Coraggio Consulting
Hanover County Board of Supervisors Meeting, Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Place: Hanover County Board of Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 4h 28m (video)
Official meeting video (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1582/media
Official agenda (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=5649,plainText=false)
Official minutes (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=5707,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 2026-10-23. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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

[00:01:03] We will now call the June 24, 2026 Hanover County Board of Supervisors meeting to order. We will open with an invocation led by Mrs. Floyd and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mr. Herzberg. Ms. Floyd. Thank you. Will you bow your heads with me? Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you do and for loving us.

[00:01:22] We are very blessed here in Hanover County. Please watch over our meeting and everyone here. Please open our hearts and our ears so we may hear you and each other. Give us your wisdom and discernment as we make decisions that affect the whole county. Please be with our first responders as they go about their days, keeping us safe.

[00:01:42] And above all, we seek your will. In Jesus' name I pray. 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.

[00:02:08] Thank you, Ms. Floyd. Mr. Herzberg. Chair recognizes the county attorney, Mr. Walter. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the board allowing me a minute to share some personal news that's going to have an impact on the board and the county in the coming months.

[00:02:27] I wanted to let county staff and the public know that I have notified the board of supervisors that I am planning to retire early next year. My planned last stay in the office is going to be the end of February, 2027, although the exact date may change, may be adjusted, depending upon the recruitment process for my successor.

[00:02:50] I want to make sure that my departure doesn't cause any undue disruption for the county as a whole, for the board, and clearly for my colleagues in the county attorney's office. and I want to make sure that the transition can be as smooth as possible for the next county attorney.

[00:03:07] It has been my privilege to serve with the county attorney's office in September of 2001 and to serve as county attorney since May of 2019. And I remain committed to serving as county attorney and doing the best that I can until my retirement early last year.

[00:03:23] But I wanted to make that announcement, and I appreciate the board's indulgence in allowing me to do so. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Walter. And we'll have more to share on that later, but we just want to thank you for your service. I know it's an end of a chapter, but certainly not the end of a book.

[00:03:40] And so thank you for that. I want to recognize Treasurer Tim Boshans in the audience. Thank you for being with us, Mr. Treasurer. Sheriff Greg Six, and I think I saw Chief Chris Anderson. Thank you all for being here. Members of the Electoral Board, I think we have members of the Electoral Board here in Lavender to say thank you, ma'am.

[00:03:59] Tim Wilson, code enforcement. So if anybody's got any problems, you can talk to Tim. Yeah, you appreciated me saying that, didn't you, Mr. Wilson? So thank you. At this time, Chair recognizes Vice Chair Stoneman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. At this time, I'd like to make a motion for the following amendments to the agenda.

[00:04:18] We have a request for additional closed session. Item 10C, pursuant of Virginia Code 2.2-3711A1, Discussion of Planned Retirement of County Attorney. Item 10D, pursuant of code, Virginia code 2.2-3711A1, discussion of grievance filed by a fire and EMS employee.

[00:04:42] We'd also like to add the following items. Request for approval of committee reappointment as follows. Mr. Wilton Farmer, Jr., Hanover Airport Advisory Commission. Item 6B, Mr. David Breedlove, Transportation Committee, representing the Henry Magisterial District.

[00:05:04] Item 6B, Mr. Daniel Dennis Balducci, Local Board of Building Code Appeals. And then item 5B7, Ms. Jody McMaster, Pamunkey Regional Library, as a non-district representative.

[00:05:21] Also for appointments, we have item 6B8, Mr. Josh Lewis, Historical Commission, representing the Henry Magisterial District. And item 6B9, Mr. James Hyman, Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, representing the Henry Magisterial District.

[00:05:39] We have also item 6B10, Mr. Robert Davis, Historical Commission, representing the Beaver Dam Depot. And then we have item 6B11, Ms. Melissa Reynolds, Reynolds Community College Board of Directors.

[00:05:55] Mr. Vice Chair, Mr. Davis, he is not the representative for the Beaver Dam Depot. The last person that was on there represented the Beaver Dam Depot. That's just an administrative change. That person will not be representing the Beaver Dam Depot.

[00:06:11] State that as an amendment to 11B10. I'm sorry, 6B10. All right, so you want me to state that? just amend that okay mr davis is not we'd like to amend that mr robert davis is not serving on the uh beaver dam depot representative very well uh we have an amended motion is there a second second so we have a motion in the second any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries uh agenda has been amended uh now it's comment period

[00:06:47] are there any comments um from board members recognizing board members seeing none um mr county administrator do you have comments at this time i do sir i can either make them now or after the uh recognitions whatever you prefer would you would you mind holding those comments sir and let me uh today's kind of a special day i'm going to ask the entire board to to join me uh down off of the dais uh for uh recognition of some some hanover citizens who have done some exemplary things in

[00:07:20] service to their fellow Hanoverians their family but serve as a testament to what Hanover is and I'm gonna ask mr. Mason toots if he'll join me along with his family and I know I think I didn't see is John Dankus here mr. Dank is here not here okay no problem but if mr. toots and your family and the entire board would you join me down here at the front sheriff and any anybody you would

[00:07:51] have other than captain cooper writing to you with warm heart and immense pride on behalf of the

[00:08:56] hanover county board of supervisors your brave actions made a powerful difference and i want you to know just how much they mean at just six years old you showed extraordinary courage by rescuing your little sister from drowning the private pool you quickly called for your mom and without hesitation jumped in grabbed addison and took her safely through the footsteps your Your quick thinking coupled with your calm and great response in such a frightening moment saved Addison's life.

[00:09:26] Your presence of mind and unwavering care for your sister demonstrated her very best of what family means, love, responsibility, and readiness to act in a crisis. Your acts have reflected the highest standards of courage and selflessness, and you have shown your fellow citizens what it means to put a loved one first.

[00:09:45] Mason, your act is a stellar example of the best traditions of community care and personal responsibility. So you've inspired not just your family, but all of Hanover County to think, to act, to care, bravery, and compassion. With the greatest appreciation for your bravery and service to your family and to our community, I am honored to extend this recognition on behalf of the citizens of Hanover County.

[00:10:10] Mr. Mason's, I think, reached out to us and told us about his heroic efforts.

[00:10:37] So on behalf of the Sheriff's Office, we are going to issue him a life-saving award, Certificate of Citizen Recognition. This is presented to Mr. Mason Toots in recognition of your extraordinary bravery, quick thinking, and selfless actions in saving Addison from drowning.

[00:10:55] You showed strength, love, and responsibility beyond your years. We are very proud of you. We honor your life-saving act and celebrate the example you have set for others. Given in Hanover, Virginia, this 24th day of June in the year of 2026.

[00:11:13] And this is a nice certificate for you with all of our commands that have signed. so uh i want to give you a couple more things uh one is one of our uniform patches and it talks about the history of the sheriff's office and the patch i'll give you that one and then i see i took chris's by accident but uh i'm gonna give you a nice bag with some frisbees

[00:11:53] for you and your sister along with some stuffed animals and I think there may even be a junior deputy badge in there for you. So congratulations young man. Mason we're going to continue with a theme. This is a great recognition to show that truly there is no age that is too young to provide assistance to somebody else in need and you're a great example of that as well. So on behalf of

[00:12:29] Pan Over Fire EMS, and all the women and men that serve the community, we're going to present you with a Citizen Lifesaving Award as well. You'll hear some common themes in it. In recognition of your courage, presence of mind, and prompt action in saving your sister from drowning, faced with a dangerous situation, you responded quickly and effectively, helping to prevent serious harm. Your actions reflect the strong sense of responsibility and commendable bravery, serving as a positive example for our community.

[00:13:03] I think that's the biggest key that you're hearing from today of the positivity and the example that you're setting for everybody that's standing before you as well as everybody watching on TV. So thank you for doing what you did. Congratulations. And we also have a few items that we would share with you.

[00:13:29] One is a Fire EMS hat. That way you can start out and become a Hanover Fire EMS provider. We also have a couple other tokens in here, including a, yes, there's no age that we're not recruiting right now, but we also have a patch, and we have one of our challenge coins as well in here for you.

[00:13:51] Thank you. Thank you so much.

[00:14:07] But you are certainly welcome to come and sit at the board, get your picture taken up at the board, and you can present over the picture taken if you'd like to present the Ladies and gentlemen, I mean, I think this is just indicative of the air of the spirit.

[00:14:25] We're so happy for Addison, and it's just amazing. Two wonderful children, amazing days. It's fantastic, so thank you.

[00:14:41] Let's join them again and congratulate them.

[00:14:47] Hold this.

[00:15:22] Hold that up. There you go. Hit that good. it a try. Thank you Chief, thank you Sheriff, and thank you to the Toots family for sure.

[00:16:01] I'm going to go back to comments. Mr. County Administrator. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Just before I begin my comments, I believe there's one other item for the board's consideration on deferral. Did you want to handle that now? I did not. I'm going to handle that in just a moment with Ms. Dibble. So if you want to go with your comments and I'll handle the deferral and turn it over to Ms. Dibble. At the conclusion of your comment, sir. Thank you, sir. Just as I have a few comments, so I beg just some forgiveness on the length of my comments today. Today, shortly after

[00:16:39] these comments and a few other actions, we will honor the the service of Terry Smith and her register on her retirement. And Terry, I just on behalf of county administration, I want to thank you for your leadership and the work that we've done together over the years. You take great pride in the service you've provided this community and I'm just it's been an honor to work with you and I wish you and your family all the success in your retirement that being said she she has some work to do before she leaves the early voting center is open in the Wickham building Monday through Friday 8:30 to 4:30 and that has begun here for the current primary votes and there will be weekend

[00:17:16] dates available that information is available on our website do you want to remind the community that one of our largest events and festivals is coming up here. Friday, July 10th is Friday night for Tomato Fest, and then that would be from 5 to 9 p.m.

[00:17:34] As you know, we always have a band and vendors there. That event will be, the band that night will be Gone Country. And on Saturday, the event runs from 9 to 1, and for all the Swifties in the room, Love Story, a Taylor Swift tribute will be there on Saturday.

[00:17:53] We do try to make Saturdays family-friendly as possible. So please come out. It's always a great event appreciate all the work that Parks and Rec puts into The efforts to pull off a great tomato festival. This is also the time of year where our residents in need who are struggling with Cooling their homes want to make sure that they know that there is assistance available through the County Department of Social Services We do accept those applications through August 17th. They're done on a first-come first-served basis that information is available on the web as well as www.commonhelp.virginia.gov or by calling

[00:18:31] 855-635-4370. If you contact our social services we'll be glad to help you with that connecting you with those applications. I want to remind everybody that county offices are closed on next Friday to celebrate the 4th and our 250th. I do want to recognize a couple individuals that here with us today. First, I'm going to begin with Matt Phillips. Matt, I know you're in the back of the room. Welcome. Sometimes some of our biggest champions you don't get to see often,

[00:19:06] and I wanted Matt to come here today and recognize him in person. Matt was just recognized as the Public Risk Manager of the Year by Public Risk Management Association. This is not just in this region. It's not just in Virginia. This is in the nation. And so, Matt, congratulations on a well-deserved recognition. We appreciate all the work you do here each day. Also, in the room today, just yesterday, I had the honor to support Deputy Brett Chardain in announcing our newest

[00:19:45] director to join our leadership team is a very familiar face. I was very honored to be able to announce Gabriella Codwell-Miller as our director of social service, or excuse me, community services board you know you've got it you've got broad shoulders but uh we'll only saddle you with one department uh derek is running a great job over there at social services so proud uh when we have folks that can grow into these roles and um you have done a great job as interim uh really wish ms sager a good retirement but know that you're ready to to run with that department and so proud

[00:20:20] to have you on our leadership team so congratulations Gabriella. One of the events that we we always do that's become an annual event for us now is our centenarian event. If you're not familiar with that each year we honor and recognize every Hanoverian that is a hundred years old or greater. We just did this not long ago but we don't do this work for pats on the back but it is nice when we do get recognition. In fact our Department of Community Resources and as

[00:20:56] Debbie with us here today want to pass on our congratulations to them they have just won a NECO National Association of County Officials Award for our celebrating a century honoring Hanover County centenarians so when I congratulate them for their work and and really what they do for our community there also want to recognize Joe Vadunas and some of the other folks Kristen I know Todd's in the room every year there's a friendly competition that's It's part of the Markel Corporate 5K race.

[00:21:31] This year, we moved up and took second place in the region of all the local governments. Here, Henrico was behind us, but someone was in front of us. So next year, we're going to shoot even higher. But congratulations to the team for your efforts in representing Hanover County well.

[00:21:49] So, Mr. Chairman, with that, that's the end of my comments today. Thank you, Mr. Badesky. Chair recognizes Mrs. Dibble. Thank you, Mr. Chair. move the deferral of rezoning 2025-00015 John A and Jerry B Price at all to the July 22nd meeting 2026. Second. Ms. Dibble. Would you like to do them both together? I would. Would you mind withdrawing your second? Okay. Second is withdrawn. Withdrawn. Would you amend your motion ma'am? I'd like to

[00:22:28] recommend two cases tonight rezoning 2025-0015 john a and jerry b price at all in addition to rezoning 2025-00022 cedar lane 11089 llc at all to a july 22nd 2026 board meeting we have a motion to defer 2025-00015 and 2025-00022 rezoning cases is there a second second we have a motion

[00:23:05] in a second is there any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed mr. county administrator we ensure that that's published as soon as possible thank you chair recognizes miss floyd chair of the community development committee thank you as you all know data centers have been a hot topic in Hanover County as well as across the nation. So I think it is important for us to have a full understanding of the data centers as well as standards and guidance going forward. So as the chair of the Community Development Committee, I would like to direct staff to do a deep dive into several topics related to data centers and how they would affect

[00:23:40] our county. So if I have the support of the board, I'd like to motion for community development to start the process of developing a data center policy and or ordinance. There's a motion. There's a second by Mr. Floyd. Richard, motion in the second. Any discussion? Mr. Herzberg.

[00:23:57] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't serve on the committee. I would just like to bring to attention that I think it would be a good idea to look at the different sizes of data centers for different levels in the ordinance, possibly B3, M1, and M2.

[00:24:13] Very well. Anything further? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. now my honor to ask uh miss terry smithson uh our uh our registrar here for hanover county long time registrar exemplary service uh if she would come forward and i'm going to ask mr budeski if he joined me down off the dais uh for a presentation of a proclamation honoring

[00:24:40] miss teresa smithman on her retirement do you have family here well come on down should you like to work family and the electoral board i think the electoral board's here right y'all come on down just you miss lavander all right

[00:25:21] We've got public affairs, folks. Jay, Wes, Wilson, come on. These are directives. This is the last order you're getting. Yeah, I was going to say, you still work for her. I am until next Tuesday. Thank you all so much for doing this.

[00:25:39] Well, thank you for your years of service. You know, it's a unique job. There's never a year where we don't have an election. You mean a month. There's never a month that we don't have an election. Right, yeah. And how they're pulled off in Hanover County is just amazing.

[00:25:57] You know, the numbers come in, and that's really what folks are looking at, right? What are the results? What happened? And you've had your office flooded at late night hours, and people are waiting for this precinct or that precinct, and it just happens without flaw, and it's a testament.

[00:26:14] Now, I know folks recently have talked about elections nationwide and their concerns in certain areas, And some of those were legitimized by, you know, things that they saw going on saying, well, what happened here? Where's the communication? And then other folks said, hey, well, there's not a problem here. Why should I be affected by that?

[00:26:29] And I think that was our stance. You know, we don't have those problems. And I think you leave a rich legacy here in Hanover County to say, hey, look, it's no funny business. We're just doing our job, you know. And I tell folks, when you don't sensationalize public work, public work gets done at a better level.

[00:26:49] And so I commend you for that. So, whereas the role of general registrar strives to promote the highest level of service to the citizens of Hanover County by providing equitable opportunities to register and vote by maintaining accurate records relating to voter registration, elections, election officials, and candidates.

[00:27:08] And whereas Teresa Smithson has served with distinction as the General Registrar of Hanover County for over 15 years, demonstrating unwavering dedication, exceptional leadership skills, and a steadfast commitment to promoting democracy and public trust in our endeavors to ensure fair and impartial elections.

[00:27:26] And whereas during her tenure, Teresa Smithson has led transformative initiatives, including the modernization of record systems, the integration of innovative technologies, and the streamlining of administrative processes, thereby enhancing efficiency and accessibility for faculty, staff, and alumni alike.

[00:27:47] Whereas Teresa Smithson has been a trusted advisor and collaborative leader with her counterparts from across the Commonwealth and a tireless advocate for policies and practices that protect the integrity of elections while fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and respect.

[00:28:04] And whereas the positive impact of Teresa Smithson's work extends far beyond the General Registrar's office, influencing the broader success, reputation, and operational excellence of Hanover County, and leaving a legacy that will benefit future generations.

[00:28:20] And whereas the dedication, professionalism, and personal integrity of Teresa Smithson has earned the admiration and gratitude of colleagues, staff, and the community, serving as an inspiring example of public service and institutional stewardship. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Hanover County Board of Supervisors honors the distinguished service and lasting contributions of Teresa Smithson, General Registrar of Hanover County, and does hereby extend its best wishes that during her retirement, she shall have continued good health, prosperity, and enjoyment of life for many years. Congratulations.

[00:28:54] Thank you so much. How do I do this? Like this? Let me put this down.

[00:29:21] I get to do this? I can tell everyone in this room, you've been affected by elections here in Hanover County. And it's not just me.

[00:29:37] It's this staff that I have here that's been extraordinary. The reason why you don't see us above the fold in the Richmond Times-Dispatch is because of these people. John Bedusky and his leadership has definitely made the difference. And fire and EMS, man, y'all are my superheroes.

[00:29:55] the special election that we had that you went and picked up our officers of elections from their home on that icy icy cold morning took them to the polling place and then took them home at the end of the night that's Hanover County spirit and I appreciate every single one of you guys and especially you John for the leadership that you've given us and the support thank you

[00:30:19] so much for everything that you guys do and good luck to y'all the next item on the agenda is

[00:31:12] citizens time citizens time is a time where anyone who wishes to address the board on any matter within the board's authority is welcome to come forward we ask that you state your name and the district that you live or the entity that you represent uh is there anybody here who wishes to speak at citizens time we have one card we do have cards you're not required to fill them out but it does help the board uh with responses or getting back to constituents if they have a matter that needs follow-up so i've got um miss zamborski is there anyone else who wishes to speak at citizens time okay one two exactly okay well i'm going to ask miss zamborski if she would come

[00:31:50] forward first donna zamborski thank you for being with us you have five minutes donna zamorski beaverdam district thank you for allowing me to speak this afternoon first i want to thank you for voting no to mountain road i am urging you all to also deny the iron horse data center when it comes before this body for a vote. This area is surrounded by homes, farms, a private school, a new 55-plus housing development, Taylor Park Arboretum, the proposed pickleball courts at Taylor Park, the county animal control, and the Taylor Park soccer field. Besides those things,

[00:32:30] another big concern I have is the construction traffic on Route 54, which is a two-lane road, and the narrow two-lane Mount Hermon Road. These will greatly be affected during the six to ten year building of a data center. In December 2024, this body voted to deny the developer's prior project for this same property, citing building height, threatened wetlands, and neighbors on shallow wells as a poor fit for the area. All of these concerns have not changed, and it will be worse now since this is a heavy industrial project. All of you are aware, or at least I hope you are,

[00:33:08] of. The almost weekly reports and studies coming out on the environmental impacts, the obscene amount of water and electricity usage, the heat bubble from living nearby, and the many health concerns from living near a data center. I live very near this proposed data center. I often see bald eagles flying around. Will this property be checked for bald eagle nests? I know the town of Ashland has approved their side of the property, but if you approve Iron Horse, my fear is that developer will make this an even larger data center which will impact the surrounding area

[00:33:44] even more. Once again the parcel of land is just not appropriate for a massive data center. Hickory Hill was approved and is being built. Please keep it at one and done. The combined amount of water Hickory Hill will use added with Iron Horse is a cumulative nightmare of water usage. We have only a limited amount of water and we regularly find ourselves dealing with droughts. I have been been attending both PC and BOS meetings since January, and each and every time the vast majority of speakers are in opposition to any more data centers in our county. In closing, it was alluded

[00:34:21] in a prior planning commission meeting that those of us in opposition are just a small number of county residents. With all due respect, I don't believe that is a true statement. I know no one at all that is in favor. I have gone door to door and talked to many of my surrounding neighbors, not a single one is in favor. I might suggest if you truly believe those in opposition are a small group then put a halt to on any more data centers and put it to a referendum for the people. If you want to listen and do the will of your constituents who elected you then let the people vote. You all

[00:34:56] represent us for in this county so let us vote on the future of data centers in our county. Please keep our county as a beautiful rural area that is exactly why I moved here five and a half years ago. Tourists and new residents are not going to want to visit our county if we continue to build many data centers. Please deny Iron Horse when it comes before you. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next speaker please. Hello.

