Coraggio Consulting
Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Meeting - August 26, 2026, Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Place: Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 8h 39m (video)
Official meeting video (CivicClerk): https://chesterfieldcova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2029/media
Official agenda (CivicClerk): https://chesterfieldcova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=5210,plainText=false)
Official minutes (CivicClerk): https://chesterfieldcova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=5292,plainText=false)

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-22. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:02:33] - Okay, good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the afternoon session of the August 26th Board of Supervisors meeting. Before I move any further, I want you all, if you'd be willing to, to please join me in welcoming Dr. Kevin Catlin to Chesterfield County.

[00:02:54] My colleague to the left said, I don't know if you heard, he said, "Dr. Catlin, you got about 30 seconds if you want to run." That's a great thing to say. So I'm gonna turn it over to Dr. Catlin just to bring in some opening remarks, and then we'll get started.

[00:03:10] - Absolutely, thank you, Dr. Miller, Vice Chair Carroll, members of the Board of Supervisors, audience. Today is very special for me, as our family begins to establish roots here in Chesterfield County. You know, you all make this place very special, and that's what attracted me here to this opportunity, to serve at the pleasure of the Board of Supervisors, but also at the pleasure of the residents, as you all elect the Board of Supervisors.

[00:03:36] And so, I look forward to shepherding a lot of innovative things forward, helping staff really commit to good governance, and I look forward to being approachable and accessible to you all. So I'll keep it brief, because I know we have an extremely long agenda tonight, but I look forward to getting to know everyone and working with you all, so thank you.

[00:04:00] - Thank you, sir. All right, with that, Madam Clerk. - Mr. Chair, the first item on the agenda is approval of minutes for the July 22nd Board of Supervisors meeting and the August 24th swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Catlin. - All right. - So moved.

[00:04:17] - Can I get second? - Second. - All right, all in favor? - Aye. - All right. - Madam Clerk. - Item two, request to postpone agenda items and additions, deletions, or changes in the order of presentation. Staff has no requests. Item three, everyday excellence, Dr. Catlin.

[00:04:34] - Wow, back to me so soon. All right. Well, this is an honor to present our recipients this evening in geospatial services. It's an honor and privilege to be here for my first board meeting and to present something like this.

[00:04:51] You know, we're pleased to recognize geospatial services team as this month's Everyday Excellence recipients. The team is being recognized for their commitment to process improvement, collaboration, and outstanding service across the organization. Geospatial services is a great example of how a team whose work often happens behind the scenes but whose impact can be felt and found almost everywhere across the organization in Chesterfield County.

[00:05:17] At its core, their work helps us understand where things are, where things are going, and how the county can best respond. The accurate and timely geographic information they maintain supports the work of departments throughout our organization. And so whether it's ensuring the mapping and addressing information is current for our public safety professionals, supporting planning and community development decisions, helping us plan and track capital improvements, maintaining information critical to our utility infrastructure, or providing residents with accessible information about their properties and community, geospatial services provides an important foundation for effective local government.

[00:05:55] And that's what everyday excellence is really about. Excellence is not always the work that is the most visible. Often it is the work that is happening quietly and consistently behind the scenes that enables everyone else to perform at their best. And so the geospatial services team exemplifies that very kind of service through their technical expertise, attention to detail, innovation and collaboration.

[00:06:19] They help our employees make better informed decisions and ultimately help us provide better, more responsive services to the residents and businesses of Chesterfield County. So I am proud to recognize geospatial services team for their everyday excellence. And I want to personally thank each and every one of them for the important role they play in supporting us in this organization and the community that we serve.

[00:06:39] I'll now turn it over to Deputy County Administrator Jesse Smith to share more about the team and their accomplishments. Mr. Smith. - Awesome, thank you Dr. Catlin, that was wonderful. So I wanna explain a couple things. Number one, why do I have the two tall Steves in the back with his giant map?

[00:06:55] So for those of you who've been around Chesterfield County for a while, you'll know we have a real commitment to continuous improvement. Sort of this large diagram that you see before you is the land development process in the county. So it could be fairly cumbersome, we're trying to make it better.

[00:07:12] One of the things that came out of all this was really a need to take what was called the GIS group and consolidate it within the plan review process and in land planning. And I know Mr. Engel, this has come up in, not just as a board member, but also in your line of work.

[00:07:31] So as part of that process, we did this to really provide better customer service for our residents. It's been a huge success story, thanks to the folks here. So for like real estate log in, so going in and making just a simple change, it used to take 28 days.

[00:07:50] We actually have that now down to 10 days for to digitize a subdivision, which in the county happens quite a bit. Used to be eight days, that's now down to three days. And then address review. This is the one that we used to get calls about. the time takes too long we actually have that down to one day so if you record a new lot you need to get your address you want to get moved in it takes one day and it's all because of the hard work of this team and i'd like to know this is it's not a community development function this was really a multi-disciplinary uh effort so we have with us uh joanne worship hiding in the back who's our

[00:08:26] deputy cio within ist uh we have jack wright who's our geospatial services manager specifically public

[00:09:09] safety emergency communications or real estate itself for ISP we work with them all the time and they gave us the grace and leniency necessary to make the process improvements that we have made to continue to provide efficient addressing and GIS work to the county so our team is responsible for assigning addresses and improving street names throughout the county it isn't our only responsibility or even necessarily the largest but we believe it is the most essential of our duties given who relies on addresses, how ubiquitous they are to the community, and everyone has an address or something. So we've reprioritized that to be our top priority.

[00:09:47] And some of the process improvements that have contributed to that improved efficiency that Jesse was mentioning is we refocus, as I said, on the test that mattered most. So anything that created addresses or updated property numbers, we focus on those and prioritize those to the top of our list. We modified some of our quality control checks and introduced some automation, some tools in there that we were able to press to catch some common mistakes so that that information doesn't get up. We further turned some of the more repetitive tasks, like generating reports, into some automated tools to improve the process of getting these addresses out

[00:10:22] to developers that rely on. And then we were able to group some similar duties together and assign them to a few members that were best suited for those roles, while also cross-training to handle some of the key tasks in case someone's unavailable or if something has met the subject is in rapid respect. Also the move to the planning department and the physical space in the community development building has increased our collaboration across teams in the plan review process and I think that generally improves the outcomes that we're able to provide as we're closer to working at the center. And lastly we've adjusted our timelines for assigning

[00:11:02] addresses as Jesse was mentioning. Those are much quicker now but we're striving to hit a sweet spot Their plans are true, things are happening, but the poor people are trying to build things. That isn't the thing that they're waiting on. And then finally, lastly, I just want to thank my team, Amy, Taylor, and Logan, for making any of this improvement possible.

[00:11:21] Yeah, give these folks a hand. Mr. Chair, I did have one comment, or one question.

[00:11:37] Yes, Mr. Strinkle. I did have one question. Now that we've done this on the county side, what can you do, and this is a redundant question, What can you do with the U.S. mail now to make sure that they accept these addresses as quickly as possible?

[00:11:54] We're doing our best to work with USPS. As you know, that's often a challenge. But we are trying, and Jack's made some good addresses. Yeah, sure. He has a real answer. We have been working on this, right? So I mentioned that we have three of them, but they are also on their end where we'll be able to submit things to them and get seats.

