10K sq. ft. Office Building Proposed for Stratford Hills
The "A" above is 7918 Forest Hill Avenue
A reader’s email alerted me to an office building proposed by Dr. Richard L. Byrd DDS for a set of forested lots across from Huguenot High School. The lots located at 7908, 7918 and 7928 Forest Hill Avenue are currently zoned R-2 which is Single-Family Residential. In order to have the office built, the builder must be granted an exemption by the city council. Homeowners in the area received a certified letter this week informing them of the request for an exemption. The City Planning Commission is meeting on Monday, November 1 (open to the public) at 1:30 pm in the Fifth Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street to consider exemption. The City Planning Commission will then send it’s recommendation to the City Council. The Master Plan recommends that the land be used for “Single Family (Low Density). The properties to the east are zoned RO-1 (Residential/Office-1). The properties to the west are zoned R-2 (Single Family Residential) and are undeveloped. Forest Hill Ave Office Proposal PDF
The nearby resident who sent the email plans to attend and express their opinion.
One of the things that drew us to the Stratford Hills neighborhood when we moved here over 11 years ago is the peaceful, trees-y nature. It feels like we’re in the country, even though we’re in the city. We think the neighborhood has a special charm and will lose its character if this building is constructed.
Details from the proposal including an image of the proposed building.
The office would be 2 stories high with a full basement and provide 38 parking spots. The first floor will contain the owner’s orthodontics practice, upstairs will contain offices and meeting rooms, and the basement will hold two tenants. The building will be brick, with decorative arches over the window and a columned portico.
Sorry about the tilt, the result of capturing a scanned document.
These lots really aren’t “in” any neighborhood and there are similar businesses nearby them.they have been sitting there for decades across from the schools while everything else around them was developed.I believe one reason they weren’t built on years ago is because nobody really wants to live on a very busy road across from those schools.I grew up in the area and spent much of my life there.I don’t see this use of the property as being damaging and in fact see it as a good use,a source of tax revenue and likely to have little impact on traffic.It’s better than vacant land that nobody would ever build,on certainly not in these times,for residential use.
It pains me to see property that is more suited to residential development be targeted for commercial development. Especially when there seems to be plenty of property still available in the area that is zoned for commercial/business use.
Sprawling business districts are NOT conducive to preserving or enhancing neighborhoods. Forest Hill Ave is turning into a crap commercial strip with lots of vacant space and strange, unsafe, shoe-horned traffic patterns.
No likey.
This orthodontist already has a two-story office on Forest Hill Avenue as well as Polo Parkway and other locations. Furthermore, there are many stores that have shuttered in the surrounding areas (for example in the Target Shopping Center). Why not do a reuse?
Our property value is going to go down. Say “bye bye” to the beautiful wooded backyard and “hello” to a parking lot.
hi wrote: “It’s better than vacant land that nobody would ever build,on certainly not in these times,for residential use.”
How is this better than having a vacant lot? The lot isn’t “vacant”. It’s a forested buffer for the neighborhood.
City Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the subject ordinance at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 1. The meeting is open to the public, will be held at 1:30 pm in the Fifth Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street.
The Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, Nov. 8 at 6:00 pm in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, 900 East Broad Street to consider the following ordinance:
Ordinance No. 2010-211
Special Use Permit for 7908, 7918 and 7928 Forest Hill Avenue.
Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so.
I STRONGLY encourage citizens to attend.
Considering the current zoning (which would require no community comment or SUP) approximately 7-8 houses can be built on that parcel. Considering that the parcel mostly fronts Forest Hill Ave in a mostly commercial zone, the only thing I can see is inexpensive rental property being put up. The neighbors need to take a real close look at what they could get with the current zoning (7, 1000 sf vinyl ranchers of investment grade quality) or this attractive professional office building. Residential rental property or professional office building. I don’t know about you, but I would love to see this building on Forest Hill Ave in Westover Hills; it’s an attractive building and has good tenants. People need to remember, when you buy adjacent to an undeveloped parcel, you just don’t know what will go up next to you. This looks like a really nice building, I wouldn’t risk what the alternative could be.
