Message from the Chair
I am pleased to present the Annual Report on the Planning Commission’s work in 2024. The Annual Report provides details on the actions taken by the Commission on zoning petitions, site development plans, Zoning Ordinance amendments and comprehensive planning initiatives. Presenting the Annual Report is also an opportunity to recognize the outstanding Commissioners and staff with whom I serve.
Our excellent team was busy continuing to build a First Choice community in 2024. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our team, some 2024 highlights include making substantial progress on our Zoning Ordinance Modernization (ZOMod) initiative, making recommendations on 82 zoning cases, and working on two comprehensive plans - the Eastern 60 and Route 10 corridor plans.
As we embark on 2025, we look forward to wrapping up ZOMod, making recommendations on many more quality cases prepared and presented by our planning staff, completing our corridor plans, and continuing to serve our first class Board of Supervisors to the best of our ability.
I appreciate this opportunity to recognize the accomplishments and work of our professional planners and my fellow dedicated Commissioners. I hope this report provides useful information to the Board of Supervisors and citizens regarding the status of land use and development in Chesterfield County.
Frank Petroski, 2024 Chair
Planning Commission Responsibilities
The Chesterfield County Planning Commission is composed of five members, one member for each of the County’s magisterial districts (Bermuda, Clover Hill, Dale, Matoaca, and Midlothian). Commission members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve four-year terms.
Planning Commissioners (from left to right in photo):
- LeQuan Hylton, Ph.D., Dale District
- Tommy Owens, Matoaca District
- Frank Petroski, Midlothian District, 2024 Chair
- Gib Sloan, Bermuda District, 2024 Vice Chair
- Elizabeth Hardin, Clover Hill District
The Planning Commission is charged with the following responsibilities:
- Make recommendations on revisions, updates, and adoption of the Comprehensive Plan
- Make recommendations regarding applications for zoning changes, conditional use permits, and conditional use planned developments (CUPD)
- Make Substantial Accord Determinations
- Advise the Board of Supervisors on proposed amendments to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances
- Advise the Board of Supervisors on other relevant issues regarding development in the County
- Prepare an annual report for the Board of Supervisors concerning the operation of the Commission and the status of planning in Chesterfield County (Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2221)
For more information on the Planning Commission, meeting schedule, agendas, minutes and videos visit the Planning Commission webpage
Planning Commission Accomplishments
The Planning Commission works with citizens, staff, and community stakeholders to guide and regulate Chesterfield County’s long and short-term development for the benefit of present and future generations.
In calendar year 2024, the Planning Commission
- Made recommendations for approval on six Zoning Ordinance amendments
- Made recommendations on 82 Zoning cases
- Made 79 recommendations for approval
- Made three recommendation for denial
- Processed 26 deferrals (some cases deferred multiple times)
- Approved two Substantial Accord cases
- Approved two Plans Review cases
Work Program Status Report
The Commission adopts a work program annually and receives monthly status reports as to the progress of various projects. The current status of some highlighted projects are reported below.
Comprehensive Plan Projects
Eastern Route 60 Corridor Plan
In 2024, the Planning Department began work on a corridor Plan for a four mile long stretch of Midlothian Turnpike. An in-person community meeting was held in May and was attended by Commissioners Hardin and Petroski. A community survey was made available in May through June and yielded 418 individual entries.
Drafting of a Plan document is well underway. Major goals of the Plan will focus on revitalization of aging commercial centers, providing additional landscaping and public green space, greater bike and pedestrian connectivity and coordination of land uses with a future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route along Midlothian Turnpike.
The Planning Department anticipates internal review of a draft Plan document in the Winter of 2025, public engagement in the Spring of 2025 and public hearings with the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in the Summer of 2025.
Northern Route 10 Corridor Plan
The Northern Route 10 Corridor Special Area Plan (SAP) spans approximately 3.5 miles between VA-288 and Rock Spring Drive/Lakemere Drive and contains approximately 860 acres of land area. The northern end of the Northern Route 10 SAP abuts the Ridgedale SAP adopted in 2023. The corridor serves as a major gateway to the county, provides direct access to Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport, and remains a main connection to the Courthouse and Chester areas.
