City planning staff previews 17 April 21 items including VA outpatient facility and Nemo Church HCD removal

Kaitlin, a member of city planning staff, told the City Council the April 21 agenda will include 17 items ranging from rezonings and conditional‑use permits to the adoption of the Imagine VB 2040 comprehensive plan.

She described two linked proffers modifications for a parcel at Northampton Boulevard and Premium Outlets Boulevard in District 4: the northern 20 acres would host an approximately 244,000‑square‑foot Veterans Administration outpatient facility with a proposed 1,250 parking spaces and a requested height deviation (just over 64 feet where the overlay limits height to 35 feet near residential zoning). Staff reported a traffic impact analysis that recommends retiming several corridor signals and installing a traffic signal at a new extension; the planning commission recommended approval unanimously.

Immediately south, staff said, the applicant proposes about an 81,000‑square‑foot retail center on 12.9 acres with 416 parking spaces proposed (325 required in the narrative). Staff said the retail plan was included in the traffic analysis for the VA facility and likewise drew no known opposition; planning commission also recommended approval.

Other items include a rezoning and conditional use permit for a light‑industrial storage yard on London Bridge Road (staff recommended conditions tying landscaping to future changes in the adjacent wooded parcel), a conditional rezoning and CUP to expand parking for an adjacent gymnastics facility on Parliament Drive, a three‑story self‑storage facility on South Rosemont Road, a home‑based wildlife rehabilitation CUP to care for up to five small mammals, and a 160‑unit multifamily CUP on Cleveland Street and Witchduck Road. Staff described deviations requested for multiple projects and said most items were recommended for approval by the planning commission, frequently on consent.

On the comprehensive plan, Kaitlin said the Imagine VB 2040 ordinance would supersede the 2016 plan and included housekeeping changes and additional references to broadband and manufactured housing; companion zoning code amendments will update code language to reflect the new plan.

The most contested planning item at the briefing was the proposed removal of the Nemo Church Historic & Cultural District (HCD). Kaitlin reviewed HCD basics: an HCD is a local zoning overlay that requires additional review for exterior changes; it does not remove underlying zoning uses but adds a certificate‑of‑appropriateness process. The Nemo Church HCD was established in 1980 and expanded in 1986.

Council members and staff discussed the cost of maintaining historic properties and whether property owners voluntarily enter districts. One council member said the congregation had sought removal and urged the city to look for grant resources; another noted that Delegate Ascue and Senator Lucas had included $500,000 for Nemo Church in the proposed state budget but cautioned that state funding is not final. Councilors debated allowances for synthetic materials on later additions versus historically appropriate materials for character‑defining features.

Kaitlin said the planning commission recommended denial of the removal by an 8–3 vote after public testimony that split between support and opposition. Councilors asked for a verbatim transcript of earlier conversations where council direction was alleged to have influenced planning commission changes.

What happens next: these items will be formally considered at the April 21 hearing. The planning staff briefing is advisory; any approvals, denials or conditions will be decided by the council at that hearing.