The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors met in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium Tuesday night to accommodate an anticipated crowd of Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad members and concerned residents who attended to voice opposition of the suggestion of an external request for proposals (RFP) study for the future Station 1 location.

Several citizens also showed up to voice their opinions on a contentious rezoning case located north of Riverbend Apartments and Zandler Way.

The board voted 5-0, with members Ken Gibson and Kevin Smith absent, to exempt GVFRS Station 1 from an external RFP study and to fund the construction of a new firehouse on Main Street as soon as possible.

Board members also approved, by the same 5-0 margin, the rezoning of a 0.93-acre parcel from SC-1 (Suburban Countryside) to B-1 (Business). The rest of the property is already zoned B-1 and this will allow the development of a Sheetz convenience store/gas station easier for the property owner. A Sheetz could still technically be built at that location without the rezoning since most of the property is zoned for business. However, the extra acreage would allow for a smoother development process.

During public comment, GVFRS members and citizens alike came to the podium to support the construction of a firehouse on the property previously purchased and cleared for that purpose on Main Street. The current GVFRS station is also located on Main Street.

GVFRS Chief J.D. Clements was the first to speak on the need for the new firehouse, which would provide Station 1 with additional space. This space is especially needed in order to store new equipment, which is scheduled to be in the department’s possession next year.

“We should’ve had a firehouse a long time ago,” said Clements.

“Most of our calls are right inside the Court House area,” said Joseph Lenderman of GVFRS, arguing that Station 1 needs to remain on Main Street.

According to Lenderman, a lot of these calls come from the nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and residences of older adults in the Court House area. Moving the station off Main Street would likely result in an increase in GVFRS response times.

“We have already spent a considerable amount of money,” he continued. He said that $2.2 million has been spent so far on the development of this project on Main Street which includes the purchase of the property.

Sean McNulty said that Main Street is a convenient location for GVFRS volunteers. “They’re close to Station 1 on Main Street,” said McNulty, stating that many volunteers live or work close by.

According to McNulty, 40 volunteers only have one traffic light to traverse to get to the station and five have no traffic lights on their way to the station.

“Our recruitment is going to go down,” said McNulty, arguing that volunteers would be less likely to join if the station was moved off Main Street.

GVFRS volunteers and residents alike agreed that they enjoyed the presence of the station on Main Street for the community experience. The station doors are open for special events like the Homecoming Parade, Daffodil Festival and Halloween trick-or-treating, as well as on ordinary days for community members who are interested in learning more about what the GVFRS volunteers do. Having close community relations is one major way GVFRS recruits new volunteers.

Only a few called for an independent, external study to ensure Main Street is the right place for Station 1.

Board member Tony Nicosia, who served with GVFRS for a number of years, stated that “the fire department put in a whole lot of work” over the years when trying to decide where its new station 1 should be located.

“And we kept coming back to the place we’ve always been,” said Nicosia. GVFRS has been located on Main Street since 1946.

The board voted, 5-0, to exempt GVFRS Station 1 from an external RFP study for the new station location and to fund the construction of the new fire station as soon as possible.

Rezoning

Many residents also voiced their thoughts on a rezoning case that would allow an easier process for a Sheetz to be developed north of Riverbend Apartments and Zandler Way.

The board ultimately voted, 5-0, to rezone the less than one acre of land from SC-1 to B-1 so developers could more easily construct a Sheetz at that location. The rest of the property planned to be turned into a Sheetz was already zoned for business.

Board member Phillip Baz-zani expressed his support for the new business as its presence will generate tax income for the county.

“It alleviates the tax burden [for citizens],” said Bazzani.

According to site plans, the Sheetz would have ethanol-free gas available and would also serve as an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. This would also be the first Sheetz in Hampton Roads.

“We don’t need another gas station,” said Gloucester resident Scott Barrett. “Not at this time.”

“I look for a Sheetz because it’s a safe place for me to take my family,” said William Wittenbrook about his rest stop choices when traveling. He said Sheetz locations, in his experience, have had plenty of bathrooms, inexpensive gas, a variety of food options and sufficient security.

Some residents voiced their concern over having another gas station in the county, seeing its proposed presence as an attack on Gloucester’s rural character.

“We don’t care if we have to pay a little more to keep Gloucester, Gloucester,” said Brandon Bailey, stating that he did not mind the county not receiving the tax revenue from the business in exchange for Gloucester remaining a little more rural.

“We can’t tell them what to do,” said board member Dr. Robert “JJ” Orth about the developers. Since the majority of the property is already zoned for business, the construction of the Sheetz, or another gas station, is already allowed by-right. The rezoning for the 0.93 acres would simply allow the development of the Sheetz to be smoother.