[00:35:28] Ashley Covington, Cold Harbor. I want to start by thanking you Supervisor Floyd for putting work into learning more about the data centers and for encouraging everybody else to. It is really appreciated and it is a huge relief to hear that concern so thank you so much. And the reason it's such a concern is at the last vote I heard that these data center fights were just a simple land use and with respect I disagree. If it were just about the land we wouldn't need to change how we think about what kind of industry we're

[00:36:06] actually allowing on that land. So let me explain the difference. The data center industry in Virginia based its policies on a 2008 which was a fundamentally different than what is being proposed now. Back then a data center was basically one building that held a lot of hard drives. It was power hungry but manageable. It fit within a light industrial framework. The industry has moved on since 2008 and sadly our zoning has not. What you are being asked to approve now are

[00:36:42] hyperscale facilities. They require their own substations. They consume millions of gallons of water. They need high power transmission lines. They generate 24-7 industrial noise and light.

[00:36:57] Calling a hyperscale data center light industry is like comparing a Model T to a Ford F-150 Raptor are. They both have four wheels and an engine, but one is a 20 horsepower museum piece and the other is a 720 horsepower machine that requires a completely different kind of handling. Communities around the country are recognizing this difference. In Stafford County, Virginia, a developer is

[00:37:32] currently seeking to rezone over a thousand acres from light industrial and other uses to heavy industrial for a data center campus. This county is also considering stripping data centers of automatic approvals in these areas. In Charles County, Maryland, a new zoning amendment would permit data centers only in general industrial and heavy industrial zones with conditions to include 500-foot setbacks, noise studies, and critical requirements to use only non-potable water for

[00:38:10] cooling. These communities aren't rewriting their zoning rules for fun. I can't imagine that would be fun. They're doing it because they recognize that what's being built today is not what was being built in 2008. And Hanover should do the same. And the other issue speaking of is water.

[00:38:34] I am very concerned about water because Virginia hasn't been this dry since 2002 when the extreme conditions triggered new water standards across the whole state. Nearly a third of Virginia is under extreme drought conditions right now. The entire Commonwealth. We are under a drought watch or a warning advisory. Rainfall for the year is roughly eight inches below normal. And how are we considering approving multiple hyperscale data centers in the middle of a drought within one

[00:39:10] mile of each other? Hanover County does not, unless it's changed, have its own water source. Right? Right. We buy water from the city of Richmond through a contract that will expire in 2035. That contract did not anticipate two or three or however many hyperscale data centers we might put in, all competing for water from the same pipelines and aquifers. So the simple question is, where will that water come from? And will Richmond extend their contract when they

[00:39:47] realize who they are supplying? I don't know. Because what happens when there isn't enough? when the county runs out of water, or when the state moves from a drought warning to a drought emergency, who gets priority? The residents who have lived here for generations? In 30 seconds, thank you. Or the developers. So with respect, I really hope you all do a lot of research on what is happening in the data center industry. And I hope you dive deep and learn how this is affecting communities around the country. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. And

[00:40:25] please vote for your constituents, not developers. Next speaker, please. Thank you for being with us. Please state your name, the district that you live, or the entity that you represent. You have five minutes. Thank you. My name is Patricia Jordan, and I am with the Coal Harbor District. I am here today to speak, yes, in support of the others who've said no more data centers, but more so today my comments are aligned with the fact that I believe we need to begin to really seriously

[00:41:04] take a look at housing in Hanover County. I know those of privilege may not see this as an issue, but those not of privilege, those who don't have the finances, don't have housing here in Hanover County that they can afford to live in. Most of the housing, the mean is about $450,000. That is not housing that all of our teachers, our firemen, and yes, even our police

[00:41:44] officers can afford. And so I would ask that you take a look, form a committee to study how we can place more homes in Hanover County that our citizens can use. I see our police coming here, our teachers come here from other counties, they leave, and they take that money that we paid in their salaries back to other counties. But we need to provide those homes for them here in

[00:42:22] Hanover County. So I would ask that you study that, look at what can be done to provide some workforce housing for our citizens here in Hanover County. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? Seeing none, we will close Citizens Time. Next item on the agenda is proposed action on the consent agenda that has been amended is there a motion make a motion that we approve the consent agenda we have a motion is there a second second second by ms lloyd thank you ms lloyd uh motion in a second

[00:43:02] any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye may oppose motion carries item number seven is a presentation from the central virginia transportation authority with us is director chet parsons with the cvta uh director parsons thank you for being with us sir good Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, members of the board.

[00:43:28] My name is Chet Parsons. I'm the Executive Director of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority, and I bring you greetings on behalf of Chair Nelson and the rest of the authority. This is a great opportunity. Thank you for the invitation to be here to provide an update for this current fiscal year on the activities of the CVTA and the impacts that we've been able to have in the county of Hanover.

[00:43:52] I do have a video that we're going to start. I think I have a remote here, so I can try and remove that. Hello, I'm Tyrone Nelson, a member of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors and chair of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority.

[00:44:16] On behalf of the CVTA, I'm pleased to share some of our transportation projects for 2026. Since the General Assembly created the CVTA in 2020, our focus has been clear. To identify and fund transportation improvement that enhances the quality of life across the nine localities of planning district 15 it's great to move these projects forward because they are addressing our needs of today because of the cbta we don't have to wait and hope for state or federal funding working together we've allocated more than 862 million dollars

[00:44:52] to 74 regional projects through 2032 and when you include distributions to localities in grtc the total jumps to more than 1.6 billion dollars across central virginia these are more than just numbers they mean safer roads better connections stronger communities new opportunities for our residents here are a few examples of projects funded in recent years and ones new for 2026.

[00:45:19] construction of the fall line trail is well underway sections in ashland and hanover are open for biking walking and other recreational uses. In Enrico all sections are funded and are either open under construction or in design. Richmond is working on routing and design while Chesterfield and neighboring localities are coordinating with VDOT on a design build project that will complete the southern section. In Enrico we funded a study of an improved two-lane roadway for Route 5 and New Osborne. It will include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and consider the potential costs as well as community and environmental alternatives.

[00:45:59] The study will look at proposed intersection improvements at Williamsburg Road and Hatcher Street and New Osborne Turnpike and Route 5 and the bridge over the CSX rail yard. Our set of new projects touch all modes of transportation, highways and bus rapid transit, rail, air and a critical bridge improvement. In Chesterfield, the second phase of the The Pro-White extension will include construction of a two-lane road with a shared-use path on new alignment from Warridge Road to Genital Road.

[00:46:32] The extension will support growth in western Chesterfield, including the Upper Magnolia Manufacturing and Technology Park. And in RICO, we're partnering with the Capital Region Airport Commission to relocate a portion of Beulah Road, which currently blocks taxiway access to Richmond International Airport.

[00:46:50] The improved road will rewrite vehicular traffic, giving the Virginia Army National Guard direct access to the airport. Also in Henrico, we're partnering with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to design and build an overnight storage and servicing yard.

[00:47:06] By better accommodating freight traffic with new storage tracks and other improvements, we'll be able to expand passenger service between Richmond and Washington, D.C. local service from both main street station and staples meal station will grow from one round trip to five round trips each day the pulse is expanding further west and henrico cvta funding will extend the bus rapid transit system from its current western terminus at willow line to the intersection of pern road and west broad street the project will include about four miles of shared bus lanes as well as single modifications at 15 intersections.

[00:47:46] It'll also include 13 station platforms, including a new westbound station at Willow-Lon. There will also be stations near Libby Avenue, Horsepin Road, Falmouth Street, Dickens Road, Forest Avenue, Glenside Drive, Hungry Spring Road, and Pern Road.

[00:48:04] Lastly, Richmond's Arthur Ashe Boulevard Bridge is over 75 years old and is rated in poor condition. With help from CBTA, the city is tapping $44 million to replace the bridge, which crosses over CSX rail lines near the Diamond District.

[00:48:21] The project includes design and construction of a new bridge, which will be wider for vehicles and pedestrians and will rise higher to meet modern standards. Over the past six years, the CBTA has been instrumental in helping our region address the transportation challenges and create opportunities to grow.

[00:48:40] Our board, our staff, we are honored to lead these efforts to improve the quality of life across our nine localities. Together, and with support from our residents, we're creating a region that's safer and better connected for everyone. As you can see, the impact of the CBTAL on the region makes us more competitive nationally for funding resources, for grant opportunities, for lots of different things that were not even

[00:49:17] possible more than over six years ago. So the collaborative spirit of the CBTA is evident in the projects you heard in the video. And just to refresh a couple slides here talking about the CBTA and how we operate. So we are funded off of two different tax revenues. We have a sales and use tax of 0.7%, and then a wholesale gas tax on gas and diesel, which is indexed for inflation, but right now it's at 9.3 and 9.4 cents a gallon. Our role is simply to identify, prioritize, and

[00:49:52] fund major regional projects, and we do that three different ways. A little bit more on the taxes, just in the numbers side, we have continuous increases year over year in the revenues that have been collected. Those revenues in our last full fiscal year of 2025 totaled just under $230 million. Those revenues are only allowed to be used in our region for transportation. So they don't go into a general fund. They aren't able to be siphoned off for any other resources. They are

[00:50:27] used for transportation that benefit our residents. We do distribute our funds in a different way than the other two authorities in the state in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. There are three different distribution tools. The first is half of all the revenues that are collected go directly out to the localities, proportional to how those taxes were collected. So Hanover County has direct benefit from the CBTA since 2020 and it's gone towards lots of great transportation improvements all across the county. GRTC receives 15% of the tax revenues and that is directed towards

[00:51:05] regional public transportation. That does not imply that it's only fixed route transit service because that does not serve all nine jurisdictions and Hanover County is one of those we have because of the CBTA we created the link micro transit service which is first mile last mile connection which is really demand responsive to residents who need it to get to that fixed route service or to get to other services like doctor's appointments and and other types of critical needs and then the remaining 35% stays with the CBTA and there is a data-driven

[00:51:43] application process where each of our nine members can can apply for regional funds to help support those big projects that we can't fund through other methods so far from we have funding commitments allocations from 2021 all the way out through 2032 as you can see in the bottom right Hanover County has received just over $42 million in just that regional, that 35% funding commitment, which is about 5% of the funds for the region so far.

[00:52:17] Different types of projects have been funded regionally. The majority of those projects, as you can see, are highway projects, but we've also funded transit improvements, bicycle-pedestrian improvements. The bulk of that is for the fall line, so that five miles that's already underway and and open in Hanover was a result of this funding.

[00:52:38] We fund preliminary engineering so that all these major projects can be construction and shovel ready. And then we also fund bridges as those are identified. Just in terms of the 15% to GRTC, over the lifetime of the authority, GRTC has received over 174 million with about, we're averaging about 35 million a year that goes into that fund.

[00:53:04] And then on the regional side, that 35%. The priority has always been leveraging. We want to use CBTA funding to put our localities and VDOT in a better position to compete for whether that's smart scale funding at the state level, national, federal highway, or federal transit funds, or other grant programs. If we can put our applications one step up because we can supply local funding and local match from the CBTA, then we're all in a better position.

[00:53:36] And since 2020, we've funded 77 projects, as you saw in the video, just on the regional side. That does not include the 50% that automatically comes back to the county. In terms of funding awards, and I'm just going to go through these quickly, we have had, I believe it was 12 projects that were funded in our last round, which was approved in March of this year.

[00:53:59] The Town of Ashland received just under $4 million for Route 1 Ashcake to Southern Corporate Limits, And that's an all-encompassing project for curb and gutter and sidewalk, access management, storm sewer, and stormwater management. Chesterfield has received some funding for the Poet Parkway extension.

[00:54:21] We do see Hanover County got $4 million in the regional side for US-33 and mountain road widening. So this will widen US-33 from two to four lanes from just north of the Henrico County border to Winds Church Road, plus improvements at that intersection.

[00:54:39] We have a number of projects that were in the video, but I think they're interesting to highlight in Henrico. One was the Beulah Road relocation, and that was really important because it expands access and capacity at Richmond International Airport, so it benefits the entire region.

[00:54:58] So there's lots of, once Beulah Road is relocated, there will be opportunities for growth and additional development and services through the airport. And then the Fulton Yard Labor Facility provides a storage track, a storage yard between Staples Mill and Main Street Station.

[00:55:15] So that as these rail improvements are coming south from the Long Bridge over the Potomac all the way through Ashland down to North Carolina, we are able to keep up with that pace and not get in the way of that improvement as it happens.

[00:55:32] Pulse Western Extension, you saw that in the video as well. This covers 13 new stations and platforms with level boarding from the existing Willow Long Terminus all the way out to Parham Road. And then the Arthur Ashe Bridge is another one that is critically needed in the Diamond District area.

[00:55:55] We have some other projects that were in the city of Richmond that are included here. And then I think to close, I'd like to reiterate how important the fall line has been. That was our first major commitment of over $100 million back in 2021.

[00:56:13] The northern section, which was designed to hold one, is now open and heavily used from what I've heard and what I've seen when I've been out there. The southern section is, there will be a groundbreaking early, late summer, early fall, which is going to extend all the way from the southern shore of the Appomattox around Virginia State up through Petersburg and into Chesterfield County.

[00:56:39] So that's another, probably about a 10-mile section that's getting ready to be underway. And then local segments are funded in that gap in between. So we're moving full steam ahead on the fall line. The next steps are really to design and construct those projects that have been committed.

[00:56:57] We can accelerate the timelines for all of these projects to be done, and that really saves funding on the front end and the back end in terms of watching inflation and construction costs and all those kinds of things. Our next round of regional funding will start up in two years, so that will open the summer for FY28.

[00:57:17] We do have the capacity to issue bonds, and that have not gone into that side of the game yet, but if there are major projects that have been identified by the authority, we do have that ability to issue bonds to generate additional revenues.

[00:57:35] And why I'm here today is we need to tell this story to the region and beyond, and talk about the successful models that the CBTA has been able to show and the work the General Assembly did to create this authority. So thank you very much for the for your time. I do have some copies of our latest impact report, which I can leave and Mr. Chair, I'd be happy to take any questions. Thank you, mr Parsons, I appreciate that I'll open up for any questions or comments. Ms. Pritchard. Thank you. Um at the Danger of sounding a lot like mr. Stanley. I've been doing this a real long time and

[00:58:15] The idea that 24 years ago, we would have been able to afford any of these projects We wouldn't even have been able to conceive of being able to afford the projects The money went to Virginia Beach it went to Northern Virginia And I know there was a lot of discussion about creating the authority when it happened And I don't think that I've heard a single person complain about the outcome of that authority It makes a huge difference for transportation and safety in our region for tourism in our region and I'm congratulate mr. Davis and others who and you of course mr. Carson's who were so

[00:58:53] instrumental in bringing us this because it's been it's been a huge game-changer thank you anyone else mr. Herzberg thank you mr. chairman I have one question did you did you say on the fuel tax did you say nine cents per gallon or nine percent per gallon. It is about 9.3 cents per gallon. 9.3 cents per gallon. So is it reasonable to conclude that if a person bought gasoline in Hanover, they would pay 9.3 cents more per gallon than a neighboring locality that was not part

[00:59:33] of the CBTA? I think that's reasonable in the absence of other authorities or sources in the other localities that would impose those additional taxes. Yes. Okay, so if the gasoline was a little more expensive in our region, that would be part of the reason, the 9.3 cents, compared to a locality that is not part of any type of regional group like this.

[01:00:03] Yes, sir. All right, thank you. Anything further? Just a couple of comments. First of all, the gas tax is at the rack, so it's a wholesale tax mandated by the, not at the pump. But any tax you're going to see flow through.

[01:00:20] But it might not be penny for penny because it is on the rack side, and some of that rack gas can go to different places. But to Mr. Parsons' point, if there is a transportation authority in a neighboring locality that's out of District 15, they may have their own transportation authority.

[01:00:41] I just want to say, you know, what's interesting about this is, and thank you, Chet. You've done a great job there as the executive director, and you and I work very closely year before last, I guess, or immediate past year.

[01:00:58] You know, this is not a regional government. It was set up by the General Assembly, and I was the first one to tell folks I was not a fan when I first saw the legislation come through. I said, man, what are we doing here? And they've got a tax, and they've got this. And then oddly enough, the General Assembly said, here's about four or five things that you're going to do, and this is how this is going to be set up.

[01:01:21] And then they turned it over to the localities, and it's run very, very well. I tell the folks in Hanover who want to know more about it, it doesn't go to some pot somewhere and then just get spread out. Nobody knows what happens to it.

[01:01:38] Hanover gets a say over those tax dollars coming back to the locality. One and two, the first of two ways is the local contribution that comes back, the board gets to decide in that locality. And then on regional projects, there might be folks from Henrico, well, there are folks from Henrico and Chesterfield and other localities that have voted on regional money that's gone into the larger pot coming back to Panover County or Henrico.

[01:02:09] voted for things in Henrico where there's a fair and equitable distribution. So it's a lot of money to manage, and it's interesting. Once we went over a billion dollars, then it was 1.6, and it will continue to grow.

[01:02:26] But the exponential benefit of being able to pool that money in, it's one of those areas that folks can really see the direct contribution from their tax dollars going to their locality. So thank you for being here.

[01:02:41] I am somewhat concerned on the last slide, though. We're focusing on transportation. You said as the CVTA continues to grow and do things, and then I see shots from the moon back to the earth. I don't know what you're planning. Government grows, Chet. Government grows. I just want you to be mindful.

[01:02:57] This is the Central Virginia Transportation Authority. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Parson, so much. Mr. Chair, may I make one more remark? Of course you may. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize Mr. Vadinis in the back of the room. For his his work. He's coming to the the end of his his year of chairing the technical advisory committee for the CBTA And no one can do it better. Nobody. Nobody can do it better. Yeah. Thank you. It's no question. Thank you, Joe Mr. Parsons, we appreciate it At this time ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna take we're gonna take about a three-minute Recess and then we're gonna have a new

[01:03:36] Dominions coming up for their presentation on their Energy Innovation Center, and I don't know if they have an audio vid presentation. They do. We're going to take a three-minute recess. Please don't tarry long. Thank you. We are in recess. You know, I got warm, and then I got cool, so I don't know. I don't know what's going to be. He's turning it down.

[01:09:19] This board is back in session. Pleased to welcome Mr. Brayden Croy, Program Director of Dominion Energy Innovation Center.

[01:09:38] Thank you for being here. Not yet, sir. Hold on a moment. There you go. Well, thank you so much, Mr. Chair, Vice Chair, and the entire board. It's a pleasure to be here. The even bigger mouthful is our actual name is the Hanover County Clean Technology Innovation Center, doing business as the Dominion Energy Innovation Center.

[01:10:00] So imagine all of those different acronyms and letters as they get put together. But it's an absolute honor to be here today to get to inform you and present to you. Some of you might know about the DEIC, others this might be your first time hearing about us. But we've been around in Hanover County since our founding in 2009 as a public-private partnership between Hanover County, the town of Ashland, Dominion Energy, and then the Virginia Biotech Research Park Authority, also known as Activation Capital in downtown Richmond.

[01:10:28] Originally as a subsidiary of Activation Capital, and then in 2022 spinning out as our own organization in 501c, nonprofit organization, really focused on supporting Virginia's climate tech and clean energy entrepreneurs. And since 2009, we've really taken that to heart and focused on how is Virginia adapting to all of the different expectations of our grid, our energy services, and the environment within which we live and call home every single day.

[01:10:56] And so our main focus is supporting those founders, the utilities, the investors, the state agencies, the universities, and really the communities that make up our energy ecosystem. And at the core, we can think energy is society, and we're here to help really advance the opportunities in technology and innovation to make sure that we all live prosperous lives.

[01:11:17] And so the demand, as we know, as we heard from some of our constituents today and others, is not new. Loads have been growing ever since we invented electricity, and even before that, as we harvested and used our natural resources to produce heat, to produce energy, produce life.

