Schell Brothers planning 68-home subdivision west of Harpers Mill

A sample elevation of the homes planned for the subdivision. (County documents)

A homebuilder active in Chesterfield’s Winterpock area is looking to add a new project to its workload there.

Schell Brothers recently filed a rezoning application for a 68-home subdivision on a 31-acre site off Baldwin Creek Road just west of Harpers Mill.

The Delaware-based builder, which entered the Richmond market eight years ago and has an office in Chesterfield, is planning two-story homes with varying architectural styles in a neighborhood that would be accessed from Baldwin Creek Road. A conceptual site plan shows a planned future connection to an adjacent property to the south.

Tricia Smith, the company’s Richmond division president, said the proposal is in the early stages and a meeting is in the works to present the plans to the community. The application was submitted this month and was listed as “pending acceptance” on Chesterfield’s planning portal.

Smith said the project came about through conversations with the property owners, Bill and Karen Lockhart, who own a home nearby. Smith declined to go into details about the project ahead of the community meeting, which she said is to be scheduled.

Schell Brothers is under contract to purchase the land, which consists of two parcels at 8707 and 8901 Baldwin Creek Road that the county has assessed at $212,000 collectively. Records show the Lockharts bought the parcels in the 1990s for about $55,000 combined.

Sample elevations included with the application show two-story detached homes with different facades and floor plans. The documents do not specify sizes or price points for the houses.

A conceptual site plan of the subdivision shows access off Baldwin Creek Road and a future connection to property to the south.

The development would include sidewalks, street trees, a “focal point area,” playfields and common areas, according to proffered conditions included in the documents. Amenities in the common areas could include game and eating areas, hardscaped patios, covered pavilions, fire pits, benches and dog parks. Pedestrian paths through the community also are planned.

The project would involve widening of Baldwin Creek Road in front of the property, as well as payment of Chesterfield’s cash proffers of $9,400 per home, which would total nearly $640,000 for 68 homes.

Schell Brothers and the Lockharts are working with Hirschler attorney Jeff Geiger on the rezoning request, which would require approval from the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Civil engineering firm Koontz Bryant Johnson Williams also is involved in the project.

The subdivision would add to a growing workload for Schell Brothers in the Winterpock area. On the opposite side of Harpers Mill, the company is working with HHHunt Communities on a 669-unit development on 250 acres off Bethia Road, between Harpers Mill and Collington.

Initial site work on that project has gotten underway after supervisors approved it in 2021. Plans call for 307 single-family homes, 74 townhomes and 288 apartments. HHHunt is developing the home lots for Schell Brothers and will build the apartment complex.

Schell Brothers also is working with real estate agent Jon Beckner on a 26-home gated community in Ashland. Called StillCroft, the community will consist of 6-acre lots and could include an agricultural component with guidance from students at Randolph-Macon College. Beckner previously worked with Cornerstone Homes on its farm-centric Chickahominy Falls development.

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