In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the York County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal for 248-unit residential and retail development on a property in Lightfoot.
The proposal, submitted by Lightfoot Development, LLC based in Gainesville, Va., called for a mixed-use residential and commercial development at the intersection of Lightfoot and Old Mooretown roads, according to meeting documents.
The development will be located across Richmond Road from Lightfoot Crossing, which houses Harris Teeter.
Lightfoot Development plans to name the community “The York.” It will include four retail buildings along the main entrance to the development with exposure to Lightfoot Road, but retail tenants have not yet been chosen, the proposal states.
The proposal calls for 204 apartment units, 32 townhouses, 12 “live-above units,” and 20,000 square feet of retail space on roughly 22.4 acres owned by Lightfoot Development.
The site will also include a minimum of 2.23 acres of common open space, and a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse with a fitness center, media room and recreation room.
In order to construct the development, Lightfoot Development, LLC’s proposal required the rezoning the 22.4 acres site from Economic Opportunity to Planned Development Mix Use.
According to Section 24.1-361.1 of the York County Code, the purpose of the Planned Development Mix Use designation is to allow for “developments containing an integrated, comprehensively planned and designed mix of business, retail, cultural, residential and other appropriate uses.”
Such developments should produce pedestrian-friendly environments, increase density, create a “landmark” space and a main street, and provide a mix of shopping, residential, office and recreational opportunities within walking distance of one another, the proposal stated.
In August, the county’s Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the supervisors denying the proposal. According to meeting documents, the proposal voted on by the board Tuesday differed from the proposal previously considered by the Planning Commission.
Specifically, the number of residential units was reduced by the applicant from 276 to 248. Furthermore, the applicants included multiple types of residential units for the board to consider, including live-above units and townhouses, rather than just apartments.
Legal counsel Vernon Geddy III said the apartments would be best for “empty nesters” and young professionals.
The live-above units will be located above first floor retail spaces in the development’s two mixed-use buildings. Construction of the apartments would begin within a year and would take up to two years to complete, Geddy said.
Pricing for the apartments is projected to fall between $1,100 and $1,550, and potential tenants will be able to decide between one, two and three-bedroom models.
