Chesterfield County Planning Commission Meeting – May 19, 2026

The Chesterfield County Planning Commission met on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, holding a 2 p.m. work session, a 4 p.m. public meeting, and a 6 p.m. public hearing at 10001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, Va. The commission received updates on state legislation, PlanMod, and ZoMod; reviewed the Southside Speedway master plan; approved consent items; and recommended approval of the Marlbank Farms rezoning. All recorded votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

• Unanimously approved the Planning Commission minutes from April 21, 2026.
• Unanimously approved the public hearing consent agenda with conditions and proffers in the staff reports for the following cases: 24SN1345 Butler Setback and Buffer Exception; 25SN1121 RaceTrac at Ruffin Mill Rezoning and Adjustments; 25SN1315 Richardson Farm Animals; 26SN2022 Southside Baptist Church Child Day Care; 26SN2049 Muthusubramanian Accessory Dwelling Unit; 26SN2066 Wood Agricultural Rezoning; and 23SN0072 Midlothian Microtel.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Southside Speedway (26PR2143): Renee Eldred opposed approval of the master plan as submitted, saying it was not a real master plan, lacked detail, and would not be accepted from any other applicant.
• Consent agenda (25SN1121 RaceTrac): Jerry Turner objected to the case being changed at the last minute from a truck stop to a gas station. Staff responded that the case substance and proffers had not changed; the addendum corrected the advertised case description to a gas station with accessory tractor-trailer fueling.
• Marlbank Farms (25SN1153): Multiple speakers opposed the proposal or urged denial. Derek Hines said the community overwhelmingly opposed it and claimed the rezoning was driven by a need to obtain two lots for sewer access. Andrea Pulley cited the loss of rural way of life, high water table, wildlife, and lack of infrastructure. Karen Bourgeois cited traffic, unsafe road crossings, lack of nearby services, and wildlife habitat. Linda Kidd Fleshman, a 53-year resident, opposed density, traffic, noise, overcrowded schools, runoff, wildlife loss, and lighting. Brenda Webster cited traffic and left-turn safety on Sandy Ford Road. Rusty Sowers said 302 homes would mean at least 302 more cars and stressed school capacity concerns. Joseph Purdue cited shrink-swell blue marl clay soil, berm feasibility problems, water and sewer concerns, and school capacity. Elizabeth Goodman asked for the conservation area width and raised concerns about wells, livestock, Big Branch Creek flooding, and traffic. Jerry Turner said the county was overbuilding and overburdening infrastructure.
• No speakers appeared during the first or second unscheduled citizen comment periods.

Discussion Items

Work Session – General Assembly Update

• Intergovernmental Relations staff reported that the 2026 General Assembly session ran January 14 through March 14, 2026, ended without a budget, and remained in special session. The governor had signed 1,127 bills, accepted 137 bills with her amendments, vetoed 10 bills, and faced a May 23 deadline for remaining bills.
• Staff reported that by-right multifamily bills SB 454 and HB 816 failed, and a statewide housing targets bill requiring 7.5% housing stock growth over five years also failed.
• The Faith in Housing legislation, SB 388 and HB 1279, was signed into law. It requires localities to allow by-right development on qualifying tax-exempt religious or 501(c)(3) property, with at least 60% of units affordable at 80% or less of area median income and affordability preserved for at least 30 years. The law is delayed to July 1, 2027, and sunsets January 1, 2031.
• Other signed legislation included HB 1212, requiring localities with a population of 50,000 or more to adopt a small lot ordinance with lots no larger than 3,000 square feet, and a statewide expansion of inclusionary zoning permissibility effective July 1, 2027. The governor vetoed the collective bargaining bill. The cannabis retail market bill was still pending, with possible action by May 23.
• In response to commissioner questions about ADU legislation, staff discussed a state law effective July 1, 2027, requiring ADUs by right as accessory to single-family dwellings, with local size caps and no familial-relationship requirement. Staff recalled approximate caps of 350 square feet on lots under 2,500 square feet and 500 square feet on lots over 5,000 square feet. Commissioners raised concerns about uncontrolled density, use as rental income, and interaction with the county's existing ADU ordinance.

Work Session – PlanMod Update (26PJ0006)

• Staff presented the community engagement plan for Comprehensive Plan Modernization. The draft is scheduled to be publicly released in June and July, with active engagement running from late July through September, a Planning Commission public hearing in October, and a Board of Supervisors public hearing in December. Engagement tactics include library displays, office hours in each magisterial district, event tabling, virtual and in-person community meetings, and a DIY virtual meeting.
• Staff presented affordable housing data: about one in four county households is cost burdened; 17% of owner households and 44% of renter households are cost burdened; 46% of households have incomes below area median income, including 39% of owners and 70% of renters. Between 2018 and 2023, owner incomes grew 26% while renter incomes grew 12%. The Richmond MSA area median income is $113,000, and Chesterfield County's median income is $101,000.
• Proposed plan strategies include affordable housing distributed countywide, ADUs, smaller lots and clustering, inclusionary zoning and incentives, senior housing, manufactured housing, partnerships with nonprofits, expansion of the housing services fund, and development of an affordable dwelling unit ordinance.