[01:11:36] And so as we move forward into kind of the 21st century and think about all of our digital ecosystems and all of the different ways in which we use energy from data centers to the electrification of industry, to the electrification of our daily lives and our transportation systems, we know that there's a need for energy. What form that energy takes is always up for debate, but it's always a matter of figuring out how is technology allowing us to meet those demands, to grow as a society, and to really live the most prosperous lives that we can as individuals and that we can as communities. And so the DEIC has been here in Hanover since 2009 focusing

[01:12:13] on supporting our community here, supporting the broader Richmond community, the Commonwealth, as well as the nation as a way to look at those most innovative entrepreneurs in those technologies and how we can help purpose-build programs and really think about how we can serve as that connective tissue that puts us in the realm of practicality, knowing all the different ways in which we need energy. And so we turn this from innovation into activity through sourcing and finding startups and small businesses and researchers at the cutting edge of technology.

[01:12:49] And we'll get into some of those here in a little bit. But these are companies and these are entrepreneurs who are inventing the things of the future. I remember three years ago being in conversations about data centers in space. Or today, being in conversations about new types of power lines that allow us to push five to 10 times the amount of power down the same right of way of our traditional passive cooled transmission lines.

[01:13:12] But we source them. We support these entrepreneurs and these innovators with mentorships and programming and co-working space and commercialization guidance, not only from the center and our small staff, but from the utilities that sit on our board, Dominion Energy and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, as well as then all the different agencies and organizations and universities that we partner with throughout the Commonwealth.

[01:13:34] The goal is to connect these entrepreneurs and these innovators and these corporations and these communities to really understand how they are all working together and how they are part of the same ecosystem. We convene all of everyone together through events, through road trips, through bringing the market actors together, really recognizing that it's through that communication, through that type of collaboration, that we can really move to deployment, right?

[01:14:00] Seeing new technologies deployed into our ecosystem, solar was once new, batteries are just now starting to get the kind of broad market focus that they have had for many years and other smaller niche applications, the revitalization of nuclear conversations and what does it mean to actually provide stable, affordable, reliable electricity to a grid that has both renewables intermittently as well as baseload carbon-free electricity and nuclear, thinking about how all of these must come together, manifest together, and really be that optimized organization to help these entrepreneurs go from idea to lab to pilot and ultimately on to utility-scale growth.

[01:14:40] The EEIC works across a full startup and entrepreneurial spectrum, and while a lot of our work does focus on accelerating high-tech companies and thinking about their growth opportunities and how they really can achieve market success and market dominance, we also serve in Hanover County as a small business resource center.

[01:14:58] We have a small co-working space in Ashland, downtown Ashland. It's the old firehouse there. I'll show you a picture of that in just a little bit. But out of that space, we not only serve as a community meeting area, but we also put on programs for local entrepreneurs and small businesses. We do that directly. We also do that in partnership with the Downtown National Association, SCORE, the SBDC, and all sorts of other organizations focused on Main Street and small businesses.

[01:15:25] We know it takes a community to pull everyone together, to really get behind innovation, to get behind entrepreneurship. And so it's through programs like our AgX program or our Center Street Pitch Competition where we really try to reach out to that community and serve as that meeting place, that convening partner, and someone to be there to help.

[01:15:44] Through our Energy Tech Virginia and our Spark Innovation challenges and our road trips, we also take Virginia entrepreneurs and Hanover entrepreneurs out into the world, really allowing them to build partnerships, build those types of collaborations that allow them to grow here at home.

[01:16:00] And then, of course, we're always looking for ways that our entrepreneurs and innovators can launch pilots here at home and also abroad. And so it gives Hanover for the past since 2009 and really since 2020 with the passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act has given Hanover County a seat at the most innovative energy discussions in the world.

[01:16:19] And we really are at those tables. Last week, we were at the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium presenting and talking about all the benefits and all of the different supply chain components that Virginia has and that Hanover has when it comes to the nuclear industry and what we must be looking forward to as we think about a carbon-free future. So to give you an example of one of those programs, our DEIC Accelerate and Hyperscale programs were specifically designed for those seed and Series A stage companies who are looking to develop pilots with Dominion Energy, with Rappahannock Electric Co-op, and with other organizations. And to date, since we launched this program in 2020, we've had 61 high-growth

[01:16:56] tech companies go through this program who have collectively raised over 719 million dollars to deploy not just here in Virginia but across the world as they're looking at most innovative technologies like I said we've worked in grid reliability transmission optimization power electronics because there's all sorts of new transformers come into market when we hear the discussion around data centers or load growth broadly because it's again it's it's not just data centers it's the electrification of every component of our lives that we know that there are solutions out there right there are water smart solutions, there are electric smart solutions, and we're on the cutting edge of being able to see those. And we serve here as a resource for those entrepreneurs and those communities to

[01:17:35] actually be able to explore their development and their commercialization. And so it's this accelerator model gives us really early visibility into the companies that are shaping our future, companies who are working on virtual power plants, right, that now have the mandate here in Virginia to actually be able to go out and find residents who want to enroll their smart thermostats, enroll their smart heaters, enroll their vehicles in vehicle-to-grid types of programs.

[01:18:03] We're not running those programs ourselves, but we have entrepreneurs throughout our portfolio that are running those programs, that are working with Virginia Energy on cutting-edge pilots, that are looking at deploying their technologies here in Hanover and here across Virginia as well.

[01:18:19] I myself am a resident of Montpelier, love being out in the country and certainly never want to see that type of environment go away. And so as we think about how smart we can be and what technology is actually allowing us to do, it's really incredible when you see the future. But like I said, we're not just about high growth, high tech energy companies.

[01:18:38] We also love serving and supporting the entrepreneurs that call our communities, make our communities vibrant. Our AgX program was launched back in 2022 as a way to support Hanover's small producers and value-added farmers here in the county.

[01:18:53] Today, we've had a couple of dozen entrepreneurs go through that, small flower farmers, cattle and beef farmers, as well as any number of food entrepreneurs who are trying to bring their businesses to market.

[01:19:10] And we know that capital is a big constraint of a lot of these small businesses. And so ever since I've been at the organization since 2021, and for five years before that, we've hosted the Center Street Pitch Competition, where we award startup grants to entrepreneurs that are either in Ashland, working across Hanover, or specifically in ag-related businesses.

[01:19:33] It's through this competition, and what we call it this year is kind of Hanover and Ashland's variety show of business startups. It is a wonderful event that we host at the Ashland Theater. It brings out over 100 community members to support these entrepreneurs. We had the Ashland Dance Academy pitch this year. We had Breemar Flower Farms pitch last year. Bravo Bake Shop pitched the year before and was able to use that funding to grow their bistro and their bakery right across from the food line in Ashland, as well as Meadowgate Alpacas took home the grand Prize two years ago to be able to buy a van so that they could transport their alpacas to senior

[01:20:11] living facilities and to daycares to really show off their animals and to really bring the farm to everyone. And also our follow-on business activities, we're always there as a resource, as mentors, as business coaches, and as resource connectors for entrepreneurs throughout the community to always be able to walk into our facility in Ashland and be able to sit down with a business mentor and have those discussions. One of the things that we've launched in the past three years that we're very proud of the growth of is our Energy Tech Virginia Innovation Conference that

[01:20:46] we host in Richmond in partnership with Dominion Energy and a local software development firm that has gone from a handful of folks five years ago to now well over 60 high-end programmers and technology engineers who are building transmission software of the future for utilities. This conference has brought in this year in March, we hosted it for our third year at the Science Museum of Virginia. We had over 500 energy innovators, technologists, and investors convene in downtown Richmond for a day of keynotes and workshops and networking and of course a pitch competition, getting

[01:21:23] grant funds into the hands of the future energy leaders and entrepreneurs of our world. And then through funding from the Department of Energy, last year we were also able to launch the Energy Innovation Road Trips. This was in our ability and our interest of being able to take Virginia's entrepreneurs out to the world to see the most cutting-edge lab spaces at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab, exploring their manufacturing demonstration facilities, which will show you technologies that you've never thought possible, machines that can 3D print and mill metal at the same time so that you can get the most complex geometries of componentry to make

[01:22:01] nuclear reactors, to make spaceflight possible, to make all of the things that we look to as those moonshots in our everyday economy possible. We also bring innovators and entrepreneurs to Richmond, to Hanover, and to central Virginia to show off the many different assets that we love to call home and why we think every business should also call this community home.

[01:22:25] We have partnerships up and down the Commonwealth, from universities to state agencies to individuals and also corporations and utilities. We want to serve all partners, be there as a resource to find the innovative technologies that they need to solve their most pressing problems, and also continue to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and grow businesses.

[01:22:49] And so just three examples of what's happening here in Hanover. I'd like to first start with Aura Energy, who participated in our DEIC Precursor Accelerator Program. And it was at this inflection point in their business that they went through our program, and coming out of that program were able to get acquired by Accelivation and grow into a 55,000-square-foot manufacturing facility right off of Route 1 on the other side of the Ashland-Hanover border.

[01:23:17] This is a company who has developed highly innovative drop-in technology for data center power distribution as well as universal circuit breakers. So you're no longer stuck with an Eaton system or a Schneider system or a PDI system. You can use any circuit breaker in a universal way in their boxes.

[01:23:35] Boccovate Energy is another entrepreneur working here in Hanover to bring to market Virginia's very first crop-based solar voltaic project in eastern Hanover off of Creighton Road. What they are looking to do is partner with a farmer to actually grow low-lying crops, pumpkins, gourds, and other types of market-based products underneath of solar panels, showing that agrivoltaics aren't just your sheep farming, and it's not just your pollinator communities, but there's real economic potential to farm real crops underneath of solar panels

[01:24:14] while also achieving the power densities that utility customers expect, as well as community solar customers expect from their projects. And then Linebird is one of our anchor tenants based out of the co-working space that we manage in downtown Ashland. They continue to grow their fleet of drone services and drone products that allow linemen to work on high-power transmission lines using highly advanced aerial systems versus having to hang out of a helicopter.

[01:24:41] It was founded by a college student along with a former aerial lineman, and as he likes to say, he was called the dope on a rope. He was the man hanging out of a helicopter, working on transmission lines, putting his life at risk every day, realizing that there are ways to do things better, smarter, safer, and to save carbon in the process.

[01:25:00] And so right here in Ashland, they have grown a set of end effectors that operate on heavy lift industrial drones in a non-conductive manner that allow them to do an incredible amount of array of tasks on transmission lines, distribution lines, and other energy infrastructure.

[01:25:17] And these are just a few of the companies that are in our portfolio that have Hanover impact and that we continually try to strive to help grow here in Virginia. As I said, we operate out of a 6,000-square-foot converted firehouse in downtown Ashland. It's bright, it's colorful, and it's exactly what Ashland has come to be known for.

[01:25:36] It's a wonderful space. We welcome any of you to come tour it. We welcome you to host community meetings there. It not only serves as a co-working space, but it's also a community center. The Downtown Ashland Association converts this regularly into volunteer headquarters and check-ins for their events, whether that's Ashland Train Day or whether that is Light up the tracks, or their Fourth Friday's events. We are here to be a resource, and this facility is itself a resource. It's owned by the town. We manage it for them, and we love working with all the different co-working members that are there, who many are not energy-related. Though we do have

[01:26:13] an energy healer who is a member, so if you would like to have some Reiki performed on you, we welcome you to come visit Nancy. But we do have lots of small businesses that also call our co-working facility home in addition to the energy companies. And the DEIC doesn't just rely on that local support. Our green tech network is national and international. We have over 2,600 members that engage with the DEIC through our newsletter, through our email communications, and through our various online events. Since 2022, we've been able to leverage the town and county and Dominion's money with two and a quarter million dollars of state and federal grants and prizes to support

[01:26:52] entrepreneurs at every stage of their development. And like I said, at our Energy Tech Conference this past March, we had over 500 attendees, innovators, investors, and utility leaders convene in downtown Richmond for an incredible day of energy conversations that are rooted in reality, rooted in data, and rooted in science. And we welcome you to come join us there.

[01:27:14] 2025 was a fantastic year. I've provided Ms. Westfall with some annual reports that you all are welcome to take a look at. We hosted 64 events at the DEIC, over 2,100 attendees. We provided hundreds of mentoring hours. And again, we like to call home to 24 co-working companies, 62% of whom are women and minority led. And we're just getting started. The DEIC has been around for a long time, but we've really been able to find the importance of the work that we're doing here in Virginia as we continue to move forward. And so as we look to the future, all we see is a stronger

[01:27:52] energy innovation ecosystem that's rooted in Hanover and anchored in Hanover and really put central Virginia and Hanover County at the forefront of what's happening and what it means to do smart infrastructure development, to have companies solving the toughest problems of today, to make sure that our banking apps, that our lifestyle, that our transportation systems, that our vehicles are all working in unison and can all provide us the type of lives that we would like to have and so i thank you for this opportunity to present to the board i welcome any questions and of course welcome anyone to come visit us in ashland thank you director corey any questions thank you uh for

[01:28:31] being with us i know uh i know it's a challenge this year with your current chair so we'll work with that uh as much as possible but uh it's it's great i was actually uh talking to some folks about this over the years and how it's how it's developed and you know uh it's it's a definite definite change when did you get there i've been there since uh february 21 21 yes sir uh so i have seen a lot of changes uh since then and um you know before it was just it was it was a line item on an agenda and so on and so forth and now it's it's very very active i did have a question i was

[01:29:06] looking at your partnerships and i just kind of wondered uh with the uh uh sefc uh how's that work with you guys i know y'all kind of bounce some things around but with the secure energy future center yeah yeah well that's been a great partnership so we were originally uh that that spun out of a go virginia grant right uh there that was called the hydrogen tech center in newport news and uh as the market ebbed and flowed and changed um it morphed into the secure energy future center and we have worked very closely with that team over the past year to get it launched

[01:29:39] And we have been instrumental in helping them advance a number of different projects, including the acquisition of TerraPower's first university-based nuclear control room simulator program for Virginia Tech in their Northern Virginia campus, as well as working to help them do a significant market study of the electric componentry needs of large manufacturers in the Hampton Roads region.

[01:30:08] And it's actually work that has informed a Go Virginia grant that we have recently received DHCD state board approval for to marry up Region 4 and Region 5 as we look to really identify those opportunities to attract the best electric component manufacturing and grid technology companies to the two regions.

[01:30:32] you can think of that as circuit breakers of transformers of the cables themselves and so work with in discussions with the Hampton Roads Alliance as well as the shipbuilders the Port of Virginia and others has really opened up a door into really thinking more about how we can position our regions as the spot for these types of component manufacturers to be attracted to it and that's why I was asking so thank you yeah right on top of it well thank you very much thank you for being with us. Thank you very much for the opportunity. I'm now going to ask Deputy County Administrator Kilduff if he would come forward for a presentation item number nine on

[01:31:12] our agenda quarterly broadband update. Mr. Kilduff. Thank you Chairman Davis, members of the board, Mr. Badesky, Mr. Walter, Todd Kilduff, Deputy County Administrator, and I have your Hanover Connect Hanover Broadband Initiative update for the month. There actually are some good updates that I had before you you see several of these slides before but there's I always try to talk like there's somebody sitting behind me that may not have seen these before maybe somebody watching from home that wasn't familiar with the program but construction is well underway and has been I can't believe it's been about 16 months now but they've been well under construction for 16 months

[01:31:51] and have done a great job of going down all the public roads and right now we're just sort of hitting the private roads and railroad crossings at the moment but these are just some of the metrics that we use for the project just to make sure we're still on track we do have some very strict deadlines with the state with ARPA funding and that kind of thing so we use these metrics just for ourselves just to track them but we do report them to you and you can see last month we reported about 1,136 homes actually connected this month it's about 1,222 so close to 90 homes have connected over the past month so and with about six months left in the project so we're looking at probably

[01:32:28] about 26 home connections per week to finish out that part of the project that number will fluctuate i know i say kind of say this every month but that number will fluctuate a little bit because if let's say an entire week goes by where they're just trying to get some private road easements there may not be a lot of connections that week but if the easements all get signed documented filed the whole nine yards the next week there could be 60 homes that get connected so that number will go up and down as the weeks go by but it depends on where they're at which private roads they're dealing with, how many homes are on those private roads, that kind of thing.

[01:33:01] This is a new slide for us. I just received an update from All Points Broadband that several of their customers are going to get increased speeds at no cost. They have about 345 customers to date that are going to go from 50 megabytes per second up and down to 300. 458 customers that are going to go from 100 up and down to 500 up and down. And anyone at the one gigabyte up and down. We'll actually stay at that. And I did ask, I said, you know, that that's great.

[01:33:30] I'm glad to report that for you, but is there any reason why? And they just said it was a internal business decision. So there'll be no increased cost to any customer that ended up getting the 50 up, 50 down. They will now be at 300 up and 300 down. So that's a little bit hot off the press information. I did ask them for more information because we're happy to help them get that word out to our citizens with a social media post, that kind of thing. So our contact at all points broadband Tom Innes he just got back from vacation but he will be getting that information to me so we'll make sure we get that out so that was good news as always we update our county website after every presentation including this one we upload the presentation to the county website

[01:34:08] under the updates section and we update the numbers appropriately and it's a little small print on the screen but you can see sort of in the middle on the left image total home connections 1,222, which is what I just reported on the previous slide. So still making progress. Sort of the next big piece for us, with all points, we're still trying to wrap up the railroad crossings and private road section. But the next really big thing for us is the bead funding. We've mentioned this numerous times. The state, this is a good update. They told us in the March, April timeframe, they were going to have contracts awarded or, sorry, conversations going for the contracts with the internet providers. That did happen. Then they said

[01:34:48] the next few months were going to be the contract negotiations and signing of contracts. They just reported to me. I talked to our contact at DHCD, which is the Department of Housing and Community Development. They said that several of the contracts have been signed. There's a few that still haven't, but there's no major issues with them. It's really just a little bit of the legal ease, just making sure they get a few things ironed out. They said they do not foresee any issues with that. So as far as we know, Bede is still moving forward, and there's been no hiccups with that. They did say they were going to have a new website set up, which they sent me the link. I have it on the screen there. Looks a little bit like the Milky Way Galaxy, but if you zoom in and type in an address, I actually did that so you could see it. This is the post office

[01:35:27] in Beaverdam. I just want to type in an address just to see what information was provided. So it does show Virginia Anywhere, which is actually All Points Broadband, being the service provider for that location and basically all the pink dots that you see there. So it's a little funky when you have that zoomed out view, but if you were to type in an address and zoom in, you can get a lot more information. This is new information to us, so we have not yet worked with RGS department to see how we could sort of integrate that information with our website so that we can have all this information out there for public consumption. And DHCD with the construction that would be looming

[01:36:03] shortly after the contracts are signed. We're thinking probably Q3 area, quarter three of this year, maybe even quarter four early, they would begin the construction. Because it's not just signing contracts. Signing contract is a huge step, yes. But then these companies that have the signed contract, they have to make sure they're staffed up. They have to buy materials.

[01:36:22] They have to mobilize contractors and subcontractors. And those apply for permits with VDOT, that kind of stuff. So there are some steps still to take. And then when the project's done. There should be about 3,525 passings total for that project. And we do know, and we've mentioned this before, we do know that there are still some homes that weren't captured in the VATI funding, the VATI funding, or the RDOF funding, R-D-O-F, and also were not caught in the bead funding. We have those. Everyone that has called us, that we've looked into, me and Mr. Rogers in the back of the room there to my right, we have a spreadsheet that we're tracking all this information and we are telling people you will get connected. And some of the reasons

[01:37:02] that somebody may not have been included in these is maybe their home was just built after the funding was announced. So if your home was built last year and you just moved in, you are not a part of the project and you may not have had internet. If you're just a standalone home, maybe you weren't in a neighborhood, that kind of thing. So we're dealing with that now and we are tracking that. So I want to make sure that's an important piece that our goal is to connect to everyone.

[01:37:22] So, as I said, the private roads are going well. We have a good process in place. Rook Rogers, again, sitting behind me. He's a notary for the county. He's been out there beating the street with Mr. Herzberg. He's done a great job. Thank you, sir, for helping us get through some of these private road issues. But, as always, if any board member has any issues with any citizens or concerns with broadband on private roads or anything of that nature, I feel like we are well-versed and resident experts in how to deal with those situations because we've been through it before.

[01:37:51] So with that, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to provide this monthly update. And if there's any questions, I'm happy to take them. Any questions from board members? Seeing none, thank you, sir. Thank you. Okay.

[01:38:09] Chair recognizes Vice Chair Stoneman. What place? We've got time. I'll take your time.

[01:38:27] Where'd it go?

[01:38:36] All right. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to make a motion at this time that the Board of Supervisors move the meeting into closed session pursuant of the following authority.

[01:38:56] Virginia Code 2.2-3711A1, performance review of the county administrator and county attorney. Virginia Code 2.237, discussion of consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose.

[01:39:13] GPIN 7795-99-9936. Also, Virginia Code 2.2-3711A1, discussion of planned retirement of county attorney.

