JAMES CITY COUNTY – James City County supervisors voted 3–2 Tuesday, Oct. 13, to deny a proposal for a self-storage facility at The Promenade at John Tyler, a residential community, following a public hearing dominated by residents’ concerns about traffic, safety and neighborhood character.
Landtech Resources, Inc, sought a special-use permit for a two-story, 51,000-square-foot facility at 5299 and 5303 John Tyler Highway.
Attorney Tim Trant with Kaufman & Canoles, representing Landtech, noted that the site has been vacant since 2014 and outlined plans to limit signs and lighting for the project during his presentation.
James City County Planner Allison Jackura said the proposal call for payments of $5,000 annually to the condominium association for nearby road maintenance and $50,000 to the county for open-space purposes. The latter was not earmarked for the neighborhood.
“I think the idea is that this money would help to preserve open space somewhere, hopefully nearby, but potentially not,” Jackura said.
About 30 residents attended the hearing with speakers arguing that the self-storage facility would be incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Speakers questioned its economic benefits to residents, the aesthetic of the building, the effects of construction, and truck traffic.
Angie Williams, who lives across from the property, urged supervisors to consider its effect on nearby residents.
“When I sit on my patio and watch the sunset, I do expect a reasonable standard of residential peace, serenity, tranquility, and neighborhood character,” Williams said.
Residents described the neighborhood as pedestrian-friendly and said trucks, trailers and drivers unfamiliar with its narrow streets could create safety hazards.
“Our private roads will be pounded by heavy construction vehicles. It will create an immediate safety and quality of life crisis,” said Stephen Townsend, president of the Promenade condominium association’s board of directors.
Although the applicant outlined two other access routes, resident Alfred Herzig said that vehicles would still mainly use Kings Land Court, a residential road within the neighborhood, to access the storage facilities.
Under the proposal, the storage facility’s owner would pay the condominium association $5,000 a year to help maintain Monarch Court and parts of Kings Land and Queen’s Path Court to reach the site. Residents questioned whether a fixed payment would cover the extra wear and damage during construction, particularly as costs rise.
Marnie Marino objected to the suitability of the proposed use, rather than development itself.
“This is not about opposing development. I understand that this property will be developed,” she said. “This question is whether the … self-storage facility and the moving trucks, trailers, rental vehicles that come with it, is appropriate for this particular location.”
Supervisors Barbara E. Null, representing the Stonehouse District, and Tracy Wainwright, representing the Powhatan District, voted against the motion to deny the application.
Null said that the property was already zoned for commercial use.
“When people buy property … you have to tell them what will come in the future. They knew that this was zoned for commercial use,” she said.
She argued that other uses, such as a three-story office building with 500 employees, could generate more traffic. Drawing on her own experience of visiting storage facilities only two or three times a year, Null said the proposal could be less disruptive than other potential developments.
“The traffic issue is not a big issue,” she said, prompting groans from some audience members. Null said she frequently visits the area and pointed to the two proposed access routes as reasons she did not expect a substantial traffic impact.
Ruth Larson, the board’s vice chair and Berkeley District representative, noted that the site could be developed by right. But after residents acknowledged that possibility and raised concerns about this proposal, she voted to deny the application.
Board Chairman John J. McGlennon, representing the Roberts District, and Jamestown District Supervisor Jim Icenhour voted against the motion to deny.
