On December 7, 2009, the Town of Orange Town Council held a public hearing on the Round Hill proposal. This project has been in discussion for over a decade in one form or another. In the past, the proposal failed to adequately address traffic, number of housing units, density and connection to the existing downtown resulting in continuous delays.

While there has been some improvement with the most recent application, many of the same issues still apply. These concerns were raised once again at the public hearing before the Planning Commission and were echoed before the Town Council. But regardless, the Town appears ready to approve the project in its current form. No vote was taken at the end of the hearing on December 7, however the Town Council approved the rezoning request at their January 19th meeting.

See below for more information, and a link to the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star newspaper article.

General:

Round Hill is a proposed mixed use development consisting of 750 residential units, over 500 of which would be apartments or town homes, and roughly 170,000 sq. ft. of commercial. It would be located on Rt. 15 at the northernmost boundary of the town of Orange (lands behind and adjacent to the Holiday Inn).

• While the town's comprehensive plan does call for a new community in the north part of the Town, referred to as "Uptown", we feel this speculative rezoning would compete with the marketability and redevelopment of the existing downtown. The proposal appears geared towards recruiting growth rather than meeting any foreseeable need.
• The development amounts to a more than 40% increase in existing housing units, with substantial transportation and fiscal impacts, and with serious implications for future land use.

Transportation:

Due to its location at the northern gateway of the Town of Orange (Rt. 15) and the overall number of units being proposed, it is critical for the town to acknowledge the traffic impact.

• Most traffic consultants use 10 trips per day per residence as the average for assessing impacts and making recommendations for mitigation. With the right mix of commercial and conditions on the development this number can be reduced. However, if we stick with the average, the 750 units at Round Hill would cause 7,500 trips per day at this location (from the residential portion only). This is more than 1,000 trips per day more than the estimated traffic from the recently approved Walmart on Route 3. What impact will this have on Town traffic? What offsite improvements (new roads, parking lots and upgrades) will be needed due to this increase?
• The plan for Round Hill includes three roundabouts at the access points to route 15. While PEC prefers the use of roundabouts over traffic lights, we question the overall number of access points directly to Rt. 15. The plan should be to limit access to Rt. 15 through a network of parallel streets in order to preserve the integrity of the road system while providing a pleasant gateway experience.

Land Use:

There are a number of impacts that are not adequately addressed by the current proposal:

• Proffers - No proffers are included for education and other County needs. The Town proffers are geared towards infrastructure only. Regardless of the Towns desire for this project, it must recognize the Joint Proffer Policy with the County. A typical county budget is 65-70% education. The County will be responsible for educating the children of this new community as well as providing a variety of services. While the Town's budget will not be affected, citizens of the Town pay both Town and County taxes.
• Phasing language - The language currently under consideration allows for 100 units per year. While it is doubtful the market will return anytime soon, the current plan allows for full buildout within 8 years, which could harm the ability of the Town and County to keep pace with the necessary infrastructure (schools, roads, water, sewer, etc).
• Zoning and Design - The conditions imposed must be enforceable. Since this rezoning appears more speculative than to meet any demonstrated need, it is essential that the for the Town to require sound and enforceable conditions to ensure future development will occurs in a manner consistent with current schematics and desires to retain its small town character.
• Density - We support density in the downtown core that supports (existing) commercial, future rail around the designated location in the Comp Plan and reduces infrastructure costs by concentrating development. But density at Round Hill in advance of investing in redevelopment of the core distracts and detracts from the Town's commitment to the downtown area. The Town should create incentives to attract development to the downtown core, before approving massive rezonings or seeking new development lands within the Joint Planning Area.
• Connection to Spicers Mill Road and Joint Planning Area (JPA) - The JPA is an agreement between Town and County to cooperate on the planning for future growth on County lands adjacent to the northwest corner of the Town. The current lack of proffers to address education and other County needs will have an impact on the ability for the Town and County to cooperate on future development within the JPA. It is essential for the Town and County to communicate their differences of opinion to ensure the community does not ultimately pay the price for a serious lack of cooperation.