[01:39:36] And Virginia Code 2.2-3711A1, Discussion of Grievance, followed by a fire and EMS employee. Very well. We have a motion. Is there a second? We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed?

[01:39:53] Motion carries. This board is in closed session.

[01:41:45] Now call the Board of Supervisors meeting back into session.

[01:44:32] We are currently in closed session, Mr. Vice Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to make a motion that the Board of Supervisors certify that during the closed session only public business matters lawfully exempted from the opening meeting requirements of the freedom of information act and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion of closed session were disclosed discussed yeah we have a motion in a second any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries the next item on the agenda is citizens time citizens time is a time where or anyone who wishes to address the board on any matter within the board's authority is welcome to

[01:45:11] come forward we ask that you state your name the district that you live or the entity that you represent it is also reserved for items that are not on the agenda for a public hearing so i have a joseph flag here who wants to talk about the data center tax rate we are having a public hearing on that so if mr flag wants to stay and is welcome to stay we'll just he can have that opportunity during the public hearing is anyone here who wishes to address the board during citizens time yes sir please come forward state your name the district that you live or the entity that you represent you have up to five minutes thank you for being with us hello everyone rob

[01:45:50] wilhoyt chickahominy district um going over tonight's agenda one thing stuck out to me a1 rezoning a1 rezoning a1 rezoning a couple of things i could live with but hanover is a rural county we don't want to be henrico county so in my small little world i want y'all to keep this county rule farmer doesn't want to farm anymore they can always be conservatorships done

[01:46:23] landowner has the right to sell but at the current zoning so i would really hope that as all these things come up and it doesn't matter if it's a data center or office park whatever if it's zoned a1 think long and hard about the history and heritage of this county thank you anyone else anyone very well we will close citizens time now ask dr brown to come forward dr brown's the deputy county of administrator, Dr. Jay Brown, presentation on proposed 2026 data center tax rate.

[01:47:01] You're going to give background on this from the budget standpoint and why we're voting on this now removed from the budget, had to take place before July 1st. You got all that covered, Doc? Yes, sir. You're wonderful. Thank you, sir. Good evening, Mr. Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, members of the board. Doc, I am so sorry. Ms. Dibble, would you care to make an announcement about your deferred case?

[01:47:21] Again? Again, at this hour. Doc, Dr. Brown, what you got? Not at all. That was my fault. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Earlier this evening, when we began at 2 p.m., we did defer cases numbers 7 and 8, which are rezoning 2025-00015, John and Jerry Price, and rezoning 2025-00022, Cedar Lane 11089.

[01:47:55] Those cases have been deferred until July 22nd. Thank you, ma'am. So if there's anybody here for those cases, we did try to push that information out as soon as possible. I know we asked the county administrator. So those cases have been deferred.

[01:48:11] Dr. Brown. Yes, sir. Again, good evening, Mr. Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, members of the Board of Supervisors. For the record, my name is Jay Brown, and I am the Deputy County Administrator for Administrative Services. A brief presentation for you today, providing some context or background on why we're here.

[01:48:28] The purpose of this position is to hold a public hearing on a data center tax rate. And so some context, a data center tax is a tax on an additional classificational category of tangible personal property, specifically for computer equipment and peripherals that are used in data centers.

[01:48:45] And this is a tax that is separate from other personal property classifications. Currently, Hanover's tax rate for data center equipment is 45 cents per $100 of assessed value. This rate was approved by the board as a part of the FY 2024 budget process.

[01:49:05] At the board's April 22nd meeting, about two months ago, the Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing on the county's data center tax rate. That authorization was advertised for a data center tax rate of $3 per $100 of assessed value.

[01:49:21] And so the board can approve any rate below $3 or at $3, but not above $3 without authorizing an additional public hearing. So currently, again, our tax rate is $0.45 for data centers.

[01:49:37] The advertising rate is up to $3. Mr. Chair, that's all I have for a formal presentation if you have any questions for me prior to the public hearing starting. Thank you, Dr. Brown. Are there any questions for Dr. Brown? Very well.

[01:49:54] Thank you, sir. We are now open to public hearing. Is there anyone here who wishes to speak to the data center tax rate? Yes, sir.

[01:50:12] Please come forward, state your name, the district that you live, or the entity that you represent. You have up to three minutes. Good afternoon, Chairman, members of the board. My name is Joseph Flagg.

[01:50:27] I live in the Beaver Dam District. I'm also well-known as Mike Flagg. Anyway, I chose to come tonight. The media coverage in what was online, it was a little hard to tell what the board's intent is with the tax rate for data centers.

[01:50:44] And my concern is raising it much more. You know, when I look at the largest taxpayer in the county, I believe they pay somewhere in the range of $3 or $4 million. Currently, I believe it's Dominion Power. or I could be wrong on that budget document, is complex.

[01:51:00] The data center's financial analysis for TradePoint, I think they're projecting to pay something like $20 million in five years and $50 million in 10 years on that property with the current rate. That's a pretty large tax as it is.

[01:51:19] I think Mrs. Pritchard mentioned during the hearing for the 33 project, She had a concern over an imbalance in revenue from one particular source. Well, this would just, if you raise the rate more and more, that would just increase that imbalance in terms of the rate.

[01:51:39] We also have a number of other taxes in the county, the aircraft tax. If you start changing the deal with business owners, what do they expect? We just endured a whole winter of tax increases from our Virginia legislature.

[01:51:56] so I would not like to see the tax rate increase. I'm very much a fan of your study or the policy that you just initiated for data centers. I think it's well overdue. It'll do a lot to help us understand what the rules are and where the board thinks they're appropriate, and perhaps a rate study in concert with that study would make some sense to sort of see how we benchmark to other localities.

[01:52:24] But it seems like we need some background before we just start raising taxes. Anyway, I appreciate your time, and that's my perspective. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Flagg. Anyone else? Yes, ma'am, please.

[01:52:45] Please state your name, the district that you live, or the entity you represent. Thank you for being with us. You have three minutes. My name is Martha Wingfield, and I live in the Beaver Dam District. I hadn't planned to speak, but I just wanted to make a couple comments.

[01:53:05] I think in all of the meetings, hearings that I have been to, the concern about data centers has not so much been about taxes. It's been about their water uses. It's been about their power uses. It's been about the impact on the communities they're going to be built next to.

[01:53:23] So I think this is premature to be setting the tax rate. I think we need to focus on the impact of data centers on the communities that they're being proposed in and what they're going to do to our water and power usage. Thank you very much. Anyone further?

[01:53:45] We will now close the public hearing. Ms. Dibble, Chair of Finance. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. I have to say I honestly think that Mr. Flagg is spot on and that in conjunction with a policy study, we should also undertake a rate study.

[01:54:05] And the appropriate spot to do the rate study would be the Finance Committee. With that being said, I think that we need to fully vet this in a very comprehensive manner and that this is probably is a little premature as far as us effectively raising a rate much higher or significant well at least any higher than our neighbors. It creates a big picture problem and that you may not get the best business partners

[01:54:41] that you want. So we probably all agree that we at least need to look at studying this and probably raise the rate a bit, but I think that we should take a good deep dive into this with the Finance Committee over the course of the next year. I think we've got the time and that the Finance Committee can then bring a recommendation back to this board during the next budget cycle of FY28, and this would be in keeping with the construction timeline of the Hickory Hill project, which would

[01:55:20] not be energized until the first quarter of 2029. So we've got some time to take a deep dive, take a look at it very, very comprehensively and make the right decision. I think this decision, if we made it tonight, would be very worrisome for me because I just don't feel like we've looked at it deep enough. So with that being said, I may need some help with my colleagues for this motion because I would like to send it back to the Finance Committee, but where I guess mr.

[01:55:54] County attorney where does that leave us as far as setting should we just keep the rate at 45 cents for now in the budget because it's a non-issue or what how should we so currently the board is not I'm sorry I'm sorry yes I know you have a question with county attorney just want to make a distinction can ask I guess you could ask the county attorney what his thoughts were but the The seven of us will vote.

[01:56:19] So I think I do want to clarify that. I know you need some answers from the county attorney. You bring up a very valid point. So if there's a vote tonight to move the data center tax rate up to $3, you could go up, you could go down.

[01:56:35] Right now, currently, we do not have one for FY27, which will take place July 1st. So it would still require a vote. There could be some discussion on where it might go. What I'd like to see if you would be agreeable to is allow Mr. Walter to answer your question and then have possible pre-motion discussion going down the line.

[01:57:02] People share their thoughts. That might help craft a discussion, a potential motion for you or other board members to make. But I want to make sure your questions are answered. Mr. Walter. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As you pointed out, the board has not adopted a data center tax rate for its calendar year 2026.

[01:57:21] It actually is not for fiscal year 27. It's actually for the calendar year. So right now, there is not one. It can be anything up to $3, as Dr. Brown indicated. If the intent were to keep the rate the same, it would be a motion to adopt a tax rate of $0.45, and then the matter could be referred separately to the Finance Committee.

[01:57:43] But if the question is how a motion would be crafted to keep it where it is It would be to adopt a tax rate of 45 cents. Right. Okay. I'll start at this end. Miss Pritchard Thank you, mr. Chair of comment and a question for the county attorney. Um, mr Well, I hadn't anticipated agreeing with you. So yay for us But miss Winkfield's right. I mean if we're gonna really do policy and do it right It seems preliminary to be setting a tax rate before we have a policy

[01:58:17] My question is, however, since there will be no data center completed in Hanover County in 2026, does it matter if it's currently set at 45? Because we're not taxing anything. Well, the answer to that question is we do have, we have a data center.

[01:58:37] So in that regard, excuse me, in that regard, if it was to change, then it would have an impact on current businesses. But to your point, I believe the essence of your question is would it have an impact on a business that's not operating as a data center?

[01:58:52] No, it would not. But we would want to be mindful of current operators that are subject to that levy tax. And if I am correct, the current one we have is a small data center. It's not the large kind of multi-use things that we've been talking about.

[01:59:10] Yes, ma'am, that's correct. All right. Well, then in that case, I'm also going to support holding off on this until we have a policy. Ms. Lloyd. Thank you. I am also going to support that. I like the idea of a rate study. You know, we do need a rate for 2026, and we do not have a large-scale data center that it would affect.

[01:59:34] So I think just keeping it what it has been until we have the rate study done would work just fine, It's not going to affect any of the large-scale data centers that we're looking to to study So that being said I I would like for it to go to finance. Thank you. I'm going to move to mr. Herzberg Thank you, mr. Chairman. I will support Supervisor dibbles position to send this to Finance Committee earlier today

[02:00:06] We sent a policy for data centers to Community Development Committee and this is consistent with that and And through the years, and even last month, I've been consistent in trying to find ways to lower tax burdens on our businesses and our citizens.

[02:00:27] And I think it would be a good idea to study this, to leave the tax rate as it is, and to study this and look at ways to lower tax burdens on our businesses and citizens. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[02:00:43] Thank you, sir. Mr. Hudson. I'm fine with supporting the motion for it to go further through finance. And I believe that it's wise to incorporate it all together. So when we roll it out, it's all nice and neat. Very well. Mr. Vice Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[02:00:59] I do think it's – I am in support of vetting this through our finance committee and being consistent with, you know, our normal process of writing ordinances and tax rates. So, yeah, I would support that wholeheartedly.

[02:01:17] All right. My thoughts are process is always good. It provides opportunity for multiple perspectives, increased transparency, input, and those types of things. So, Ms. Dibble, I'll turn it back over to you as chair of finance. We have a number of options at your pleasure and your discretion should you care to make a motion.

[02:01:38] You could make a motion to adopt a tax rate of $0.45, and then that could be voted on, and then subsequent motion to direct staff and the finance committee to start working on, with the board's concurrence, start working on a data center tax rate study in order to bring more information back to the board so we're not left without a tax rate in the upcoming 27 budget.

[02:02:12] We could work on that through the summer, the fall, And it's the board's desire to come back prior to calendar year 27 with a proposal for more discussion or an increase in the tax rate or change.

[02:02:32] So I'll turn it over to you at your discretion, ma'am. I had another question for the county attorney. Is there any reason I can't lump this together, set the tax rate and the recommendation, or do we have to separate the two?

[02:02:47] I think that that's a ruling for the chair to make whether that can be combined. You prefer it separate? I would prefer it. Okay. Just want to be clear. Mr. Chair, as chairman of the finance committee, I motion that the board adopt by resolution a data center equipment tax rate of 45 cents for calendar year 2026.

[02:03:10] There is a motion. Is there a second? Second. There's a motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Ms. Dibble. There's no cheat sheet up there? That's good, because it kind of scared me when it popped up there.

[02:03:25] Okay. Thank you. Yes, Mr. Chair, I would like to make a motion that we move this discussion with regard to the data center tax rate to the Finance Committee to study for at least a year. For a year.

[02:03:43] Or to study over the course of the next 12 months. Okay. The motion is to, that's a motion. At least. You've got a motion. We can't do an at least. i've got a year in there so the motion is to uh so let me ask you this ma'am to clarify your motion are you saying you would not want this out of committee any sooner than a year no let me just not put a timetable on it let's just at this point keep it nice and clean tonight and say i move that we i'd like to withdraw my original motion thank you and then i would like to now make a new motion

[02:04:22] that we forward this particular data center rate discussion to the Finance Committee for further study. I hear the motion. Is there a second? Second. There's a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Ms. Pritchard. Thank you Mr.

[02:04:38] Chair. Thank you Ms. Dibble. I support this as I said I would and I think the answer is we really can't come up with a rate until we have a policy and I think that is what we're discussing here tonight that that should be done when there's policy but we've got press in the room and I want to make it really really clear that what we're doing tonight has no effect at all on any potential data centers because we have one small data center in Hanover County and we have no data centers that are going to be built in 2026 that's just a

[02:05:14] clarification on my part your points on the record Ms. Floyd any discussion any further discussion Ms. Deville no Mr. Harrisburg I'll just continue to say that continue to support ways to look at reducing the tax burdens on our businesses and our residents and I think this does that. Mr. Hudson, Mr. Vice Chair, all those in favor please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed?

[02:05:45] Motion carries. Mr. County Administrator, Mr. County Attorney, do you have sufficient direction? Very well. Yes sir. Very well. Next item on the agenda is a public hearing. Director Hardman with Public Works public hearing on proposed ordinance 26-07. Director Hardman, thank you for being with us. Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the board. My name is Randy Hardman, Director of Public Works. Tonight, I'm presenting on the public hearing for the expanded polystyrene food service container ordinance. In 2021,

[02:06:22] amendment to the Virginia Waste Management Act prohibits food vendors from distributing EPS food service containers known as styrofoam. The law became effective for restaurants, part of a chain with 20 or more locations beginning July 1, 2025. Effective for all other restaurants or food vendors beginning July 1, 2026.

[02:06:44] Most people will remember last year when both those restaurants on the side of that slide converted from styrofoam cups to plastic cups. That was part of this process. Some of the things you may say, why are we doing this? It was legislation for Virginia to address plastic pollution.

[02:07:03] It takes about 500 years for sour foam to break down. It can blow out of trash cans. It's a littering problem, as well as it's harmful to wildlife, and it contains possible carcinogens. Also in this ordinance, it establishes a one-year exemption application that is available to food vendors if they are able to demonstrate an undue economic hardship, and that is not just a one-year exemption.

[02:07:32] they could apply in subsequent years if they had a large stock of material they needed to get through before converting over to a different type of material. And this ordinance also does establish a $50 civil penalty per day of violation. I'm missing a slide, but the exemption application basically is a form that the vendors will fill out their name, their business name, address, as well as the reasons why this ordinance poses a significant financial hardship to them.

[02:08:08] That would be reviewed and, if warranted, approved by the county, and that would allow them for that application exemption. So in summary, this ordinance prohibits food vendors from distributing styrofoam food service containers.

[02:08:24] There is a civil penalty provision in the ordinance, and it also establishes a one-year exemption process for economic hardship. And that concludes my public hearing presentation. Thank you, Director. Mr. County Attorney, will you speak to this and locality's state mandating compliance with state laws and some background on that?

[02:08:49] Certainly. As Mr. Harbin pointed out, a few years ago, the General Assembly adopted this prohibition and had a delayed effective date, which was then further delayed through a number of budget cycles. And part of that process was to recognize the impact that it might have on businesses.

[02:09:08] And rather than have that handled at the state level, the state mandated that it happen at the local level. So this ordinance implements that process. The board packet includes a sample application that an affected individual would need to submit to provide the information so that it could be reviewed and a standard to be applied to determine whether or not they qualify.

[02:09:32] Mr. Walton, do you believe the state makes a law that they should then take on the responsibility for enforcement and the cost thereof? That would seem to be a reasonable approach, Mr. Chairman. That was less than a rhetorical question, but I appreciate it. Because you're getting ready to retire, you answered that question.

[02:09:48] You haven't answered it in the previous decade that I've asked you. Thank you for that, sir. Any discussion with Mr. Hardman? Any questions? Certainly, county attorney is available, too. anything for director Hartman yes miss Pritchard thank you mr. chair um please tell me if I've got this wrong so the exemption is set up so that small businesses won't be adversely affected and obviously that's going to have a greater impact on small businesses than than large corporate businesses for

[02:10:26] example you may get an exemption if you say for example have already purchased a years worth of containers and you can't afford to get rid of those and they all are going into waste anyways rather than plastic and I'm fine with that where you lose me a little bit is the opportunity to renew that exemption because let's just say I buy all my stuff in January what's to prevent me from buying a whole bunch more stuff in November so that I now have another year's worth of stuff that I can't can't use is there any mechanism whatsoever to

[02:11:05] keep people from just re-exempting and re-exempting I think it's a bridge we'll have to cross when we get there however I think there's things that we could ask from the food vendor could you give us the invoice date or when you bought the material that bill or the receipt of the purchase of that material so that if one year they had 500 containers already purchased right and it was a bill date prior to that year if they gave us another exemption and they wanted to give us another example of a receipt that was different from the first one because we'll still have the original on file we would say it looks like you purchased the materials um maybe this

[02:11:42] isn't warranted yeah um i want to support this but i want to see something that lays down some some guidelines or some guardrails for that second exemption mr chair mr chair yes sir i just have a follow-up comment uh it's been my experience that uh the vendors don't have it available to us to purchase so um i'm i hear you because you wouldn't want someone to i guess it's possible in theory that somebody could buy i don't know a small business would have that kind of

[02:12:19] storage because the stuff doesn't compress real well i'm not negating your point i'm just saying that for at least for my establishments they don't even offer it to us to to purchase it any longer okay i mean they may have someone somewhere that somebody could swindle or something i don't know But on the up and up they don't have it Yeah, I kind of had a follow-up to what miss Pritchard was Discussing I just think it's dangerous that we have this ordinance that has language of undue economic hardship without a definition of what that means so that it's clear to everybody

[02:13:00] Exactly what that means I think like it Mr. Hudson said it's probably a non-issue in two years, but I think it's just not quite ready yet for primetime for me without that.

[02:13:16] Ms. Tarvin, would you care to explain what the General Assembly means by that, being that they didn't contact you or Hanover County or any locality prior to that? Would you want to play that game, sir? No, sir. I didn't think you did. Ms. W, you bring up more than a fair point.

[02:13:36] It's not the merits of any of the laws that we talk about when it comes to enforcement. We talk about the merits during the General Assembly process and what we like and don't like and the impacts. And then when the laws are passed, you know, we will have very shortly after July 1st, probably August, maybe September, we'll have a list of items that we will have to vote on that change our ordinances to make sure that we're in compliance with state law.

[02:14:06] And I think many of the questions that are being brought up maybe on both sides of the issue is how is Mr. Hardman going to manage the enforcement compliance of this state mandate with ambiguous definitions on matters.

[02:14:25] And I know there's an application, and you'll certainly review that, but this is like collecting state sales tax. The vendor has to collect it, they have to report it, and they just send it to the state. Everything's handled inside the establishment or, in this case, inside the county.

[02:14:43] And it will be a challenge for all of the questions that were asked here. But the reality is there is a matter of whether we're going to comply or not comply and update our ordinance. And I really wish some of those questions were answered, particularly with some of the restaurateurs.

[02:15:04] Everybody thinks a restaurateur owns a massive dining room and makes tons of money because people are sitting in there every day just ordering all kinds of food, and that's just not the case with most restaurateurs. Maybe with the chains you see something different, and I know that's why they addressed the chains first, but those are my comments.

