Henderson planners reject office park developer for second time

Jeffrey Libby

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 10:36 a.m.

For a second time in less than three months, the Henderson Planning Commission voted down a proposed 88,000-square-foot office park on the corner of Sandy Ridge Avenue and Hickory Grove Circle.

Located between a growing commercial district and an established residential neighborhood, the undeveloped 11-acre site drew about 30 opposing residents to the Planning Commission meeting Thursday night.

The property is zoned for residential use.

Many residents said they bought their houses with the expectation that they would remain in a residential setting despite development. Others expressed concern at increased traffic and noise along Sandy Ridge, a 60-foot roadway that many residents say is already stretched to capacity.

"They can't offer us a service we don't already have. We have been convenienced out," resident Walter Norton told planners. "We neither want nor need any more convenience."

Plans from the developer, Sandy Ridge LLC, contained a one-story office and retail space when presented Thursday night. That was a change from September, when residents spoke out against a pair of proposed restaurants and a bar.

Commissioner Guy Van Wyck called the project "one of the least intensive" commercial projects he had seen proposed. But in a split 3-2 vote, the board denied the application.