Shipping container facility project denied in split vote of Chesapeake City Council
CHESAPEAKE — Chesapeake City Council denied a shipping container facility project intended to assist the Port of Virginia in a divided vote Tuesday after hearing hours worth of concerns from residents.
After months of deferrals, City Council members voted 5-4 vote to deny a rezoning and permit request for a proposed 200,000-square-foot cross dock warehouse and parking area for trucks and trailers in the Deep Creek area. Mayor Rick West and council members Amanda Newins, Robert Ike and Don Carey dissented.
The project, located at 4168 S. Military Highway, was intended to assist Port of Virginia operations and received backing from several regional business groups.
South Military Hwy Chesapeake Propco LLC, a Florida-based company, is the applicant which sought to rezone 93 acres from a mix of highway business district and residential district to light industrial zoning, along with a conditional use permit to allow the stacking of hundreds of shipping containers on a 43-acre parcel. Property owners include Albert G. Barlow, Kenneth L. Barlow, Jerry E. Barlow, Pamella C. Barlow, Roberta S. and Ryland E. Warren Jr.
The project was endorsed Tuesday by representatives from the Hampton Roads Chamber, Chesapeake Alliance Leadership Circle, Port of Virginia and Hampton Roads Workforce Council. They noted the project would create 200 high-paying jobs and further assist Port of Virginia operations and emphasized the benefit such a project could bring for the domestic supply chain.
City Council heard hours of public comment for the project in July before deferring the vote to get more clarity on the likelihood of a traffic signal being approved by the Federal Highway Administration and Virginia Department of Transportation. Grady Palmer of Williams Mullen told City Council Tuesday that both approved the construction and installation of a traffic signal near the off ramp at Military Highway and Schaefer Avenue, with the cost covered by the applicant. He said traffic study findings estimated a significantly shorter wait time and added that the traffic signal may not otherwise happen without the private investment.
The proposed development included two parcels within the Sunray Agricultural Historic District — home to a historic Polish farming community — and would have abutted a historical marker for the Nansemond Indian Nation, the Indiana United Methodist Church and the Homestead residential community.
City Hall chambers were full Tuesday night as dozens of residents again voiced multiple concerns about the project. Members and representatives of the Homestead and Sunray communities, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Polish American Society of Tidewater and The New Chesapeake Men for Progress urged denial, pointing to concerns of noise and air pollution, truck emissions, chemical runoff into neighboring waters and increased traffic. Many said they didn’t believe the traffic signal would be enough for the highly congested area and feared for public safety with more tractor trailer trucks on the nearby roads.
They also said the project would have jeopardized the historic integrity and rural character of the area, noting that it should be placed elsewhere.
The planning commission unanimously denied the application in February.
On behalf of the Historic Preservation Commission, Amelia Wallace said the “potential negative impact to the cultural and social capital of the historic farming district of Sunray is bigger than the potential economic growth” gained from the project.
Council member Debbie Ritter, who made the motion to deny the project, also said it didn’t seem the appropriate place for such a facility.
“I don’t think there’s a person on Council, including myself, who doesn’t value what the Port brings in every aspect. We value the trucking industry,” Ritter said. “The question is is this the right place. Is it compatible?”
Ritter continued, “And if compromise had been reached, we would not have such a strong opposition.”
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
