you have any other questions not related to the case I can probably come

[02:14:17] up a couple of you thank you miss Pritchett thank you mr. Pompey anything further for mr. Pompey very well we will now open the public hearing is there anyone here is the applicant here and do they wish to speak to the case yes sir please come forward let the record reflect the applicant is here and available for questions should should need arrest is there anyone here to speak in favor of this application seeing none is there anyone here to speak in opposition seeing none we will close the public hearing mr hersberg this is in your

[02:14:52] district sir thank you mr chairman i met with mr lewis we had a very good site visit and i think this is a good application to support because it helps keep the applicant's mother with a family on the parcel so going to recommend approval the motion is to approve sc 2026-0006 second we have a motion and a second is there any further discussion seeing none all those in favor

[02:15:23] please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries mr pompey this next public hearing involves an ordinance amendment where one section of the zoning ordinance or several sections of zoning ordinance that relate to maximum building heights in commercial industrial districts will be modified so right now the zoning ordinance in our commercial and industrial zoning districts as well as our mixed-use zoning district establishes maximum height limits based upon the both feet and number of stories so for example uh so our zoning districts say a building may have to be

[02:16:00] maybe up to 75 feet or 35 feet or two stories whichever is greater or lesser so that can be confusing because with commercial or industrial buildings one story could be taller than what is typical of a residential unit so again most commercial districts have a maximum height limitation of three stories or 45 feet whichever is greater or whichever is lesser so there's some confusion as to how tall buildings can be in these districts with that unclear language and as i mentioned some of these commercial industrial buildings have taller floor heights than what is

[02:16:35] typical in traditional construction so with this provision we would add a definition of building height for a flat roof building height for a pitched roof and remove the reference to maximum number of stories so if this orders amendment were approved the maximum height in our business and industrial districts would be feet only and there'd be no reference to stories in the residential districts the story references would remain one new proposal for this particular ordinance amendment would be allow parapets and mechanical penthouses to exceed the height requirements by four feet and that's something that the planning commission discussed and i'll go into more detail

[02:17:12] later but overall the maximum height and feet does not change but references to stories are removed and then we have those clarifying definitions that explain how building height is measured so the planning commission reviewed this request at its previous meeting and recommended approval with a vote of seven to zero but there was one revision the planning commission recommended removing that exception for parapet wall height and thought that the parapet wall should be incorporated into the overall height of the building so this proposed ordinance says you You know, the maximum height in our commercial and industrial districts may be 35 or 45 feet.

[02:17:49] But if you have a parapet wall to screen mechanical equipment, you can go, the parapet can go up an additional four feet. So it could be 39 feet tall if the maximum building height in the district is 35. The intent of that was to encourage mechanical, particularly rooftop equipment, to be screened because that's not a requirement in the zoning ordinance, but something that's typically proffered.

[02:18:14] So some of the older development is not necessarily required to screen rooftop equipment. So this was intended to be an incentive. The planning commission felt that it was confusing and made the ordinance unclear. So again, they preferred just to have the maximum height in the district and not allow an exception or an exceedance for the parapet or any type of screening equipment.

[02:18:39] No one spoke during that public hearing, This is an issue that has been discussed by staff and the Community Development Committee Several times and I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have because that concludes my presentation Thank you, sir. Any questions for mr. Pompey? I'll go with mr. Herzberg then miss devil. Thank you, mr. Chairman Unfortunately, I left that section of my staff report at home So the screen the the choices that you show on the screen currently choice a approve of

[02:19:17] ordinance as proposed does that include the four foot parapet that would that would okay thank you that's all mr chairman thank you mr devil uh thank you i i guess i want to speak to this parapet thing because i know that we um spend a lot of time in community development on this and while i understand the intent and concern from the planning commission uh i'm not sure i agree I spoke to Ms. Hunter earlier today and was really struggling with this.

[02:19:53] My concern is that if we have a choice of having a four-foot parapet that is considered an architectural element of the building that, in my opinion, screens a lot of the mechanical equipment, if we do not include that four-foot parapet, then we're going to end up with a lot of unscreened mechanical equipment so i just uh i'm i guess you know miss miss hunter uh was

[02:20:29] supposed to help me with this she came up with nothing so um here we are and i'm uh i'm gonna have to get off the fence and i'm gonna have to say that i do not agree with what the planning Commission has recommended, and I would like to go back to what we had, which encourages folks to at least put that architectural element up there to screen some of that mechanical equipment, because I think we get a better product that time, that way.