[00:12:24] That's been part of the loop that's been missing. So I think they're working on the proof so that we know when we send them something, that something actually is going to happen. Thank you for not stopping at our border, but going on to work with the feds to get it right. Mr. Chair. Yeah, Mr. Schneider.

[00:12:41] To that point, does that address the subdivisions that have these awful boxes now? I'm just saying. - The side is referencing the cluster box units, so those were actually required by the U.S. Postal Service so in order to increase efficiency and they have mandated cluster box units so folks no longer are able to have a unit.

[00:13:05] - Hence, part of the problem, I think. - Understood, yes ma'am. - Yeah, Mr. Carroll. - Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think one of the biggest and most important things about the accuracy of what you do is how our public safety response works off of that. And if anybody's actually spent any time in our ECC, and you can see how tremendous it is in there compared to what it was when I started back in 1986, 87, now that the accuracy of we can show exactly where a location is, an American address is, where our officers are responding to.

[00:13:40] And so all this work that your team has done, not just on this one project, but all of the projects that IST has put forward with our GIS data in Chesterfield County is really, I think, put us over the top as a top-tier community.

[00:13:57] Just for the simple fact that I get calls all the time just from someone saying, well, this is going on at such and such a location, I can literally just pull it right up on GIS and say, well, let's talk about what's next to you or what's over here. And we refer that information out to the community.

[00:14:13] So I don't believe, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think there are many counties across the country that have the capabilities, total capabilities that we do by far. So thank you very much for all the work you've done, not just on this project, but all the other ones that have really benefited the community as a whole.

[00:14:32] But specifically, I would say, our ability to get public safety to somebody as quick as we can. When you were rolling that out, I thought you were rolling out the technical schematics for Commonwealth fusion systems.

[00:14:49] And what occurred to me is when you started talking is that that's exactly what's going on in that the power behind the county and how it works is that complicated. You need to understand it and you need to be able to have access to it. So it is the same kind of power in many, many ways, because if we don't have that foundation, it ain't happening.

[00:15:09] So thank you for all that you do. You're very welcome. Thank you, ma'am. Madam Kirk. Item four, resolutions and special recognitions.

[00:15:27] A, recognizing 2026 NACO Achievement Award winners. Mr. Goode. Chair, Mr. Vice Chair, fellow board members, and Dr. Catlin. My name's Dave Goode. It's a pleasure to be here.

[00:15:42] I have the honor today, as we do each year, to recognize our National Association of County Achievement Award winners. We have 32 winners this year and also a best-of-category winner, which we'll get to in just a little while. So without further ado, we're going to name the award or the program that's being awarded in the name of the recipient.

[00:16:04] To be clear, for most of these awards, it's not just about one employee or one person. It's most typically a partnership among many people and sometimes in multiple departments. Great. Let's get started.

[00:16:26] The first one is County Schools Art Collaboration, Natalie Spillman.

[00:16:31] Right. Creating Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences. This was a partnership between Chesterfield Parks and Recreation and Chesterfield County Public Schools Elementary School Science. We have Marsha Rogers. Chesterfield County Public Schools logo, which looks very nice. Jenny O'Quinn. Work-based learning Dominion Energy Apprenticeship Program. We have Ronnie Betts with Dominion.

[00:17:18] The Workforce Development 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch Program, Shannon White.

[00:17:40] Employee Wellness Engagement Initiative, Brian Walters.

[00:17:54] Be ready, what's your question? Small Business Virtual Services, Letitia Jenkins. Buy Local and Diverse Initiative Expansion, Tyler Tingler.

[00:18:20] Athletics Facility Scheduling Policy, Glow Big or Glow Home in Chesterfield, Virginia. Event Rental Application in the Latinos Farmer Market. we have jc poma for four awards i've seen those while there's not much more room on them innovating financial software implementation through knowledge sharing katie ramirez

[00:18:54] internal audit continuous monitoring car durden community corrections service peer support melody

[00:19:15] force gun violence prevention program debbie duggar human trafficking team debbie tennison

[00:19:36] harp healing summit carrie rhodes and two for brian balanos active warrants application and found

[00:20:02] pets application beyond pdfs transforming digital access through accessible content strategy i am asked data-driven governance power bi dashboards for the chesterfield county board of supervisors

[00:20:31] trip rate unified no wrong door digital experience chris coleman community connections fostering collaboration carla i'm going to try to get this right we talked earlier today carla saccaros

[00:20:59] Partnering for Access, Improving the Early Voting Experience, Jen Hayek. Read to Recovery, Expanding Access to Opioid Recovery Resources.

[00:21:28] Well, we're going to bring her back in a minute, but Jen Shepley. Sorry, I just wanted to embarrass Jen twice today. Radical Transparency and Leadership Communication, Margaret Howard.

[00:21:57] Mini Movers, Tiara Green. Rockwood Community Gardens, Christy McCullough. ZOMOD and Subdivision Ordnance Projects, Rachel Chiappa.

[00:22:28] Zomog Conversion Map Tool. Carell Sundar. Dorm Incident Tracker Dashboard.

[00:22:44] Byron EMS. Clay Harris. And for one more time, we have Ms. Jen Sheffley for a Best of Category Award for Libraries. Congratulations.

[00:23:06] It was for the Read to Recovery Program. So understand, Best in Category is for these different categories for the entire country.

[00:23:29] Best in Category. And so there are 3,000 counties in the United States plus. And for us to win in the best-seeing category for libraries, that is a really big deal. So congratulations for that and everyone else.

[00:23:50] Okay, that concludes. Thank you. Mr. Chair, board members, Mr. Carroll, will we all please stay up front?

[00:24:06] Yes. Call on the roll. The resolution recognizing Sergeant Roderick Brown, police department, upon his retirement, Will Sergeant Brown and his guests please join the board in the front of the room?

[00:25:13] Whereas Sergeant Roderick W. Brown retired from the Chesterfield County Police Department on July 1, 2026, after providing over 31 years of quality service to the residents of Chesterfield County.

[00:25:42] And whereas Sergeant Brown served Chesterfield County as a police officer, detective, senior detective, master detective, career police officer, and sergeant. And whereas Sergeant Brown also served as an Academy Training Officer, General Instructor, Taser Instructor, ASP Instructor, and was a member of the Metro Interdiction Team, the Police Emergency Response Team, SWAT, Street Drug Enforcement Unit, and was assigned to the DEA Task Force.

[00:26:13] And whereas Sergeant Brown earned a life-saving award for administering CPR with rescue breathing to an individual who had overdosed while waiting for rescue personnel. And whereas Sergeant Brown received two unit citations for the arrest of numerous suspects dealing drugs, the seizure of significant amounts of narcotics and $2.4 million in cash, and received a chief's commendation for the arrest of three females responsible for thefts from Ulta, from Florida to New York.

[00:26:42] And whereas Sergeant Brown received two unit citations recognizing his dedication and commitment to the police emergency response team and for his significant contributions to the department's goal of keeping county streets safe. And whereas Sergeant Brown received a chief's commendation as a member of the investigative team that relentlessly pursued and arrested the individual responsible for a homicide and two chief's commendations in the homicide unit for superb performance and extraordinary success in resolving many high-level investigations.

