Capital Up Investments, LLC wants to rezone about 10 acres split between two parcels at 16644 and 16660 Mountain Road in Montpelier to make way for a shopping center with three retail strip buildings and two office buildings. The project is to be called Montpelier Villa.
The county’s planning commission unanimously recommended their rezoning application on Thursday, April 16. The requests now head to the Board of Supervisors for final approval on Wednesday, May 27.
You may know some of the principals in the firm. According to a past news story they are:
- Giuseppe Giambanco, president of Capital Up and an agent with Hometown Realty | HTR Commercial and co-owner of Roma’s Italian Restaurant in Henrico County
- Massimo Giambanco, owner of Tony’s Italian Restaurant in Innsbrook, is the vice president
- Anthony Giambanco, owner of Roma’s Italian Restaurant
- Vincenzo Sanzone, owner of Portofino Ristorante Italiano in Montpelier
- Roberto Gallina, owner of Roberto’s Italian Restaurant in Sandston
- Filippo Morici, owner of Black Paw Marketing
- Jimmy Koontz, owner of Koontz Paint & Body Works
- Johnny Ingargiola, owner of Roma’s Italian Restaurant, and Simona’s Pizza and Subs in Petersburg
- Vito Gallina, owner of Roma’s Italian Restaurant in King William
- Salvo Passalaqua, owner of Colonial Italian Restaurant in Colonial Heights and Croce Monterosso La Casetta Italian Restaurant in North Carolina
Keep Montpelier Rural, Inc. (KMR) is not opposed to this project because:
- The location of the development, 16644 and 16660 Mountain Road in Montpelier, is adjacent to the Montpelier Feed & Seed strip center, and across Mountain Road from the Food Lion shopping center
- This location and design appear to be in accordance with the tenets set forth by (KMR)
- Comments and actions by the participating citizens of Montpelier on past such development indicate that any future commercial development be contained in this already commercial part of the village
For those reasons we don’t object to having this project built in the proposed location.
But (and there’s always a but), the development group, Capital Up Investments, LLC, has already put out feelers for tenants, kicking off conversations with Advance Auto Parts and eyeing some fast-food franchises to help fill out the shopping center.
KMR would oppose Advance Auto Parts or any similar national chain as they would directly compete with an established business – NAPA Auto Parts next to the post office..
Our opposition to any fast-food chain would include the likelihood of noise, congestion, trash and litter concerns and the competitive advantage they would have over our locally-owned food choices, including Portofino.
Regardless of our position on this development, KMR is encouraging you to make yours known to the Board of Supervisors before and at their Wednesday, May 27 meeting.
The design of the building does not appeal to me as „Virginia rural“, I would also suggest the board see Montpelier as a whole and have a development concept for it, otherwise Montpelier is going to look like Courthouse Road in Stafford pretty soon. I agree that we do not any fast food restaurants or more auto parts stores.
I think it would be great . We need some fast food places in Montpelier . Tired of half to drive to the city . It be nice if it was a Wendy’s or hardees. I think it would be good for Montpelier. I approve of it
This has no place in Montpelier. There’s plenty of vacancy in Ashland and abandoned buildings along Route 1. Stop the urban sprawl. Land is not a renewable resource. Short Pump is close enough and had more than enough. There’s already an auto parts store and there’s local restaurants, no need for fast food that you can get on your way in and out of the other localities. And who’s going to work in those office buildings? Next thing you know there’s more housing developments popping up.
I fully agree!
Do not agree with a NEED for this in Montpelier.
I agree with you. People move out here to be in the country and then want all the conveniences of the city. It’s not necessary!
This is horrifying. If we had wanted to live in UGLY Mechanicsville, we would have moved to Mechanicsville. Supervisors have already allowed one characterless strip mall that in no way matches buildings in Montpelier and the surrounding area. Please, no more strip malls!
If we wanted to live in Mechanicsville we would have done it 25 years ago! We don’t need a strip mall and/or the development of fast food restaurants. Once this starts there will not be an end to it. Seek out vacant buildings in other areas in Ashland, etc. We don’t want it and sure as heck don’t need it!!
Please do NOT approve for this strip mall to be built in beautiful rural Montpelier.
Look at what happened at Short Pump once development started. This is a classic example of the camel getting his nose under the tent. You cannot have malls and stores right in your backyard and still maintain a truly rural environment. It’s sort of like being a little bit pregnant, you can’t have it both ways.
Keep it rural, no strip mall. So much is lost and once it is, it cannot be regained.
Just something to keep in mind. It seems that rezoning works by having your district supervisor voting against it while all 6 others vote in favor of it (see the debacle happening with the Wegmans distribution center_. You should look up the “fox head follows wegmans” group on facebook. See if you can work together with those guys. Our Board has been using divide an conquer for techniques for years and we are well on our way to losing everything that makes Hanover special.
Hanover doesn’t do a good job with development . Sorry but they really don’t . Look at Atlee Elmont the AirPark . They don’t own the roads and for some unknown reason ” accept ” whatever VDOT leaves them .Oh does this bring up another topic. Rt33 , Mountain Rd.? What’s the plan for the increased traffic? Another case in point Anderson Mill . Beautiful roads in the subdivision. If you try to drive the Rubicon trail the Board allowed the developer to build, to keep traffic off Anderson Mills pristein private roads? Make sure your AAA membership is paid up .
With the economic hardships we are all going to face in the near future ,my Vote is No , not at this time . There has to be a plan for 33 and tenants other than box anchors .
Or are we in another situation like Wegmans ? Ground has already been broken ?
Excellent questions and observations!
Keep it rural. We don’t need strip malls.
It seems that the planning commission and Hanover BOS won’t be happy until they have covered up every field, farm, wetland, and rural parcel in all of Hanover County. It’s infuriating that these decisions are made fast and furious without any regard to what their constituents think. I encourage the citizens to look into a full recall of the BOS and if that doesn’t pan out, please elect someone new as your supervisor! Some of these folks have been on the BOS since the dawn of time. Time for new blood to step in that actually respects the voices of the community and isn’t swayed by dollar signs.