Our once rural community is becoming increasingly unrecognizable due to the inability of our county officials to say no to “Anywhere, USA” development. Instead, they are approving inappropriate developments and ignoring the pleas of the community they represent to think intelligently and act responsibly in making development decisions.

To date, the Hanover Planning Department and the developer continue to offer an inaccurate traffic impact analysis, pointing to a future of intolerable traffic on already overburdened roads. The proposed residential and commercial development at the intersection of Rte. 54, Woodside Ln and Providence Church Rd will bring 79,000+ sq. ft. of commercial, and retail that includes a convenience store with 16 fueling stations, one restaurant, two story office space, and more. The residential part includes 100 condo units. This alone will add an additional 7,120 vehicle trips per day. And, If you add the traffic from East Ashland, which was approved back in 2010 and is adjacent to Hickory Grove, the combined vehicle trips per day mushrooms to 35,000-40,000 between Providence Church Road and Exit 92.

By ignoring the future impact of East Ashland traffic, the county is underestimating the developer's road cash contributions, transferring the burden to the taxpayers. In the end, it all spells gridlock and noise for Rte. 54 area neighborhoods: Jamestown Road, Woodside Estates, Providence, and Burleigh Drive.

To read more on the traffic analysis, please visit:

https://hanoversfuture.org

So, please, support this effort to stop the interstate corridor development that threatens Eastern Rte. 54. If it isn't stopped now, it will surely destroy the natural beauty of this area and degrade the corridor linking historic Ashland and Hanover Courthouse district.

Thank you.