More delays
Commission defers Cloverleaf Mall, Cheatham and Roseland rezonings
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

Sherie Gwin from Buckingham Greenery tends the plants at Cloverleaf Mall. The mall is expected to be demolished after the first of the year to make way for a new mixed-use development called Chippenham Place.

Last week, the Chesterfield Planning Commission deferred three important cases - Chippenham Place, the Cheatham property and Roseland - to its Oct. 16 meeting because more work is required on those developments.

The Roseland delay was expected because the planning department wanted more time to study the proposal for 5,140 homes and 1.5 million square feet of office and retail at the intersection of Route 288 and Woolridge Road.

In the Chippenham Place case, Planning Commission Chair Dan Gecker said, "There are technical issues with the language." Chippenham Place will replace Cloverleaf Mall and is expected to have at least 200,000 square feet of commercial space and 750 homes - mostly multifamily.

"We're reviewing the development to make sure we get what we bargained for," Gecker added. "The main street shown is not guaranteed in the proffers, [and] there's nothing that requires [developer] Crosland to take down the [Cloverleaf Mall] building."

Last week, the planning commission recommended against approving a request to rezone property behind Crump's Store, located at the intersection of Winterpock and Beach roads. The owners are seeking the rezoning because they want to redevelop the site and add more gas pumps.

The 63-acre Cheatham property in the northwest quadrant of routes 288/360 is still lacking a second access for fire department and EMS vehicles, a county requirement when there is more than 50 residences. The rezoning plan includes 600 homes - mostly multifamily including 110 townhouses - and a 3-4 story high-rise building. The project also proposes independent senior housing, assisted living and a nursing home

One option is to cut a road into the adjacent Nuttree community, but the civic association there and Clover Hill Planning Commissioner Russ Gulley oppose that. "That would be running a lot of traffic through a small neighborhood," he said. Gulley indicated the size of the development could be limited until a road through the Coulter property to the north connecting with Old Hundred Road is built.

Crump's Store

The commission is recommending against a request by Donald and Suzanne Rudd to rezone four acres to commercial behind Crump's Store at the intersection of Winterpock and Beach roads. Gulley and Matoaca Commissioner Wayne Bass voted to deny, and Gecker, Bermuda Commissioner Jack Wilson and Dale Commissioner Sherman Litton abstained.

The owners indicated the convenience store would be redeveloped and more gas pumps would be added. That means more traffic, but the transportation department opposed the rezoning because the applicants aren't willing to dedicate right-of-way for widening the road.

The planning staff also opposed the rezoning because it didn't conform to the Southern and Western Area Plan, and the Rudds did not provide enough details to fully evaluate the case. The existing store uses a septic system, but commercial rezonings now require county water and sewer.

Queensgate

The commission also turned down a tentative subdivision plat for Queensgate, a proposed 125-home development on 78 acres wedged between Route 288 and Queensmill that is currently zoned residential and office. About 30 Queensmill residents turned out to oppose the request because of the additional traffic that would cut through their neighborhood. "It routes traffic into our neighborhood," said Queensmill resident Jim Davenport.

Gecker, Gulley and Wilson opposed the request while Bass favored it, and Litton abstained. Gecker said his opposition was based on noise levels from Route 288 that "would exceed standards."

Speaking for approval, engineer Bill Johns, who lives on nearby Coalfield Road, said, "Queensmill has bottlenecked this development into three points of access." That point was disputed.

Residents used the semiannual meeting of the Queensmill Civic Association on Sept. 10 to turn out members to defeat the case. President Sean Sandridge presented the commission with a petition of 66 residents who opposed the request.

Otterdale Venture

The commission voted to deny a rezoning request by Otterdale Venture LLC at the corner of Route 360 and Otterdale Road. The applicant wanted to rezone 107 acres for up to 642 multifamily units and 71 acres for a 900,000-square-foot shopping center. Proffers included extending water and sewer to the site and full cash proffers excluding the education proffer for about 500 units that would be agerestricted.

The applicant agreed to widen Otterdale Road, but only if another developer did not. A county agreement with Magnolia Green Development has that company making significant road improvements to Otterdale Road.

The staff report said the retail portion of the request was larger than the community shopping center envisioned in the Upper Swift Creek Plan.

Rezoning deferral

A request by Francis Beers to rezone 250 acres from agriculture to R-12 residential that fronts on Qualla Road and backs up to the Bayhill Pointe community was deferred until Nov. 20. The county staff report said there had not been enough time to evaluate revisions for the development.

Bayhill Pointe residents have been organizing against the rezoning, and resident Terry Cook estimated 200 turned out last week even though they knew the case would be deferred. The residents are concerned about nearby schools being over capacity and the stress on other county infrastructure. They also do not want traffic from the new development to cut through Bayhill Pointe to reach schools and other more suburban areas.

"By its growth, Chesterfield County is earning a reputation for creating demand for more residents," said Cook.