HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- Hundreds of people packed Oak Knoll Middle School in Hanover County Thursday night, to learn more about a proposed Wegmans Distribution Center near Hanover County Airport.
"We actually heard about it from one of my coworkers," said Elizabeth Stahler.
Elizabeth and Robert Stahler were two of the people that showed up Thursday. They said they are soon to be Hanover County residents and were interested to learn more about what could be coming to their neighborhood.
"We had no idea about it," said Stahler. "So he figured this would be a good time to answer any questions we have or hear what people have to say about it."
Wegmans said the proposed $175 million distribution center would create over 700 jobs and take up more than a million square feet on land near Sliding Hill Road and Ashcake Road.
"This is nothing out of the ordinary. We looked at 15 different locations in Virginia and North Carolina," said a spokesperson for Wegmans. "We are in need of a new facility as we continue to grow further south."
But many of the people that showed up Thursday night are concerned. They said they fear the extra traffic will make the already small roads, more dangerous.
"I am very concerned about the traffic on Ashcake Road. It is a rural, narrow, windy little road. There are wrecks all the time," said one resident.
Hanover County leaders said they are planning to widen lanes on Sliding Hill Road, from Ashcake Road to it's intersection at Atlee Station Road. They said the improvements will allow more traffic during the busiest travel times.
"My house shakes already when trucks go by, what am I going to do when their are 275 of them going by an hour," another resident said.
At least two public hearings will be held on the proposed project. The Planning Commission will hold the first public hearing on Thursday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. They will make a recommendation on the case to the Board of Supervisors.
The Board of Supervisors will also hold a public hearing sometime in March. They will make a final decision on the case.
For complete information on the proposed project, click here.
