Emerson planning 300-plus homes with 32 ‘estate lots’ near Matoaca Middle School

Conceptual elevations of the smaller-lot homes planned for Marlbank Farms. (County documents)

More than 300 new homes could be en route for Chesterfield’s Matoaca area.

Local developer Emerson Cos. has filed plans with the county for a 311-home subdivision on over 200 acres on the north side of Hickory Road, across from Matoaca Middle School.

The subdivision, called Marlbank Farms, would consist of two sections, with smaller lots grouped closer to Hickory Road and 1-acre “estate lots” deeper in the site.

The 32 estate lots would fill about 36 acres amid common areas and greenspace, with a stub road providing a connection to potential future development to the east of the site. The smaller lots would have 55-foot widths and have one- and two-level homes with garages, according to conceptual elevations submitted.

A site plan shows the smaller lots closer to Hickory Road and the larger 1-acre “estate lots.”

The project is a reworking of a previous plan from Reed’s Landing Corp., a Powhatan-based development firm founded by the late J.K. Timmons Sr., the namesake of engineering firm Timmons Group.

George Emerson, who leads Chester-based Emerson Cos., said Reed’s Landing Corp. had the site under contract and approached him about developing the project. That led to Emerson becoming the contract purchaser from Reed’s Landing, which bought the parcels and assembled the site from 2007 to 2014.

County records show Reed’s Landing Corp. paid over $2.1 million for the parcels in separate transactions over that seven-year period. The parcels – at 5700, 5710, 5900, 6000, 6030, 6050 and 6100 Hickory Road – are assessed by the county today at over $2.7 million.

Emerson said the project was reworked to accommodate sewer connections for the smaller lots. He’s seeking a waiver from the county’s sewer connection requirements for the estate lots, according to a county summary of the project.

George Emerson

“The project originally couldn’t get sewer, and we figured out how to get the sewer to drain in other directions,” Emerson said. “We were able to work out the problems that other people couldn’t work out.”

With two lot sizes worked into the same project, Emerson said the subdivision would be different from his company’s other developments, which include Meadowville Landing, Chester Village Green and, nearby, The Highlands.

“This one’s a little bit unique. I don’t think we’ve done one quite like this, with the mix of the larger lots and the small ones,” he said. “We’ll hit two price points on this project.”

Plans call for amenities including a focal community area with gathering areas and a multipurpose lawn, a playing field with playground, a dog park, and pedestrian paths and sidewalks. Townes Site Engineering drew up the site plan, which shows two entrances off Hickory Road, one across from Russwood Road and the other closer to Halloway Avenue.

The project would require a rezoning to Chesterfield’s R-12 residential district and a conditional-use planned development approval. Emerson is working with Hirschler attorney Jeff Geiger in its requests, which are under review and have not been scheduled for the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors.

If approved, Emerson said it would be at least two years before work on Marlbank Farms gets underway.

“I don’t care what you do, nowadays it takes two or three years to get started,” he said. “The build-out will depend on what the economy does.”

The project would be the latest in the pipeline for Emerson, who also is developing nearly 200 townhomes at North Enon Church Road and Route 10. Called Enon Corner, the project was reduced from a previous plan that included lower-priced apartments, which were removed.

Emerson also is driving, with frequent collaborator Phil Roper, the redevelopment of the YMCA building in downtown Richmond and an 11-story residential tower they’re planning on the same city block. Emerson and Roper’s other collaborations have included  The Jane at Moore’s Lake apartments in Chester and The Vue at Westchester Commons.

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