[02:15:27] Anything further? Okay, thank you, sir. We're now open to public hearing. Is there anyone here who wishes to speak to this matter? Yes, sir. please come forward state your name the district that you live or the entity that you represent you'll have three minutes thank you for being with us rob wilhoy chickahominy um most y'all know i've got a part-time barbecue trailer and ever since the general assembly pushed this down i've been trying to uh work down the surplus of what i've got i haven't bought anything new knowing

[02:16:03] that this was coming on and again you know the county doesn't want to go against what the state said, but as a small business owner, especially part-time, what am I supposed to do with the stuff? Just throw it away? If it's legal, I would say continue the exemption to the end of this year. Anybody's stupid enough to keep buying it when they know the day's coming, then that's on them. But for someone like me that's been trying to work the supply down in my inventory, knowing this was coming. I hate to have to throw that stuff away. So, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Will Hoyt.

[02:16:42] Anyone else? Very well, we'll close the public hearing. Ms. Floyd, Community Development Committee Chair. Thank you. I motion to adopt the Ordinance 26-07, an Ordinance to Amend the Hanover County Code Chapter 17, Offenses Miscellaneous Article 1, General, to add Section 17-20.1, Expanded polystyrene foam service containers in order to implement section 10-1 sorry

[02:17:17] 10.1 - one four two four point three of the Code of Virginia second we have a motion there's a second by Miss Pritchard any discussion yes sir I just want to thank mr. Hudson because I looked it up and it is apparently illegal to sell to restaurants in Virginia so I think our exemption is we both learned something with that I didn't know it would be illegal but yeah any further discussion hearing none all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion

[02:17:48] carries thank you deputy director pompey is with us this evening planning public hearings mr pompey the first planning public hearing is a request in the beaverdam district to eliminate the cash proffer previously approved with a property that was zoned ar6 in 1997. so the the applicant who owns one lot near the intersection of Route 54 and Terry Road is requesting to eliminate the cash proffer. Again, that was approved with that AR6 rezoning in 1997. There

[02:18:27] currently is a building permit in and approved for this particular property. When the property was rezoned in 1997, the county accepted cash proffers to address a variety of different capital improvements, roads, public schools, parks, libraries, and rescue squads with changes in state legislation, as well as changes at the board level, the county rescinded that former cash proffer policy in 2013 and then adopted a transportation policy following that. The transportation policy aims to determine the impacts a development of 40 more lots may have

[02:19:03] on the transportation network, and then the applicant proffers to address any of those impacts and potential improvements on the county's roadways. In this case, this particular lie as part of a three-lot subdivision, so it falls outside of the transportation policy, so eliminating the cash proffer would be consistent with the current transportation policy and proffer policy. So again, the applicant is requesting to remove that cash proffer, which was $3,672. All of the other proffers that were approved in 1997 with the original Rizzoni would

[02:19:37] remain in place. The Planning Commission reviewed this request at a previous meeting and recommended approval with a vote of six to one and no members of the public spoke during the public hearing that concludes staff's presentation i'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have the applicant is also here tonight but does not have a formal presentation planned very well any questions for mr pompey seeing none thank you mr yeah thank you mr pompey uh so so there's three lots in here have any of the other lots been built and it doesn't look like any of the lots have been built

[02:20:11] on one um this under indicates one lot has been built on and the other lot is still vacant and then this one is under construction and do we know if any of the other lots have paid the uh the proffer the one the one other lot because one hadn't so they haven't have not and the one lot has been built on do we know did they actually end up paying a proper did they do for an amendment as far as i know this is the first amendment for this particular zoning case okay thank you

[02:20:51] That's it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Pompey. We're now open to public hearing. Is there anyone here who wishes to speak to this matter? Very well. We'll close the public hearing. This is in the Beaverdown District. All right. So originally, I'm kind of in favor of proffers, especially if they've been agreed to and somebody else has paid those proffers.

[02:21:17] But I do know the policy has changed, and this kind of gives the opportunity for an applicant to come and request a proffer amendment to remove those proffers since the policy has changed since 2012.

[02:21:35] So with that being said, I'm going to move to approve REZ 2026-00010 with proffers dated May 22, 2026. We have a motion is there a second second second very well We have a second any discussion all those in favor, please Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman did you ask for discussion? Oh, do you have any discussion? My apologies. I do sir. Certainly. Thank you. Mr.

[02:22:02] Chairman, I certainly understand that the policy has changed But I've seen of some cases that quite frankly have just been bothering me that many citizens rezoned their property years ago and paid the proffers and developers are coming before the board now to ask that they don't have to pay the proffer. The cash proffer included roads, public schools, parks, library, fire stations, and

[02:22:36] rescue squads. And all these things require money. That's just the way it is. And when AR6 was originally formed, part of AR6 zoning was to address the cost of services for the items i just listed in the past i have voted uh with the motion not going to be able to do it anymore that's all mr chairman very well anything further mr hudson uh yes sir mr chair thank you i i'm just going to echo mr hersberg's sentiment um i think maybe only one of

[02:23:15] these i voted to let it come through and as much as the policy has changed i'll go ahead and say it the policy is going to probably change back the other way. I think that as a board, we're recognizing just how expensive things are, just like everything else. And with developing anything, I know we only think about it when it's on a large scale or people get passionate or emotional and that sort of thing. But it all adds up. We all use the roads and all the other wonderful

[02:23:53] things that we have here so um i will not uh be supporting the motion thanks sir very well any other discussion hearing now all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye all opposed no no madam clerk please call the board vice chair and chair go left miss pritchard no miss floyd no miss dibble aye mr hersberg no mr hudson no mr stoneman aye mr davis aye motion fails mr pompey

[02:24:31] The next public hearing is in the Beaverdam District as well. This is a request to rezone four acres in the Beaverdam District from A1 to AR6 to allow for one family division lot.

[02:24:50] The property is located on Beaverdam Road almost two miles south of Beaverdam proper near the Beaverdam Convenience Center. This area is designated Rural Agricultural which recommends one home per 6.25 acres. Most of the properties including the subject property are currently zoned A1, there is two parcels across the street that were previously rezoned to AR6. This is the conceptual plan that's been submitted by the applicant. Again, the property is four acres right now, and the applicant's proposing two lots. The lot one, which is the closest to Beaverdam Road, that includes the existing house, which will remain on that lot, which will be two acres if

[02:25:28] this request is approved. And then the new family division lot for the applicant's daughter is in the rear lot too and that'll be two acres as well. That rear lot will be accessed by a 20-foot easement which is permitted for family divisions. The applicant has proffered many of the same proffers have been accepted with other AR6 family division cases adherence to that conceptual plan I just showed you.

[02:25:52] Tree preservation trees five inch caliper or greater their outside of building envelopes must remain. Right-of-way dedication along Beaver Dam Road, Brick or Stone Foundations, some environmental related proffers in the family division lot that rear lot must remain in the family for at least five years. The planning commission reviewed this request at a previous meeting and recommended approval with a vote of seven to zero. No members of the public spoke during the public hearing. That concludes staff's presentation. I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have. Very well. Any questions for Mr. Pompei? Thank you sir. We will open the public hearing. Is there anyone here who wishes to speak

[02:26:30] to this matter? Anyone? We will close the public hearing. This is in Beaverdam District. Thank you Mr. Chair, well, I have had an opportunity to visit with Mr. Stanley and his daughter, and I am very happy to support this project.

[02:26:47] I can think of nothing better than having family close by to help out each other. I'm sure there'll be lots of grandbaby babysitting going on and and a lot of other things that are going to be very positive for the Stanley family.

[02:27:03] So I'm going to make a recommendation for a motion here. And I don't see it up on my screen yet. There we go. So I move that the Board of Supervisors approve REZ 2026-00009 with proffers dated May 28, 2026.

[02:27:24] Second. We have a motion. We have a second. Any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Mr. Pompey. For the next public hearing, we're to move east to the McCanceville area, to the Henry District in particular.

[02:27:42] This is a request for a special exception to allow a dog grooming facility on Pole Green Road. So currently the applicant lives on the property and would like a special exception to allow dog grooming to occur in an accessory building. I'll show you some pictures of that accessory building later.

[02:27:58] This business is operating and the applicant became aware of the zoning regulations applicable to dog grooming businesses and submitted this request for a special exception. Again, the applicant lives on the property and is requesting to use a portion of the detached garage to operate the business. This would only be for dog grooming.

[02:28:15] There'd be no overnight boarding services. In our zoning ordinance, we classify boarding and grooming together, but this particular special exception and the conditions would only allow dog grooming and no overnight boarding services. This is the property as it relates to the general land use plan.

[02:28:33] It is designated rural agricultural. It's on the edge of the suburban service area, so that yellow. On the south side of Polgreen Road is in the Suburban Service Area, that's the 22% of the county, that's the designated growth area. This property is on the north side, which is designated rural agricultural, again, outside of that Suburban Service Area.

[02:28:50] And the zoning map reflects the outline of the Suburban Service Area as well. Almost all the properties north of Polgreen Road are zone A1 agricultural, as this particular property is. And on the south side, you have different residential zoning districts in those established subdivisions. This is an aerial view of the property, and the view of the property from Pole Green Road, the property is almost 5 acres.

[02:29:13] And this is the sketch plan the applicant submitted. That existing home you just saw is in purple. There's a circular driveway with access to Pole Green Road. The lighter red-pink color is the garage, and then you can see in the darker red the attached portion that's used for dog grooming.

[02:29:31] Here are some pictures you can see from Pole Green Road. You see that top left corner. It just looks like a detached garage, and then they have the rear addition where the grooming areas are. As I mentioned, this is on the edge of the suburban service area, and it's where our rural and agricultural areas transition to the more suburban portions of the county.

[02:29:51] And to address that transition, there are a couple of different conditions. You can see that there won't be any exterior changes to the building. It maintains that residential appearance with the grooming facilities behind the garage, again, to minimize the commercial appearance of this particular operation. The facility was built with sound guard insulation so that it'll minimize noise impacts on the surrounding area.

[02:30:13] And there are conditions that limit the hours of operation of the number of dogs that are on site, and that'll help limit noise and traffic. A community meeting was held on May 7th, and no concerns were raised from attendees. And then here are the staff-recommended conditions.

[02:30:28] Special exceptions don't go to the Planning Commission, so this is the first public hearing before the Board of Supervisors. Again, this use is limited to pet grooming. Overnight boarding is prohibited. No more than 10 dogs at a time.

[02:30:39] hours of operation are limited from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and that aligns with our general regulations for home occupations and again the applicant lives on the property. The number of employees is limited to no more than one non-resident employee. There's an existing privacy fence that must remain. Signage is limited and that aligns again with our home occupation standards so it maintains its residential appearance. Parking area, three parking spaces must be marked on site and then there are some conditions from the health department related to the septic system and then planning will come out if this request is approved in one year to make sure the site is in compliance that concludes

[02:31:16] staff's presentation i'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have any questions for mr pompey thank you sir we're now open to public hearing uh does the applicant have a presentation mr pompey there's the applicant here okay thank you do you have a presentation ma'am okay let's reflect the applicant does not have a presentation well now open to public hearing is there anyone here who wishes to speak to this matter anyone please come forward would ask that uh you have

[02:31:49] three minutes that uh folks do uh speak to the land use matter uh before the board please state your name the district that you live or the entity that you represent and thank you for being with us

[02:32:19] hi i'm donna stewart i live down there near where all this is going on i have um had grooming done for 30 years and I have had some bad experiences but I wanted to speak on her behalf because the crates that the dogs are staying in when we go there, they are in a separate area. There's no children who can hurt them which I've had that experience before at other groomers. There's a

[02:32:56] gate and a door in place to keep the dogs from escaping and not getting hurt. I had a poodle one time at one place that when I come to pick him up, I came in the back way. The man was out there smoking a cigarette. The dog could have gotten out. I come in the front way, the dog could have gotten out. She has this thing set up secure and nice. It's always clean. The driveway, as you can see, is U-shaped. There's plenty of parking. It's on flat land. Always clean. There's not a

[02:33:28] revolving bunch of employees. It's Diana, and she does have somebody who helps wash. It's always clean, always stable, always doing wonderful. We had a rescue dog that had two bulging discs and had horrible experiences. Every time I'd pick him up from a groomer, he would be hurting worse.

[02:33:50] I called her and talked to her. She said she would take him in. After our third visit, that dog walked on his own in there wagging his tail he loved that dog he loved her we now have a little small dog because he's passed away and tawny rose loves going there and does real well with him she has wonderful prices the service is wonderful the grooming is wonderful and please please let her have this business because she's wonderful and there's not too many out there that are like this

[02:34:23] with a good setup thank you thank you ma'am anyone further yes ma'am please come forward thank you for being with us you'll have three minutes i'm theresa walker um i'm in the cold harbor district and i have been um well i was using diana for 13 years my marley passed away last year but i can tell you that it has been just top-notch service she loves the animals they love

[02:34:57] her. She had gone to work for somewhere, a public place at one time, and I had to take my Marley to another groomer, Auburn, on 301, only to find out, from a video that they sent me, that my dog was almost hanging with a thing around his neck, and so I showed it to my vet, and my vet said, don't ever take your dog back there. He had never done that. It wasn't until I went back to Diana after those few times and I never had any issues with him he loved her she had him since he was

[02:35:32] 11 weeks well about 11 to 12 weeks old and he was 13 when he passed so I would say it's much deserving if you would give this to her thank you man anyone further yes sir anyone after this anyone very well thank you for being with us you're fine Jason Wells uh Henry District um so I've actually been helping Diana with all the paperwork. I think I might have emailed a couple

[02:36:10] of you folks. But around the property, I live right down the street. I travel that way all the time. I have a ministry out in King Williams, so I go down Polgreen Road all the time. She does not, it's not signs everywhere. It's not big, large business. She actually reflects the morals of the other gentleman who said, look, you know, this is a royal community. Let's make it that way, right? A little bit more country. She's the same way. She doesn't want to grow. She doesn't want to be large she just wants to groom some dogs and take care of some people um so i just wanted to speak to that aspect of it right testimonies all day long about how amazing she is grooming dogs but from a property's perspective and a growth perspective that's not the goal here

[02:36:49] the goal is not to be large the girl the goal is not to be huge her goal is to simply do what she loves which is grooming dogs and to take care of her family she doesn't want to have five groomers or six groomers trust me i was a business guy for years and she hates me because i'm always going come on we can expand we can grow and she's like no i just want to groom a couple dogs leave me alone so i just want to make you all aware like i said i drive that road every single day to king william for my ministry there's i think she's a sign she has one little sign on her mailbox that you can't even read at 45 35 miles an hour so that's not her job that's not her prerogative

[02:37:21] is to be big so thank you anyone further very well we'll close the public hearing this is in my district i've had an opportunity to speak with miss williams thank you uh for your multiple phone calls um great sketch plan you one of the things we talked about is uh home-based occupations where should they be what can be allowed and i think the board always tries to to say what's consistent with the community and and we think it's important for folks to be able to have

[02:37:55] home-based businesses as long as they fit with the land use and uh when i saw all of the things that you had done the numerous conversations we had i think uh january 23rd we had a conversation a lengthy conversation uh you've you had meetings willing to open it up you'd already spoken to your neighbors uh but then you also understood the importance of uh how your facility had to operate and where it was located and all the things that that you did uh you didn't miss a beat you hit every single one of them and i know you love your business and i think that's great um and i appreciate

[02:38:33] Mr. Wells making note that you know it's more than just land use that's what we're here to decide but it also you going through these processes and the way you've communicated having these folks here it also lets us know that you're you're operating the way you should and and that that's not likely to be any problem whatsoever so we know it's an arduous process but it is it is a good process uh and uh it's a pleasure for me to recommend this to the board so therefore i move

[02:39:06] that se 2026-00005 diana williams be approved second we have a motion and a second in the discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion passes unanimously congratulations miss williams all right mr pompey the next planning public hearing is another special exception request in the Henry District. This is a request to permit an assisted living facility within an existing commercial building that's near Mechanicsville High School. So again, the applicant is proposing to convert an existing building in a commercial

[02:39:44] area to an assisted living facility. This is on Lee Park Road, which is just northeast of the intersection of Lee Davis Road and Route 360. This building was previously used for commercial purposes. It includes existing parking, building, and landscaping, and that building will be retrofitted to accommodate this facility, and the special exception request is approved.

[02:40:05] The applicant's proposing 20 bedrooms, which could accommodate 40 beds. This property is designated highway commercial. It's in our suburban service area, again, very close to Mechanicsville High School in an area with other commercial businesses. All of Lee Park Road is either zoned B1 or B3. And once you get closer to Route 360, there are other B3 zone parcels.

[02:40:30] So this is an established business area. And here's an overview of the property. You can see the existing building and parking area. And I'll show you in the sketch plan, the site will remain largely unchanged from the exterior perspective. Here is a view of the existing building and some of the landscaping and parking areas. And then this is a sketch plan again, that existing building be retrovitted to accommodate the use. The building's 9,000 square feet. There will be minimal exterior changes. The most visible change will be a fenced outdoor area with a patio between

[02:41:03] the building and Lee Park Road. These are the staff recommended conditions. The use is limited to an assisted living facility and related accessory uses. No more than 40 people can live there or the number of people approved by the Virginia Department of Social Services, whichever is less. The applicant would have to provide a copy of that permit from the Virginia Department of Social Services prior to issuance of a CO. Existing trees on the property must be preserved and then there's some additional plantings that are shown in the sketch plan that must also be installed. The building must retain its red brick color and any additions must be of a similar brick.

[02:41:42] There's a condition about the quality of the fencing around that outdoor area. Mechanical equipment must be screened. A final inspection must be done by the planning department prior to issuance of CO to ensure that these conditions are met. And then some of our standard conditions with all special exceptions, meeting applicable agency requirements and all applicable development regulations. That concludes staff's presentation. The applicant is here tonight as well. Very well.

[02:42:09] Thank you, Mr. Pompey. Any questions for Mr. Pompey? Ms. Pritchard. Thank you, Mr. Chair. What what are appropriate accessory uses we are full of vagaries tonight not your fault uh that's a you know that's a good question i don't know when the associated accessory use would be maybe the applicant could answer that particular question um or the outdoor the outdoor space miss hunter's mentioning that's part of the facility that's a that's a good question yeah i'll hang on to it any further

[02:42:48] questions thank you mr pompey well now open to public hearing is there anyone who wishes to speak to this matter if the applicants available do they have a presentation let's reflect the applicant does not have a presentation is anyone here to speak to this matter anyone against for or against seeing none we will uh close the public hearing i am going to ask the applicant if he'll come forward there is a question that you you should be able to answer uh from one of our board members if you're not required to but it would probably

[02:43:23] serving your interest to come forward and answer a question yes thank you sir and for the record we know uh you represent care family properties uh would you state your name uh and the entity that you represent thank you for being with us yeah good to have you uh my name is mohammed kashif and i represent care family properties llc okay uh mr koff i'm going to open it up to board members uh to ask questions if you're able to answer on behalf of are you the owner or the representative are you the owner I'm the member of the yellow you're a member of the LLC okay so you can speak on their behalf yes very well I'll open it up miss

[02:43:58] Pritchard what are acceptable accessory uses and what what are you going what are you willing to limit those accessory uses to I'm sorry ma'am I do not understand the accessory usage what is that I'm sorry one of your proffers says that it will only be used as a I'm sorry I'm looking for it limit to assisted living facility and related accessory uses what are those accessory uses and are you willing to put that in writing so the only use is as an assisted living

[02:44:37] facility which is a defined terminology by Virginia Department of Social Services so it will be used to house seniors and help them with a 24/7 staff so this is a this is common language in our ordinance so this might be where staff has to come in because we often say whatever the use is and acceptable accessory uses to the original use which you may not have any accessory uses and so therefore you're not able to answer um but i am going to ask staff this is part of our ordinance so i need to make sure my colleague's question is answered yes uh in accordance with their acceptance first so i'm

[02:45:16] going to ask mr pompey to stay there i come back up and i know it seems a little uh laborious but Yeah, I mean, I, Mr. Davis is right. We do have that associated accessory uses typically with conditional use permits or special exceptions.

[02:45:31] In this particular case, I can't think of an accessory use for an assisted living facility. So I think it could be amenable. Like maybe a patio or. Has a client stated an accessory use? That's what we normally ask for. No. Okay.

[02:45:47] Will you have a patio? Yes, but that will be part of the activities for the residents as part of the assistance. That's an accessory use. I think that's primary use, but nonetheless. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying. No, I understand. Figure out what's.

[02:46:03] Yeah, no, that's a great question. What we're trying to figure out, sir, is sometimes when you have a use and then there's a use that is accessory, I don't want to use the same, I don't want to use the definition, but we need to see. Do you have any plans to do anything other than the primary use of this facility?

