Development calls for 2,850 homes
Folks in Ladysmith are getting 2,850 new neighbors.
The first could be here as early as this fall, said Jay Jarrell, the Spotsylvania County developer whose latest project, Ladysmith Village, got unanimous approval from the Caroline County Board of Supervisors last night.
Approval of the rezoning means that Caroline has approved 6,700 new homes in three large neighborhoods over the past two years. Previously approved were the 381-home Belmont subdivision and the 3,500-home Pendleton development, formerly known as Madison Village
Several people commented last night that the county may be unprepared for such growth–once the new homes are built, the county’s population will more than double.
But supervisors said they think Ladysmith Village is a quality development that is paying its own way.
“We have looked at the impact on schools,” Supervisor Calvin Taylor said to the half dozen who voiced objections to the project last night. “We have looked at the impact on growth. We have addressed every area talked about here tonight. I’m not a proponent of growth, but we have to be realistic.”
Ladysmith Village, first proposed last summer for 550 acres along U.S. 1, will consist of four interconnected neighborhoods, each with a mix of housing types and a central gathering place, such as a library, park, school or indoor recreation center.
Jarrell said last night he hopes to have a model home to show prospective buyers in the first neighborhood by this fall. It will be built around a new $1 million library.
The plans for Ladysmith Village were modeled after a portion of the county’s comprehensive plan that calls for Ladysmith to have a planned village with several different types of housing, a commercial center and some light industrial space.
Supervisor Wayne Acors, who represents Ladysmith, praised Jarrell for considering the type of development people in Caroline said they wanted to see.
“I believe this development comes as close as you can possibly come to developing Ladysmith into a village,” Acors said. “It can give us what we want as a community.”