More townhouses rejected for Midlothian Town Center
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

The Chesterfield Planning Commission is not recommending swapping commercial development for more townhouses at Midlothian Town Center, a New Urbanism project approved earlier this year in the northwest quadrant of Winterfield Road and Midlothian Turnpike in the village of Midlothian. Changes to the earlier rezoning require going through the county approval process. During the commission's Nov. 16 meeting, nearly everyone wanted the revised rezoning deferred except the applicant, Wintervest, LLC.

Even attorney Will Shewmake, who represents the applicant, was surprised to learn the case would proceed and not be deferred. Amy Satterfield, executive director for the Village of Midlothian Volunteer Coalition, said there were unresolved issues, and asked for a deferral for "an opportunity to make it a better case."

Midlothian Planning Commissioner Dan Gecker opposed the revision, saying that the retail section was being scaled back because the Watkins Centre was cornering the market on big box retailers. He and Matoaca Commissioner Wayne Bass voted against recommending the case to the county board for approval. Commissioners Jack Wilson and Sherman Litton abstained, saying there wasn't enough information to vote on the case. The staff handout had only one page of review and a map of the area, far less than usual.

The board could send the rezoning revision back to the commission.

Though a brief presentation was made by a new consultant, county planners want to know more about lot sizes, setbacks and the impacts on capital facilities and transportation. The new plan "better integrated retail, office and residential," said the consultant, and a hotel site is possible. The additional residential would proffer the county's current maximum of $15,600 per unit for county services.

"We shouldn't be swapping retail for more residential," insisted Gecker. "If changes are permitted, it sends the wrong message." Gecker also opposed the rezoning because a 23-acre parcel adjacent on the north side of Midlothian Town Center had been approved for 134 multifamily units as a "companion rezoning" last February.

Electronic sign recommended

Though the county planning department wanted to enforce Chesterfield's existing guidelines on electronic message boards, the commission voted 4-0 to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for Robious Sports & Fitness.

If approved by the board, the message center would be above the existing sign at Center View Drive and Koger Center Boulevard. The facility wants to run four lines of message copy in four colors. County policy limits copy to two lines using white or yellow lettering.