The Louisa County Board of Supervisors will decide Monday, April 28 whether or not to approve a request by the developers of a planned urban development on Rt. 208 to increase the number of condominium units from 96 to 114. Supervisors are scheduled to make the decision during Unfinished Business after tabling the application that requested an increase of 96 to 124 units at its first meeting in January. In this iteration of the application, the developer has returned with more proffers that address County needs (funding for defibrillators in public safety vehicles) and dropped his request to 114 units.
Supervisors deferred action on the initial request by LA Resort, LLC to build more condos on Lake Anna back in January after one board member called the developer’s presentation “insulting.”
To entice Supervisors to support an increase in residential density, LA Resort, LLC developer Mike Grossman offered a package of cash proffers: a pair of $28,000 donations to the Foundation for Lake Anna Emergency Services and the Fluvanna-Louisa Housing Foundation.
Grossman’s presentation sparked the ire of Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, who noted he found some of Grossman’s comments “insulting” and called his proffers “paltry.”
“I’m appalled that you’re standing here asking for a 29.1 percent increase [in the number of condos]… and you come here and make claims like ‘we go from 12 units to 40 units and the traffic count is going to go down.’ You are going to be selling 28 additional units for the sum of maybe $28 million, and you want to offer a paltry $56,000 in proffers. I don’t know [whether] you think that we are a bunch of dumb country bumpkins that just got off here. I’d much rather you say, ‘we’d like to maximize the profits. We’d like to put more money in our pockets, and that’s why we need the additional 28 units,’” Williams said.
Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, who represents the district where the PUD is, said that, like Williams, he couldn’t support a 30 percent increase in the number of units. He suggested that Grossman ask the board to defer action so LA Resort LLC could work with the county on potentially reducing its request and beefing up its cash proffers.
“I’m happy to work with you to see if there’s something that would be more palatable to the board and to the neighborhood,” he said.
Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes made the motion to defer action, which passed 6-1 with Supervisor Williams dissenting as he preferred a vote that night.
The original development plan was approved by the LCBS July 11, 2024 for 96 units.
Now though, the decision-making process could be affected after the applicant added an addendum to proffer conditions that includes $1,111 per sold unit to facilitate automated external defibrillator (AED) placement in fire, EMS and police vehicles.
Other proffers noted in the most recent Louisa County Board of Supervisors Agenda packet include for every additional residential dwelling unit approved and an occupancy permit issued above 96: 1) a monetary contribution of $500 to the Fluvanna & Louisa Housing Foundation. Said contribution shall be paid within 30 days of the date the addendum is entered, 2) a $5,060 donation to the Fluvanna & Louisa Housing Foundation for every residential dwelling unit approved and an occupancy permit issued over the 96-unit count, and 3) a monetary contribution of $500 to the Foundation for Lake Anna Emergency Services, paid within 30 days of the date the addendum is entered.
The Lake Anna PUD consists of 15.277 acres of land on Rt. 208 just before the Rt. 208 bridge, opposite of Lake Anna Island where developers aim to build a 130-key hotel, boat slips/marina for guests with more than 62,000 square feet of overwater structure, a restaurant/bar accompanied by retail space and the 114 condos. These structures have been approved to reach six stories high.
The PUD would send wastewater across Rt. 208 to the Lake Anna Water Treatment Plant. The developer has agreed to a $1,000,000 contribution for plant upgrades to accommodate additional capacity and the PUD’s ongoing usage fees/revenue associated with utilizing a significant portion of the plant’s capacity. The additional WWTP capacity could allow the County to attract other desirable high-quality development partners in the corridor,
In his application Grossman noted that “Due to the full implementation of the increased number of units from 96 to 114, the study suggests the overall traffic count would increase by 119 daily trips. There is no expected impact on public schools. Unit purchasers are unlikely to be primary home purchasers with school-aged children. The unit purchasers are expected to be active adult (over 55) primary home purchasers, 2nd home purchasers, and vacation home investment purchasers. The 18-unit increase is expected to have a small impact on fire and EMS. The revised proffer conditions address this impact.”
Grossman also noted in his application, “The Lake Anna PUD residential condominium supports the 2040 Comprehensive Plan vision by supporting the Lake Anna Growth Area’s Route 208 corridor’s desire to encourage ‘high-quality residential and commercial development with a density higher than in other parts of this growth area.’”
Patrick Gallagher, president of the Foundation for Lake Anna Emergency Service noted in a recent email communication to the LCBS: “In reviewing the Agenda packet, I see Lake Anna Resort LLC has generously included the Foundation for Lake Anna Emergency Services among others in their proffer… I am unable to attend the April 28 meeting, however, I wish to say again Lake Anna Resort LLC has been a good corporate neighbor, and their proffer reflects their intention to support the entire Louisa County community.”
Phil Winston, a long time Lake Anna resident, outspoken critic of the Lake Anna resort project and adjoining property owner told Lake Anna Life & Times, “I’m against any more units, period. We already took this project up to an additional height, and I didn’t like how that was done.”