[00:27:17] And whereas Sergeant Brown received a chief's commendation for a letter received from Chesterfield Commonwealth's Attorney Barr, who recognized his professionalism and excellence and his unsolved major investigations detectives. And whereas Sergeant Brown was presented with the chief's commendation for his contribution to outstanding teamwork by police and U.S. Marshals to identify and capture suspects responsible for three after-hours break-ins at gas stations.

[00:27:45] And whereas Sergeant Brown was recognized with an achievement award for his quick actions and teamwork to recover an abducted child and arrest the suspect and whereas sergeant brown received a 1997 award from mothers against drunk drivers for his achievements in dui enforcement and whereas chesterfield county and the board of supervisors will miss sergeant brown's diligent service now therefore be it resolved that the chesterfield county board of supervisors this 26th of august 2026 publicly recognizes sergeant roger w brown and extends on behalf of its members and

[00:28:22] the residents of chesterfield county appreciation for his service to the county congratulations upon his retirement and best wishes for a long and happy retirement and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to sergeant brown and that this resolution be permanently recorded among the papers of this Board of Supervisors of Chesterfield County, Virginia.

[00:29:26] And I just want to tell you, well done. You've done a great job. Look forward to the next chapter in life. You have always been a team player. You know, even though you were a supervisor, you always look out for the team.

[00:29:42] I know that people are the most important to know. And thank you for always taking care of the team. Good luck to you. Congratulations on the next chapter in life. Funny joke that we have in the police department.

[00:30:09] For those that don't know, this is a replica of a brick that's in front of the old courthouse. and you tell every officer, don't use this brick in the commission of a crime because it has all your information on it. There you are, Rod, your brick that will be in the courthouse lawn.

[00:30:30] Before I get her, you have an opportunity to say something. I'm going to just pass it around my board and she didn't want to make any comments. Well, if that resolution didn't cover all the things that he means to the department, then we may not be able to move forward with this because we're going to have to keep you.

[00:30:52] Thank you for all that you've done for the citizens of Chesapeake County. That's a long list of accomplishments, and I'm sure from the chief's response that that doesn't even cover most of it.

[00:31:07] So I can't thank you enough for what you've done. Well, today. Good day, though. You know, I often tell people that we want to ensure that Chesapeake County is a clean, safe community with good schools, and you're part of that fabric for being sure that we are safe.

[00:31:32] And so I just want to say thank you on behalf of nearly 400,000 citizens. Thank you for the legislature and the state. And very inspiring to read things that you've done. So I just ask that people take a moment and read it as it hangs on your wall or as they look back at this meeting and just know what they can do here in Chesterfield.

[00:31:58] You know, for a lot of his career, you couldn't actually see who he was because when he worked on the cover, they didn't want you to actually know who he was, right? So all the things that he did in the background to keep the community safe, we have many people in our organization that continue to do that.

[00:32:17] The great thing about you that I know is that you've also passed that knowledge along, not just the people that you trained, but also the people who worked under your command. What people don't realize in Chesterfield County, we hired a lot of people many years ago that are now eligible to retire, people like you who are taking tremendous amounts of knowledge and experience with you.

[00:32:38] The good thing is I know that you've passed as much as you could along with the people below you, and hopefully they've made that part of them. Thank you for everything that you've done, and if you haven't given it as much, just reach out. Congratulations. And as far as the brick goes, the interesting thing about that, too, is something we changed, not just does the brick go on the ground, but there's a QR code over there.

[00:32:59] And so when someone pulls up the QR code and puts your name in it, they're going to be able to read your resolution. And so it's important not just to have the brick on the ground, But the people understand that what happened in the time between that dash from when you started to when you retired, which is on that break, and all that you accomplished and contributed to the community.

[00:33:18] And so it's something that this board, we changed recently. And Mary Romanella, who's somewhere around here, had a lot to do with that and getting that all up and running. But we think it's really important for people to understand, because they're not going to come back and look at this. But if they're walking over there and they look at it, they'll have an opportunity.

[00:33:35] go online and see all that you've done for us and for the community. So thank you, brother. What I'm struck by is all your colleagues hanging out in the back of the room here. And that says a lot. I was telling Madam Clerk a couple of minutes ago that when people read the resolution, when she's reading the resolution, I kind of get lost in it. Because it's kind of like this picture book of things that are happening. And I want to take each one of them, I want you to take like 20 minutes just to read each one to be able to, and you know, Kevin's saying, no, but the point is that I'll bet you that's happening with you too, is that there's this picture book and all these

[00:34:15] experiences that are happening, and how powerful and how colorful, just everything that's happening, and how much this community is so grateful to you. You can hear it in the words, you can voice it in the tone, but chief is what you've done for our community, what you've done for all of us see that we could be even more faithful so from the bottom of our hearts everyone here thank you one other thing i want to say is that um you're you're inspirational and i hope that other people that retire in public safety that they'll come before the board and get their

[00:34:52] resolution read also because it's when you look at the number of people that have retired and then the number of people number of people that come before us it's a large transparency so a lot of public safety people just want to retire and you know do all the things that they do in retirement but never come before the board.

[00:35:08] But I think it's important that you come before the board and let the public know all that you've done in your career and what your career has meant to the community. Okay. First of all, I want to thank everybody that's worked with me, from those who are above my rank as well as below my rank.

[00:35:33] It's a team effort. What you read and what you heard about me is just an example of the police department itself working as a team. I was just fortunate enough to be assigned to different units while I had detectives or patrol officers that went out there and needed that.

[00:35:52] So as much as it's accomplishments that I have without them, like the detectives in the back of the room that's sitting at a pace of each of you to get up there. My mom and dad are with me.

[00:36:19] The job I do is pretty dangerous. So I try not to tell my mom about SWAT and these things to kind of help me to myself. She did. She did. But once again, I appreciate my family.

[00:36:37] I appreciate Sophia. I appreciate your friends and being here for me. I just, again, one thing I would pass is there's always a team. There's always a family. If you don't have a team, you don't have a family. One person is not a superman, you're not a savior.

[00:36:56] But as a team, together, thank you.

[00:37:00] See, resolution recognizing Kimberly Ritchie,

[00:38:01] Community Correction Services upon her retirement. Will Ms. Ritchie and her guests please join the board in the front of the room?

[00:38:07] Whereas Ms. Kimberly J. Davidson-Ritchie retired on August 1st, 2026 after providing 30 years of dedicated service to the residents of Chesterfield County.

[00:38:45] And whereas Ms. Ritchie joined Chesterfield County Schools as a school bus driver in 1996 and in 2002 transferred to mental health support services while she became the front desk. And whereas Ms. Ritchie was nominated by her peers in 2004 for Employee of the Year and was a steady source of guidance, encouragement, and inspiration, mentoring colleagues, championing innovation, and always leading by example.

[00:39:12] And whereas Ms. Ritchie transferred to day programs in the role of administrative secretary and received certifications from Virginia State Medication Management, Autism Society of America, Virginia Wounded Warrior Program, and the Governor's Physical Activity Award.

