Debate Over County Land Purchase Continues

A months old controversy about how much the County of Henrico should pay for 205 acres of land off Kain Road is being resurrected this Tuesday at a hearing before the Board of Supervisors. The board will consider purchasing the land for $24.4 million dollars. The site will be used for a future park, school, fire station, and county fueling facility.

The controversy over the land purchase began months ago when the county considered a deal to buy the land parcel for $26.7 million, which was not only $2.3 million more than the later offer, but almost twice what a local developer paid for an adjacent, comperable piece of land.

Henrico County Tuckahoe District Supervisor Patricia O’Bannon voiced her concerns about the county paying too much for the property, suggesting they use the power of eminent domain, where the county could condemn the property and force its sale, effectively reducing the total purchase price. An independent land appraisal valued the land significantly less than the county’s reduced offer- a mere $18 million.

The county is proactively pursuing the land ahead of a development explosion expected to hit the Kain Road area as soon as the county constructs the planned Gayton Road extension that will connect West Broad Street to Pouncey Tract Road at its intersection with Shady Grove Road. The area is almost completely undeveloped  at the current time, aside from a few homes on large plots of land zoned as A1 (agricultural district).

The board will vote on the issue at their monthly meeting Tuesday night at the Western Government Center on Parham Road at 7:00 PM. The hearing is open to the general public.