Gray Land sails through
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

The Gray Land and Development Company LLC rezoning was approved unanimously by the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors last week. The large development on the northwestern border of the Watkins Centre at the intersection of Route 288 and Midlothian Turnpike will create 1,600 homes and 350,000 square feet of commercial development.

Like the public hearing before the planning commission last month, no citizen spoke before the board. The developer for the 288-acre site will pay the maximum proffer of $15,600 per condominium, townhouse and single-family home built except for agerestricted housing.

In addition to its internal road network, the development, called the Village of Westchester, will include the widening of a portion of Route 60 and Huguenot Springs Road and improved access to Route 288.

Westchester also received the unanimous endorsement of the planning commission and was recommended for approval by the planning department. But Chesterfield planners also noted that the residential densities of 2.9 homes per acre in a section of the plan were almost three times higher than what the 288 Corridor Plan recommended. The developer is also providing slightly less parking than normal for both the residential and commercial parcels.

Using on neo-traditional design, some buildings would house commercial businesses on the first floor with multifamily housing above.

Midlothian Village

The board also unanimously approved the Towns at Midlothian Village, a neo-traditional townhouse development fronting on North Woolridge Road across from Walton Park. The project, which calls for 175 townhouses on 22 acres, had the support of the Village of Midlothian Coalition.

"We clearly support this case," said Executive Director Amy Satterfield. "[It has] quality downtown architecture...which we have worked 17 years for."

Last month, by a 3-2 vote, the commission recommended approval, but Principal Planner Darla Orr recommended denial because there "was no integration with adjacent properties," and the rezoning represented "piecemeal development of the Village core."

The site was zoned R-9 and light industrial. Attorney Will Shewmake, speaking as a private citizen, said the Midlothian Village Plan "is 17 years old and needs revision."

"A village needs people," Midlothian Supervisor Terri Beirne said simply in motioning for approval.

Watermark Town Center

Following the lead of the commission and county planners, the board also unanimously voted to approve the Watermark Town Center, another neo-traditional planned development of 112 acres off Route 10, just north of Route 288. The infill development will include 220,000 square feet of office and retail space and 650 townhouses and other multifamily housing up to six stories high.

The developer will pay the full cash proffer of $15,600 per unit, but receive credit for 144 homes because part of the land was previously zoned for R-7. At build-out, the development is expected to be home to 110 children attending Chesterfield schools. Housing prices will start at $300,000.

County planners recommended against the rezoning because the housing would be too dense, not have the required parking and the area plan did not recommend multifamily north of Route 288.

Infill housing

No one spoke at the public hearing for a single-family development planned by developer Mark Sower on 22 acres northeast of the intersection of the Powhite Parkway and Courthouse Road. Sower will pay the full proffer of $15,600 per 12,000square-foot lot unless a drainage study allows a reduced proffer to $11,225.