POQUOSON, Va. (WVEC) -- More than 500 homes and 40,000 square feet of retail space will be built on land off Victory Boulevard in Poquoson.
City Council voted 6-0 Monday night to allow the development of 101 acres in part of the Big Woods.
The project, called Legacy of Poquoson, will be a mixed-use development that will feature single-family houses, townhomes and apartments as well as specialty shops, community centers and green space.
Dozens of people attended the city council meeting for public hearings related to the development. An overflow crowd watched from another room.
Many of the people who spoke did not support the project, which planners believe will have several benefits, including broadening the city's tax base.
"I would just like you to take into account why we love this area, and we don't want extra people here," one speaker said. "We don't. We don't."
"Have you looked around Poquoson lately at all the houses that are for sale?" a woman asked. "Why are we going to add more to a town that already has a bunch for sale?"
One of the project's supporters said, "I like having people that can live in close proximity to one another -- young and old together -- and I believe this development offers that opportunity to many people."
When completed, Legacy of Poquoson is expected to bring roughly 200 new students to Poquoson City Public Schools, which the school division said it can handle. The system's current enrollment is 500 to 600 students fewer than what is considered optimum.
The developer, The Big Woods Development Company, LLC., said it will provide $250,000 to add a traffic light and address traffic issues at the entrance to the development if a study deems them necessary. If not, the company will give the city $100,000 for other traffic improvements related to the development.
