The Agenda: Local government briefs for 5.19.25

The Iron Bridge Center is a commercial development proposed for a 20-acre site in western Chester. (County documents)

Retail development and 275-unit residential projects pitched in Chester

The Chesterfield Planning Commission is slated this week to vote on commercial and residential projects proposed in Chester.

Florida-based developer Cantrell Morgan has filed a request to modify the master plan and development standards for the proposed Iron Bridge Center in the western part of Chester.

The undeveloped 20-acre project site at 12420 Iron Bridge Road was previously zoned to Community Business (C-3) with conditional-use planned development in 2005. The requested modifications would allow a self-storage facility, updated design guidelines, a shared-use path on Iron Bridge and further restrictions on permitted uses, per a staff report.

Residential uses would be prohibited on the site. Other proffered conditions include a restriction that tenant spaces other than self-storage and hotel uses be limited to 50,000 square feet of gross floor area.

The proposed commercial project would have vehicle access on Iron Bridge and Branders Bridge roads, per a conceptual plan.

Also on the docket is a zoning request to tee up a 275-unit residential project just to the north of Chester.

Emerson Cos. is seeking approval for a development of single-family detached homes and townhouses on 43 acres at 2201 Wonderview Drive. The project, dubbed Bellmeade, would also feature recreational amenities.

The applicant is seeking to zone the land to Residential Townhouse (R-TH) with conditional-use planned development from the current Residential (R-7) and Light Industrial (I-1). An exemption is being requested for the single-family homes, which would occupy up to 30% of the project area.

The developer is seeking permission to eliminate a requirement that it build a shared-use path adjacent to Proctors Creek as planned on the county’s Bikeways & Trails plan, and instead provide an easement, according to a staff report.

The development would be accessible through an existing neighborhood via Pinehurst Street and Wonderview Drive. There would be an emergency access on Maywood Street.

Staff recommends approval of both requests. The Planning Commission will vote on whether to recommend approval of the projects, which will be considered for final approval by the Board of Supervisors at a future meeting. The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be found here.

Mayo Island Park, Brown’s Island, cultural resources plans on city planning agenda

A rendering of the planned Mayo Island Park. (City documents)

The Richmond Planning Commission meets Tuesday ta 6 p.m. The full agenda can be found here.

Business includes a resolution to adopt the city’s Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan. The 200-page document has been a year in the works and was recommended in the Richmond 300 plan “to establish near- and long-term preservation priorities and identify proactive strategies to protect the character, quality, and history of the city,” according to the resolution. City Council would consider adoption as an amendment to Richmond 300 at a future meeting.

Deferred from previous meetings is a plan to add six townhomes beside an existing four-unit multifamily dwelling at 3618 Hawthorne Ave., beside Laburnum Avenue. The commission also will conduct conceptual reviews for the Mayo Island Park plan and the Brown’s Island Improvement Plan.

Work progressing on renovations to Henrico’s Three Lakes Nature Center

Renovations to Henrico’s Three Lakes Nature Center will progress over the next few months, leading to its reopening likely in late summer, the county said in a project update.

The upgrades will include an outdoor classroom, new playground equipment and new wildlife exhibits. They follow an initial phase of improvements that kicked off with a ground-breaking event in January,

The $4.6 million project, which is expected to continue through 2025, represents the first major improvements to Three Lakes Park & Nature Center since the 1990s and will deliver amenities including a new entrance walkway with seating and lighting, an outdoor classroom and other educational spaces.

The project also will bring renovations to the nature center’s main atrium, which will feature initially a dozen Virginia native wildlife exhibits.

Improvements to the park’s trail network were completed last year, with a mile of newly paved trail. A new restroom building by the playground is expected to open late this year.

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