Parking problems at Sunday Park to be resolved

Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer A driver looks for an empty spot in the crowded parking lot of Sunday Park. Spaces will be added to ease congested parking conditions.

The persistent parking issue at Sunday Park in Brandermill is likely to be remedied later this month when the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors takes up an amended conditional use permit for the Boathouse Restaurant and the Gardens at Sunday Park. Thirty-eight more paved and unpaved parking spaces will be added, including re-striping existing spaces designated for compact cars. The commission is authorized to approve compact car designated parking without county board oversight.

The resolution has restaurant owner Kevin Healy adding the spaces by year's end "to address the parking deficiency" because of the restaurant's popularity and the successful special events business. The Gardens is required to provide a shuttle service offsite annually from April 1 to Oct. 31 when an event there is expected to draw more than 150 patrons.

The dispute over inadequate parking has gone on for more than seven years. At one point, the Brandermill Church put up chains to prevent patrons of those businesses from parking on new pavement paid for by the church. Other landowners at Sunday Park include the Brandermill Community Association (BCA) and Daniel Butler Photography.

As recommended by the planning staff, the Chesterfield Planning Commission last week unanimously recommended narrowing the driveway and allowing 100 square feet for dancing inside the restaurant where alcohol is served. That case goes to the board later this month.

While dancing is not permitted on the decks of either business, portable speakers are as long as the sound does not exceed 50 decibels in the nearby residential areas. Live entertainment or amplified music must end by 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday. The cutoff is 1 a.m. for New Year's Eve.

Speaking during the public hearing, BCA President Joyce Rowe asked the county to enforce the noise ordinance and the restricted parking area reserved for Brandermill residents. There was an indication that the BCA may be issuing vehicle stickers in the future to make enforcement possible since non-residents are prohibited from parking in certain areas and from using the boat ramp.

The case before the board is also likely to resolve a Board of Zoning Appeals hearing that could impose a fine of up to $1,000 over the parking. Earlier this year, Code Compliance Supervisor Ted Barclay said, "The rezoning will satisfy the parking violation."

Dam break ordinance

The commission voted unanimously to consider next month a proposed amendment to a county ordinance that would prohibit building in dam break inundation zones - areas that could flood if a dam breaks. During the public hearing on the amendment, attorney Carrie Coyner appeared to persuade the commission that the ordinance "was going beyond the minimum prescribed by state law."

The commission deferred action until its August 18 meeting and plans to hold a work session on the subject on July 21.