Spotsylvania supervisors reject Lakeside rezoning; Rappahannock Goodwill Industries to buy Gallahan’s building?

Spotsylvania County’s Board of Supervisors last night rejected a rezoning request from Hazel Land Cos. that would have allowed the 105-unit Lakeside townhouse community between the former Gallahan’s Furniture building and stormwater ponds in the Lee’s Hill area. The land is now zoned commercial.

(Thanks to Amy Umble for providing notes from the meeting. Click here for her blog on Spotsylvania.)

Hirschler Fleischer attorney John McManus, speaking for Hazel, said that the Lee’s Hill area is struggling to fill vacancies in office and medical buildings. So he said an employment center there wouldn’t be the best use of the land, and that this was a good chance to transform it into a mixed-use area.

Chairman Benny Pitts said that area is a good place for an employment center and that the county shouldn’t give up on its plans “just because the economy isn’t what we would like it to be.” When the economy improves, the county will need a place to put commercial properties, he said.

Jerry Logan called it “a prime location for commercial” and noted that his own business is not so far away. He said it would be “premature” to fill in the land designated commercial simply because of the economic situation, which is slowly recovering.

Gary Skinner, who supervises the district the proposed project is in, supported the rezoning and said it could reduce problems in that currently vacant area with drugs and vandalism.

Supervisors Gary Jackson, T.C. Waddy, Pitts and Logan voted against the rezoning. 

Hazel CEO Steve Norair said it’s too early to tell what the new plan will be, but he said the employment center use has not been successful after 20 years of efforts.

Supervisors who want to see commercial use in that area could get some of what they’re looking for soon. Rappahannock Goodwill Industries is under contract to buy the 82,000-square-foot Gallahan’s building, which has been vacant since late 2008. RGI would put a retail store on the first floor, and its corporate offices on the second floor (the corporate offices would move from downtown Fredericksburg but the laundry operation would remain where it is in the city). There would also be space for RGI’s partners and workforce training on the second floor. RGI expects to decide early next month whether to proceed. It may need to buy an adjacent lot to ensure there’s sufficient parking.

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/businessbrowser/2011/05/25/spotsylvania-supervisors-reject-lakeside-rezoning-rappahannock-goodwill-industries-to-buy-gallahans-building/