In case you missed the June 28 Board of Supervisors meeting, here is a brief recap of items from the board’s work session and business meeting:
DISSOLUTION OF CHIPPENHAM PLACE CDA
The board approved a resolution dissolving a community development authority (CDA) that was formed in 2008 to help facilitate the redevelopment of the former Cloverleaf Mall property.
The CDA was created as a financial firewall for the project’s tax increment financing (TIF) structure, which supported the vacant mall’s demolition and infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate the site’s redevelopment with a mix of commercial and residential uses.
Had incremental tax revenues from the new development, now known as Stonebridge, been insufficient to pay the debt service, a special assessment would have been levied against all property owners within the boundaries of the Chippenham Place CDA to cover the shortfall.
That said, Stonebridge has been a tremendous success and become a catalyst for broader economic renewal at Chesterfield’s gateway intersection of Chippenham Parkway and Midlothian Turnpike. Financial protections provided by the CDA were never exercised, nor are they needed moving forward.
As such, staff requested that the CDA be dissolved, eliminating unneeded administrative structure and costs, while also freeing up more than $3 million that can be allocated to the ongoing Springline at District 60 redevelopment project on the north side of Midlothian Turnpike.
Tax revenue generated by Stonebridge is more than enough to cover the $8.8 million in outstanding debt from the Cloverleaf Mall redevelopment, which will remain an obligation of the county until paid off.
SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR NEW WESTERN 360 MIDDLE SCHOOL
At the request of the School Board, the Board of Supervisors approved a transfer of $12.6 million in savings from completed school capital projects to help pay for construction of a new middle school in the western Route 360 corridor.
During its April 11 meeting, the School Board approved a contract with Gulf Seaboard to build the new middle school, which will provide significant relief to capacity issues at Tomahawk Creek Middle and accommodate growth in western Chesterfield.
The project was originally funded in February 2022 with $67 million in Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) bonds. Amid the current inflationary environment for building materials and labor, however, additional funds are required to address an increase in construction costs.
The supplemental funding for the new middle school comes from unspent balances on five school projects that were approved as part of Chesterfield’s 2013 bond referendum – the replacements of Ettrick Elementary ($4.9 million), Crestwood Elementary ($2.6 million), Reams Road Elementary ($2.4 million), Matoaca Elementary ($373,000) and Harrowgate Elementary ($97,000) -- as well as renovation of the former Harrowgate Elementary building into the Chester Early Childhood Learning Center ($2.2 million).
BROADBAND UPDATE
Clay Bowles, deputy county administrator for community operations, presented a broadband update to the board during its afternoon work session. He noted that Chesterfield has received a grant of more than $755,000 from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, through its Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI), to create universal broadband in the county. You can view the presentation in its entirety below.
BON AIR PEDESTRIAN/BIKE IMPROVEMENTS
The board approved a transfer of $1.2 million from Chesterfield’s General Road Improvement Account and authorized the award of a construction contract for Phase 2 of the Bon Air Pedestrian/Bike Improvements Project.
The project will provide pedestrian connections from the intersection of McRae Road and Western Road to the Bon Air Library and Bon Air Elementary School, with additional connections to the intersection of McRae Road at Polk Street and McRae Road at Kenwin Road.
The Board of Supervisors authorized county staff to proceed with design and right-of-way acquisition in September 2018. Construction costs have increased significantly since then, requiring an additional funding transfer.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2024 and last about nine months.
GRANT FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS AT COUNTY JAIL
The board authorized the county administrator to accept and appropriate a $324,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for mental health treatment programs at the Chesterfield County Jail during fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1.
The jail plans to increase services provided to inmates who are dealing with mental illness or have co-occurring disorders, both during incarceration and the immediate period after release from custody.
Expansion of the grant will cover housing and medication availability, data collection efforts to measure success and continuation of training for program staff and administrators.