[00:39:29] And whereas Ms. Ritchie is an active member of the Emergency Management Institute and continues to volunteer and maintain all necessary training requirements as a staff member of the Chesterfield Emergency Operations Center. And whereas Ms. Ritchie served in the Chesterfield Sheriff's Office from July 2011 until May 2019, where she held multiple positions of increasing responsibility and was recognized for dedication to customer service, accuracy, and professionalism.

[00:39:59] And whereas Ms. Ritchie collaborated with county banking officials to identify an individual involved in fraudulent check activity resulting in criminal charges. And whereas Ms. Ritchie repeatedly received favorable audits by both the Virginia Board of Corrections and Internal Audit, reflecting her adherence to high standards and regulatory compliance, she performed numerous critical duties, including serving as the primary backup for the local inmate data system and supporting payroll entry functions for a 24-hour facility.

[00:40:32] And she strengthened her professional skills by obtaining her quality generalist certification and completing the School of Leadership and Personal Effectiveness. And whereas Ms. Ritchie was awarded Employee of the Quarter in September 2014 and dealt daily with concerns and issues of incarcerated individuals and their family members.

[00:40:52] And whereas Ms. Ritchie transferred to community correction services in May 2019 and served the staff and clients of the Center of Risk Reduction and Dual Treatment track with distinction in many different roles. And whereas throughout her career, Ms. Ritchie was dependable, friendly, and kind to all, bringing not only skill and expertise to all positions she held, but also a spirit of collaboration and unwavering dedication.

[00:41:20] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors this 26th day of August, 2026 publicly recognizes Mrs. Kimberly J. Davidson-Ritchie and extends on behalf of its members and the citizens of Chesterfield County appreciation for her 30 years of service to the county, and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Ms. Ritchie and that this resolution be permanently recorded among the papers of this Board of Supervisors.

[00:42:02] Kim, I'd say a couple things. When I think throughout your career, you started at school, driving a school bus. You then went to Cheshire Mental Health Support Services, the Sheriff's Office, Community Corrections. Throughout your career, you served on the front lines, helping those who may have needed help more than anybody, right?

[00:42:18] You were there for them in all that capacity. And every day at work, you gave everything that you had. The secret to Kim is Kim has been gone and retired since July 1, although it was effective at the end of July. The fabulous thing about having Kim in the department is if you had an issue, there's a way to get things done in terms of a formal process.

[00:42:40] Kim knew how to get things done because Kim knew everybody. So Kim knew who to call in general services, who to call the sheriff's office, who to call the church for mental health. She had that knowledge, that experience, and that know-how, but she had that reputation. So wherever she went or wherever she left, right, you had that connection, and they had that love and appreciation for what you did, and that's something that we just can't get back that we miss every single day.

[00:43:04] Your supervisors are nodding your head going, yes. And that's so hard to replace. So to me, what you've done in your career and who you've served, I would also say one thing on a slightly personal level for those who don't know. Kim and her husband, they've been foster parents for 40 years, serving any number of kids.

[00:43:22] Again, those who most need the help. So I can't say enough about Kim Ritchie and how much we miss her. And I want to thank you for all you've done for us at Chesterfield County, but also in the community.

[00:43:33] I asked to go first for this but you just heard all the tremendous things this woman has done for the county but this board had to change our policy for her to be recognized here today because the previous policy was if you worked for the schools first and then came to the county and your total collaboration of time with the county wasn't 25 years of service then you didn't get a resolution into the brick and this board made the decision to change that and say this is not right if you work for the county the county schools

[00:44:20] and so we thought about this we changed it and we're so glad that we did because you absolutely deserve all the honors that you're getting today for all the stuff you've done for the community and uh and thank you for we had a conversation about this and i said this isn't right we're going to fix it and so thank you for everything that you've done we really appreciate it you know to that and thank you for everything it's amazing to me and again to that point all the areas that

[00:44:57] that you touched in the county, in the community, in your home with you and Foster. And it speaks to the level of the heart that you and your husband both have. And thank you so much for bringing that to the county. We all need a little more loving and caring in our world, and I greatly appreciate everything that you brought to the county through that.

[00:45:21] Wow, if you didn't do enough for the citizens through working to serve the citizens, I'm on the social services board, and I know fostering children and how important that is to the community to do that on top of it.

[00:45:39] God love them. We did give you your bricks. I think you heard most of the things that were said earlier, but I don't want to dismiss your presentation about this either, that all that work that you did will be more like that in front of the church.

[00:45:59] So thank you so much for all the work that you've done. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. We worked together at mental health. You left in 2004. So I'm imagining when you went from place to place, there was like a war going on because no one was going to want to let you go.

[00:46:25] And I think that says exactly what was going on. I was like, wait a minute, she's going where? We're going to lose who? And I know that that happened a lot. And so what that says is how much you're valued. It says how much you care about the community and how much you care about the work that we all do.

[00:46:42] So on behalf of the board, thank you so, so much for everything you've done but just for time.

[00:46:57] And whereas, after 30 years, she's now all mine. That sums it up. Thank you. We will add that to the minute.

[00:47:15] If we're not, then I'm going to look silly.

[00:47:44] D, recognizing other retirees and special guests, Mr. Goode.

[00:48:03] Board members, as you take your seats, in addition to Sergeant Brown and Ms. Ritchie, we have four other folks being recognized on consent tonight for their retirements. We have Jeffrey Edwards with Fire and EMS for 37 years, Newton Georgiel III, Fire and EMS 30 years, Daniel Shuckless with the police department for 27 years, and Weatherly Bristow, Fire and EMS, for 21 years.

[00:48:33] With the service we just recognized with Sergeant Brown and Ms. Ritchie, this represents all total 176 years of service with Cheshire County collectively. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Good. Madam Clerk.

[00:48:49] Item 5, work sessions. A, Pro-White Parkway extension update. Ms. Walker. Thank you. Good afternoon, members of the board.

[00:49:04] Mr. Chair, welcome again, Dr. Catlin. So we're here to provide an update on where we are and how we're progressing on the Polite Parkway extension project and the finance plan that is on your consent agenda today.

[00:49:20] So here is the overall corridor. This is the map showing the full extension. We are progressing on extending Polite Parkway extension over 10 miles from its current terminus to the north all the way down to Hull Street.

[00:49:39] We're advancing the project in two phases. Phase 1, which is the blue section at the northern end, will extend four lanes, the existing four-lane section, west to Woolridge Road. And Phase 2 extends from Woolridge Road all the way to Hull Street, which is the remaining three sections you see in pink, green, and yellow.

[00:50:03] That's the bulk of what we call Phase 2. And Phase 2, we'll be extending it as a two-lane facility, but we're going to be grading it for the ultimate configuration of a four-lane road. so that we will ultimately be able to expand those four lanes once traffic and development warrants it.

[00:50:23] And we will also be including a shared use path the length of the whole corridor. And again, our goal is to be building out this important north-south connection and provide additional transportation capacity and connectivity in this growing part of the county. So if I focus in on phase one.

[00:50:43] So to orient everyone, we've moved up to the northern end of the corridor where it currently terminates at Watermill Road. Center to the screen, you will see the light green, the pink, and the blue. That is a grouping of projects that constitute what we call phase one.