The goal of the SAP is to guide future growth and development within the plan boundary. Chesterfield seeks to identify and attract land uses not currently found within the corridor to diversify the economy and provide greater opportunities for area residents and visitors. The plan will consider such items as bike/pedestrian infrastructure recommendations, site and building design recommendations, additional public open space, and increased connectivity between the corridor and surrounding neighborhoods.
Ridgedale Special Focus Area Plan Receives National Association of Counties Award!
In 2024, Chesterfield County was recognized by the National Association of Counties with an Achievement Award for the Ridgedale Special Focus Area Plan.
The Ridgedale Special Focus Area (SFA) Plan was adopted in 2023. The SFA Plan is a long range plan providing detailed development guidance to areas undergoing change or having a high potential for change. The Plan serves as a guide for future growth, land development and redevelopment decisions, programs, ordinances, and policies. The Plan relies on strategies for the redevelopment of key properties through detailed design guidelines and placemaking strategies. This Plan is a component of the countywide Comprehensive Plan.
The Plan provides future land use plan policy, conceptual plans, design guidance, rezoning guidance, and implementation steps.
- The SFA Future Land Use Plan lays out the desired future land use pattern through recommendations for the location and intensity of development. The Land Use Plan’s guidance provides flexibility that the prior land use designation lacked.
- The conceptual plan embodies an overall vision using the guidelines of the SFA. The conceptual plan focuses on the development/redevelopment of key properties and aims to enhance and maximize the experience of residents and visitors in Ridgedale.
- The design guidelines emphasize connectivity between parcels and neighborhoods, pedestrian-oriented blocks, building orientation and materials, green and public spaces, housing variety, and trail-oriented considerations.
- The SFA provides rezoning guidance for stakeholders and staff to easily find the starting points for desired future land use.
- Finally, the implementation section identifies projects mostly associated with land development. As departments throughout the county undertake various projects, policies, and ordinances within their spheres of influence, the Plan will be used to provide direction and guidance where appropriate.
Ordinance Amendments
Relative to Public Notice (Adopted February 2024) - The General Assembly adopted changes to public notice requirements for localities that became effective July 1, 2023. Accordingly, the County was required to amend the Zoning Ordinance requirements pertaining to public notice. This amendment changed the County’s notice requirements to align with the Commonwealth’s new requirements, and made other changes not specifically due to the new state legislation. The changes include: removal of a descriptive summary from the public notice; requiring the notice to include the land use and density recommended by the Comprehensive Plan for all zoning cases; requiring the notice to include the proposed density or maximum number of units for zoning cases with a residential use; changing the required timing of newspaper advertisement relative to the hearing date; adding a requirement to list addresses or parcel numbers of all parcels in a zoning case under certain circumstances; removing an exemption for sign posting and adjacent property owner notice for certain cases, changing where signs are required to be posted; not requiring adjacent property owner notice in certain situations; and changing the adjacent property owner notice postmark date relative to the hearing date.
Relative to Floodplain Management Districts and Dam Break Inundation Zones and Definitions (Adopted April 2024) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) updated the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Chesterfield County, which became effective on May 8, 2024. Accordingly, the floodplain section of the County’s Zoning Ordinance required amendment to refer to these new maps. There were also other changes to the Floodplain ordinance requested by FEMA, including but not limited to the following:
- Clarified the duties of the floodplain management administrator
- Added definitions for: accessory structure, basement, existing structure, historic structure, post-FIRM structures, repetitive loss structure, and severe repetitive loss structure
- Modified the definition for: manufactured home, new construction, and recreational vehicle
- Deleted definitions for: existing construction
Relative to Floodplain Management and replacing exception with variance (Adopted August 2024) - FEMA reviewed the April Zoning Ordinance amendment to the floodplain section, and returned comments to the county about further necessary changes. Specifically needing modification was the definition of variance as it pertains to floodplain matters.