[02:20:59] Ms. Dibble, I have a comment as well, but I'd like to ask you if you would elaborate just a little bit more. What would you like to go to before I make my comments?

[02:21:16] what what's your recommended change uh and thoughts on that and i'll tell you because i i'm i believe i'm in substantial agreement with you on that but i want to hear how does that how do you play that out what are you looking to do i would just like to remove the planning commission revision to the original proposal that came out of the community development which allows you to have four foot of

[02:21:47] parapet above and beyond the maximum height of the building okay and no go back please all right uh not customary but i'm going to open this up to workshop format at this point um so let me see i'm watching the language and i see the change um so your desire is to go back obviously to what community development committee had um allowing that four foot wall or parapet uh for the screening

[02:22:25] i'm not quite sure what i can't make out on this and it's interesting in the report either because i have some discussion points um i like that that which miss nibble is talking about um does it do y'all have any staff can you speak to to what planning commission briefly i mean very briefly what were they what was their thought what was their discussion uh as to why um they wanted a provision i think there are two things if i'm interpreting the planning commission correctly

[02:23:01] one is they felt like it added a complication it's not as streamlined it's just saying building height is 35 feet and not having this sort of exception the second thing i think they were thinking was to the public passing by on a roadway they don't know what's behind the parapet so it just looks like a taller building it looks like a 39 foot tall building versus a 35 foot tall building and has would have the same visual impacts as a 39 foot tall building even though that parapet is intended I wondered if that's what it

[02:23:37] was thank you that for me to my board members that's not enough to overcome that that change for me I was speaking on the record I am inclined well actually I'm settled on I would support the Community Development Committee's proposal and I'll put that out there and that maybe that's something we'll discuss I'll start down here if anybody has any comments with miss Pritchard miss Pritchard I don't want to step on anybody else's comments but I believe the Community Development Board is unanimous about this and we agree with

[02:24:13] Mr. Well I'll pass the chair community development for have you do final thoughts ma'am mr. vice-chair do you have any thoughts mr. Bush had her thoughts mr. Herzberg yes quick comment and then I'm ready to vote we're we're talking about m1 and m2 zoning light industrial here and I don't think four foot is an issue on a visual on a 35 or 30 a 45 foot building so I'll be supporting the four-foot parapet as originally proposed coming from community development you're you saying what was originally proposed from

[02:24:50] community development as originally proposed on the choices that mr. Pompey showed option a understood mr. Hudson I prepared a vote mr. chair very well do you have any comments ma'am thank you yes I do have final comments you want me to do my motion as well no I've got to do the public hearing first I didn't know your comments all right I'll save them for the motion very well we will now open the public hearing is anyone here who wishes to speak in favor anyone in opposition we will close the public and chair recognizes a chair of community

[02:25:26] development miss Floyd thank you so much we were unanimous in community development I definitely think the parapet will give us a better product so I do echo miss dibbles comments I'm glad we are clarifying this this ordinance it definitely helps better define with actual measurements not stories as they could vary in height so this definitely clarifies things and i think the parapet will give us a

[02:25:58] better visual architectural products with that i would like to approve of ordinance 25-07 as proposed second we have a motion and a second any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries announcements from board i have one announcement Earlier this week we had our leadership meeting, and the vice chair and I stayed behind to discuss a few things.

[02:26:29] And during that discussion, during that time in the meeting, we were notified that Senator Mark Warner had lost his lovely Madison. Madison had struggled with childhood diabetes for a number of years, and at the very young age of 36 she passed away.

[02:26:47] So the vice chair and I did place a call to Senator Warner expressing condolences on behalf of the board in Hanover County. Many things that transcend politics. I believe most things transcend politics. But I wanted to let folks know that we did place a call to express our condolences on behalf of the board.

[02:27:08] If there's no further comments, I'll recognize the county administrator, Mr. Badesky. Mr. County Attorney. This board will adjourn until 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 for an employee recognition ceremony, followed by the regularly scheduled board meeting to begin at 2 p.m.

[02:27:25] to be held in the Hanover County boardroom located here at the county administration on this complex. We are adjourned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coraggio Consulting · aguyonx.com