Design Review Committee directs revisions to Burke & Herbert bank design, allows staff to sign off

Goochland County’s Design Review Committee on May 29 reviewed Certificate of Approval application COA 20261 from Burke and Herbert Bank and Trust Company for a new bank at 1650 Wilks Ridge Parkway in the Centerville Village Overlay District and directed the applicant to reduce the visual prominence of exterior glass and make several design refinements.

Planner John Michael Whan told the committee that the applicant sought relief from Centerville Village overlay standards that allow glass only as an accent. Whan said staff had difficulty treating the applicant’s proposed glazing as an accent because “the bulk of two sides of the building were primarily glass. So, to me, that would not qualify as an accent.” He noted other items such as signage and landscaping had been reviewed administratively.

The applicant’s representative said the design intentionally uses glazing at the main lobby for visibility and safety: “we intentionally like to see a lot of glass … to help you look into the lobby for safety, for aesthetic,” the representative said, adding the design includes stone, brick and a standing‑seam metal roof and that mullions and pilasters broke up glazing bays.

Committee members pressed for changes that would make the façade read less like a large expanses of glass and more like the residential‑scale elements intended for the overlay. Suggested modifications included extending a three‑foot stone or veneer base across the front façade, subdividing large panes with mullions or transom patterns so the glazing reads as multiple smaller windows, adding headers or pilasters to break the glass visually, and carrying a consistent window pattern across the front, east and west elevations.

Members also discussed nighttime visibility and lighting control. Staff noted overlay rules and site‑plan photometric review; committee members asked that interior LED lighting be dimmed after business hours to security levels. The applicant said the lighting is LED and controllable and agreed to incorporate dimming to meet ordinance expectations.

After discussing specific markups to the elevations presented at the hearing, the committee moved to direct staff to work with the applicant on the glass/stone changes as discussed and to administratively approve revised elevations if they match the committee’s direction. If the resubmittal differs from the committee’s conditions, staff is to return the item to the committee for further action. The motion was seconded and the committee approved it.

Ray Cash, assistant director of planning and zoning, said staff will document the committee’s markups and, if the applicant provides revisions consistent with those markups, process the changes administratively to avoid another formal meeting. The committee also agreed staff should notify the applicant about dimming requirements after business hours as a condition of the COA.

Background: the site is in the Centerville Village Overlay and zoned B‑1 with proffers. The COA was identified in the staff packet as required by county zoning ordinance section 15435. The committee referenced prior approvals in the area where dealerships and banks were granted glass modifications with specific architectural conditions; members emphasized those past approvals were conditioned and that each case is evaluated on its own merits.

Next steps: the applicant will provide revised elevations that incorporate the committee’s direction (stone base, subdivided glazing/mullions, and related details). Staff will review the resubmitted elevations for consistency with the committee’s conditions and, if satisfied, administratively approve the COA. If the revisions deviate from the direction, the COA will be returned to the committee for further consideration.