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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Chesterfield County Planning Commission Work Session and Public Hearing - April 21, 2026

Planning Commission — Tuesday, April 21, 2026

BodyChesterfield County, Virginia

SessionPlanning Commission

DateTuesday, April 21, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:44:33

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Unassigned speaker

2:26

Not really.

Speaker 1

2:26

Good afternoon, everyone.

2:28

Welcome to the April 21st uh Cheshfield County Planning Commission work session.

2:34

Um like to start off the meeting tonight for any request to postpone action, any emergency additions or changes in the order of presentation today.

Unassigned speaker

2:45

All right,

Speaker 1

2:46

hearing and seeing none.

2:47

Um I'd like to take a moment and uh recognize the passing of Mike Tompkins.

2:53

Um we received unfortunate news that uh former staff member Michael Tompkins lost a uh Gaudiant battle with cancer last week.

3:02

Mike was the assistant director of the planning department from twenty twenty sorry, twenty thousand five to twenty twenty-one, and he was the assistant director in charge of the comprehensive plan, I believe, when me and Frank first came in.

3:20

Um during your tenure as well, he was over comprehensive plan for the most part.

3:25

Um so during that sixteen year period, he saw a whole lot of um development happening.

3:31

Um he was a really good planner, a good administrator.

3:33

He lived in my neighborhood, so I interacted with him as part of my duties back when I was uh unfortunately president of the HOA there.

3:50

And I just want to take a moment to recognize

Unassigned speaker

3:52

that.

Unassigned speaker

3:55

Our

Speaker 1

3:56

next item on the uh agenda is um Mr.

3:59

Donahoe telling us what we're going to do at six o'clock.

Speaker 2

4:08

Mr.

4:08

Chair, members of the commission, and Director Gillies.

4:10

We do have eleven cases for you this evening.

Unassigned speaker

4:13

So

Speaker 2

4:13

I'll go ahead and give you the quick brief of them all.

4:16

So first one is case uh twenty-four SN one five.

4:21

It's in the Melithium Magisterial District.

4:23

This is the Walton Station rezoning and adjustments case, which is a request to rezone from suburban community.

Unassigned speaker

4:49

And

Speaker 2

4:49

staff recommends denial of this request

Unassigned speaker

4:51

has

Speaker 2

4:52

been placed on your discussion agenda.

4:54

Next we have case twenty-four SN one three five three.

Unassigned speaker

4:58

This is in the Matoka magisterial district.

Speaker 2

5:00

Sawmill station mixed use re mixed use rezoning and adjustments is a request to rezone from agricultural A to corridor commercial CC for 24.47 acres, 14 acres to transition residential TR, and 92 and a half acres to AR, our alternative residential.

5:20

The case also includes adjustments to ordinance requirements for development standards on the entire development plus conditional use on 8.22 acres of the property to permit townhouse dwellings.

5:31

The 130.97 acre property is located on the north side of Hall Street Road, approximately 2,150 feet west of Magnolia Market Avenue on a property known as 18900 Hull Street Road.

5:44

The property is proposed for a maximum development of 860 units, and staff is recommending approval, and this is under consent agenda.

5:52

Next we have case 25 SN 1072.

5:55

This is in the Motoica Magisterial District.

5:57

This is the OASIS Transportation Amendment, which is a request to amend zoning approval of case 20 SN0608 to modify roadway improvements and phasing plan requirements in a transition residential TR district on 44.04 acres on property located on the northeast corner of Fox Club Parkway

Unassigned speaker

6:14

and

Speaker 2

6:14

Cosby Road.

6:16

Staff is recommending approval, and this has been placed in your consent agenda.

6:20

Next we have in the Motoica Magisterial District.

6:22

This is case 25 SN 1153.

6:25

This is Marlbank Farms Residential Rezoning and Adjustments, which is a request to rezone from suburban community SC to semi urban neighborhood SU with adjustments to ordinance requirements for development standards on property fronting approximately 2,800 feet along the north side

Unassigned speaker

6:41

of

Speaker 2

6:41

Hickory Road at the intersection of Holloway Avenue on property known as 5700 Hickory Road.

6:47

The 209.9 acre property is proposed for a maximum development of 302 dwelling units.

6:53

Now the district commissioner is requesting deferral to the planning commission's regularly scheduled meeting on May 19th, 2026.

7:00

Moving on, we have case 25 SN 1234.

Unassigned speaker

7:04

This

Speaker 2

7:04

is in the Midlothian Magisterial District.

7:07

This is Professional Road Amendment and Exceptions, which is a request to amend zoning approval.

7:12

Okay 78 SN 0160 relative to buffers and development standards for a proposed office building with conditional use plan development to permit exceptions to ordinance requirements in an agricultural aid district on 0.79 of an acre located at the northwest corner of Forest Hill Avenue and Professional Road.