Relative to Public Notice (Adopted October 2024) - The General Assembly adopted further changes to public notice requirements for localities that became effective July 1, 2024. This amendment specifically changed the required publication date of newspaper advertisements for a public hearing. As a result of these changes, two newspaper advertisements are required for a public hearing, no more than 28 days but no less than seven days prior to the date of the hearing.
Relative to Vested Rights and Nonconforming Uses (Adopted October 2024) - During the 2024 session, the General Assembly adopted changes to state code that expanded the criteria used to determine the conforming or nonconforming status of a building. Accordingly, Chesterfield County amended its Zoning Ordinance to incorporate the new changes, that redefines a nonconforming building to include the circumstance where property owner, relying in good faith on the issuance of a building permit, incurs extensive obligations or substantial expenses in diligent pursuit of a building project that is in conformance with the building permit and the Uniform Statewide Building Code.
Relative to Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas (Tree Preservation and Climate Resilience) (Adopted October 2024) - Virginia Department of Environmental Quality adopted new regulations pertaining to protection of mature trees and the adoption of sea level rise resilience measures within the Resource Protection Area (RPA) component of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area. Because local governments are charged with implementing the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act program, Chesterfield County was required to amend its ordinance to incorporate these new regulations, which include the following:
- Definitions of mature tree, canopy tree, and understory tree
- Specific protections for mature trees potentially impacted by development
- Definitions of adaptation measure and storm surge
- A clause that any development in the RPA shall require a resiliency assessment that considers the impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding
- A clause that allows adaptation measures to be installed in the RPA in accordance with criteria established in state regulations
Zoning Ordinance Modernization
The County’s Zoning Ordinance is the primary implementation tool of the Comprehensive Plan. While the Plan has undergone major revisions in the last several years, the Ordinance still dates to the 1980s for the most part. Closer alignment of the Ordinance to the Plan is a critical goal of the Zoning Ordinance Modernization (ZOMod) project, along with modernizing uses and standards to better guide development in the 21st century.
The County has been hard at work on getting the document right for Chesterfield. The project began in January 2021 with the Diagnostic Phase. An Analysis Report identifying the key recommendations for changes was completed by the consultant team and published in summer 2021.
In 2022, the consulting team, along with staff and the ZOMod Advisory Committee, worked diligently to develop Draft 1 of the Zoning Ordinance. During 2023 several work sessions were held with the Planning Commission and ZOMod Advisory Committee on the various components of the new ZOMod Draft 1 document.
After that review a second round of edits was necessary in order to accommodate the valuable input received during the Planning Commission work sessions, meetings with the Advisory Committee, and citizen comments received. Staff continued refinement of the document to create Draft 2, with the help of the consultant team and the ZOMod Advisory Committee during late 2023.
In 2024, staff spent eight months reviewing the various articles in ZOMod Draft 2 with the Planning Commission. During that same time, several meetings of the ZOMod Advisory Committee were held to gather input. The draft document was available for public comment from March 1 to Oct. 31, 2024.
All of the input received during 2024 is taken into account as Draft 3 is being developed. Draft 3 of ZOMod will be released in the first quarter 2025 for review and public comment. Community meetings across the County will be held in the spring/summer 2025 in each of the magisterial districts. It is anticipated that the Public Hearing and Adoption Phase, the final phase, will begin in late summer/early fall 2025.
The County has utilized various forms of communication to gather feedback on the various drafts to include an online comment portal, social media marketing, youTube videos, billboard advertising, and press releases to name a few. Property owners should be on the lookout for additional notifications throughout 2025 to learn about community meetings and upcoming public hearings related to the process.
Zoning Cases and Actions
79 Zoning Cases recommended for approval by the CPC and approved by the BOS
- New Residential Cases - 19
- Second Dwelling/Two Family Dwelling - 8
- Amendment of Previously Approved Case - 6
- Non-Residential Cases - 46
Breakdown of Residential by Type
In 2024, there were 19 new residential cases approved, which permitted 3,067 dwelling units. Of these approved dwelling units 28% (859 units) were single family, 22% (683 units) townhouse and 50% (1,525 units) were multifamily. Of the new residential cases there was one age restricted case that permitted 136 multifamily units.