[02:46:23] And do you understand that any accessory use that you would use outside of the primary use of this facility would be prohibited unless it was part of your application and you came in and spoke to that tonight?

[02:46:39] Is that clear to you? Yes, sir. It's clear. will only be using it for the primary purpose of assisted living facility and for no other reason okay I know it feels like I'm being difficult I very much support assisted living very much I just want to make sure it's in keeping with the zoning in the neighborhood yeah right and I agree with that too that's why I'm asking if you put it placed anything in there as an accessory use because it's a very important question sometimes the primary use is not the issue the accessory uses and it has to be connected to the primary use and i don't want to give

[02:47:19] examples i want you to tell us what your application is uh so mr pompey have have do you see anything that you think would in the application be deemed as an accessory use because mr pritchard has a very important question we've seen this a number of times no the application just says use of the building as a licensed assisted living facility with about 20 bedrooms and maximum 40 beds and there's nothing else in the application that indicates any type of accessory operations.

[02:47:51] Mr. Chair. Okay. We just want to make sure. Okay. Mr. Hudson, then Ms. Dibble. No day services, correct? No. Sorry, the nurse in me is coming out.

[02:48:09] What is your staff going to look like as far as their licensing and that sort of thing? So we will have a minimum of direct care aid or personal care aid as the minimum guideline. Then state certified CNAs would be their staff.

[02:48:28] LPNs would be their staff. There would be an RN as well. And a licensed administrator is required to run such a facility. Did you choose this space because it keeps you at a maximum of 40?

[02:48:47] Does something flip over that number when you're operating this type of business from a, I'm going to say, sanctioning standpoint from the Department of Health, VDSS, and so on? Or is it just the building was available?

[02:49:04] Yes, the building was available, and rough estimate is that it can support 40, But that DSS will determine that as well. Okay. All right. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, sir. Ms. Deville. Yeah, I just had a question. I guess I'm getting back to what Ms. Pritchard was alluding to.

[02:49:24] There is on your sketch plan a four-foot-tall white vinyl fence. So what do you anticipate going on in that area? So this is for the residents in that facility to have an outdoor space to go out and sit at the patio and enjoy, you know, the garden and the view in the back.

[02:49:50] You know, there's a lawn area for them to have some outdoor space, which is... And that's your accessory use in that area on your plan. Perfect. In all fairness, we might know some definitions. We don't think you're trying to hide anything.

[02:50:08] We're trying to determine what you would do and whether it would be an accessory use or not. And so it's reasonable. Only use of that patio is not for external use or anything else. Right. Thank you. Okay. Okay. All right.

[02:50:24] Any other questions? All right. Thank you, sir. Thank you. All right. Any other questions for Mr. Pompei? Not for the applicant. Very well. we will close the public hearing uh this is in my district uh i move for the approval of se 2026 00011 care family properties we have a motion to second in discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion passes mr pompey the next planning public hearing

[02:51:02] is request for a special exception to allow an accessory family housing unit in the beaverdam District, this particular property is on Mount Hermon Road, southeast of Ashland. These types of requests are pretty common at our board meetings recently. In the A1 zoning district, a special exception is required for an accessory family housing unit, and that's a secondary unit, no more than 25 percent the size of the main unit for a family member or caregiver. In this particular case, the accessory family housing unit would be used by the applicant's son and his family and it meets all of the use standards in the ordinance. This property again is on Mount

[02:51:42] Herman Road. It's outside the suburban service area which is the county's growth area and designated rural agricultural which recommends one unit per six and a quarter acres. This property and most properties along this stretch of Mount Herman Road are zoned A1. There are some AR6 properties but again rural zoning classifications. This particular property is just under 10.7 acres and here's the sketch plan that was submitted by the applicant. The larger orange square is the applicant's home and then you can see the driveway in black coming off of Mount Hermon Road and then the proposed

[02:52:18] accessory family housing unit is that purple square kind of to the rear and side of the primary building near the outbuildings. You can see some smaller orange squares that are existing outbuildings on the property. The photo shows the end of the driveway and the area where the unit will be built and the sketch plan and conditions require some plantings along that fence between the unit and the adjoining property. This is the elevations that have been submitted by the applicant.

[02:52:51] That balcony elevation, the front, it'll face, the balcony faces towards the applicant's home And then this is the floor plan. This particular unit is 1,380 square feet approximately. This is larger than some of the accessory family housing units we have reviewed as part of other special exception requests, but it does meet that 25% size limitation due to the size of the applicant's home and the amount of finished space.

[02:53:20] There are six recommended conditions. Many of these conditions align with what have been accepted with other special exception requests for accessory family housing units. And there is one condition that's particular to this site. Again, the size limiting it to 1,380 square feet. The elevations must be similar to those that were submitted with colors that reflect the outbuildings on the property. The other outbuildings on the property are that gray color similar to the units that's proposed.

[02:53:49] There have been concerns expressed by the community about the visibility of the structure and its size. So there's a revised condition that was sent to you earlier today, and there's a memo in your packet about planting a double row of evergreen trees. That must be two species, so that if there's an issue with one of the planting types, the other is still there to provide screening.

[02:54:09] The condition of the staff report was only one row. This is a double row, again, with two different species, and the intent of that is, again, to help screen the unit from the view of adjoining property. These other conditions are, again, standard with all of our special exceptions for accessory family housing units.

[02:54:25] It's valid for three years until the family member no longer lives there. Adherence to building inspections and health department requirements. And then adherence to all development regulations. That concludes staff's presentation. The applicant is here tonight, but they don't have a formal presentation planned. Hey, any questions at all?

[02:54:44] Yeah, Mr. Stone. So can you go back, I guess it was a previous screen, but go one more. No, I guess it was the one for the conditions with the three years. So that's the standard condition with this type of use, and it's actually a use standard as well.

[02:55:05] It's good for three years or until the family member no longer resides there, and then the ordinance spells out how that unit could be used. It could be used as a guest house or any other accessory use that's permitted in that zoning district. Okay, but not like an Airbnb.

[02:55:24] It could be an Airbnb with a special exception, but not by right. Okay. That was my biggest concern there. So, yeah, I'm good. Anything further? Thank you, Mr. Pompey. We're now open to public hearing.

[02:55:41] Is the applicant here and wish to speak to the case? Yes, sir. Please come forward. No, sir, you have to come to the microphone. Yes, thank you. Thank you for being here. Please state your name, the district that you live, or the entity you represent. My name is Tom Matherley, and Jeff's district, which is Beaverdown.

[02:56:01] First is, this is the first time I've been to a board of supervisors meeting. Very nicely done, by the way. You guys are doing a great job. As I was listening, I was thinking about the grooming person, how nice and impressive presentation that was, and the really good support. I have three children. This is my youngest son, and he's going through some really bad, bad situations, medical, life-threatening kind of things.

[02:56:35] and the children are impacted the grandchildren and I know you're talking about the one with the two two acres and they're going to be taking care of the grandkids this is just this is not what I want to be doing I have other things travel I've lived my whole life my retirement but it's a very serious situation and it was so nice seeing all the people come and talk about supporting the person with the grooming and everything how important it was and it's really nice and I've talked to all my neighbors and I've got a lot of good support because of the family need this It's not something I want to be going through, and it's a very serious situation.

[02:57:12] Thank you, Mr. Matheny. Is anyone here to speak in favor? We do have some registered speakers. Anyone to speak in opposition is Diane Legg, Doug and Barbara Nielsen, and Blake Bishop. Are those individuals here? All right.

[02:57:28] You can come up as you desire. Thank you for being with us. Please state your name, the district that you live, or the entity you represent. You have three minutes. Good evening. I'm Diane Legg. i'm in the beaverdam district and this my property is the one adjacent right in front and to the side of the property members of the board i appreciate the opportunity to speak with you this evening and share my concerns in the spirit of collaboration and community stewardship the proposed accessory dwelling unit has undergone changes since it was first submitted what began as a four-bedroom unit

[02:58:02] has been revised to a two-bedroom unit with a playroom and office which perhaps is has been changed following a septic inspection while i understand plans evolve this shift raises reasonable questions about whether the existing septic system utilized by the existing four bedroom four bathroom home on 10.6 acres could safely and sustainably support the unit where the applicant plans to house his adult son and possibly his son's four children ages 12 and below Additionally, the structure's placement has moved from 50 feet away from my property line to 35 feet from the property line.

[02:58:42] That brings it much closer to me. The reduced buffer affects privacy, noise, and the rural character that many of us value deeply. There are two unfinished buildings already on the property structures that predate the purchase of my home in 2021.

[02:59:00] The applicant has mentioned he will be removing these barns in the near future. If that is the case, I respectfully ask the board and the applicants to consider whether placing the ADU within one of those existing footprints might be a more balanced solution. Doing so could reduce environmental impact, preserve open space, and maintain the visual continuity of the neighborhood.

[02:59:22] Some practical questions remain. We do not have clear information about how the project will address water table concerns, septic capacity, or electrical access. These are important issues for any development, and ensuring they are fully understood will benefit both the applicant and the surrounding community.

[02:59:42] Further, the proposed unit, built from shipping container-style structures, is larger than a typical unit, ADU, and does not reflect the architectural character of the nearby homes. Given that the family also has a 6,000-square-foot home on the property, where, according to Mr. Maddely, the basement is currently being refinished or finished, It may be worth revisiting whether the family member's needs could be met within that existing space, especially if close supervision of the son is a priority.

[03:00:13] I also want to acknowledge the applicant's desire to support their son. Many of us, myself included, are caring for or planning to care for family members. In my case, I intend to welcome my aging parents into my own 2,240 square foot home to care for them.

[03:00:31] So I understand the importance of family support. At the same time, I believe we can meet those needs while still preserving the rural beauty and architectural harmony of our county. In closing, I want to emphasize that my goal is not to prevent the family from supporting their son.

[03:00:48] Rather, it is to ensure that any development is thoughtful, environmentally responsible, and consistent with the character of our community. I respectfully ask the board to consider these concerns, deny the proposal in its current form, and explore alternatives with the applicants that could meet the applicants needs while also protecting the qualities that make our counties such a special place to live. Thank you for your

[03:01:14] time and consideration. Next speaker. Thank you. My name is Douglas Nielsen, Beaver Dam District.

[03:01:48] I thought a lot about what I was going to say when I first came up here and I've kind of went away from that. I've heard a lot of good things here tonight and I want to emphasize that this is what sticks in our minds at least in mind is this special exemption i don't want to seem crass i i don't know enough about it i don't know that any of us exactly know enough about it um

[03:02:25] some of y'all might and i hope you do um you know a fellow came up here earlier and he said about Hanover County. This isn't Henrico. It's not. It's not Franklin County. I'm not even from here. You folks and you folks behind me, this is something special here in Hanover, okay? I realize this, okay? It's why I live here, and I'm proud to be here, okay? Don't ever forget it. Emphasize

[03:03:00] it to your kids. It's special here. That's why we live here. One thing I would say, the three-year period of time what happens after that just turn into this from what I understand this is a metal box container held together with nuts bolts welding material I don't know okay has I guess has there any of these type of apparatuses been built in Hanover if they have I don't I don't

[03:03:37] know about them, perhaps you do, maybe they're a good thing. I don't know. Okay. But consistent with the community, I hardly think so. And I'm very concerned about the water table. I'm very concerned about the sewage. And I just want you to know that, you know, and I think I can echo for my neighbors, at least those of us, and Mr. Matherly, we consider this little area, we're not talking about Over here or over there, we're talking about this little tiny area there on Mount Hermon Road.

[03:04:16] It's a little piece of heaven for us. And I would hope that you would take into consideration that this is important, and I'm sure you'll give it full thought. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Next speaker, please. Good evening.

[03:04:40] My name is Blake Bishop, Beaver Dam District. I'm the 11463 property to the rear of the green that you see there. echo my neighbors concerns. First concern is just the type of structure that is being proposed does not line and does not fall in line with anything that's around it with the community. There is no other steel box structures that are anywhere in these plots that you see on the screen.

[03:05:09] There's obviously the concern about the water table and then the sewage and then the three years is really a concern for me. Doing a little bit of research on Mr. Matherley, he's got some other properties in the county and in her right code that he does use airbnbs so i would be very concerned that that would turn into that he also owns his own business that's in the air park he used to run that business out of his home until it was brought to the county's attention that he was doing that against code and so he was forced to relocate that business outside of his home so i would have concerns that that would turn into that after the three years so for all those

[03:05:46] reasons of concern i would ask that you please deny this motion as presented thank you thank you next speaker please good evening board i'm barbara nielsen beaver dam district i wrote you and sent you pictures i second my husband i call it our little piece of heaven and i think that

[03:06:24] monstrosity of two aluminum double-decker looks like buses put together is not a home and it's not in line with our traditional homes i ask that you come out and look at it and i know two two people showed up and looked at the area furthermore my other concern is who would be building this a structural engineer or a fly by the seat of the pants person that build all those sheds that are

[03:06:57] unfinished on the property no doors no siding and the reason is because then they're not taxed because if you don't finish the doors on them or put a roof on them the county won't tax you so he's been doing this for years i'm not an enemy of his but i'm a smart neighbor you know you feel like ripping your door off so you don't have to pay taxes on it. As far as running other businesses out of there, he certainly does. He had a loo of cars up there that he sells on a regular basis in his turnaround. When he knew this was coming close, he started selling some. None of

[03:07:37] them had stickers or license on it. So there's a track record here that needs to be investigated, as I wrote. I thank you all for your time, and I hope you truly consider this. Offer us a no answer. Next speaker, please.

[03:07:59] Anyone else? Very well. Mr. Maddler, you have five minutes as a rebuttal period, if you'd like to say anything. I have a lot of good, good neighbors, and I care about all of them.

[03:08:24] And I have a lot of great neighbor support from everyone I talk to. Obviously, the ADU is directly behind Michelle's home. She's very concerned about her view, looking out back and not seeing the trees, which I planted 100 trees back there, which are beautiful.

[03:08:40] between myself and the neighbor and 11463 so I am converting what I used to do farming and some livestock and some chickens and I do have a chicken coop and there was a goat barn and so forth and I'm in the process of switching away from that as you as you mentioned I have a business in Hanover Air Park and I guess if you drive around Hanover and you look at some more foreign places you probably see some old buildings sometimes and I'm very conscious of that I've been extremely busy running a business and everything else, and I'm in the process of remodeling everything

[03:09:16] and removing some things that are older and no longer needed for chicken coops and things like that. And I planted 160 trees on the property, so I'm converting more over to a forest type of environment to that regard. The size of the ADU, obviously, you see is small. It's like less than two tenths of a percent.

[03:09:39] When we moved to Hanover in '88, which has been almost 40 years ago, we bought a house on Anderson Court and then we bought this land in 95. It was lot number six. It's loving estates of all the loving estates and when we bought it, it was the entire lot. Lot four and lot seven were also single houses on the lots and they actually broke those up because you could still do that until 96 but we didn't want to do that. We put the house in the middle far away from everybody right in the middle of the lot and be very conscientious. I don't plant any trees next anybody. I don't have any branches sticking into my property. I'm very

[03:10:17] conscientious the way I located the house. I built the house myself and it's a beautiful, I mean Jeff's seen it, it's a beautiful brick home. It's like you love it's a lovely home. I mean the county thinks so because they really tax it very well but it's it's really good. The structure, I'm very much into construction. We built the house ourselves. I researched and I wanted something that was high quality and very attractive so I'm looking at the colors.

[03:10:43] All the buildings outside will match in color and it's a very modern looking lap siding building with the Aluminum bronzed trim and doors and full mirror glass and so forth And it's a basically a frame style ranch style design Which is like I thought about taking pictures, but they're all around our neighborhood Just a simple ranch home. I mean Doug and Barbara in a ranch home So it's a ranch style home just a simple rectangle and it's 20 by 40, which is very small And I know how to build and construct and do like I said, I'm working constantly I if anything I work too many things I don't know if anyone can attest to that so I am behind on some things

[03:11:23] But I'm actually removing fences from moving barns and renovating not that this is really material per se But I don't run a car business. I'm not sure where that's coming from I mean people a little bit looking out their shoulder out the window a little bit. I have Bought a vehicle for my daughter and bought a vehicle for my business. I do run a business. I have business vehicles They're all licensed and insured. They're my vehicle. I think that's okay. I mean, I don't see any problem with that I do have a couple of vehicles for sale that I bought for my employees and that I they didn't end up keeping them

[03:11:58] So but that's not a business of mine. I'm not sure where that came from. That's a that's news to me So there's none of that type of thing going on We did start our business many years ago, first at a small business at Anderson Circle, and then in my basement, and it grew.

[03:12:14] I was not, as a lot of people, aware of the restriction, just like the lady with the grooming business. You'd like, oh, wait a minute, you've got to do this. And so when I found out from the county about that, I went right away up to Ronnie Hickman up in Hanover Industrial Park and found a commercial building.

[03:12:33] Best decision ever made. And moved into that building. We now have 18,000 square foot and pay a bunch of taxes in Hanover County, and we love being in Hanover County. Our employees work there and our customers, many of them in Hanover County. So we are a long-time business. We own a business plot in that area.

[03:12:50] We own property on Goddons Hill, and so I feel like I'm a responsible business person, and like I said, I just have a really serious need to take care of my children. I could make a building plot because if you look at my property, it's actually three building lots, lot seven, lot four. They took the lot and broke it into two houses. So there's a 2,000 square foot house on two to four acres in those cases. I'm on almost 11 acres. I've got one house on 11 acres, not one house on two acres. Okay, and I'm trying to put a 20

[03:13:25] by 40 ADU on that 11 acres. It's the same size as one of my barns I'm going to demolish. the same size so the location of it is based on gravity septic feed and your final thoughts are that's it that's that's pretty much it so it's it's the location is based on where it makes sense as far as feeding the the water into it any question we'll now close the public hearing mr stoneman this is in your district sir well i certainly um i appreciate what mr matherley is

[03:14:02] trying to accomplish uh having a need to take care of us of an adult child or adult son and his family uh and i appreciate the concerns of the citizens um you brought up some very valid points we tried to address as many i know when this case first came before me or when i first became aware of it i think the size of this this structure was quite a bit larger if i remember correctly uh the first the first version of it um it's obviously within within the uh the qualifications

[03:14:35] for for an adu at this time we did try to add some some buffering uh in there and i but i do want to say to the constituents that i mean i'm not sure miss leg i i'm you might be aware of it but um the general assembly has passed uh an ordinance that that is going to make adus a by right uh build and that that will be effective in two years so it would only delay the process

[03:15:05] And so I'm thinking that, you know, for us today to go ahead and give the zoning, it just gives us the opportunity to provide you with maybe more screening, more oversight to this development.

[03:15:24] I don't see that denying it's going to stop this if he wants to do it in two years that would be available to him. And so I just want to make sure that you're aware of that. um i know that um you know we're in a rural area and uh out where i live at we're on 10 acre lots and we you know when a1 10 acre lots you you have the capability to build things like barns and stuff and there's really no expectation of when you're going to finish them or how you're going to finish them off and so that that is part of rural living um and it's not like in the suburbs

[03:16:00] we have an hoa and the oversight of that so so there is some reasonable expectation in a1 that i can kind of use my property um for for the for the uses that i see that i see fit you know as long as it doesn't harm um as far as the septic system uh uh health department will take care of that i had that question and i spoke with mr madler when we came out had the community meeting um that septic system has to be approved and that most likely will go through a third party provider on that so so the septic system i think is going to it'll have to either be upgraded or

[03:16:36] it'll it'll handle handle what he's what he's looking to do um so you know i'd like to say i think that given the information we have what's coming down to pike from the general assembly um i feel like that that our best move is to try to to provide you with with as much protection as possible and go ahead and approve this uh the zoning case so at this point in time i just like like to make a motion to approve se 2026-00012 with recommended conditions we have a motion

[03:17:07] is there a second second any discussion chairman starting with mr hersbury thank you mr chairman i have a question for planning staff now i know sir you may not be familiar with every law that's been passed by the general assembly recently but the uh the bill the law on the adu does the county

[03:17:41] still have an opportunity to set standards? Ms. Hunter and Mr. Walter have been reviewing state legislation. We've been discussing as a team some of the implications of that state legislation. And Mr. Stoneman's right, the ADUs will be required to be permitted by Wright in 2027. And Mr. Walter might be able to answer if there's any use standards that can be implied.

[03:18:11] Ms. Hunter says no use standards can be imposed as part of that legislation. Okay, so I just want to make sure I understand correctly. No use standards for parking, setbacks, water, sewer connections. Just by right.

