Buckman Road Site Plan Amendment to Add Residential Units

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay is asking the Board of Supervisors to support a plan amendment for a 17-acre property at the intersection of Richmond Highway and Buckman Road.

In July 2005, the Board approved a rezoning application for the parcel, which was supported by surrounding homeowners’ associations and the Lee District and Mount Vernon land use committees. When the economy faltered later that year, the office/retail and the residential condominium portion of the project were no longer viable.

However, the developer was still interested in redeveloping the property and continued to meet with HOA representatives and members of Supervisor McKay’s office to brainstorm new ways of putting the plans into motion.

The new plan language removes 80,000 square feet of office and retail space and converts that space into residential areas. Supervisor McKay has also asked the Department of Planning and Zoning to be authorized to re-evaluate the plan as a single plan amendment that doesn’t include the office and retail uses, and replaces it with residential uses.

According to site developer John Thillman, the original site plan stated that the property would have 435 residential units. Their new proposal adds 40 more units to the original plan.

He hopes that the additional residential units will attract residents with disposable income who will help revitalize Route 1.

“We want to do anything we can do to bring disposable income to the Route 1 corridor,” said Thillman. “It’s all positive … a residential community makes more sense. “

Most of the land consists of vacant lots, but some of it is occupied by structures that will need to be taken down once construction begins.

“We made a promise to Jeff and Gerry to invest in Route 1, and we haven’t pulled out like so many others after the economy collapsed,” he said. “But we’re going to need cooperation from people with those parcels of land. “