priority planning area 6 - hopewell, virginia

Priority Planning Area 6

Rt. 36/I-295 Interchange Commercial District

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Hopewell Comprehensive Plan – 2018 | 2023

Chapter V1: 36/295 Commercial Corridor District – Priority Planning Area 6

Imagery ©2016 Commonwealth of Virginia, DigitalGlobe, USDA Farm Service Agency, Map data ©2016 Google 1000 ft

Priority Planning Area 6:Rt. 36/295 Corridor Gateway

Commercial District

Priority Planning Areas | Hopewell 2018 Comprehensive Plan

Priority Planning Area 6: Route 36/295 Interchange Commercial District The Route 36/295 Interchange Commercial District (Priority Planning Area 6) represents the onlyinterstate interchangelocatedprimarilywithintheCity. Whilethisplanningareawasproperlytargetedbypriorplansformajorregionalcommercialenterprise,theexistingsub-regionalretailestablishmentsintheNE, SE, andNWquadrants are limited to franchise restaurant, highway-oriented uses, andmodestcommunity-level commerce. TheNEquadrant is furthercompromised for itsattractiveness to regionalandotherlarge-formatretailbytherailroadonthenorthandamixofresidencesonlarge,underutilizedlotsthatextendtotheAshlandStreetintersection.TheSWquadrantislocatedentirelyinPrinceGeorgeCounty. With Hopewell’s three interchange quadrants being substantially built-out, or otherwise infeasible forregional commercial, the southeastquadrant shouldbe viewedas the remainingprime redevelopmentopportunity. The quadrant is currently “anchored” by the underperforming Colonial Corner shoppingcenter,twohotelpropertiesofrecentvintage,oneolderhotelandseveralrestaurants.WhilethecenterhasasignalizedaccesstoOaklawnBoulevardviaColonialCornerDrive,thelayout,age,historyofvacancy,andarchitectural featuresof theshoppingcenterrenders itmarginal,atbest, forattractingthedesireddiversityofqualityretailingenvisionedbytheComprehensivePlan.

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Imagery ©2016 Commonwealth of Virginia, DigitalGlobe, USDA Farm Service Agency, Map data ©2016 Google 100 ft

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Southeast Route 36/295 Quadrant | Candidate Sites for Small Area Plan Areas

The sub-area for the shopping center and contiguous properties has high-density, commercialredevelopment potential and contains over sixteen acres and is designated as Area “A” (see exhibitbelow).IfredevelopedinaunifiedmannerataFAR=0.20,thistractwouldyieldapproximately140,000squarefeetofretailspace.Areas“B”and“C”contain24.3acresand8.3acres,respectively.IfArea“B”were to be developed for high density residential (14-16 units/acre) in a TND format, it couldaccommodatebetween300and400garden-styledmultifamilydwellings.Area“C”,asmallareaofwhichis currently developed, would have the capacity for an additional 30,000-50,000 square feet ofcommercialspace. Tobetterrecognizetherelationshipof thesesub-areas, it is recommendedthattheCity initiateaSmallAreaPlantoevaluateoptionsforthecomprehensiveredevelopmentofthesethreeproperties. The plan should emphasize the need for internal transportation interconnectivity andestablishanofficialmapalignmentfortheextension“ofAshlandStreet(seefollowingpage.)

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423 Feet

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¯Imagery, Copyright 2013

Commonwealth of Virginia

Redevelopmentopportunities,asdescribedontheprecedingpage,donotcomewithoutchallenges:TheAshlandStreetconnectiontotheColonialCornersiteisessentialtoensureareasonablequalityofaccess

andcapacityoftransportationservicesforthePriorityPlanningArea.