[00:50:59] The blue line is building an overpass, what we call the Watermill Overpass Over Pro-White Extension. The pink line, we have to extend the four-lane facility west. That will include a bridge over Tomahawk Creek. And then the light green will be that north-south road is Woolridge Road.

[00:51:20] We're widening Woolridge, that light green, 2 to 4. And then we'll be tying in Bowie Parkway at grade at Woolridge. It's a high-capacity intersection that is called a displaced left-turn intersection. So light green, pink-blue, that's phase one.

[00:51:37] Phase one is fully funded at $150 million. Using a combination of CVTA local funds, Central Virginia Transportation Authority, local and regional funding. That project is going to start construction at the end of this year in that we will be advertising it.

[00:51:56] We're pushing to get the advertisement out for phase one, middle of September. We anticipate coming back before you to award a contract end of this year, beginning of next. So construction will be starting soon. And then you can also see three other projects that tie into this Phase I project, Polite project.

[00:52:18] The orange is Woolridge Extension. That project is already under construction. The green, the bright green, the east-west little link there, that Centerpoint Parkway Extension, that is also under construction. And then the project in blue at the bottom of the screen is Woolridge Widening.

[00:52:36] that is widening existing warridge from genito between genito and simons bath road and so what you see on this screen and i'm slowing down for emphasis is 245 million dollars of infrastructure to serve this part of the county that we will be putting in the ground in a one two three five year period all of this will be in and constructed by 2029 this is monumentous in terms of getting our network in this area built out. So phase two, so that's phase

[00:53:13] one. So phase two, I'm zooming back out again. So we just talked about blue at the top of the screen. Now I'm going to break out where we are with phase two, which is the remaining three sections. So the work we've done to date, we have ongoing traffic analysis and travel demand modeling that we've been doing that confirms we can construct phase two as a two-lane facility west of Woolridge.

[00:53:38] But what we're going to do, and I'm going to say this again, is we're going to put in two, grade the third and fourth lanes so that in the future it will be less costly to put those additional lanes in. Our goal, we've always planned for the facility to be a four-lane divided road.

[00:53:55] We need to make the connection west in a timely manner because of the demand that we have out here. So we're moving forward with two lanes, grade for three and four, and then put the shared use path in. So there are also several efforts in the phase two section.

[00:54:14] So first of all, VDOT has been working on an environmental impact statement. That is the federal review process that's required to clear what we call an alignment. They've been working on that for over a year and change. We have a preferred alignment, which is what you see on the screen.

[00:54:30] But they have additional documentation that they have to finalize. That final document should be delivered next summer. So the environmental review process to clear the alignment is closing, which is great. And then the purple section at the top of the screen there would extend Polite from Woolridge Road to Genito Road.

[00:54:56] This section, we have about half of the funding in place. We have an application in for the balance, which is $75 million, into the state's application process right now called SmartScale. We should hear about our hopefully successful, well, fingers crossed, that we're selected for funding.

[00:55:17] We should hear about that beginning of next year. And then we have a backup plan if that does not come through, working with Mr. Carroll who represents us on the CVTA to see if we can work with the CVTA to secure that balance if we're not successful in smart scale.

[00:55:33] And then on the southern end, the Yellow Line, Economic Development has secured funding to start construction on a two-lane access road that would extend north from Hull Street up to what we call the Magnolia Green, the Upper Magnolia Green site.

[00:55:51] That road we refer to as the Western Access Arterial Collector Road. It's going to be initially built as an access road to the site. But we have coordinated with the economic development is ultimately going to connect up and be future Polite Extension.

[00:56:07] So they should be starting construction on that two-lane road later this year, end of this year. And so that's phase two, Polite Parkway Extension Finance Plan. So that brings us to our plan on how are we going to get this completed.

[00:56:27] The total estimated cost for Poe White Parkway is $565 million, as I have explained to you the scopes of the different pieces, 565. Of that, we have about $300 million secured, so we're already halfway there.

[00:56:43] The finance plan brings together all the segments that I talked about. You see the estimate, you see the sources that we plan to pursue, and we'll have to continue to search for local, state, regional, federal dollars to fill the balance.

[00:57:01] And then you can see if funding were to be secured based on this plan, we could effectively have the two lanes in the whole street by 2034. Again, very contingent on the balance of the funds coming online.

[00:57:16] But it gives you our plan and our timeline. This plan, this finance plan, also satisfies the proper condition, proper condition 11A, associated with the Upper Magnolia Green West zoning case that was passed.

[00:57:32] There was a proper condition that required a construction timeline and a financing plan to get Co-White from the current terminus to Hull. So this agenda will satisfy that proper condition. And it's actually good timing because you can see we're making good progress from the north and from the south.

[00:57:52] And so this is timely to have a financing plan in front of you guys for approval. And that's what I have today for my update. Questions? No worries. Any questions? Mr. Carroll. So, so far, we successfully were able to get a $10 million grant through Congress and Whitman.

[00:58:15] Is that right? Correct. Which we matched with $2 million in local funding. And then we were able to also secure 21.6 million through the CBTA round four recently in this most recent round, I guess, of funding. We've come a long way in what I believe in a very short period of time in getting this done.

[00:58:36] That purple section that you're showing up there on the top, also part of that is a negotiation going on right now for right away that we need what used to be the Gouds blueberry farm, which is now sale, right?

[00:58:52] - The blueberry farm off of genital? That's that section, right? - Yes, at genital. - So we're negotiating for that, too, and then I think all the other right-of-way is secured? - We have 85% of the right, most of the right-of-way, yeah. - I mean, I want to commend your staff.

[00:59:08] You put a lot of work into this, a tremendous amount of work. I know I bother you quite a bit with questions about this, but I think it's gonna be an important road for the community out there, especially the fact that we're not putting tolls on it.

[00:59:24] And I think we've said this before, but for those who might be watching, the 75-cent toll at Courtaulds Road on the Poet Parkway extension goes away January of 2027. Now, one of the plans that was considered for this was actually to keep that toll on there longer and issue some additional debt to fund it.

[00:59:44] But we're finding a way to do this without having to do that, which I think is – which will encourage people to use the road. It doesn't help if you build a road that no one wants to use because you have to pay additional money at $8.95. Oh, I'm sorry, did my outside voice come in? I didn't say that. But you have to build a road that people are going to use.

[01:00:03] And I think with the 288, Wilbur's Road tie-in, and this, it's going to really help move the traffic load in that part of the county. So we appreciate all the hard work that you've done, and we are going to continue to knock on the door of the General Assembly and Congress to see what other additional funding sources we can get through grants and processes to help us to get this to the finish line, because I do think in the long term, this is going to make a big difference for people's lives who live out there.

[01:00:35] So, thank you. Thank you. Any comments from here? Let me just add that people don't realize the Herculean process that has to happen for this to occur. Yeah. And it is a heavy, heavy lift.

[01:00:52] It's many working parts. And Mr. Carroll took a moment to say two things that was on my mind. Some folks will say that maybe you should build it before they come. And that's extremely difficult to do because you could end up building a road that not many people use.

[01:01:09] And 1095 is an example of that. And then all of a sudden the tolls are like $7 to use that road. The other side of it is that where that balance point is. And what, you know, it's a Central Virginia Transportation Authority with the emphasis on Central Virginia, which means when that money is collected because of the gas tax is that now everyone has to sit down and has to figure out how they're going to dole out that money.