Work Session – ZoMod Proposed Code Amendments (26PJ0007)

• Staff reviewed the first major housekeeping amendment to the zoning ordinance adopted in September 2025. State-mandated changes effective July 1, 2026 include manufactured homes by right wherever stick-built homes are allowed, with conversion to real property and a five-year age limit; solar facility condition limits; temporary telecommunications support structures; accessory battery storage tied to solar facilities; and parking reductions near transit facilities.
• The parking legislation, HB 888, sets reduced minimums within half a mile of a mass transit or public transportation facility: one space per dwelling unit for single-family, duplex, and townhouse dwellings, and one-half space per dwelling unit for multifamily or mixed-use residential. Localities cannot require or accept proffers exceeding those minimums. Outside transit areas, localities may establish an administrative 20% parking reduction.
• Other proposed changes include reducing the semi-urban corner side-yard setback from 25 feet to 7.5 feet, removing by-right multifamily along Route One, clarifying outside storage in the warehouse and distribution district at 50% of site acreage, regulating shipping containers, clarifying RPA buffer rules, exempting solar facilities from paved parking and driveway requirements, and automatically withdrawing stale zoning and site-plan applications after one year of inactivity.
• Commissioner concerns led staff to remove the proposed crisis receiving center from the package and to defer mobile food vending and commercial vehicle parking changes, likely to a November housekeeping amendment. The zoning ordinance housekeeping amendment is scheduled for a June Planning Commission public hearing and an August Board of Supervisors hearing.

Work Session – Work Program Update

• Staff reviewed upcoming work: PlanMod remains the major project, with community facilities, revitalization, and possible transportation chapter items coming in June and July; transmission line setback and self-storage conditional use items are scheduled for the Board of Supervisors next week; and the ZoMod housekeeping amendment will be prepared for June. The commission also welcomed new staff member Morgan Chandler.

Public Meeting – Southside Speedway Master Plan (26PR2143)

• The 4 p.m. session considered the Southside Speedway master plan. The agenda listed the site as 41 acres at 12800 Genito Road; the staff presentation referenced approximately 47 acres at 12800 Genito Road and 2802 Oak Lake Boulevard. The applicant, Competitive Racing Investments, needs Planning Commission approval of the master plan under its lease with Chesterfield Economic Development.
• The plan includes re-establishing the racetrack, pit areas, parking, a maintenance building, overflow parking, and a proposed gas station and convenience store south of Genito Road. Staff found the uses generally consistent with the Genito Road/Route 288 Special Focus Area Plan and recommended approval, with additional design details to be addressed at future zoning or site plan review.
• Commissioners raised concerns about parking capacity, parking math, and the safety of event attendees crossing Genito Road. Applicant representative Jeff Oakley said the proposal is phase one, about 800 parking spaces are available today, crossings would be police-controlled, and future phases could include hotels, restaurants, and other complementary uses.
• The commission unanimously deferred the decision to June 16, 2026, asking for more detail and direct discussions with the applicant.

Public Hearing – Marlbank Farms Residential Rezoning and Adjustments (25SN1153)

• Staff presented a proposal to rezone 212.99 acres at 5700 Hickory Road from Suburban Community to Semi-Urban Neighborhood on 88.33 acres and Semi-Rural Neighborhood on 124.66 acres, with a maximum of 302 single-family dwelling units and an overall density of 1.42 units per acre. The property already carries an approved 2006 zoning entitlement allowing 330 units at 1.57 units per acre, so the proposal would reduce the maximum by 28 units.
• The applicant requested adjustments, including relief from a shared-use path along Hickory Road and permission for a parallel utility easement within a required buffer. Staff recommended approval, citing Comprehensive Plan compliance and quality design, but noted an inconsistency between the conceptual plan and the proffered unit count, with the proffer controlling.
• The applicant's representative, Jeff Geiger, said the plan clusters homes, preserves conservation areas, reduces density from the existing entitlement, improves road safety, provides stormwater controls, and creates a 50-foot landscaped buffer with a berm along Hickory Road.
• Utilities staff confirmed adequate sewer capacity for lots served by public sewer and adequate water capacity from an existing 16-inch water line. The northern portion of the development would be served by septic systems, and engineered systems would be needed if soils do not perk.
• Commissioners acknowledged strong community opposition but said the existing 330-unit entitlement left no legal basis for denial. The commission unanimously recommended approval to the Board of Supervisors, subject to conditions and proffers.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the April 21, 2026 Planning Commission minutes unanimously.
• Deferred Southside Speedway Master Plan (26PR2143) to June 16, 2026, by unanimous vote.
• Deferred Spring Creek Baptist Church rezoning (25SN1184) to June 16, 2026, by unanimous vote.
• Approved the consent agenda cases unanimously, including the RaceTrac case with the addendum.
• Recommended approval of Marlbank Farms (25SN1153) to the Board of Supervisors unanimously.
• The next Planning Commission meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, 2026.