7:30

Staff is recommending approval, and this is on your consent agenda.

7:34

Next up we have in the Clover Hill Magisterial District.

7:37

This is 25 SN 1338.

7:40

The Lee Accessory Dwelling Unit is a request for conditional use to permit an accessory dwelling unit, which would be detached in a suburban community SC District on property known as 4800 Blackbird Drive.

7:52

The 0.32 acre property is developed with one single family dwelling unit.

7:57

And the request proposes one accessory dwelling unit again, detached.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████47%

Procedural████████████13%

Active Transportation████████████13%

Land Use Policy█████████9%

Parks and Recreation██████6%

Miscellaneous█████5%

Community Engagement██2%

Personnel Matters█1%

Historic Preservation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Chesterfield County Planning Commission - Work Session and Public Hearing (April 21, 2026)

The Chesterfield County Planning Commission met on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, for a 1 p.m. work session and a 6 p.m. public hearing in the Public Meeting Room, 10001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, VA. The work session included updates on the Fall Line Trail, Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR), Comprehensive Plan Modernization (PlanMod), and initiation of ZoMod housekeeping amendments. The evening public hearing considered deferrals, a seven-case consent agenda, two rezoning discussion cases, and a zoning ordinance amendment. All recorded votes were unanimous.

Work Session

Recognized former planning staff member Mike Tompkins, who recently passed away; he served as assistant director from 2005 to 2021.
Heard a staff recap of the 11 cases scheduled for the evening hearing.
Approved the March 17, 2026 Planning Commission minutes unanimously.

Fall Line Trail Update

Sportsbackers' Brantley Tyndall described the 43-mile regional Fall Line Trail vision, current fundraising of about $297 million with roughly $100 million remaining, five completed miles at the northern end, and design-build phase two nearing 90% design for the southern 10 miles, with completion expected by October 2028.
Chesterfield DOT staff reported 19 of the 43 miles are in Chesterfield; a 500-foot section has been completed, a mile-long segment is under construction, and the central four-mile gap remains unfunded at about $30 million.
Staff highlighted trail-oriented placemaking, 21 proposed spur connections, pedestrian hybrid beacons, and a study trip to Greenville, South Carolina.

FOLAR Presentation

FOLAR Executive Director Jackson Bartlett and staff described the 25-mile Appomattox River Trail, partnerships on Fall Line connections near Virginia State University, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, and Hopewell, plus environmental stewardship work and events. No action was taken.

Comprehensive Plan Modernization (PlanMod) Update

Staff presented proposed changes to the county land use plan map, including reducing regional/community mixed-use areas, lowering residential densities south and west of Route 288, converting the Chester plan into countywide categories, and updating conservation/recreation/institutional designations.
District-by-district examples included Bermuda, Clover Hill, Dale, Matoaca, and Midlothian changes.
Timeline: May work session to review engagement strategy and affordable housing recommendations; June review of community facilities and transportation chapters; July first full draft; October planning commission public hearing; December Board of Supervisors hearing.

ZoMod Housekeeping Amendment Initiation

Staff requested initiation of 26PJ0007, a general housekeeping amendment to the new zoning ordinance (Chapter 19.2), addressing typos, inconsistencies, state legislation, and three zoning map corrections.
The commission voted unanimously to initiate the amendment and set a public hearing for June 16, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

No citizen comments were offered during either 15-minute unscheduled-matters period.
During consent hearings, an adjacent landowner's attorney stated no opposition to Phillips Landing and noted a meeting would be scheduled; Jerry Turner commented that conflicting virtual client meetings prevented him from reviewing the Lee ADU case.

Public Hearing: Deferrals

The commission unanimously deferred 25SN1153 (Marlbank Farms, 209.9 acres, 302 units) and 25SN1184 (Spring Creek Baptist Church, 7.45 acres, 12 units) to the May 19, 2026 meeting. The chair noted the Spring Creek deferral was due to an access issue with late notice.

Consent Calendar

Approved unanimously, subject to staff report conditions:
- 24SN1306 Phillips Landing Rezoning (336.5 acres; 50 single-family dwellings)
- 24SN1353 Sawmill Station Mixed Use Rezoning and Adjustments (130.97 acres; 860 units)
- 25SN1072 Oasis Transportation Amendment (removes traffic signal requirement)
- 25SN1234 Professional Road Amendment and Exceptions (new office building)
- 25SN1338 Lee Accessory Dwelling Unit (detached ADU)
- 25SN1353 Litt Farm Animals (renewal; 2 miniature horses, 18 chickens)
- 26SN2014 Footprints Childcare Family Daycare Home (up to 12 children)

Discussion Case: Walton Station Rezoning (24SN1115)

Staff recommended denial, citing incompatibility with adjacent Carriage Hill's roughly 1.03-acre average lot sizes versus the proposed TR district's 4,500-square-foot minimum. The proposal was for 157 age-restricted units at 3.93 units per acre on 39.93 acres.
Applicant Jeff Geiger urged approval, saying the age-restricted, mixed-product design responded to community input and reduced peak-hour traffic to roughly 30-38 cars.
Public speakers included property owners in support and Jerry Turner opposing, urging the commission to follow staff.
Commissioner Petrovsky moved denial; the commission voted unanimously to recommend denial to the Board of Supervisors.