[01:01:38] And the counties have, around us, the localities all have their priorities, as does Chesterfield. And I know that what you need for someone who's going to show up at CVTA, an expert, an expert who understands how the process works, understands how to get things done.

[01:01:54] And frankly, it's nice to send a pit bull in there to do it. Amen. So for that, I am grateful to you, Mr. Carroll, for everything that you do to make this happen. It is a Herculean effort, like I said, and it did truly take all of us to pull it together.

[01:02:11] So thank you. Thank you for that. Yes, Ms. Schneider. I just wanted to let you know that you created a new word.

[01:02:27] What did I say? You said it was monumentous. Everyone understood what I meant. I know, but that's a good one. It's a momentous. It'll make it. Don't worry. It'll make it. A lot of other words have made it.

[01:02:43] As long as I build it. I like creating words. I was just giving you credit for that. Okay. Fine. Thank you, Chester. Appreciate you. I'm out of here. Thank you. Thank you, Chester.

[01:03:01] Thank you. Madam Clerk. B, finance update, Mr. Harris and Mr. Durkin. And Ms. Spilman. You know you just laughed at your peanut gallery. She's going to mock me.

[01:03:18] Mr. Carroll. Dr. Catlin, I hope you can understand that sometimes we have a little bit of fun here in Chesterfield County. We're not a bunch of stiff shirts here. Sometimes our emotions do come out. I'm not sure what you're used to, but I'm sure you'll get used to us.

[01:03:34] - Don't worry, energy's coming your way along the way. I just want to let you know. So, all right, Mr. Harris. - Mr. Chairman of the Board, brief finance update for this afternoon. Ms. Spillman is a special unnamed guest. She's here to just give a little update at the tail end of this on the referendum efforts and everything that we've been working on.

[01:03:55] So she'll have a slide at the very end. The bulk of this is dedicated, really geared towards an item you have in your consent and Jennifer tonight to appropriate some of the funds that showed up late in the game from the state budget.

[01:04:10] As you recall, they were right up until midnight essentially with their FY27 budget construction. The school division did receive some proceeds from that that were helpful on a number of longstanding initiatives.

[01:04:26] But as we talked about in audit finance this morning when we reviewed this topic with Mr. Carroll and Mr. Engel, We did not bill the FY27 budget. We were not waiting for that check to arrive necessarily. Certainly, I think they have found some important and crucial ways to use the funds, but it was not something we needed to balance fiscal 27.

[01:04:51] So Mr. Dirk, I'm gonna walk you through the proposed uses for that. The school board has taken up this item at their last meeting, had approved it, now comes over to you guys for appropriation today. So that's the bulk of, we got a couple other little things mixed in, but with that I'll turn it over to Mr. Durkin.

[01:05:10] - All right, good afternoon. So yeah, for the schools item on the consent agenda tonight, is an estimated net increase for schools of about $15 million. That's primarily going towards four areas.

[01:05:26] The first one being the state supported compensation as part of the original budget that had 2% of the 5% of the easiest way to think about it that was approved overall for teachers. That's now going to 4%.

[01:05:41] - And that particular point gets sort of confusing, but collectively, you and the school board made a push on teacher compensation. You know, we were kind of moving that and public safety pay to remain competitive, but also maintain the compression and separation that you guys installed a number of years ago.

[01:06:04] So we built our local budget on a 5% teacher raise, only expecting that the state would come to the table with 2% of that. And as Mr. Ingle is, I think he has a tattoo on his forearm somewhere, that does not even cover all of the teachers for the 2%.

[01:06:22] So it's a watered-down version of that. The good news is they did come, they took that threshold, whatever it might be, from 2% to 4%. So it more or less was reimbursing the locals across the commonwealth for compensation plans that they had in place.

[01:06:39] And then that enabled us to be able to take advantage of the bonus program that they had dangled out there. As you all know, we've done your time on the board, those bonus programs are problematic because they often, for the same reason I just referenced, they often are very expensive.

[01:06:54] They don't cover everyone, but by them going from two to four, that freed up some of those local dollars that they were able to take down and take advantage of that full bonus program without coming back for any additional local money. So that's sort of the delicate mechanics on that point.

[01:07:13] They went from like 1.4% to 2.8%. More or less. And they called it four. That's a statement. The second one is the special education allotment for four additional teachers and 23 instructional assistants.

[01:07:29] That's about $3.9 million. The third one is increased funding for the preschool initiative. States fully funded all the preschool slots requested by the schools, including Title I classrooms. That's about $2.4 million. And then there's just some items there for technology replacement cycles and debt service future payments.

[01:07:48] As you know, we've been putting funds aside the last few years to kind of go over that debt cycle hump for schools with the referendum projects. So we're just adding more to the piggy bank for that one. future payments and then the last part for the school's item uh coming back to what matt just talked about the bonus and we received the money in june which was fiscal year 2026 it didn't appropriate it knowing that the payment would be happening in 27 so this action tonight asks the board to approve that appropriation to be able to pay that bonus on the county side um just two

[01:08:22] smaller items um chasm it dissolves the end of fiscal year 2026 and so we are asking the board to redistribute those funds to the Colonial Heights Food Pantry for $5,000 and the Underground Kitchen for $7,500 to continue those similar services for food and nutrition assistance in the county and region.

[01:08:41] It's just very important. It's a smaller amount, but the net zero change in community contracts, reallocating dollars you had already set aside in that program for food purposes to two other vendors that can deliver and have a good track record of doing so, so we just moved it from one food vendor to the other.

[01:09:01] Mr. Chair. Yep, Mr. Chair. Dr. Helton. Matt, can we go back to the previous slide? We talked about schools. So schools did their own budget as a process question.

[01:09:17] They did their budget. They line item, the amenities that they wanted or things that they needed. They sent it over to the board of supervisors to fund. We didn't cross anything out or nothing was taken out from the time they sent it over from their shop to us, right?

[01:09:39] Yeah, no, sir. I mean, I think the budget that you all ultimately approved was what came over from the school division. These would be additional items that they would have considered. You know, the special education, they have to get to those thresholds. They're able to just do that a little sooner now.

[01:09:56] But this is not, these weren't items that were, you know, quote-unquote unfunded or had been stricken by the board. Right, just want to make that clarification. So, thank you for that. - Teacher on that slide, I know you clicked out. Just how important it is for the special education allotment for those four additional teachers and the instructional assistant.

[01:10:16] I'm so glad that the money is going that direction. There have been folks that have been seeing and desperately wanting that additional support. So, I'm glad that's going in, thank you. - And then the final one is technical adjustment as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget.

[01:10:37] We had in there $600,000 that came from permit revenue that was in fiscal year 2026, saying at the time that we'd come back in fiscal year 2027 to appropriate those funds. And we do have that on the agenda tonight as the Housing Services Supplement Pilot, as I say, that was approved as part of fiscal year 2027's budget.

[01:10:59] We recently just received recognition from GFOA, it's our kind of governing body, if you will, for our fiscal year 2027 budget document. It's the 41st consecutive year that we've received that award, and they give out special recognition, which basically is the highest ranking you can get from all reviewers within certain categories, and so we received that for our long-range operating financial plans as well as our newly revised financial policies as well.

