County prepares for major retailers

By Hannah Wever
Review Staff Writer

Published: May 22, 2008

When it comes to retail, the Orange County Board of Supervisors doesn’t necessarily believe bigger is better, so they’ve begun working on a large retail used ordinance in order to regulate future retail development.
Under the proposed ordinance, super-sized retailers, whose site plans exceed 60,000 square feet will have to go through a special use permit process before they can locate in Orange County. The board of supervisors, as the final say in SUP approval, will have final input on design features.
Orange County Director of Community Development David Grover presented a draft of the ordinance to the large retail use ordinance at last week’s board of supervisors meeting.
Grover said he’d searched other localities’ codes—without success—for a similar ordinance.
“But they were all curious to see what we would do,” he said.
Per the proposed ordinance, any corporation seeking to bring a “big-box” store to Orange County would be subject to compliance on architectural, landscaping, lighting, signage, parking and maintenance specifications.
“Big box” refers to national retail chains whose stores sprawl over an enormous footprint, (like Walmart, Lowe’s, Target and others). District 3 Supervisor Teel Goodwin said according to Lowe’s corporate design, the minimum square footage for new store construction is 150,000 square feet. In comparison, the town of Orange’s Food Lion store is around 45,000 square feet.
Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Johnson had concerns that the proposed ordinance could backfire, dissuading otherwise welcome additions to the retail community—grocery stores, for example—who would otherwise consider locating in Orange.
“If you’re trying to restrict all retail, I think this would do a good job of it,” Johnson said. The ordinance’s intent was to “keep a massive national retailer from coming in and slamming down their corporate box,” Johnson said. “We need to do a surgical strike here and go for this one specific thing.”
Intentionally specific language in the ordinance could clear up any vagueness, Grover confirmed.
“We could easily do that by modifying the definition,” he said.
District 5 Supervisor Lee Frame said similar measures should be taken to address commercial and industrial development, as well as retail.
“We have more pressing things that have generated an interest in this,” Grover replied ominously.
The ordinance has been sent to the Orange County Planning Commission, and a public hearing is scheduled for June 5 at 7:15 p.m. in the Gordon Building Meeting Room.

Only last month, tentative plans for mega-retailers like Wal-Mart and Lowe’s were announced as part of a colossal mixed-use development on Route 3 in Orange County. Mike’s Glass and Mirror owner Mike Willis said he was contacted last year by a Fredericksburg-area developer with an interest in building a Wal-Mart.
“I priced it, but I haven’t heard back from them,” Willis said. The building containing Mike’s Glass and Mirror is one of two Willis owns adjacent to the Colonial Square Shopping Center on Route 15 within the town of Orange limits.
Willis said he was still willing to consider selling, but he doesn’t know the details of any potential major retail developments.
He’s heard rumors, he said, that there are still plans to build where his buildings are currently standing, and on the 100 acres behind them.
“It’s big, whatever it is,” he said.