In case you missed the April 26 Board of Supervisors meeting, here is a brief recap of items from the board’s work session and business meeting:
ORDINANCE AMENDMENT ON RECREATIONAL SUBSTANCES
Following a public hearing, the board approved changes to county code that define certain vaping, tobacco, nicotine, hemp and kratom products, as well as related devices and accessories, as recreational substances and restrict their sale by specialty retailers.
The regulations specify that any new stores that primarily sell vaping materials and related products can be located no closer than 2,000 linear feet from the property line of a school. These stores also would be able to operate only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Additionally, new specialty shops can only be located in commercial zoning districts (C-3, C-4 and C-5) and must obtain a conditional-use permit from the Board of Supervisors prior to establishing operations in Chesterfield.
Existing specialty stores that sell vaping and tobacco products are grandfathered in and don’t have to comply with the new restrictions, which aim to limit vaping and tobacco use by minors.
POLICE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL UPDATE
Col. Jeffrey Katz, chief of the Chesterfield Police Department, presented its annual update to the board during its afternoon work session. You can watch it in its entirety by clicking on the image below.
CONTRACT FOR 288/360 EXIT RAMP, PARK-AND-RIDE LOT
The board authorized the county’s Procurement director to award a $19.7 contract to Caton Construction Group, Inc., for the 288/360 exit ramp project and construction of a park-and-ride lot at the Career and Technical Center on Hull Street Road.
This project involves lengthening the off-ramp from southbound Route 288 to westbound Route 360 and adding a second lane to prevent vehicle traffic from backing up into the right travel lane on 288 during peak afternoon commuting hours.
It also includes establishing a new park-and-ride lot in the western Route 360 corridor to incentivize commuters to carpool, with a goal of reducing the number of vehicles on the road in that area daily.
The Board of Supervisors authorized county staff in August 2017 to proceed with design, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations and advertisement of a construction contract for the project. Caton was determined to have submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bid.
Construction is expected to begin this August and be completed by October 2025.
PLANNING COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT
Tommy Owens, chair of the Chesterfield Planning Commission, and county Planning Director Andrew Gillies presented the commission’s annual report to the board Wednesday afternoon. Learn more about it by watching the video below.
TOURISM IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
After holding a public hearing, the board approved a proposed ordinance establishing a Tourism Improvement District (TID) in Chesterfield.
The General Assembly passed a new state law in 2021 authorizing Virginia localities to create TIDs within their boundaries for the purpose of generating revenue that can then be used to bolster local tourism efforts.
Lodging business owners in Chesterfield submitted a TID plan that requires hotels and motels with 41 or more rooms to pay a fee equivalent to 2% of their gross short-term rental revenue. The fee will be paid and collected in a manner similar to the county’s transient occupancy tax.
Richmond Region Tourism has been selected to oversee the expenditure of the collected fees for the purpose of increasing tourism in Chesterfield.
The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing in March to receive input on the potential establishment of a TID. Lodging business owners had an additional 30 days to submit written objections to the TID, but the board received no such objections.