Two months after passing a resolution in support of right-turn-only access from Route 10 into the 2023-approved Grange at 10Main subdivision, Smithfield’s Town Council passed a similar resolution on Nov. 6 related to a separate proposed commercial development that would include a car wash.

The Route 10 Bypass, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation, was constructed as a limited access highway, meaning it was designed for through traffic. Any break in the traffic flow to accommodate a tapered turn lane or new intersection must be approved by Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board, which can only act if the locality passes a formal resolution supporting it.

According to Smithfield Community Development and Planning Director Tammie Clary, the latest proposed break would facilitate a fourth leg of the currently three-way intersection of Benns Church Boulevard and South Church Street, allowing Church Street motorists to continue straight, or Benns Church motorists to turn left or right, into an access road that would serve a prospective development slated for a 14-acre parcel adjacent to the former Smithfield Rite Aid.

The adopted resolution, which passed unanimously, identifies Hutton Smithfield VA ST LLC as the developer of what’s been named the “Cypress Crossing” development for its proposed location near Benns Church Boulevard’s intersection with Cypress Crossing and Gumwood Drive.

The resolution states Hutton has “provided a global traffic study to support the request to provide primary access at the signalized intersection of Benns Church Boulevard and S. Church Street” with “a second access located at the unslignalized intersection of Benns Church Boulevard and Cypress Crossing/Gumwood Drive intersection, with proposed modifications to restrict side street left-turn movements.”

The resolution further asserts Hutton has “proposed a conceptual plan of development for the property depicting a signalized access and associated intersection improvements and proposed right-of-way acquisition along U.S. Route 10 Bypass to support an exclusive right-turn lane and direct access to the public right-of-way to support the limited access break, all of which would be funded exclusively by Hutton Smithfield VA ST, LLC.” These improvements are “depicted on the site concept plan entitled “Cypress Crossing “ prepared by Timmons Group, and dated March 13, 2024,” the resolution states.

“We have a preliminary plat for the area, but we do not have any overall conceptual plans,” Clary said. “The only site plans that we do have that’s under review would be the Modwash, which is being accessed on the Cypress Crossing entrance.”

According to State Corporation Commission filings, Hutton Smithfield VA ST LLC formed on Nov. 1 of this year. Its articles of organization list a principal address of 736 Cherry St., Chattanooga, Tennessee, which corresponds to the corporate offices of its parent company, known just as Hutton.

Hutton’s website describes the business as “a national developer, capital source and joint venture partner” and the parent company of Modwash, which describes itself on its own website as “the fastest-growing car wash company in the U.S.”

To date, Modwash has established Virginia locations in Danville, Lynchburg and Tappahannock and its website lists a Smithfield location as “coming soon.”

Councilman Mike Smith and Vice Mayor Valerie Butler each questioned why the limited access break resolution was coming to the council prior to final approval of the proposed Cypress Crossing development, rather than after as had been the case with the Grange.

“With the Grange they came to us after the fact and this is kind of before,” Butler said. “We had already approved the Grange and we just approved their access recently.”

Town Manager Michael Stallings said the benefit of passing the resolution beforehand would be “if somebody came to the table they already know whether VDOT would grant them access or not.”

“And again it makes logical sense that there would eventually be a fourth leg there versus some other access to that parcel,” Stallings said.

“This is in the long-term highway plan,” Town Attorney Bill Riddick said. “It’s been there for, I couldn’t even tell you, but … we’ve spent a lot of money redesigning that whole intersection and improving that with the idea that there would be a crossover onto that property at some point in the future. It’s suitable for development and it’ll be built at the developer’s expense, not at any cost to the town or the state.”