[01:11:25] So I just want to take a second to thank the entire team down on the fourth floor who are continuing to work the way as we speak right now. And then tonight we have some public hearings. The first one relates to the business license tax threshold.

[01:11:44] It's going up from $550,000 to $750,000. The second one is the addition of the fourth tier to the senior tax relief program that was adopted as part of fiscal year 2027's budget, adding that 15% tier. And the final one is kind of a later addition, if you will, to amend the county code related to the annual allocation of data center-derived tax revenue.

[01:12:09] Again, the first two, these are just the mechanical components to things that were in your budget. The prior slide mentioned the housing service supplement. Those are the general fund dollars that you all chose to invest in. The CBG program that gave us some additional flexibility to work on housing affordability and sort of emergency home repair and other types of programs.

[01:12:30] But again, have that a little bit more leeway for how we can invest those dollars. The third item up here, we'll cover tonight during your work session on the data center topic. And then we also have the actual public hearing at the tail end of your meeting.

[01:12:47] We'll go back through that information. So happy to take any questions on that now. But you are going to have two touch points on that a little bit later on as well. So just want to point out that the first one for small businesses, that's important because it moves that threshold.

[01:13:06] I think it's, what, about $25 or so for their business license or $10? $10. $10 for their business license. So this moves their threshold that they'll be taxed at anything above $750,000. So that's very important for small business.

[01:13:23] It helps encourage small business. So I want to just tip my hat to staff and the board for looking at that for small business because that is very important. So very, very good impact there. So I just want to say thank you. Thank you for bringing that up.

[01:13:41] I think that we talked about this earlier today in audit finance. That number started years ago at $300,000. And we've continued to move it up to help our small business with tax relief as the cost of services has gone up in order to keep them from getting kicked out of the program and having to pay additional taxes.

[01:14:00] So it's a really good program to help small businesses, just like the tax relief for seniors. One of the things that you don't talk about in that slide right there is what that number looks like on how much of the budget actually gets cut through tax relief.

[01:14:16] And I think that was the number one fastest growing budget item over the last six to eight years is tax relief for seniors. As a matter of fact, my first term on the board with Mr. Engel, we had not increased that in over 10 years.

[01:14:32] And the first thing we concentrated on was getting that, and the staff did a great job in doing it. I think we adopted it immediately to adjust it for the 10-year period for the composite index. I think that's what it was. We did, and we'd be remiss to leave Mr. Holland out of that discussion.

[01:14:51] Absolutely. Mr. Holland and the two of us were able to do that together. In that first term. And then the board collectively now has continued to move that program forward. But it's a big number, and I think the community needs to realize that because some people accuse us of not having any tax relief for seniors.

[01:15:09] the truth matters we do and and so hopefully adding this other tier in there will help even more with that but people also need to realize that's again it's a tax savings for those seniors that apply for the program and qualify for it so i look forward to make sure that the community understands what these acts what this actually means so thank you all right uh local option one percent sales tax referendum on the ballot this fall so following the actions of you all last month

[01:15:47] We've established a team that's overseeing the activities for informing the public about what's going to be on that ballot measure. We've launched a website, and we've got an email address that is collecting questions, but also where folks are requesting additional information just this afternoon.

[01:16:03] Got one in from James River Boosters, who want to be able to distribute materials tomorrow evening at the football game. So a lot of activity is happening. We had a kickoff meeting last week with our community partners, along with an employee town hall, helping to inform the workforce about what's going on.

[01:16:19] We've been sharing information with the Government Citizens Academy folks and our My Chesterfield Academy folks. That's about a 350 person alumni network there. We've got information going out into the community in other ways through our schools partners. The PTAs have been heavily engaged along with the Virginia PTA as well through our local contact of Mr. Ben Pearson Nelson.

[01:16:43] And so appreciate those that have come forward and offered assistance in trying to help get information out into the community. We're activating sharing information down here at the Cheshire Filks Farmers Market. Last week, Ms. Walker was able to talk to about 150 folks.

[01:16:58] So that has been a productive asset right here, very close to our offices. Next week, you all start community meetings in the districts. And so you'll be out in Matoica High School on September the 1st. and that will kick off the series of additional district meetings up until early voting, which starts on September the 18th.

[01:17:18] So we've got a number of other events planned, Spanish radio talk show. Matt was on, Mr. Harris here this morning on WRBA talking about the sales tax referendum. So we've got blogs, podcasts, additional information being added to the website as new content is developed.

[01:17:37] And so we welcome additional feedback from you all. If there's other groups that we may have not reached out to already, we've got a list of about 50-some members that are receiving weekly emails on updated content and information to share back out into the community.

[01:17:53] So we welcome those folks. If there's people listening in today, they haven't heard from us or they want to get information into their organizations, we also have the Speakers Bureau. So there's a form online on the website that people can request a speaker to come out to their organization and give information about what this ballot measure is about.

[01:18:10] So I also want to extend a really big thank you. Our communications folks have turned around a lot of materials very quickly. The print shop has been fantastic. We've got a great team working behind the scenes trying to get this information into the community. So big thanks to all those folks.

[01:18:25] Happy to answer any questions. We will be in front of an audience of one or 1,000, but our goal is to get information in every elementary school book bag, so that's a very big opportunity, especially this time of year, a lot of information being submitted, so working with the school division to get that done, and then we're also starting our utility bill mailer, so that's an easy thing that we've been able to do the last couple referendums as they're going out anyway.

[01:18:55] I appreciate Mr. Rimbolt and his team for making that opportunity available again, but very little cost associated with doing that. You don't have to pay the postage, and you get to a lot of mailboxes with that. So we're looking for every opportunity, big and small.

[01:19:11] But again, if you have audiences or folks that you run into, whether it's a conversation or a full presentation, we certainly appreciate you passing those along to us. Jared, let me answer your question, because we got it where we were at my community conversation. How do you answer the question, I don't understand, you've opted for 550 to 750, the tax break there, and then other places, and at the same time you're raising the taxes on the 1%.

[01:19:42] How do you explain that? I appreciate that opportunity, Dr. Miller. I think we had it again today, it's come up a couple times. I think trying to understand, first and foremost, the scale of a lot of these things is different, whether it be the data center topic.

[01:20:01] You're talking about a fraction of the money that would be available in an immediate sense through this opportunity that the state has made available to us. It's a dedicated source that helps to move these projects forward. I think it's very timely. I talked about it this morning, the amount of maintenance issues that have been in the news all week, really around our metro area, trying to make sure that we don't find ourselves in that situation.

[01:20:29] It's a vitally important topic. In addition to that, this does have the, not on the ballot measure itself, but the board has made it clear that you would come back at your next meeting and take up the matter of reducing the real estate tax rate by two pennies and then some subsequent reductions on the personal property rate.

[01:20:52] So it's shifting that tax burden from those property tax lines to something that's got a little bit more discretion associated with it. Again, the ballot measure does not apply to groceries or personal care items. So those are exempted.

[01:21:08] So the affordability piece there is sort of controlled somewhat. And then lastly, I think very important, it has been a topic of great interest. You saw the stats from Mr. Poma, from his tourism and visitor spending analysis that just wrapped up.

