Chesterfield supervisors vote Nov. 18 on up to 406 homes at 16500 Genito Road and a 100-megawatt battery site at Watkins Centre. Staff back both cases.
Chesterfield County supervisors will vote Wednesday, Nov. 18, on two rezonings in the Midlothian District. One would allow up to 406 single-family homes on 224.63 acres of farmland at 16500 Genito Road. The other would allow a 100-megawatt battery energy storage facility on 38.74 acres at 730 Watkins Centre Parkway.
County planning staff recommend approval of both. The cases are on the Board of Supervisors’ public notice for Nov. 18. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Public Meeting Room at 10001 Iron Bridge Road.
Whitby East: up to 406 homes on Genito Road
The Genito Road site is in Moseley, about six miles southwest of Midlothian village. It sits between the Weatherbury subdivision to the east and the planned route of the Powhite Parkway extension to the west. The case number is 25SN1280.
The developer asks to rezone the land from agricultural to Semi-Urban Neighborhood. The staff report in the Planning Commission’s Oct. 20 packet sets out the plan:
- up to 406 single-family homes, a density of 1.81 homes per acre
- lots of at least 6,000 square feet, averaging at least 8,000 square feet
- lots of at least 11,000 square feet, with a 25-foot buffer, next to Weatherbury
- a clubhouse of at least 2,000 square feet, a pool, pocket parks and trails
- two entrances on Genito Road, with left and right turn lanes
- a 200-foot strip of land given for the Powhite Parkway extension, from Genito Road to the site’s northern edge
The county’s Comprehensive Plan calls for two homes an acre or less on most of the land. Staff said the plan comes in under that. Lattice Hall, across Genito Road, was approved at 1.99 homes an acre with 6,000-square-foot lots, the report says.
The case also keeps an existing 220-foot telecommunications tower on the land. No new lot may sit within 300 feet of the tower’s enclosure.
A cap on how fast it can be built
The developer has offered to limit building permits to 50 a year. No more than 300 homes could get permits until the Powhite Parkway reaches Genito Road, the staff report says.
The county’s road cash proffer policy values the traffic impact at up to $3,816,400, or $9,400 a home, the report says. Staff estimate about 3,830 car trips a day at full buildout.
Schools and fire service
The county estimates the homes would add 231 students at buildout. The staff report lists the schools the site is zoned for:
| School | Share of capacity used now | Students from this plan |
|---|---|---|
| Deep Creek Elementary | 71% | 81 |
| Deep Creek Middle | 91% | 41 to 73 |
| Cosby High | 125% | 57 to 77 |
Cosby High is forecast to reach 145.1% to 147.6% of capacity by 2030. Chesterfield County Public Schools expects West Ridge High, now under construction, to open in August 2027 and relieve it.
The nearest fire station is Magnolia Green, Company 25, 5.93 road miles away. The fire department estimates the first unit would arrive in 7 minutes 4 seconds, inside its 12-minute goal for that rural zone. The area carries an insurance Public Protection Classification of Class 10. The staff report notes that rating can mean higher homeowners insurance premiums. A new station is planned near Old Hundred Road and Beedon Drive, next to Old Hundred Elementary.
Neighbors raised wells, street design, water and sewer lines and the Powhite Parkway at an Aug. 13 community meeting, the report says.
Munster: a 100-megawatt battery site at Watkins Centre
The second case, 26SN2174, is in the Watkins Centre business park. The applicant, East Point Energy, asks to rezone the land from Employment Center to Employment General with a conditional use for battery storage.
The facility would charge from and send power back to Dominion’s grid. It would share a substation with a battery site the county already approved at 151 and 210 Dry Bridge Road, next door to the west. East Point Energy is developing that one too, the staff report says.
The applicant’s proffered conditions include:
- a 100-foot wooded buffer along Watkins Centre Parkway
- no equipment taller than 25 feet, apart from power poles
- noise no louder than 75 decibels at the property line
- a fence or wall at least 6 feet tall
- compliance with the National Fire Protection Association’s energy storage standard
- an emergency plan drawn up with Chesterfield Fire and EMS, with training for local crews
- a decommissioning plan, with a surety from the landowner equal to the cost of removal
The nearest fire station is Midlothian, Company 5, 2.9 road miles away. The applicant did not hold a community meeting. It sent letters to neighboring owners offering to talk, the report says.
The site is on the same road as the 29 acres the county accepted as a gift last month.
The Planning Commission’s view
The Planning Commission held public hearings on both cases Oct. 20. Its minutes from that meeting are not yet published. The commission is set to approve them at its Nov. 17 meeting.
Two other cases near Midlothian are on the same Nov. 18 agenda:
- Nunnally Village (25SN1222), up to 1,000 homes on 204.3 acres at 16300 Hull Street Road in the Matoaca District
- Cottage Glen Phase 3 (26SN2042), up to 145 homes on 29.95 acres at Otterdale Road and Ringcroft Drive in the Clover Hill District
What it means for you
- To speak: come to the meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 10001 Iron Bridge Road.
- To comment without going: use the county’s online comment form, which opens Thursday, Nov. 12, or call 804-748-1808. Comments close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17.
- If you need an interpreter for the deaf: tell the clerk to the board at 804-748-1200 by Friday, Nov. 13.
- If you live near Genito Road: the permit cap means building would be spread over years, and the western entrance may become right-in, right-out once the parkway arrives.
We will report the board’s decisions after Nov. 18. More county land-use cases are on our public notices page.
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