In case you missed the Nov. 15 Board of Supervisors meeting, here is a brief recap of items from the board’s work session and business meeting:
COURTHOUSE ROAD EXTENSION
The board authorized county staff to proceed with the design of the Courthouse Road Extension to Salem Church Road.
$2.4 million in county funds are available for design work on the project, which is included in Chesterfield’s thoroughfare plan and will provide needed redundancy in the local road network.
Courthouse Road currently terminates in a cul de sac near L.C. Bird High School. Extending it to Salem Church Road will provide motorists with another route to access the high school, the adjacent Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse and O.B. Gates Elementary, as well as the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds complex.
Preliminary engineering will include conducting an alignment feasibility study to evaluate potential alignments and select the preferred alternative. As part of the feasibility study, a public meeting will be held to review the alignments and gain community input. Additional funds will be required for construction.
HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATE
Human Resources Director Mary Martin Selby, Assistant Director Kristi Brittle and Chief of Administrative Services Elizabeth Marker presented the department’s fiscal year 2023 annual report to the board at its afternoon work session. You can view the presentation in its entirety below.
BEULAH NEIGHBORHOOD PARK
The board authorized the Director of Procurement to award a $2.3 million construction contract to Dickerson Construction LLC, the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, for construction of the Beulah Neighborhood Park.
The new park will complement the adjacent Beulah Recreation Center, which opened earlier this year following the extensive renovation of the former Beulah Elementary School building.
The project will convert the former school athletic grounds into a new lighted and irrigated multipurpose field supporting cricket, as well as other sports such as soccer, lacrosse, and football. It will be the first lighted and regulation-size cricket pitch in the Richmond region.
The contract also supports construction of a new restroom, picnic shelter and ½ mile walking path. Additional amenities, including a new playground and splash pad, are funded and will be completed under a separate contract.
SPORTS, VISITATION AND ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE
J.C. Poma, executive director of Chesterfield’s Sports, Visitation and Entertainment Department, updated the board on various projects it has undertaken since it was established in May. View the full presentation below.
ROUTE 1 INCENTIVE POLICY
The board approved the amendment and extension of Chesterfield’s Route 1 Incentive Policy to Dec. 31, 2025.
As part of the implementation strategy for the Northern Jefferson Davis Special Area Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors and incorporated as a chapter in the countywide comprehensive plan in 2018, the steering committee developed an incentive policy to encourage redevelopment activity in the corridor.
The policy makes available performance-based grants for projects that:
- Promote the goals and objectives of the special area plan
- Invest at least $5 million
- Are located in one of the targeted zones (Rt. 1 and Willis Road, Rt. 1 and Rt. 288, or Rt. 1 and Chippenham Parkway).
Under the policy, such a project receives 80% of its incremental real estate taxes back in a grant for the first seven years. The grant falls to 60, 40 and 20%, respectively, for the final three years of the ten-year grant period.
The board approved the incentive policy on June 26, 2019, with an original expiration date of June 30, 2021. That expiration date was intended to provide an opportunity to evaluate policy effectiveness. The board later extended the policy on Dec. 15, 2021, with a new expiration date of Dec. 31, 2023.
Additional time is necessary to observe and evaluate the completion of one or more major development projects in the targeted incentive area. In addition, the board also increased the minimum required investment to at least $10 million.