Rhetson Companies, Inc., was met with opposition from the Mathews community Monday night as its project manager, John Parker, presented a conceptual plan the company is considering at Dutton, 1909 Buckley Hall Road beside FasMart.

The property is approximately 30 acres of vacant land. Surrounding property uses include residential homes, commercial businesses and places of worship. Rhetson said his goal for the project is to build multifamily dwellings, such as high-quality condos and townhouses, along with some small retail businesses and a storage facility.

Parker said that the company wants the project to be an amenity to the community by providing more housing and local shops. The company wants to construct something that would complement the entire area.

“We’re not proposing a strip mall,” Parker assured the assembled crowd of concerned residents Monday night at the Piankatank Ruritan Club, Hudgins.

The goal of the meeting was to address any questions or concerns surro...