Planning commission recommends denial of River Road truck-terminal rezoning after community outcry

Prince George County Planning Commission members voted July 23 to forward a recommendation of denial to the Board of Supervisors for RZ26-0001, a conditional rezoning request by Provident Realty Advisors and property owner Norman Sanford for a 47-acre truck terminal at 3510 River Road.

Planning staff told the commission the application sought rezoning from A-1 (agricultural) to M-2 (general industrial) for a 501,895-square-foot warehouse with two truck courts and multiple access points. Staff said the project’s conceptual plan included facade, landscaping and lighting proffers and that the applicant submitted a $50,000 cash proffer for fire and EMS two days before the hearing; staff added that because that proffer arrived late the department had not had time to review it. The staff presentation noted an estimated 1,833 weekday trips tied to the project and that Fort Lee requested a traffic impact analysis (TIA) and formal coordination with VDOT to ensure military training access would not be compromised.

Applicant counsel Jared Anderson of Roth Jackson and project consultants defended the proposal as consistent with the comprehensive plan and surrounding zoning, and said private engineering studies (Timmins Group and VHB) found turn-lane warrants were not met and that heavy vehicles would comprise a small share of peak-hour trips. Anderson summarized proffers and said vegetated buffers, 100-foot setbacks and shielded lighting would reduce impacts, and that the facility would generate an estimated $350,000 in annual tax revenue at buildout.

Residents and community speakers overwhelmingly opposed the rezoning during the hearing. Speakers raised repeated concerns about safety on narrow two-lane roads, recurring local collisions, emergency-vehicle access, noise and diesel exhaust near mobile-home communities, potential groundwater contamination from truck leaks, and the adequacy and visibility of public notice signage. A Fort Lee representative, identified as the base master planner and real property officer, told the commission the installation’s primary concern was protecting operational and training access and again requested a traffic impact analysis.

After questions from commissioners about community outreach, the traffic analyses and the scope of permitted uses, a commissioner moved to recommend denial. The roll-call voting recorded two ‘no’ votes and the remainder ‘yes’; the chair announced the recommendation for denial will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for its August meeting. No final action on zoning occurs at the Planning Commission; its recommendation is advisory to the Board of Supervisors.

Key next steps include the Board of Supervisors’ review of the commission’s recommendation and any further traffic or environmental studies the applicant or the board may request.