The Haven at Celebrate Virginia clears first hurdle

The Haven at Celebrate Virginia passed its first hurdle last night, winning a recommendation for a special-use permit from Fredericksburg’s Planning Commission on a 4-3 vote. The Haven is a proposed 232-unit luxury apartment community that would be built near the Virginia Credit Union off Gordon Shelton Boulevard. Click here for more details.

One sticking point that the Planning Commission had raised was the gated access proposed for the community. The city’s Comprehensive Plan doesn’t allow gated communities, but the Planning Commission voted last night to let The Haven have gates that prevent anyone other than residents and their guests from going past the clubhouse area.

Commissioners Roy Gratz, Vincent Ramoneda and Roy McAfee dissented. Gratz read a prepared statement expressing concern that the project could cost the city money if more school-age children end up living there than is projected. He also noted that communities with gated access run counter to the Comp Plan, and worried that Celebrate Virginia South might morph into a high-density residential complex rather than the commercial “economic engine” that was promised when the Silver Cos. won its rezoning. Click here to read Gratz’s comments.

The Planning Commission’s vote is merely a recommendation. The matter now goes before City Council, which has final say on whether to approve it. A public hearing is scheduled for April 27.

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