AshlandStreetConnector

If Priority PlanningArea 6 is to ever flourish as a viable commercial hub, the Citywill have to addresstrafficimpactshortcomingsinandaroundtheinterchange.Thedesignandlocationofthecurrentsinglefull access intersection is one contributor to the physical and economic inefficiency of the existingcommercialproperties. Adding to thearea’s transportationdeficiencies is the convolutedconvergencedesignofWoodlawnStreetandOaklawnBoulevardinsuchcloseproximitytotheI-295Interchange.Giventheincreasedtrafficgenerationpotentialfortheoptimalbuild-outoftheplanningarea,trafficwillfunction poorly at best without a transportation plan that includes alternative access. It has beenpreviouslydocumentedthattheexistingaccesspointsservingtheplanningareaare“limited,restricted,andconstricted”. Basedontechnical input fromtheCityEngineer, theprobabilityofmajorcongestionpointisacertaintyifamajoranchorstoreandotherhightrafficgeneratorslocateinthisquadrant.Amajorimprovementforthesoutheastquadrantofthe36/295CommercialCorridorDistrictwouldbetoproceedwith the long-discussedAshland Street connector to the Colonial Corner site (shown in photoexhibitabove).ThisextensionhasbeenselectedbyVDOTandtheMPOasaworthycandidatetoreceivefutureyearsfunding.TheCityneedstoproceedwithit.Forimmediateaction,theCitymustfinalizethetrafficimpactstudyandtransportationdesigndetailsfortheprojecttoensurethattheright-of-waycanbe securedwithout compromise.Any future sitedevelopment shouldeitheragree to: (1)dedicate theright-of-way, (2) build the extension, (3) build a portion of the extension, or (4) undertake somecombination of all these steps. Basedon transportation action plan recommendations, the connectorcould also be pursued via an economic development partnership between the City and developers.However,thisisaconnectionthatmustbemadetoensuretherevitalizationofthisplanningarea.

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Woodlawn | Oaklawn Commercial Corridor

Priority Planning Area 6:36/295 Corridor Commercial District

Woodlawn Street

Oaklawn Boulevard

Theone-waystreetsystem,comprisedofWoodlawnStreetandOaklawnBoulevard,providestheCity’saccesstotheInterstate295interchange.

Another transportationconcern for theplanningarea is theone-way,pairedstreet system(WoodlawnStreetandOaklawnBoulevard)thatprovidesprimaryCityaccesstotheInterstate295interchange.Thisaging corridor does not possess the sameentrance gatewayopportunities as foundonRoute 10. It isquestionablewhetherornottheneedforthepairedtransportationsystemis:(a)justifiedbycurrentandprojected traffic impacts, (b) capable of handling future impacts, (c) in the best interest of propertyowners’redevelopmentoptions,and(d)conducivetoimplementationoftheFutureLandUsePlan.

WoodlawnandOaklawncircumscribe“interiorblocks” ranging insize fromthreeto fiveacresormore,portions of which have undergone recent redevelopment, with others of characterized by a mix ofunderperforming land uses. Several of these blocks are ideally suited for single-purpose, “big box”retailers. Ontheotherhand,theblocksarenot ideallysuitedforsmallshoppingcentersgiventhattheretailbuildingorientationwouldneedtobebiasedtowardsadominantstreet(e.g.Oaklawn),leavingtherearofthecenter facingtheminorstreet (e.g.Woodlawn). However, theblockshavethepotential toservearangeofcommercialandmixed-usebuildingformats.Thetypicalblockhas375’x600’,anareaof5.2 acres. If developed at a single floor density of FAR= 0.20, the block could accommodate buildingfootprints totaling 45,000 square feet with adequate parking for 3.5-5.0 spaces/1000 square feet ofcommercialfloorarea.Theexistingmixofusesinthe“edgeblocks”northofWoodlawnStreetandsouthofOaklawnBoulevardhave only modest redevelopment potential given current regulations that constrain the depth of thecommercially zoned lots. Thus, the depth and other geometric characteristics of these lots are notfeasible for most contemporary retail uses. In response, the Future Land Use Plan recognizes thatcorridorcommercialusesareappropriateforthefulldepthoftheseblocks.Forinstance,theentiredepthof theWoodlawnStreetblockextends to the railroad,while theFLUPestablishesVirginiaStreetas thesoutherlyboundaryforcorridorcommercialandmixeduses.

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TheFutureLandUseMapcontinuestorecognizeRegionalCommercialasthepreferredformofdevelopmentattheRt.36/295interchange.The2018PlanaddsafocusonCorridorCommercialeastoftheinterchangetoensure

thatadequatelandandblockorientationareavailableforcontemporarycommercialprojects.

Imagery ©2016 Commonwealth of Virginia, DigitalGlobe, USDA Farm Service Agency, Map data ©2016 Google200 ft

Oaklawn / Woodlawn Block Configuration |""Long-Range Redevelopment Opportunities

Woodlawn Street

Oaklawn Boulevard

Virginia Street

Railroad

TheFutureLandUsePlan

priority planning area 6 - hopewell, virginia

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