Hanover County's Comprehensive Plan update nearing completion
Plus: A through-truck restriction in Ashland is heading to a public hearing
Hanover County is one of two localities that is only partially within Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. As with Bedford County, this experimental newsletter covers the whole jurisdiction all the same.
This work is a publication of Town Crier Productions, a company I formed in 2020 in order to help fund my quest to get back into journalism after a brief absence. The main work is Charlottesville Community Engagement but I’m very interested in the challenge of trying to keep track of 24 localities that for the first time in my life make geographic sense as a political jurisdiction for the national legislature.
This is a work in progress and I’m happy to keep going. Next week will see summaries of what’s coming up at meetings in Amherst, Danville, Goochland, Albemarle, and Fluvanna. At least, that’s what my spreadsheet tells me at this time. We’ll know for sure when it’s time to get to that work!
For now in this edition:
Hanover County’s Comprehensive Planning coming closer to a public hearing
Hanover Supervisors to consider two rezonings including one for 150 homes on 52 acres
The State Corporation Commission is taking public comments on proposed increases to fees charged by Dominion Energy
Hanover Supervisors to meet with Planning Commission for Comprehensive Plan work session
The U.S. Census recorded 109,979 people in Hanover County in April 2020. The Weldon Cooper Center of Public Service at the University of Virginia projects that growing by about 10,000 people a decade with a forecast of 140,113 in 2050. That is consistent with a trend in which 99,863 people were residents in 2010.
How will the county prepare for this eventuality for a jurisdiction that consists of 474 square miles? Such preparation is the main reason why localities are required to prepare and maintain a Comprehensive Plan. The Envision Hanover plan is nearing completion and will go before the Planning Commission on August 10.
Before that, the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission will hold a work session at noon Wednesday to take a final look before getting public input. This will take place in the Wickham Building at 7497 County Complex Road. (project resources)
“Hanover County has easy access to major transportation corridors and population centers, which supports economic development,” reads the draft plan. “Interstate 95 bisects the County (with multiple interchanges providing access), and there are also several interchanges along Interstate 295. Not only do these highways provide easy access to employment centers within the Richmond region, but also allow for shipping to major markets along the Atlantic Seaboard.”
The draft notes that much of Hanover is rural and that many residents want it to stay that way. Just over a fifth of the county is designated for growth in the “Suburban Service Area” while the rest is intended to have low residential density. That’s a policy that dates back to 1982.
Hanover considering through truck restrictions on Ashland-area road
The regular meeting begins at 2 p.m. in the Hanover County Board Room at 7516 County Complex Road. After the invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and comments from the public and Supervisors, there’s a presentation from the Virginia Department of Transportation. (report)
Next, Mike Flagg, director of the Department of Public Works, will present a status update on local road projects. (report)
Flagg will also present a request for additions to Hanover County’s ten-year plan for roads. Hanover is part of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority and thus gets funding from that entity. (presentation)
Flagg isn’t done yet! There will also be a request to advertise a public hearing on August 23 for a through truck restriction on Mt. Hermon Road.
“Safety concerns have been raised by several citizens concerning large trucks using Mt. Hermon Rd., a rural two-lane secondary road, to bypass congestion on I-95,” reads the staff report for the presentation. “Routes meeting certain criteria are eligible for a through truck restriction which would apply to any through truck except pickup and panel trucks.”
There’s a recess at 4:30 p.m. for Supervisors to have a meal at the Hanover Tavern Coach House.
In the evening session after “Citizens’ Time” Flagg will get a resolution honoring his retirement. So will John Axselle III, the chair of the School Board as will fellow school board member George Sutton.
There are two planning public hearings. If I had a staff, I’d be going into much more detail on these two as these individual applications are how communities deal with population growth.
There’s a request to rezone 14.32 acres of land in the Beaverdam District from Agricultural to Agricultural Residential District to allow for construction of three building lots. (staff report)
There’s a request to rezone 52.25 acres of land in the Beaverdam District from Agricultural to Residential Single-Family District to allow for the development of 150 single-family homes. (staff report)
Public comments sought for Dominion Energy rate review including charge to opt out of smart meters
Every two years, the State Corporation Commission scrutinizes the rates and fees Dominion Energy Virginia charges its customers.
“In the review, the SCC will analyze the company’s base rates, which account for approximately half of a customer’s monthly bill, as well as the terms and conditions for the provision of generation, distribution and transmission services,” reads a press release sent out by the SCC on Friday.
As part of the process, Virginians are invited to offer comment in a variety of ways including telephone, in person, or in writing.
Dominion is seeking changes as part of the review. For instance, they are seeking permission to charge customers who opt out of smart meters $10.35 a month. They also want to increase the monthly customer charge from $7.58 to $9.05.
Written comments can be made through November 20 through the SCC website. If you click here, it is at the bottom of a long list of other items pending before the SCC. .
Reading material:
Danville now has first-ever regional tourism master plan, John Crane, Danville Register & Bee (paywall), July 25, 2023
Campbell board discuss new polling precinct, Christian school and Brookville High School, Rodney Robinson, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), July 25, 2023
Supervisor warns residents not to panic as Pittsylvania County tax assessments to rise by 50%, Charles Wilborn, Danville Register & Bee (paywall), July 25, 2023