Five months after giving the project a denial recommendation, the Chesterfield County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of Courthouse Landing on May 19.
The commission gave the project a denial recommendation Dec. 17. The Board of Supervisors remanded the case back to the Planning Commission on Jan. 22. The supervisors will now consider the case again.
The developer of the project — which would be located on 124 acres on the northeast corner of Route 10 and Courthouse Road — made several revisions in order to gain approval of county staff.
These include adding four turn lanes that would mitigate traffic in the area. The cost of the improvements increased to $10.5 million in the revised proposal from $6.6 million in the original proposal.
“We’re overbuilding the improvements beyond the impact we’ll have with our traffic,” said attorney Andrew Condlin, who represents Tampa, Fla.-based developer Jim Dunphy.
To mitigate the potential of waterfowl impacting aircraft at the nearby Chesterfield County Airport, the developer agreed to put retaining ponds and wetlands underground. Condlin said that this would be done at a substantial cost.
In addition, all residential buildings will be built with sound suppression components to ensure that noise from aircraft does not exceed 45 decibels inside residences. Every resident who leases or purchases a home on site would receive a notice that the property is located close to an airport, he said.
The developer agreed to a height restriction of 60 feet for all buildings, although Condlin said that only one building could reach that height.
A grocery store, hotel, and day care center were added to the mix of commercial uses planned, and only one hotel and one gas station would be allowed. Under the current C-5 zoning, such restrictions would not apply. The property would be “downzoned” under the proposal to C-3 and would include 37 acres of open space.
Planning District chair Gloria Frye said the revised proposal offers “a very good balance” of 40 percent commercial, 30 percent residential, and 30 percent open space.
“The applicant has mitigated the impacts of its development, and they improve several current problems,” Frye said.
Dale District commissioner LaQuan Hylton motioned for an approval recommendation, which Frye seconded, and it passed 5-0.
“The [traffic]improvements that the county will have to make will get deferred to a later date” because of what the developer is proposing, Bermuda District commissioner Gib Sloan said.
“I think it’s something that the Dale District could really benefit from,” Matoaca commissioner Tommy Owens said.
In an e-mail after the vote, Chesterfield Education Association President Sonia Smith said, “I am awfully worried about the lack of care and concern for the environment and the wetlands that they plan to build [on]. I was not aware that wetlands were not protected in Chesterfield County. I was not aware that Chesterfield County was so quick to ignore 102 voices that were brave enough to voice their opposition to this plan [in the online comments]over the 89 friends and family that are in support of this mess.”
Senior apartments
The commissioners also gave a unanimous approval recommendation to rezoning a project that would result in 50 senior apartments at 12208 Iron Bridge Road.
The developer, Carthan Currin, requested to rezone the 4 acres from corporate office (O-2) and community business (C-3) to commercial business with a conditional use permit and conditional planned unit development to permit ordinance exceptions regarding buffers and setbacks.
The development’s traffic impact will be addressed by providing a cash payment in accordance with the county’s cash proffer policy.
Developer’s agent Jack Wilson said that four office buildings totaling 30,095 square feet currently exist on the site, which is located west of Booker Boulevard.
“While new multi-family residential uses are not suggested by the Chester Plan, the senior multi-family residential units proposed provide a unique housing opportunity integrated with area commercial uses that should enhance the surrounding area,” a planning department document states.