This is an increase in new residential cases and permitted dwelling units approved compared to 2023. In 2023, there were seven new residential cases, which permitted 785 dwelling units.
Breakdown of Non-Residential by Type
In 2024, there were 46 non-residential cases approved that covered a variety of zoning actions and uses. The following chart provides the breakdown of non-residential cases by type:
Summary of cases by type: eight cases for modification of development standards; eight cases for commercial uses; six cases for industrial uses; seven cases for other uses; five cases for business from the home; two cases for public facilities; two cases for recreational vehicles; two cases for special events venues; two cases for solar facilities; two cases for the keeping of farm animals; and two cases for commercial kennels.
Zoning Cases Approved by Magisterial District
2024 Zoning Case Highlights
Benton Woods - Zoning approval on 26.5 acres to permit a single family cluster project with up to 85 dwelling units. (Dale)
Rockwood Grove - Zoning approval on 35.41 acres to permit a townhouse and office development with up to 260 dwelling units. (Dale)
Farnham Woods - Zoning approval on 15.37 acres to permit a single family cluster project with up to 46 dwelling units. (Clover Hill)
Chester Fire Station and Fall Line Park Rezoning - Zoning approval on 9.4 acres to permit a new county fire station and future park facility. (Bermuda)
TFC Old Stage Road Solid Waste Transfer Facility - Zoning approval on 14.97 acres to permit the County’s first solid waste transfer facility. (Bermuda)
Duval Road Rezoning - Zoning approval on 100.1 acres to permit a single family cluster project with up to 200 dwelling units. (Matoaca) (CPC recommended approval in December 2024)
Looking Ahead - 2025
Ordinances
ZOMod - Draft 3 of ZOMod will be released in the first quarter 2025 for review and public comment. Community meetings across the County will be held in the Spring/Summer 2025 in each of the magisterial districts. It is anticipated that the Public Hearing and Adoption Phase, the final phase, will begin in late summer/early fall 2025.
Subdivision Ordinance Update - The Subdivision Ordinance is being updated to make it more streamlined, to be inclusive of various policies that guide development, and to be a better partner to ZOMod by integrating concepts from ZOMod that are applicable to the subdivision ordinance. The first draft will be completed in early 2025.
Special Area Plans
- Northern Route 10 Corridor Plan (Spring 2025)
- Eastern 60 Corridor Plan (Summer 2025)
- Western 360 Corridor Plan (Begin Fall 2025)
Comprehensive Plan Updates
Chapter 9: The Environment Update - Chapter 9 is being reviewed and amended to make the chapter more current. Updates to the chapter include data updates with the most recently available data, highlight county participation in regional and local environmental stewardship efforts, and providing details on grants and programs offered by the Virginia Department of Forestry and electric vehicle funding opportunities.
Chapter 10: The Land Use Plan Alignment - An update to the County’s Comprehensive Plan, specifically Chapter 10: The Land Use Plan, will follow the adoption of ZOMod. This update will align the Land Use Plan categories to the ZOMod zoning districts. This change will not update the overall land use vision for the County, but instead bring ZOMod and the Comprehensive Plan into alignment with each other.
Chapter 13: The Thoroughfare Plan Update - Transportation and planning staff are examining possible updates to the Thoroughfare Plan. The focus of the update would be on whether the East-West Freeway is still needed and whether alternative designations would better meet the County’s projected thoroughfare needs.
Chapter 14: Bikeways and Trails Plan Update
An update to the County’s Bikeways and Trails Plan, which was adopted in 2015 as part of the Comprehensive Plan, is underway. As part of the update, the plan will be renamed the Active Transportation Plan and will include all active modes of transportation such as walking, biking, scootering, etc.
The Active Transportation Plan will focus on advancing the development of a safe, alternative transportation network that will increase access for non-vehicular travel to community destinations.
The Active Transportation Plan is scheduled for completion in 2025.
For more information on active Code Amendment and Comprehensive Plan projects visit the Active Projects page.