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Vol. 36, No. 41 | Richmond Suburban News | January 6, 2021
Wegmans’ project: Brown Grove concerns gain legislators’ support
Light Up!
By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
Joel Klein/The Local
Sara Wright-Holloway and Jennifer Morris of Ashland provided their own lights to light up the tracks on New Year's Eve. The Downtown Ashland Association did celebrate the month-long Light Up the Tracks heading into 2021. With a year filled with social distancing and many cancellations due to COVID-19, the tradition continued, albeit in a smaller fashion, for the town that loves trains.
RICHMOND -- A handful of Virginia legislators are adding their names to an effort to dissuade the Department of Environmental Quality from issuing a permit allowing construction of a food distribution center on a site near the historic community of Brown Grove in Hanover County. Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-31, issued a press release earlier last month outlining her objections to the proposed permit approval and the environmental justice issues associated with the permit approval. Wegmans announced late last year its intention to build the distribution center on 217 acres located near the Hanover Airport and adjacent to Brown Grove. Neighboring residents immediately organized to fight the project, citing those environmental concerns, disputed wetlands delineations, and other quality of life issues. “For decades the Brown Grove community has faced industrialization — first a highway, then an airport, then a truck stop, then a suburban development, a concrete plant, a landfill, and now a 1.7 million-square-foot distribution center,” Guzman wrote in a social media post.
Guzman said the effects of such a massive project run deeper than just the physical destruction of the areas surrounding Brown Grove. “This isn’t only about historic legacy, it’s also about the environment and quality of life for residents. The distribution center would destroy the wetlands surrounding the Brown Grove community, lower the
to join her in signing a petition to oppose the application. “Allowing the Wegmans Distribution Center to be built here would destroy over 150 years of history and the environment and air quality for the local community. We can’t allow this injustice to continue. Stop the industrialization of the Brown Grove community by signing our petition today,”
“This isn’t only about historic legacy, it’s also about the environment and quality of life for residents. The distribution center would destroy the wetlands surrounding the Brown Grove community, lower the air quality, create noise pollution, and bring increased traffic to the area.” DEL. ELIZABETH GUZMAN D-31
air quality, create noise pollution, and bring increased traffic to the area,” Guzman said. “The quality of life concerns are so bad that families fear their children will leave the area after generations of living in Brown Grove.” Brown Grove is a community steeped in historical significance serving as home to a group of slaves freed shortly after the Civil War. Guzman urged supporters
she wrote on Facebook. She contends the project should be delayed until environmental justice issues can be reviewed by the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice. In a letter to DEQ director David Paylor, Guzman urged that a revised permit not be issued for the project, citing the recent recalculation of wetlands on the property that would be affected by the
project and the environmental justice concerns. Original surveys indicated that only 6.12 acres would be disturbed by the construction, but revised estimates placed that number at 14.8 acres. “The permit must be denied because the wetlands delineation incorrectly states the amount of wetlands impacted,” Guzman wrote in the letter. At its December meeting, the State Water Control Board decided to schedule a special meeting regarding the Wegmans application on Jan. 22. Del. Mark Keam, D-35; Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-86; and Del. Sam Rasoul, D-11; also signed on to Guzman’s letter, and others voiced support for the Brown Grove community. “The food distribution center has the opportunity to bring jobs to Hanover County, but it must be located in a place that respects community voices, history, and the environment,” Sen. Jennifer McClellan. D-9, said in a press release. Brown Grove was founded by freed slave Caroline Morris, and many of the current residents trace their family roots to Morris. For almost 150 years, see WEGMANS, pg. 8