[03:18:31] Mr. Chairman, I have the bill here, if it would help the board to sort of go through that. Please, sir. Thank you. So this is Senate Bill 531, which was passed, and it provides that effective July 1, 2027, which is when this goes into effect, localities largely will not be able to prohibit accessory dwelling units a to use we can the county would be able to require long-term leases replacement of parking limits on floor area but it says of no

[03:19:07] less than 350 square feet on lots less than 2,500 square feet and 500 square feet on lots 2,500 square feet or greater those are not the ceilings those are the floor so this size that is proposed would be permitted under the new provisions there are requirements that they comply with building codes and water and septic those basic types of things but it does say that the localities can't require setbacks that are greater than required for the primary dwelling restrictions that are more restrictive than for single-family

[03:19:42] dwellings road improvements or relationships between the owner and the occupant of the adu there is no provision in here that authorizes localities, for instance, to do landscaping, screening, those sorts of things, or how the appearance of the structure itself will look.

[03:20:01] Thank you, Mr. Walter. I believe I have an additional question, sir. I have to think about it, though. Give me a minute. I heard Mr. Walter say something along the lines of not being able to require setbacks any greater than what's required for the primary residents.

[03:20:26] So this is a 10-acre lot, roughly, and it's not uncommon for the board to approve special exceptions to permit an accessory family housing unit on a 10-acre lot. This one, to me, feels awfully close to the property line at 30 feet.

[03:20:47] Is it 30 feet? 35. 35. I think I saw somewhere where it said 30, but 30 to 35 feet. It seems close.

[03:21:05] What is, okay, so the primary home is 6,800 and some square feet, is that right? That's correct. Okay, and these other two structures that have shown, what are they? I'd have to look at the property records, or maybe the applicant can answer the size of those other accessory structures.

[03:21:26] Okay, and is one of those, is one of those two structures planned for, did I hear removal? Okay.

[03:21:44] No, sir. Not no sir. Not. Hold on a second. I want Mr. Pompey to answer any questions that are left over and then the applicant can come up and certainly address Mr. Herzberg's question. But hold on. Ms. Hunter, if you can speak into the microphone because we're talking public business. All right.

[03:22:02] There is pictures of those accessory structures in the packet. One shows it as a, it's under construction. I guess you'd call it a garage shed type structure.

[03:22:20] And then you can see sort of the pictures. It's in the back just before the sketch plan are some of the pictures. I have a question for the applicants. Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman.

[03:22:36] Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Is there a reason that the ADU is, this page is 30 feet, 30 to 35 feet from the property line on a 10x? Can it be moved back?

[03:22:55] I originally was going to put it further away uphill because obviously with sewage, you've got to think about work. I built the whole house including the septic system, so I understand a little bit about hot and cold and sewage. So you basically need to be at the right angle so it feeds properly.

[03:23:12] so where it is and getting too far like I could I mean I personally wouldn't care if it went all the way down to the other end of the woods somewhere but you got to feed the sewage back to the septic system so I'm locating it near the driveway and as much space as I could could I was thinking obviously a lot about Michelle and initially she's correct I did have it like more center further to further away from my property and after talking to her I moved it more to the corner so it'd be like least amount visible towards the corner closer to my property closer to our parking and also the water the well water runs right in front of it and then it's in the

[03:23:51] gravity feed down to the septic field where the tank is so i considered all of the connectivities parts which were mentioned before sir is the plan to connect it to the existing septic system for the primary house yes yes that's that is the plan and of course there is um as you know for septic systems their size based on the number of lines and number amount of use so there's room to extend additional lines if necessary if that's what the the assessment determines how many bad how many

[03:24:26] bedrooms bedrooms are in the primary residence in the primary residence four four bedrooms so are you saying that well i would have to assume that the septic system is large enough for bedrooms How many bedrooms in the new structure? The ADU has two bedrooms. That's the requirement for ADU and then there's Okay, yeah, so and then four bedrooms and four bedrooms in our house and two bedrooms in the other house currently Okay, do you know if it's size the septic is size large enough for six bedrooms total four plus two?

[03:25:02] Do you know that? I don't remember this has been 20 years ago I don't remember exactly the requirements the health department went through but they knew the size of the house Which obviously is fairly large, but we didn't we didn't we left the downstairs as a as an unfinished basement for the most part Okay, that's all my questions for now. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Mr. Hudson, sir Mr. Miley before you go away. Yeah Are you you said that you just built the house and all that sort of thing or do you?

[03:25:33] Have an understanding of what the Virginia Department of Health classifies as a bedroom You have to have I think it's the closet and a window large enough for a firefighter to go in and out with this pack on and so you built a four-bedroom home and you're adding two bedrooms and there was no permit process to make sure that your septic system i come at this from two angles i've had a business that had an on-site sewage treatment plant so a little different than what you had or have but i'm also a realtor and it's going to cause you a problem you're not going to

[03:26:12] live forever and someone's going to have to deal with that fact when you when they sell your home you clearly know more than most people if you've built a home and then but also are you just trying to pay an extra thousand dollars for an ejection pump to get the waste to run uphill you're you've said that you put it here because your your septic is gravity fed which so it's conventional septic

[03:26:47] but when you stated your case based on the what you're saying it came across to me that you would just have to pump it it's not like that you would have to have an alternative septic system you would just have to pump it because I understand your inference about hot and cold and it doesn't run uphill and all of that so but it can be pushed uphill right so if I did do this with the county office I worked with with Michaela and so forth we went through everything but if you look at the one drawing it shows I eventually I plan to put a because I have several cars vehicles a boat jet

[03:27:26] skis, I plan to remove the one building, which was an initial early chicken coop that became a covered barn for my tractor. That's going to get removed and there'll be a garage building behind. So if you look at where the, where the septic field is, you look where the existing barn that has my boiler and wood storage and everything, I burned wood, and my tractor and lawnmower, and you look behind it, that's where the barn would go. There really is, unless you put it in front of the house, there really isn't a practical location because you also have to run electrical which has a limit is how far you can run electrical so from a common building perspective that's why you see people build houses near roads because of the electrical and things

[03:28:05] like that who's limiting you on that you're saying the dominion is limiting you on that i have an accessory dwelling unit and it's 50 plus feet uh in the back i mean they they never got involved i i could have moved it further if if you came by you're what you're welcome to do it's sure it's 11 acres the barn is 80 feet long and i don't want to i'm not being adversarial i haven't been there and i just want to because what you said is the reason that it's 35 feet and that you put it that way is because the the waste will flow by gravity i also happen to know

[03:28:44] that the government doesn't regulate a waistline can be out of the ground it doesn't have to be in the ground like a water line i also have that set up um at one of my properties so i basically what i want to understand is that you put it where it's at among various reasons because you have a lot of buildings and the driveway water everything else around it the drain field you can't build on the drain field things like that these are usually as a board they're warm and fuzzies for us

[03:29:18] we we enjoy the fact that we can embrace family taking care of family but by the time that they typically get to this level we don't have this many questions so I appreciate your appreciate your time as an applicant and all that no no further questions Mr. Chair anything further I have some questions so there's always concern about septic the issue that comes in Mr. Hudson's I was thinking about pumps, this, that, and the other.

[03:29:55] I can't mandate that. That's the state. You built the house in the septic system, right? And you don't know when you hand-built that septic system. I imagine you don't know the capacity. It was the larger size tank.

[03:30:11] I always overbuilt things. I think it was like six lines, six lines, and I could go back. I'm not putting you on the spot. No, it's been 20 years. Do you know the capacity? I don't care what the capacity. I don't remember what the standard. It was a standard large tank that they sold.

[03:30:27] What I was asking, Mr. Maffley, is I didn't really care what the capacity was. I was just trying to get a determination whether what you knew the capacity was. And the capacity is irrelevant. I was trying to ascertain whether you knew what you built or if you were willing to state here what you built.

[03:30:49] I was looking for some additional information. So the answer is no. You have no idea. I don't remember. Yeah, it's fine. I remember the tank size. That's fine. I remember putting it in the ground. Right. Okay.

[03:31:05] You have like six lines. You run like 50, 100-foot lines. I think the longer I'm quiet, the more you'll talk about other things that I didn't ask. So let me address a couple of things.

[03:31:22] This is a unique case. This almost becomes very unique, Miss. So I want to address some things that Mr. Stoneman said, and he's absolutely right. A number of years ago, Ms. Pritchard and myself went down to the General Assembly and argued vehemently in a committee against additional dwelling units.

[03:31:46] And the committee at the time, it was almost like they were shell-shocked. They couldn't believe. You have a seat, sir. I might have another question for you. They were almost shell-shocked. Didn't even get out of committee. Chairman Herity, I believe, didn't even get out of committee. People were like, there is no chance this is ever going to happen.

[03:32:05] And here we are. So I want to speak to what Mr. Stoneman said. I know generally the thought process among citizens is, does the board like it or do they not like it? And then they'll make their vote. That is the farthest thing from the truth.

[03:32:22] This gentleman here kindly said, you know, hey, I'm not sure I know, but I sure hope y'all know. And that's what we do. I mean, the nuances. There are times where people just don't understand. A lady said the other day during a public address I had and she had some questions.

[03:32:38] uh one of the questions was she asked about Wegmans and I said do you like the fact that the board approved the Wegmans rezoning request and she said no I said then you'll be happy to know that that was not a rezoning right but it was billed as a rezoning there was a proffer amendment you say well does it matter it does it's those nuances so I know what Mr. Stoneman's struggling with in two or in 2027 there's going to be an ADU on this property so what Mr. Stoneman and the board is is considering now is knowing that's going to happen with no restrictions does

[03:33:15] the board use an opportunity to put some restrictions on it so the reason i asked you about the septic system is i don't really care about the capacity i just wanted to kind of get an idea if we asked you a question were you just going to were you going to give the answer that we needed in order to ascertain the information that we have to have in order to make the decision or were you going to were you going to send the information to us and what you thought we wanted to hear okay and i get that i know some people come up and do that from time to time but i just need to know i don't care what the capacity of your septic system is because the health department is going to determine all of that but you're the one who knows the property the best so that's why

[03:33:53] i was asking d what do you know what can you tell me um agricultural land is really interesting uh when you go on a farm livestock typically not vegetable farms but there's a lot of equipment There's a lot of buildings that you would consider dilapidated, that they put heads in and things like that.

[03:34:15] The roofs are kind of coming down, but they're a farm. They're a farm. A lot of people talk about farming, have never been on a farm, and they're rough, almost industrial operations, and they smell really bad sometimes. I mean, it's rough, but it's out in a rural area, and we don't have building codes on farms, and you couldn't have the same kind of building in a neighborhood that you could out on a farm.

[03:34:40] But we want to protect that ag so they can build pole barns and implement barns. So a lot of times you see a bunch of stuff that you say is dilapidated and the farmer says that's enough to keep the weather off the combine, and that's all I need. Don't have the money. Crops aren't coming in.

[03:34:55] I'm not having money to do anything but bolster it up. So that's where in Hanover we have to balance out. You say, well, this is my neighborhood, but then it's agricultural. and it says it's one or the other and you can be in an agricultural neighborhood but you know out there on ag land people can drive around with their tractor at two o'clock in the morning they say they're harvesting crops and cutting grass and cutting hay and it can happen you may not be able to do that when you live in a subdivision so we're balancing these types of things out what what concerns me the most now I kind of wonder too I know where somebody's property starts is

[03:35:33] exactly where somebody else's ends, right? We cannot legislate or mandate good neighbors, cooperative neighbors, and people ask us to do that all the time. I, too, wondered why it was there. I thought I knew an answer, but it wasn't the stated answer by the applicant. You have a right to say why you want to put it there. But what I'm considering now is, and I'd like to have a discussion amongst board members if they want to weigh in. What we're considering now, and this is what I'm considering, is I know in less than two years that structure is going to go in there

[03:36:11] or has the potential to go in there with no limitations whatsoever, none. And I don't agree with the General Assembly. I'm not sure I agree with everything the General Assembly said about styrofoam containers. And, you know, I don't agree with a lot of those things, but I have to comply.

[03:36:29] So it's not a matter of whether the board likes it or doesn't like it. Some of these things, this is clear as mud right now. I mean, and we have to labor through this. I mean, we have to labor through. It's 8 o'clock at night, and it is important that we get this as right as we're able to get it.

[03:36:50] And this is the first time since I've been on the board that I'm going to take a recess to deliberate. I've never had to do that before. I think we make our decisions here. I'm going to ask board members not to discuss amongst themselves, but I need to think about some of the answers I've heard, Some of the things we will not talk amongst ourselves.

[03:37:10] Everything we do must be in the public eye. But I'm going to recess to no sooner than 8 p.m. for board deliberations. This board is in recess.

[03:37:22] This board is back in session.

[03:45:58] I have a final comment, then Ms. Dibble has some comments. And then I think we might be far from finished discussion. And I think it's the right thing to do to vet these projects. and have robust debate and try to figure out what's going on.

[03:46:18] So I can't tell an applicant where they have to put something in many cases. Well, in this case, I can't. Let me speak to this case. But I can state that I do not believe that it's reasonable that this ADU, based on the facts that were stated here, that this is in a reasonable location.

[03:46:41] That's my final comment at this point. And then I want to turn it over to Miss Dibble. She's got some comments and there's some other board members have maybe have some comments But I do have some concerns and may need to speak with the applicant about I don't believe that it's reasonable that that proposed additional dwelling unit placement Should be where it's proposed at this time. This is Dibble. What happened put that back up there. Okay

[03:47:16] So we're we're looking at the topography and if I look at this correctly the positioning your proposed positioning for the adu is around 196 elevation and at that I guess I have a question for the applicant if you could come up just about please Thank you. So we're looking at your proposed location at elevation 196 and then the existing drain field is

[03:47:52] around elevation 189 190. So assuming your ADU positioning, where would you run your gravity line to that existing septic field? What would be your route? I can't really point at it very well, but if you see where that number 194 is right there approximately, yeah that's good. So just come across the asphalt driveway and the septic field you see there's a trailer sitting next to the

[03:48:31] concrete pad pretty much under that concrete under that to the this side of the trailer is where the septic tank is so that's where you have to attach between the tank and the line leading into it that connects to the house so it would have to be pretty much the connection approximately where that trailer is sitting and is that driveway asphalt or gravel it's a gravelly type of asphalt it's Millings. It's Millings. So it seems to me that you could move this away from that property line

[03:49:06] and go around the rear of that barn and still get to the same spot because you'd be going from elevation 191 up to 192, 194. I know where that little gray thing is. Is that the chicken coop that's coming down? That was the goat barn when I had that whole area fenced at one time and I had goats kept there or even a little further to the right of that if you put your adu up there and that way you're back away from your neighbor you could let those trees grow a little bit and you

[03:49:43] wouldn't be so close to the property line it flows down i have to do some measuring it it's a little bit deceiving looking on the screen like this but oh it's not deceiving to me because i'm used to looking at this okay day in and day out for 40 years the barn is about 80 foot in length is for scale so you're if you're speaking to where the goat barn was before I'm going to just be rough saying it's probably an additional 300 feet away from the driveway probably additional 300 feet of

[03:50:19] distance I'm just is that about what it is even if you move back you move the structure back 50 75 feet you're still moving along the same elevation if the if the topo lines return 90 degrees, that'd be different. But you're running along the same elevation, so there's really no reason you can't move that structure back with the way that the topo lays out.

[03:50:49] I don't see any way in the world you would have to pump. It'd be the right thing to do. It's up to you. And I would like to make a final comment. I certainly understand that July of 2027 that we might be forced, our hands would might be forced to accept this proposal the way that it is

[03:51:19] without the plants um but tonight it's our obligation to put forth the best product that we can for our community and i'm not sure this is it chair recognizes vice chair stone thank you mr chair um at this time uh if you in light of the number of questions we have from fellow board members um i would like to withdraw my previous motion to approve se 2026-00012 with recommended

[03:51:57] conditions motion's been withdrawn okay ladies and gentlemen we have an opportunity here we do not have a motion on the floor um i'm going to ask the board's pleasure are there additional questions of the applicant or staff at this time that's my first question seeing none okay Mr. No, sir. I apologize for my delayed response there. Not at all. I guess my question would be

[03:52:33] To the applicant and mr. Stoneman do you believe that you could regroup with the community and make this better? I would like to think so. I just will say we did Sir, you asked a question you're under no obligation to answer it. Would you care to?

[03:52:59] referring to what i'm sorry what susan was asking about the location correct um well no the question that was posed here was uh regrouping uh to potentially come up with a better plan those were my words not hers but she said and work with the community i think that's that is that that idea is very good the reason we had a community open house community meeting and invited everybody was for that to be done no one attended so that process was followed and now we're at this process So I'm just going through the normal process of requesting a standard ADU, which is within all the guidelines.

[03:53:35] And I've gone through the process. Mr. Stoneman was there, staff from the county was there. We followed, we notified, everyone knew. So we know what took place. So what you're asking me is, could we go back and hold another community meeting? I believe that's what she asked.

[03:53:52] And you're under no obligation to commit to it or answer the question. No, I'm very amenable to being very supportive. like i said when i heard michelle was concerned about the view i moved it from where i originally thought down to the corner as far away as close out of the way i thought was out of the way so thank you mr madley i've got chair recognized vice chair stoneman all right thank you mr chair um so at this time uh i would like to recommend or make a motion that we defer sc2026-00012 until the board uh july 22nd and an opportunity for us to meet with the uh the city the neighbors

[03:54:31] and see if we can't work out a more amicable solution second i like that uh let me so i hear your motion i'd like to offer a friendly amendment if there was second will be withdrawn um and that the applicant would work with staff as well um on staff schedule applicant schedule uh in addition to uh because he's the property owner he's going to need to meet with staff uh and make that part of your motion that would be my amendment that not only uh maybe possibly have another community

[03:55:09] meeting but also uh diligently work with with staff on um some of the concerns that were brought up here would you be amenable to that can i make that amendment you can so i would like to accept his amendment that that mr madley you work with staff as well and then i would i would like to uh not put the stipulation on it of the July 22nd meeting.

[03:55:31] You know, we need to work on this until we get it straight. We should have a date. You want a date? We should have a date. So you want to do 30 days or 60 days? I'm going to lean on staff on those 60 days.

[03:55:48] All right, so I'm going to ask you to withdraw your original motion. And that's withdrawn? That's withdrawn. Now, will you make a motion, sir? I'd like to make a motion that we defer SE 2026-00012 until the board uh for 60 days uh and so that mr madly and myself can work with the neighbors and with staff in order to come up with a better project motions received is there a second we have a motion a second in discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any

[03:56:17] opposed motion carries cases deferred the next item on the agenda is planning case number nine listed as cpa 2026 dash 0001 hannover county board of supervisors um as a mr chair we're on cup 2026 yeah um which is a request for a conditional use permit in the cold harbor district for a place of worship well actually sir uh thank you i don't want to sound hubris

[03:56:55] we would actually be on cpa 2026 but i'm going to withdraw that um and so we're going to go to planning case number six cup 2026-00001 land tech resources inc thank you mr pompey um this is a request in the mechanicsville area off of walnut grove road for a place of worship or a church and it's in the cold harbor district the property is currently zoned a1 and the church requires a conditional use permit in that zoning district this is the general land use plan which shows the property designated suburban neighborhood residential this is the edge of the suburban service area. So in this particular case, the west side of Walnut Grove Road is in the suburban

[03:57:35] service area and designated suburban neighborhood residential. On the east side of Walnut Grove Road, it's rural agricultural. So again, the edge of the suburban service area, which is the county's growth area. And you can see that mirrored in the zoning map. The west side of Walnut Grove Road is zoned residential as part of the Pebble Creek community. And then the east side is largely zoned A1. And there are some other conditional use permits for churches along Walnut Grove Road.

[03:57:59] This particular property had a conditional use permit for a place of worship that was approved in 2013, but expired in 2023, so the applicant is requesting, again, this is a different applicant, but requesting the same use. Sketch plans are required with conditional use permits, and this shows how the property would develop if the CUP is approved.

[03:58:20] The church is shown in purple, and this particular church is designed to have 255 seats. The building's just over 15,000 square feet. You can see the parking around the building. Some special features for this particular site that aim to mitigate impacts with the neighbors.

[03:58:38] That darker green on the north and southern boundary lines, that's screening. It'll be screened with a double row of evergreens as well as a fence. The lighter green on the rear adjacent to Pebble Creek, that's existing vegetation that will remain. and then there's an enhanced thoroughfare buffer 25 feet wide with plantings that exceed ordinance requirements along with one access point from Walnut Grove Road. These are the elevations that were submitted with the CUP application. The particular use did not trigger a full traffic impact analysis but they did complete a turn lane warrant analysis. That turn lane warrant

[03:59:17] analysis indicated that turn lanes and tapers are not warranted based on the number of trips and when they occur and the classification of the road. In this case, that entrance I showed you will be across from the entrance to the Bridge Church, and you can see that image if you're looking down Walnut Grove Road.

