Residents question Courthouse Rd. plan
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

Almost 150 residents turned out last week at Monacan High School to hear about the proposed Northern Courthouse Road Community Plan, with dozens of them asking specific questions about how it might affect their property. Members of the Planning Commission and planning staff reassured citizens that the plan was a guide and would not change any zoning without a request by the property owner.

Some citizens question the need for updating the area plan, stretching from just south of Midlothian Turnpike almost to Hull Street Road, but state law requires counties to keep comprehensive plans current. The Courthouse Road plan covers 50 square miles, incorporating four previous plans that were up to 21 years old.

Once just a two-lane road, Courthouse Road is now 4-6 lanes with traffic counts as high as 50,000 vehicles daily. Southbound traffic backups during rush hour are notorious at Hull Street, and many citizens want relief, but the problem is money or rather the lack of it. State funding for road improvements is almost nil, and the county is hoping for road proffers from development to widen sections of Courthouse from four to six lanes.

"Proffers won't pay for all [Courthouse Road] improvements, because development won't occur suddenly," cautioned Assistant Transportation Director Jim Banks. He held out the possibility of some county road money from the secondary road fund, but that funding would have to compete with road needs countywide.

There is a future plan to widen Lucks Lane to four lanes from Courthouse to Charter Colony Parkway, but that improvement is years away, because no money has been allocated.

"I'm opposed to any more development on Courthouse Road," said resident Tim Keener. His remark produced spontaneous applause from many citizens.

The plan approved by the Planning Commission has less development than what the Planning Department wants. For example, the commission wants the 81-acre Moody tract south of Midlothian Turnpike to remain privately-held open space. If the state allows Moody to be sold, planners recommend that it be zoned for commercial mixed use and office/residential.

The plan encourages aggregation-two or more adjacent property owners getting together to file a rezoning request. That would allow owners of older homes, close to Courthouse Road because of the road widening, to convert their homes to office zoning or sell the property with a higher value. Whether proffers would be required and the proffer amount has not been determined.

Some longtime citizens oppose this option because they fear it would mean more traffic congestion. According to Planning Director Kirk Turner, a home conversion to office could produce less traffic.

Some residents were concerned that the phrase "affordable housing" in the plan was code for subsidized housing. State government has mandated that all local governments have affordable housing plans, and each revised Chesterfield comprehensive plan will have an affordable housing provision. A Planning Commission study committee is continuing work on the issue.

The next step is a possible public hearing in November by the Planning Commission. Its recommendation would be forwarded to the county board for a final decision.