Replacement for Cloverleaf Mall could grow larger
Chippenham Place will be home to metro Richmond's largest Kroger store
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

Cloverleaf Mall will soon be razed to make room for Chippenham Place, a new mixed-use development that will be home to metro Richmond's largest Kroger store.

Chippenham Place, the mixed-use development that will replace Cloverleaf Mall, may be growing in size.

The square footage of the Kroger that will anchor the development has been increased from 80,000 square feet to at least 100,000 square feet. The expanded Kroger will become the chain's largest in metro Richmond.

"We always hoped the zoning densities could be higher," said Tom Jacobson, Chesterfield's Director of Revitalization.

The county plans to sell the 83-acre Cloverleaf Mall site to Crosland, a Charlotte, N.C. redevelopment expert, by this fall. Jacobson said the county doesn't know how much it will have to invest in Chippenham Place beyond the $9.2 million it paid for Cloverleaf Mall (some of which will be paid back to the county when it sells the property to Crosland) and the possibility of locating a county library there.

In January, Crosland laid out its preliminary plan to the county board, which called for 195,000 square feet of retail with 975 parking spaces, 120,000 square feet of office space with 480 parking spaces, and 200 multifamily units, 52 attached multifamily and 130 singlefamily homes.

To encourage Crosland to build more office and retail, the county has negotiated an agreement that enables Crosland to earn 11 percent profit for mixed uses and only eight percent for residential.

Chippenham Place has already sparked development just across the city line where Centex Homes is proposing to build more than 400 new homes behind Kmart.

Chippenham Square, a property that's adjacent to Cloverleaf Mall, is also for sale, and is fueling a previously proposed idea of extending Boulder Parkway south across Midlothian Turnpike and connecting with Turner Road. The extension would create more development potential. It would also provide direct access for The Boulders office park with the possibility of future restaurants and shopping.

Though Jacobson thinks it's too expensive to build access from Chippenham Parkway to Cloverleaf Drive (behind the mall), there is some consideration to extend Cloverleaf Drive over Chippenham Parkway into the city.

Deputy County Administrator Pete Stith said a community development authority (CDA) will be set up to finance much of the infrastructure for Chippenham Place. CDAs allow for money to be raised by selling bonds that are paid off by higher property tax rates for those who own property within the development.

Crosland has hired attorney John Easter to work on the zoning that is tentatively scheduled to go before the planning commission next month. A public hearing is planned for June.

The county and the Gateway Business Association, an organization comprised of businesses in the eastern Midlothian corridor, have their fingers crossed that Chippenham Place will invigorate Midlothian Turnpike between Chippenham Parkway and the Powhite Parkway, making a positive statement to those entering the county and improving the business climate.

Now, Jacobson is turning his focus toward improving the appearance of Midlothian Turnpike, which is currently cluttered with utility poles and large signs.

Meanwhile, 18 merchants operating inside Cloverleaf Mall know they'll soon be receiving eviction notices. Most of them will have just 30 days to close. Chesterfield wants to get out of the mall management business and turn property values there on a steady upward climb to regain tax revenues lost from the mall's heyday.