Discussion Case: Ramey Rezoning, Adjustments, and ADU (26SN2016)

Staff recommended denial because the proposed four-lot family subdivision would have zero state-maintained road frontage on the 104.5-acre agricultural property, relying on a private easement.
The Ramey family and Jerry Turner spoke in support; Commissioner Owens moved approval subject to proffered conditions, and the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.

Code Amendment: Electric Transmission Line Setback and Self-Storage (26PJ0005)

The amendment would add a 100-foot special setback between new high-voltage transmission line easements and new subdivisions, retain vegetation, and make self-storage a conditional use in Corridor Commercial and Warehouse/Distribution districts.
Public comment was generally supportive, with a suggestion to space mini-storage facilities and a concern about vegetation clearing near transmission lines.
The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors.

Key Outcomes

Approved March 17, 2026 minutes unanimously.
Initiated ZoMod housekeeping amendment 26PJ0007; public hearing set for June 16, 2026.
Deferred cases 25SN1153 and 25SN1184 to May 19, 2026.
Approved all seven consent agenda cases unanimously.
Recommended denial of Walton Station (24SN1115) unanimously.
Recommended approval of Ramey (26SN2016) unanimously.
Recommended approval of code amendment 26PJ0005 unanimously.
Adjourned to the next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 2 p.m.

Adjournment

The commission adjourned to its next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 2 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Not really. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the April 21st uh Cheshfield County Planning Commission work session. Um like to start off the meeting tonight for any request to postpone action, any emergency additions or changes in the order of presentation today. All right, hearing and seeing none. Um I'd like to take a moment and uh recognize the passing of Mike Tompkins. Um we received unfortunate news that uh former staff member Michael Tompkins lost a uh Gaudiant battle with cancer last week. Mike was the assistant director of the planning department from twenty twenty sorry, twenty thousand five to twenty twenty-one, and he was the assistant director in charge of the comprehensive plan, I believe, when me and Frank first came in. Um during your tenure as well, he was over comprehensive plan for the most part. Um so during that sixteen year period, he saw a whole lot of um development happening. Um he was a really good planner, a good administrator. He lived in my neighborhood, so I interacted with him as part of my duties back when I was uh unfortunately president of the HOA there. And I just want to take a moment to recognize that. Our next item on the uh agenda is um Mr. Donahoe telling us what we're going to do at six o'clock. Mr. Chair, members of the commission, and Director Gillies. We do have eleven cases for you this evening. So I'll go ahead and give you the quick brief of them all. So first one is case uh twenty-four SN one five. It's in the Melithium Magisterial District. This is the Walton Station rezoning and adjustments case, which is a request to rezone from suburban community. And staff recommends denial of this request has been placed on your discussion agenda. Next we have case twenty-four SN one three five three. This is in the Matoka magisterial district. Sawmill station mixed use re mixed use rezoning and adjustments is a request to rezone from agricultural A to corridor commercial CC for 24.47 acres, 14 acres to transition residential TR, and 92 and a half acres to AR, our alternative residential. The case also includes adjustments to ordinance requirements for development standards on the entire development plus conditional use on 8.22 acres of the property to permit townhouse dwellings. The 130.97 acre property is located on the north side of Hall Street Road, approximately 2,150 feet west of Magnolia Market Avenue on a property known as 18900 Hull Street Road. The property is proposed for a maximum development of 860 units, and staff is recommending approval, and this is under consent agenda. Next we have case 25 SN 1072. This is in the Motoica Magisterial District. This is the OASIS Transportation Amendment, which is a request to amend zoning approval of case 20 SN0608 to modify roadway improvements and phasing plan requirements in a transition residential TR district on 44.04 acres on property located on the northeast corner of Fox Club Parkway and Cosby Road. Staff is recommending approval, and this has been placed in your consent agenda. Next we have in the Motoica Magisterial District. This is case 25 SN 1153. This is Marlbank Farms Residential Rezoning and Adjustments, which is a request to rezone from suburban community SC to semi urban neighborhood SU with adjustments to ordinance requirements for development standards on property fronting approximately 2,800 feet along the north side of Hickory Road at the intersection of Holloway Avenue on property known as 5700 Hickory Road. The 209.9 acre property is proposed for a maximum development of 302 dwelling units. Now the district commissioner is requesting deferral to the planning commission's regularly scheduled meeting on May 19th, 2026. Moving on, we have case 25 SN 1234.

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