This building will have, what, a 4000 sq. ft. footprint, plus sidewalks, plus 38 parking spaces, plus maneuvering room for cars and commercial deliveries.
That’s a lot of impervious, heat generating, runoff exacerbating paved surface area that will further tax the storm water runoff problem. As a business, the building will be exempted from paying the storm water utility tax.
Single family housing, on the other hand would likely be buffered from the street and leave more vegetation/canopy intact. The houses that were (comparatively recently) built a few hundred yards to the west are not exactly eye sores, and were built on a similarly situated parcel.
“As a business, the building will be exempted from paying the storm water utility tax.”
Should not be exempt. Its a fee not a tax.
You’re right…got carried away with the word tax.
Commercial property owners can still be exempted from the fee:
http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicUtilities/documents/Stormwater_Credit_Manual_NonResidentialProperties.pdf
Or receive credits, if you prefer…
What do you believe would bring more money to the city through taxes? It is not 7 single family homes. The tax ramifications from bringing small businesses to the city is a long term win when it comes to tax collections. It is an attractive design and if you do not build nicer buildings like this here the small businesses will remain going to Henrico and Chesterfield. We are in a great area for small businesses to look at as long as modern space is available. Business taxes are the greatest way to lower our residential taxes in the future.
It’s not about what I believe will bring more tax revenue to the city.
Although, now that you mention it, I *know* that residents do, ultimately. So, sacrificing residential-zoned land to business use is not the best use for the property, when there are other options available.
What you should be asking is what brings small businesses to the city. Because businesses do not locate themselves where they have no (potential) clientele or workforce.
The more people we have living here, the more businesses we attract.
In short, I think that you’ve got things backwards.
As far as the long term win on tax revenue is concerned, I disagree. The vacant business/retail space available in the neighborhood should give an inkling of why.
Perhaps Dr Byrd should consider the currently vacant commercial lot available in downtown Westover Hills, where in-fill office construction would be welcomed.
Without expressing an opinion, the developer met several times with the neighborhood assocaiton reps, and neighbors immediately to the north. The process of copmmunity involvement took about a year. The property will NOT be exempt from stormwater management fees, since those apply to cmoomercial properties as well. As of this year, all property owners, incluiding residential, are eligible for stormwater management credits.
Taxes up, trees down, sprawl costs us all
If you really consider this sprawl, then that word has lost all real meaning.
#14: taxes up? How did that get into this story line?
I think Stuffa made some good points.
How much vacant office space is there within three miles of this location?
Do we really need this building?
A lot of people will miss the trees.
When you have no centrally located, cohesive business district, then yes, it is a form of sprawl, because it puts businesses out of walking distance. Requiring the use of a car…the very definition of sprawl.
There is plenty of commercially zoned real estate available just down the road… IN THE DESIGNATED BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
Another question we should be asking is whether or not the dentist has long term tenants lined up or if that part of the equation is speculative. Because this could easily end up becoming another vacant office building in 5 years.
I agree with stuffa, so many empty storefronts just down the road that need to be filled and they want to knock down perfectly good trees (you know sound buffers, oxygen makers!) to put in MORE empty storefronts. fill the ones we got and then maybe we can talk about building more businesses.
I don’t like strapping the baby on to hike down to city hall but it looks like I gotta be heard.
One step closer to having a Midlothian Turnpike in the back yard. Increase congestion, and lots of empty buidlings waiting to fill the void. I believe the Old Virginia Urology building next to Chip Hospital is still open and would probably make an easy conversion.
Green spaces matter! I don’t want to see every plot along Forest Hill filled with businesses/ (or houses for that matter). Tax benefit be damned!
City Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the subject ordinance at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 1. The meeting is open to the public, will be held at 1:30 pm in the Fifth Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street.
The Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, Nov. 8 at 6:00 pm in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, 900 East Broad Street to consider the following ordinance:
Ordinance No. 2010-211
Special Use Permit for 7908, 7918 and 7928 Forest Hill Avenue.
Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so.
I STRONGLY encourage citizens to attend.