[03:59:36] And then this is a close-up of the entrance. It will be a commercial entrance, meaning VDOT standards, again, directly across from the Bridge Church. This is an area on the edge of the suburban service area, so you have residential neighborhoods adjacent within the Pebble Creek community.

[03:59:52] And then across Walnut Grove Road are A1 zone properties, including several churches, with the bridge church being directly across the street. A church is appropriate in residential areas and as we saw in the sketch plan, there was buffering and vegetation to help provide a transition from residential properties and those A1 properties across the street.

[04:00:11] There was a community meeting on this proposed church held in April. There were questions and comments about the hours operation, the frequency of services, stormwater impacts, how that entrance aligned with the bridge church and how there may be conflicts with traffic and how the service times may influence that.

[04:00:28] And then some people had comments about people wandering from the church into the woods. There are 12 recommended conditions that staff has included in the staff report. The use is limited to a place of worship, and any expansion would require a cup amendment.

[04:00:45] That's pretty standard with conditional use permits for places of worship. The church is limited to 255 sanctuary seats, and a daycare is only allowed with a special exception. Again, that's another standard condition with a similar use. right-of-way dedication along Walnut Grove Road, which is standard for conditional use permits.

[04:01:02] The screening and enhanced thoroughfare buffer that's shown in the sketch plan is listed as conditions, as well as that tree preservation area adjacent to Pebble Creek. Lighting is limited to 25 feet in height with house-side shields to minimize lighting impacts on adjacent properties. Signage must be monument style as recommended in the conference of plan.

[04:01:20] Mechanical equipment must be screened. That's a standard condition. Construction hours are limited, and typically CEPs have a shorter expiration date, but the CEP will expire in three years, so the application has to begin construction or substantial construction within three years or ask for an extension, and then the standard condition with all our CEPs is compliance with development regulations. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on this request in May. There was one speaker in opposition, and they expressed concerns about how the traffic from this proposed church would interact with the bridge church.

[04:01:52] But after the public hearing and discussion, the Planning Commission recommended approval with a vote of 7-0. That concludes staff's presentation. There is a representative here tonight for the applicant, but they do not have a presentation plan but are available to answer questions. Thank you, sir.

[04:02:09] Are there any questions for Mr. Pompei? Yes, sir, Mr. Herzberg. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One question. This is not a rezoning. It's a conditional use permit. Is that correct? That's correct. Thank you. That's all, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, sir. Anything further? Thank you, Mr. Pompei. We appreciate that very much.

[04:02:27] When I open the public hearing, is the applicant here and wish to make a presentation? Let the record reflect the applicant is present, does not wish to make a formal presentation. Is anyone here to speak in favor of this application? Anyone to speak in opposition of this application?

[04:02:50] Seeing none, we will close the public hearing. Mr. Herzberg. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Would the applicant approach the podium, please, I have a question for you, sir. Yes, sir.

[04:03:07] The proposed entrance will be across from the bridge church. Are you willing to stagger the service time so that the traffic for both services don't arrive at the same time? Yes, we are. And we have had communication with the pastor there at the bridge, especially during our community meeting that took place.

[04:03:27] I do believe that they meet at two separate times. But we have voiced, you know, we're very concerned about safety for anyone that's coming in or exiting onto Walnut Grove Road. and we're happy to do with whatever we need to do to work together with him.

[04:03:47] Well, thank you. That's the only question I have, sir. Thank you. Anything further? Very well. Ms. Terzberg is still in your district, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So this is an application to locate a church.

[04:04:05] The parcel is surrounded by Pebble Creek on three sides. There are people who reside in Pebble Creek who would like to see this church built. It is certainly a fit that is in alignment with the area as there are other churches In the in the area on Walnut Grove Road, I believe there's four And so it's consistent and and that's good. I think it's good use for the property A church was approved here in 2013, but the conditional use permit expired

[04:04:40] So I've not heard the only question that I heard was the was the Church traffic across the street arriving at the same time seemed to be a concern So the applicant has addressed that I have not heard any other concerns or opposition So with that the motion is to approve conditional use permit 2026 - 0 0 0 0 1 second We have a motion in the second is there any further discussion all those in favor, please indicate by saying aye The opposed motion passes. Mr. Pompeii

[04:05:17] The last planning public hearing for the night is a comprehensive plan amendment and relates to one of our small area plans, the latest small area plan to be brought to you, and that's the Route 1 Gateway small area plan, which is in the South and Ashland districts.

[04:05:36] We started doing these small area plans after adoption of the 2023 comprehensive plan. That was a recommendation in the plan, and at some of the board workshops subsequent to that, the board prioritized which of our economic development zones of small area plans should be completed.

[04:05:51] So the first plan was completed in August of 2025, and that was for the Route 33 Gateway, Route 33 at the Henrico County line. And this is the second plan to be brought to you for potential adoption. And this is looking at Route 1 from the Town of Ashen Limits south to the Henrico County line.

[04:06:10] And there are several goals with this particular study. Identify what types of businesses are appropriate to this area based on the infrastructure, market demand, as well as citizen concerns. Public infrastructure improvements that are needed to support the vision for this area. And then some design guidelines.

[04:06:26] Right now this corridor has developed over time and it's not cohesive from an architectural or site design perspective. So the goal of this plan is to create cohesive design guidelines that the development community can reference as they're making changes to their properties or property owners themselves as they're updating their commercial properties along the corridor.

[04:06:43] So again, this is a closer look at the study area from the town of Ashland down to the Chickahominy River, which is the Henrico County line, and then from Looking Hole Creek to Stony Run, so right along that Route 1 corridor. This particular small area plan was the second plan completed for a couple of different reasons. It is one of the economic development zones in the county. We have 10.

[04:07:02] Those 10 economic development zones are categorized in different types, and this one is one that was identified for revitalization. There's a lot of by-right development that's occurring right now, today. Most of the corridor is zoned for commercial industrial uses, and there's no public review. We do have some overlay standards that have been implemented, but as part of this process, the recommendation is to update those overlay standards to address the vision in this plan. Because of the cohesive or not cohesive development, a coordinated guide is needed.

[04:07:33] And as an economic development zone in our suburban service area, it's important that we maximize this area for economic development because we have a limited area for that. The Suburban service area is 22% of the county, and then a smaller portion of those economic development zones.

[04:07:49] So this provides a guide for those areas. This particular small area plan serves as a gateway to the county. It's along Route 1. In Interstate 95, there is some interchanges in or near this particular study area. And because of those high traffic volumes, there's additional opportunity for economic development.

[04:08:05] And you all have reviewed some zoning cases in portions of the corridor, whether that's rezonings or special exceptions due to the interest in this area. The planning process started right after adoption of the Route 33 plan, so it started in September of 2025. There were a series of public meetings and engagement opportunities.

[04:08:25] The Planning Commission held a public hearing in May and forwarded a recommendation of approval with some changes that we'll go into, and now we're at the Board of Supervisors' public hearing. Here are some examples of the outreach that was conducted as part of this planning process. There were two in-person meetings.

[04:08:41] There was an online survey with almost 300 participants. And then there was a dedicated project website with over 14,000 views, and people could comment either in person or on the online survey or just on the website itself. There were some key themes that emerged, and a lot of these themes align with the 2023 Conference of Plan, the feedback that was received.

[04:09:01] Improved landscaping along the corridor or preserved trees and increased opportunities for parks and recreational opportunities. Improved community aesthetics along the corridor, including landscaping, architecture, building design. providing more services for the community, such as restaurants and entertainment opportunities.

[04:09:21] And then in terms of connectivity, traffic on Route 1, particularly when Interstate 95 is backed up, was concerned. So how do you improve mobility on Route 1 for cars, and then also adding some sidewalks and bikeways in the area. The fall line trail is nearby, and there's some recommendations on capitalizing connections to that.

[04:09:37] So this is the overall vision for the quarter based on that community feedback. The Route 1 quarter will be an attractive gateway to Hanover County that serves the needs of surrounding residents. in the Richmond region with high-quality development and redevelopment that reflects the community's history and are respectful of established neighborhoods. The plan itself addresses five different areas, economic development, mobility and connectivity, open space, land use, and community design, and there are a series of maps that reflect those recommendations. In terms of economic development, the team looked at existing industries, what's there now, emerging

[04:10:13] industries, what's there been demand for, what have developers been asking about, and then target industries are bringing that all together. What is their demand for? What industries are compatible with community feedback? And then those are listed on the screen. And then there's recommendations as we go on in the presentation on what types of industries are appropriate where in the study area.

[04:10:36] One of the key themes that came out was tourism. The Henrico Sports and Tourism Center generates a lot of activity in this area and the representatives from that organization or that facility said that There's not enough hotel rooms in the area to meet their needs.

[04:10:54] Oftentimes, there's high demand for restaurants and other services to support that sports tourism. So one of the recommendations that the Economic Development Office is working with, as well as tourism, is development of a potential tourism zone in this area and their particular incentives and benefits for that that the county is already exploring.

[04:11:15] Mobility and connectivity, traffic on Route 1 was a concern and comment throughout the study process, so there are potential new connections that are identified to help relieve pressure on Route 1 and to improve access to some of those development areas. And then Route 1 itself, a desired typical section is included, so four lanes with a center median and left and right turn lanes where appropriate, and control and access.

[04:11:42] So this will be implemented as development and redevelopment occurs, and this will also enable our public works department to pursue different funding opportunities. And that cross-section does mirror what's being implemented farther north in the town of Ashland. So the goal of that was to provide people with different options to get around the corridor and improve access without having to go on Route 1.

[04:12:01] Since this is a gateway, there's recommendations about placemaking and enhancing those gateways with landscaping, lighting, art, those kind of things. And then also improving pedestrian bicycle infrastructure since there was demand for that types of infrastructure through the public engagement and providing recreational opportunities.

[04:12:18] So there are shared use paths recommended. They're really linked to the Fall Line Trail, the Henrico Sports and Events Center, as well as some parks and recreation areas. And throughout the plan, you can see these on some of the slides, and throughout the plan itself, there's reference to the public engagement.

[04:12:34] So 40% of people wanted improved roadways, and about two-thirds of people wanted more sidewalks, trails, and bikeways. So again, you'll see how these recommendations relate throughout the plan to what we heard through the public engagement. In parks and open space, that was an area where a lot of people wanted more facilities, and that mirrors what we've heard through the Parks and Recreation Master Plan as well as the Comprehensive Plan.

[04:12:58] So this highlights three potential park opportunities. Lake Ridge Park, which is county-owned land off of Lake Ridge Parkway. potential park along the Chickahominy River, and connectivity of the Fall Line Trail. And then there are concepts about how these different park areas could be developed with trails or open space and how they could relate to proposed development as well.

[04:13:18] In terms of land use and development, there's recommendations on how the corridor can be improved and enhanced, such as through a grant and incentive program to improve the appearance of existing sites and buildings. And then how do you protect existing residential neighborhoods, including the Brown Grove Rural Historic District, which has a portion in the study area.

[04:13:39] So there are these overall kind of macro level recommendations that apply throughout the study area. And then there were three areas within the study area itself that have the most potential for development because they're either larger parcels or there's demand for pre-development that we've seen through zoning cases and pre-application medians and that kind of thing.

[04:13:58] So there are three areas, north, central, south. The north area includes Boxwood Farm Lane, which is just south of the town of Ashton Limits across Route 1 from Lake Ridge Parkway. It's a large parcel or a large area with development potential, and the property owners are interested in development.

[04:14:15] Based on the market conditions and the public feedback, the targeted uses in this area are light industrial, wholesale trade, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and supporting uses, neighborhood-oriented commercial uses. And the plan shows some potential connections to get to that core developable area.

[04:14:33] data centers are discouraged in this area. This is the only area in the study area that would really meet the needs of large-scale data centers because of its proximity transmission line and large potential. So the plan specifically discourages it in this area based on community feedback. The central area is along Old Telegraph Road, and this area, again, is a large parcel with development potential. It does have some access challenges, so the plan recommends different ways you could connect into this area and accommodate development based on the community feedback

[04:15:08] businesses and professional services medical offices life sciences along with complementary and limited neighborhood oriented commercial uses are recommended so the northern area is more light industrial manufacturing focus this is more medical office life science focus because you know one several citizens recommended the medical office land use for this particular area including some that come to a lot of our meetings and they were excited about that potential so that's what that particular area is recommending in the south area right against the henrico county line this is the closest to the sports center and we're seeing some development interest in this

[04:15:48] area and a lot of the target uses relate to tourism and supporting uses such as restaurants and that kind of thing as well as professional offices then there's that recommendation that comes out of the conference of plan about having a trail along the chickahominy in those flood plain and unbuildable areas building design and site design again the corridor right now is developed in different time frames and eras and it's not really cohesive so as redevelopment occurs and new development occurs this establishes different guidance on how the buildings should look from architectural standpoint as well as how the site design should look like including landscaping

[04:16:25] and parking. Landscaping was probably one of the top things we heard. People want more landscaping along the corridor to help reflect the character of the county overall. So there are words and then pictures that show the different design concepts. These are some of the examples of large, massive buildings, breaking those down to appear more, you know, village-like, smaller scale. And then some recommended building materials, which really align with what we've seen so far as part of recent development along the corridor or the brick, the stone, and some wood elements.

[04:16:57] There's some uses along the corridor that there's market demand for, but there are community concerns about those impacts associated with those uses. So the plan includes specific recommendations for those uses and how those potential impacts can be mitigated. So large industrial buildings, there's specific design standards for those. Drive-through facilities, there's specific design standards for those, as well as gas stations, again, to address those impacts, whether they be visual impacts, noise impacts, any impacts that were of concern as we went through this planning process. And those are examples of some real buildings that reflect the concepts in the plan. There's also some design guidance for buffers and shared use paths and

[04:17:36] greenways. In addition to some of the individual pictures, as well as the words that describe the desired development, there are some illustrative renderings. They aren't of specific sites, but they can show how development could occur based on the design recommendation.

[04:17:52] So again, we mentioned that one area along Old Telegraph Road was recommended for medical office. That left picture shows how a medical office complex could develop based upon the recommendations and the plan with having parking to the side or the rear, buildings close to the street, smaller scale buildings with architectural interest, sidewalks, landscape buffers, and that kind of thing.

[04:18:13] And then there's a recommendation on how larger industrial buildings could better fit into the corridor and the drawing shows examples of the wider buffers against adjoining property owners having smaller buildings in the front with the larger buildings in the back wider buffers along route one that kind of thing to reflect the feedback that was received throughout the planning process. Then there are implementation actions with high level cost estimates in a time frame for completion. The planning commission reviewed the draft plan in May and they recommended approval with some changes based on the public feedback that they received both at the meeting and prior

[04:18:50] to the meeting. There is in the current comprehensive plan and in the draft plan an extension of Lewistown Road, which will connect Route 1 to Cedar Lane. That's been in the plan, the comprehensive plan that is, since the original plan in 1972. The Planning Commission recommended that that be removed. So there's been language in there saying that the Lewistown Road extension should not be pursued at this time. There is clarification and further language discouraging data centers in that northern focus area that we discussed earlier in the presentation.

[04:19:27] You know, as I discussed, the plan talks about the public engagement and the data we received through the survey in terms of percents. And then he says, you know, X percent of people wanted parks or whatever the case may be. The Planning Commission wanted to also see the raw survey numbers, so not just 60% of people, 300 people said X or whatever the case may be. So percentages and then the numbers of people that provided feedback on certain issues. And then there was some clarification based on some of the public feedback, the public hearing related to economic development. All of those changes are reflected in the draft plan that you all have and was

[04:20:04] distributed with the packet. That concludes staff's presentation. Travis Henley, our new The comprehensive planner is also here, and either he or myself can answer any questions you all may have. Any questions for Mr. Pompey? Thank you, sir.

[04:20:21] We will now open the public hearing. Is there anyone here who wishes to speak in favor or opposition? We'll go with in favor first. Anyone? Anyone in opposition? Seeing none, we'll close the public hearing.

[04:20:38] I won't send it to the district yet. I know district reps will have, and other board members are likely to have comments as well. But in order of the alphabet, we'll start with the Ashland District for comments only and then we'll move to the South Anna District for comments only and then we'll determine if there's a motion who would like to make that.

[04:20:58] Starting with Ms. Pritchard and the Ashland District. Any comments, ma'am? Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't think it's any secret that among my colleagues, or as well as my colleagues, I'm a huge fan of small area plans.

[04:21:16] no disparagement to anybody but inside the town of Ashland line you can see what happens when this goes badly there's a aluminum recycling plant on route one and sometime 30 years ago somebody decided hey a great way to screen this is we'll just put up a bunch of Leland cypress which never grew never screened half are dead and have become over time almost as much of an eyesore at the recycling plant. The key to this is intentionality. It's engagement with the public and intentionality and I just cannot say

[04:21:56] enough things, enough nice things about Ms. Hunter and Mr. Pompei because it is your dedication to engage the citizens and think intentionally about how to incorporate what the citizens want with good economic development design, which I believe will lead to good economic development. So I'm very pleased with this and very, very grateful.

[04:22:24] Mrs. Debel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I too want to echo the great work and the professional work that Mr. Pompei and Ms. Hunter have done with this small area plan. I think during the community meetings, we had some really good interactive discussions, lots of sharing of thoughts. And that's the real professionalism that we have in our planning office. When you can get the group to talk to you, that's when you're successful. And that's what makes this particular

[04:22:59] plan, I think, very successful. And the folks that I've talked to in the community are very supportive i think that um thank you henrico county for the henrico sports event center that for me is like a a silver platter for us it is a silver platter of opportunity for us to provide in this corridor what those folks and there's a lot of folks that are in and out of that facility all the time so a real opportunity for hotels maybe some boutique grocery

[04:23:35] stores certainly some restaurants and we want to make sure that as this area grows and is given an opportunity to grow that we do have a plan and a vision for what we want it to look like I'm proud of this small area plan and again very proud of the work of our staff thank you very well is there a district Rep that would desire to make a motion.

[04:24:04] If Ms. Dibble wouldn't mind, I would happily move to approve CPA 2026-00001. Second. Motion by Ms. Pritchard. Second by Ms. Dibble. Is there any further discussion?

[04:24:21] Hearing none. All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Announcements. I'd like to thank Ms. Westfall. I believe, is this your first time being a board secretary for the Board of Supervisors? I don't remember, second time.

[04:24:37] You did a phenomenal job. Things were set up very well. Thank you for your dedication. You've always served the board and certainly the Planning Commission very well for many years. But thank you for your service here while Lisa is out.

[04:24:53] If there are no further announcements, Mr. County Administrator. Nothing additional for myself, sir. Yes, sir. Mr. County Attorney. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to point out that while the board came out of closed session, you did not make any motions afterwards. It might be a good idea before you adjourn to do so.

[04:25:09] We will get to those. Do you have any personal interest in any of these motions? It's purely theoretical at this point. Purely theoretical. All right. Well, with no other announcements, the board will have one item of business, and since Mr. Walter brought it up, we'll go first with the county attorney.

[04:25:28] I move that after his performance review, the county attorney's compensation be modified as follows, effective July 1st, 2026. His salary shall be increased by 3% consistent with county employees. His deferred compensation shall be increased by 3%.

[04:25:44] His employment contract shall be amended to allow him to convert PTO that exceeds the maximum carryover amount to his deferred compensation plan and that all other benefits he receives remain in place. Second. we have a motion in the second any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye motion passes mr walter thank you for your dedication to hanover county uh i believe it's first time we've ever had to amend uh pto and that's because you have so much pto uh on the books because you haven't taken that and uh handling the uh administrative portion of that

[04:26:24] as you head off into retirement and in the next few months at the end of February we're certainly appreciative of your time and I'll just state publicly while we don't discuss personnel matters we wouldn't have to amend that if your plan was to burn through a bunch of vacation time before you left and that is a testament to your service to Hanover so thank you I move that after his performance review the county administrators compensation be modified as follows effective july 1st 2026 his salary shall be increased by three percent consistent with county employees his deferred compensation shall be increased by three percent his employment

[04:27:02] contract be amended to provide additional options in the event that his compensation exceeds the limits established by the virginia retirement system and that all of the benefits he receives shall remain in place second we have a motion in the second is there any discussion all those in in favor please indicate by saying aye aye motion passes this board will adjourn until 2 p.m wednesday july 22nd 2026 for a regularly scheduled board meeting to be held in this room we are adjourned

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