Chester could get a new building at the entrance to Chester Village at the intersection of West Hundred Road and Old West Hundred Road. The proposed building would be called Chester Mini Storage and contain 500 interior storage units. The exterior of the building would look like an office building.
The property where the proposed building would be built on is 3.4 acres. A buffer (native trees and bushes) would equal about 50 feet at the rear and west sides and five feet along West Hundred Road. The five feet is proposed due to the wide right of way that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has delineated for road widening. The east side of the proposed development is bordered by the old Southern Air Line railroad that has been abandoned for years.
Jones and Jones Associates designed the project and Jack Wilson, Esq.. is representing the owner. The elevation that was presented at the community meeting last week indicated that the building would be about 250 along with the front facing West Hundred Road.
Howard and Glory Charity were the only adjacent property owners to object to the proposed storage facility to the north of their property. Their concern was that the buffer would not be enough that they could not see the building from their home at the end of Shop Street in Chester Village.
Chesterfield planning staff does not approve of the project because it does not conform to the county’s comprehensive plan, which indicates that single-family residential is appropriate.
Road improvements are also part of the proposal. An additional lane (turning lane) would be added on West Hundred Road along the entire front of the property. An additional lane will be added along West Hundred on the north side of the highway as a right turning lane would be added on the southside of an entrance lane to Old West Hundred Road.
A bike lane and side walk will added across the front of the property to VDOT standards.
The proposed business owner has also proffered that the business will not be open from 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and the business will have security on site 24 hours a day. An additional office building is shown on the concept plan, but Wilson said he thinks the building will not be built anytime soon.
The architect also included an elevation that would show the site line from West Hundred Road. While the building itself is three-stories tall; a driver’s view from West Hundred Road would see only a story and a half.
The group at the meeting was concerned about hours of operation and the impact on the entrance to Chester, of which they were satisfied with answers from Wilson. The other statement by the group had to do with videotaping community meetings.
The rezoning case will not be considered during the May meeting of the Planning Commission, but has be postponed until their June 21, 2016.
