About 50 people attended a “meet-and-greet” session Saturday evening to learn about the status of a of a $60 million mixed use project that has been proposed to be located along U.S. Route 360 at Bray’s Fork.
The Essex County Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a September 5 public hearing and subsequent vote as to whether the 13.186-acre site should be rezoned from Business to Planned United Development.
Shiree Monterio, the president and founder of 7 and M Development, LLC, spent about 45 minutes detailing the project to Saturday’s audience.
She is the granddaughter of the late Thomas Harris, a prominent African American Tappahannock businessman, whose property is being utilized for the project that has been called “Bray’s Fork Redevelopment Project.”
If approved, the development will bring a variety of housing and business opportunities, including housing for ages 55-plus and workforce housing for teachers, nurses, law enforcement and local government employees. Known as “Essex Point at Mt. Clement,” the initial phase of the development is also projected to attract jobs and provide a significant boost to the county’s revenue base.
The proposal was originally the subject of a June Planning Commission hearing during which several concerns were raised by county staff and commissioners.
The Essex County Zoning Department Staff had recommended denial of the project at the June hearing.
7 and M Development had requested several variances to the county’s existing PUD ordinance including a single entrance to the property, building heights (35-feet is the maximum allowable while the variance seeks heights up to 60-feet), and acreage (the PUD zone requires a minimum of 15 acres).
Monterio told Saturday’s audience that the concerns raised in June have been addressed in an amended proposal that will be the subject of Tuesday’s public hearing. She said the original proposal included around a dozen variance requests, while the amended version includes only three.
Those include:
• Less acreage than the 15-acre minimum requirement;
• The desire for private roads to be created within the project. Such roads would have public easements.
• A single entrance/exit off Route 360 with a secondary emergency only access while providing two future connector roads to adjoin Hospital Road.
“We heard from the community that it was too big, too dense, too much, so we scaled back,” Monterio stated. “We have done everything to address the concerns of the political officials.”
Monterio said the project includes commercial space and a 400-person capacity community center that will be open to the public. Additional amenities include a playground, a dog park, walking trails, and an amphitheater space. She also noted a wellness center, a public plaza, and an educational learning center is included.
“We also have an expression of interest from the YMCA,” she said.
Moreover, the developers are willing to provide a satellite Emergency Services space to the county.
Monterio also touched on the economic impact the project will have on the community.
“It will bring tax revenue, sales revenue, business revenue, and increase the property tax revenue,” she remarked.
She noted that her family currently pays $4,000 annually in real estate taxes for the mostly forested property.
“As built, we would be paying $500,000 a year in property taxes,” she revealed.
The project is slated to attract 500-plus jobs during the construction phase with 40-plus subcontractor opportunities.
Monterio also told the audience she has discovered negative feedback concerning her family’s desire to bring the project here.
“So, we’ve decided to put our money where our mouths are,” she commented. “We are willing to contribute over-and-above the economic impact that we plan to provide. We are going to contribute around $700,000 to the county budget….and we are contributing money towards addressing traffic issues along (Route 360), and we’re willing to contribute to emergency services and the Economic Development Authority for attracting businesses here. This is an important project for our family, and we want everyone to understand how important it is to us.”
Additionally, Monterio noted that this is simply the initial phase for the project which, if approved, would have a build-out period of three to five years.
She told the Rappahannock Times that financing can only be secured if the project is given a green light.
“Getting this rezoning is critically important,” she said. “I cannot get tenants or commercial tenants to commit, or financing until it is rezoned and know it is moving forward.”
The Planning Commission’s purpose is to serve the Board of Supervisors in an advisory capacity on matters of planning and zoning by preparing and recommending plans, ordinances, capital improvement programs and similar documents, and reviewing development proposals.
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