York Supervisors OK Second Mixed-Use Development

By Samantha Thrift Thursday, June 23, 2011

The York County Board of Supervisors had many items on the agenda Tuesday, but the decision to approve the 16.7-acre mixed-used development behind Arby’s and Wendy’s on Route 17 off Fort Eustis Boulevard was the hot topic of the night.

The Yorktown Crescent development proposes 80 residential condominiums, 58 townhouses and duplexes, 64 rental apartments, eight “live-above” units, and at least 31,000 square feet of commercial and community space. Residential units would be priced from the mid-$100,000 to the low $300,000 range, and small businesses - like a nail salon, restaurant and specialty retail - were envisioned to fill the commercial spaces.

The Board spent nearly two hours discussing the project with representatives from the developer, Parrish Enterprises, focusing on increased traffic, potential for flooding and the perils of starting a project of this magnitude in the current economy.

“It seems to me that going from what is a lazy intersection with a fair amount of traffic, to overnight a multistory densely populated series of condos and houses,” District 1 supervisor Walt Zaremba said. “It’s easy to talk about solving the problems. But when it comes to pass, how can we know?”

Mark Carter, York County's planning director and assistant county administrator, explained that the traffic impact would be minimal, with about 2,100 new vehicle trips per day. That number, Carter said, is comparable to the traffic generated from just the Wendy's and Arby's restaurants adjacent to the proposed development. If the parcel were developed as commercial or industrial, which it's currently zoned for, Carter said the amount of new traffic would be expected to be much higher.

One concern about the development for both the Planning Commission – who approved the plan 6-0 earlier this month  - and the Board is that the developers take the necessary precautions to ensure that there will not be a flooding issue with the property.

“We’ve lived through, in the last 20 years, too much water,” Vice Chairman Thomas Shepperd said.

“It’s like we have to beg for the scraps at the table to meet our drainage needs,” said District 3 supervisor Donald Wiggins. “Unless I can be assured that this water is not going to go across 17, there is no way I can go along with it.”

Architect Brandon Currence, who also designed the nearby Nelson's Grant mixed-use project at Route 17 and Battle Road that is breaking ground next month, said that flooding will be prevented with service ponds in the complex and vaults under the parking garages that will incrementally drain the water. County engineer John Hudgins confirmed that the panel vaults, which are common retention and detention solutions for storm water and drainage, have been successful at other locations in the area.

Another issue the Board worried about was the failure of other mixed-use developments in the area over the past few years. Comparing the scale of the project to what he called the “embarrassment” that is High Street in Williamsburg, Zaremba asked developer Woody Parrish to recognize the enormity of the project in the current economy, even though the risk is his to take.

Parrish is optimistic about the future of the mixed-used development. “Times are changing. I see it up and down the East Coast,” he said. “We aren’t going to start this project in the morning. When the economy turns, we feel like this is going to be a good project.”

Parrish reminded the board that his family has owned the property for more than 20 years, waiting for the right moment to develop. In recent years, Ft. Eustis Boulevard has extended to Old York-Hampton Highway, and is now being improved to four lanes between Route 17 and Jefferson Avenue.

Despite early misgivings, supervisors approved the plan 5-0. Parrish said the project won't break ground for about a year.