[01:21:27] We estimate conservatively that 25 to 30 percent of this is paid for by folks that travel to or through Chesterfield County. So we've done a good job, you all, building up that business. And this really is an opportunity to build on to that momentum and spread out the payer base essentially to not only Chesterfield residents, Chesterfield businesses, but to those visitors to get some of these critical pieces done.

[01:21:55] So I think you have to take all of those pieces into consideration when we look at it. It's not as simple as this senior exemption is going up and then this is being done to pay for that. the scales and the dollars don't necessarily match up, but I think if you look at this just within itself, it's well-balanced and has the potential to move some key initiatives forward in a very quick way.

[01:22:22] - Any comments from our board? Let me just add that, thank you for answering that question, 'cause I think it's an important one and it comes up often, which is that the way that we move the money around and being able to figure out, like for instance with the data centers we're gonna be talking about this evening, that money's not coming immediately.

[01:22:42] for the seniors, they desperately need it. Those kind of things we need to be paying attention to, and at the same time, this is an additional funding source, revenue source, that's gonna be able to help our schools and get caught up in so many ways, and also just get things done.

[01:23:00] So, thank you for the answer to the question. Mr. Carroll. - Some of these projects have been sitting out there for quite a while, actually. As a matter of fact, some of them were, And then one of them was skipped over when we did the last bond referendum in 2022 because of data-driven decisions because of growth.

[01:23:21] You look at what we had to do in the western part of Matelka with the three schools we had to fast track and put in because of the growth numbers out there. But the Matelka Middle School was part of a rebuild, so to speak.

[01:23:37] And so this is a project that's been sitting out there for a long time, that if the voters choose not to pass this, then it'll sit even longer. When do you think would be the next opportunity, based on our current rate of paying debt off, that we could even consider a future bond referendum?

[01:23:57] Because there are some who are saying, why aren't you just doing this in a bond referendum in the future, why aren't you trying to do it this way? - That's a good question. I think on the outside, you'd be looking at probably 2031 or 32. We do have the ability to extend that natural window by a couple of years.

[01:24:17] I think the absolute soonest that we would take up that topic would be late '29, but more likely 2030 before we would really be in a situation to consider that. And then as we pointed out to a number of audiences already, a pure bond referendum is just the sort of voter identification of the projects themselves and then the authority to unlock certain borrowing type for the county does not have the funding source.

[01:24:50] That's the unique nature of this. The funding source comes to bear on top of those projects that have been identified through a number of ways and is able to speed those up considerably. - Follow-up, Mr. Chair.

[01:25:06] - Yes, sir, follow-up. - So the other thing you touched base on a few minutes ago had to do with major maintenance. Currently now we have 69 schools in Chester County. We're building the 70th, I believe, which is the new high school, which will open up. Some of those schools are very old. And one of the things that this board had to make a decision on during COVID was how we're gonna use opera funds most effectively.

[01:25:27] And we were able to get caught up on a lot of major maintenance by utilizing opera funds on some of the schools. And years ago, there was even talk of Legion L being in some of the chillers in some of the schools. And so we made great strides, but it's still 69 buildings that have HVAC systems and other issues that need to be addressed.

[01:25:47] And, you know, what I see growing in the future, if we don't have a funding source for this, is a major maintenance in the budget to try and keep up with what's coming. Is that an accurate statement? Absolutely. And we try to make that point every chance we've gotten.

[01:26:04] The six name projects get a lot of the attention, but for me, the real value here of the initiative is establishing that major maintenance program on an ongoing basis. I mean, for all intents and purposes, we've never really had one. It's certainly not anywhere close to this scale.

[01:26:21] So this would allow us to do all of those six projects. You could essentially do them on July 1st. It wouldn't happen that quickly, but we would be in a position to do so. But establish a pay-as-you-go maintenance program that would benefit the entire district.

[01:26:38] I think you've seen some of the materials that Dr. Wodica has produced. So you can go out, and it's on the website. of extremely detailed analysis. Every facility that we have in Chesterfield County, every system, they've evaluated them. They've assigned a score, each one of them. So you can see it's not just major maintenance as a generic concept, it's major maintenance as investments in each one of these systems in these buildings in this order.

[01:27:02] So it's some really, really good work they've done on that front. - Well, Mr. Chair. - Yes, sir. - Along the lines of major maintenance, one of the other things that we instructed staff to do and they've completed was a facilities assessment of all the outside fields and facilities of all of these 69 schools.

[01:27:19] And what we found is we've now put in place a ranking system to look at what needs attention. This past year, for example, three high schools got new tennis courts. The year before that, we had to find money somehow to replace the Cosby tennis courts.

[01:27:35] And the year before that, we had to replace the girls' dugouts down at Matoka High School, which, by the way, worked out really great because then we had a championship team I came out of Motoka High School this year. I have to give the plug for the girls, sorry. But that's part of this, right? It's part of this long-going list of things that schools don't ask for.

[01:27:55] They should, but haven't. Or if they had, it's not a priority in the budget of getting caught up on all of this, what we know is coming with fields that need upgrading, all kinds of stuff. Is that part of what we're talking about? That's a great point. What we've seen, because there's not that recurring threshold to deal with, even the building topics, a lot of the outside campus improvements that you referenced have fallen further down the list, and you all have stepped in in every district and dealt with a lot of those topics.

[01:28:28] If this were to be approved, those come out of the county budget or freeze up capacity on the general government side to consider other priorities. And they just get folded into this major maintenance program that we're talking about. So absolutely, it's the HVACs and the roofs and those major systems as well as these major campus systems that not only have a school benefit but a community benefit.

[01:28:54] And I think you referenced it in your last question, but just worth noting. If not this, this major maintenance topic is going to be, if not the, one of the dominant topics from a budget perspective over the next decade, trying to weave this in to the annual budgets to get to that number.

[01:29:13] It is going to be in competition with a lot of other longstanding priorities, and we're not going to have a choice but to deal with it that way, if not for this ballot initiative. So that's a good point and it's worth bears repeating.

[01:29:30] Mr. Engle. Just a couple extra points to that. Number one, the outside uses are open to the citizens outside of program times for the schools. So it's almost an addition to the park system because that's really what we're going to do is maintain it through the parks and recs and add additional amenities for our citizens.

[01:30:00] um and then the other thing you said uh that the offsets in the future because we don't have to put that into the budget um as you did say correctly it could go to other priorities but it could also go to other um opportunities to uh relieve burdens on our citizens on what they have to pay as well correct yes sir opportunities in the in the broadest sense so yeah it could be uh rate relief or you know some of the measures you've already talked about here today to continue those or, you know, on the investment side, but that, as we've talked about since day one here, it just, it provides that pathway, and that's going to open up more and more

[01:30:39] each year if this would be approved as you get the growth factor on the program, yes, sir. So, hypothetical. So, if it should not pass, would it not be possible, the other item that you had on there about moving tax dollars from the data centers, wouldn't that be an option for us to move those dollars instead to schools and infrastructure well in sitting here right now yes ma'am i think that theoretically is possible but the you do have a public hearing

[01:31:16] on your agenda tonight that would dedicate those monies to relieving the car tax um so that would if approved that would you know sort of supersede that but is it a is it a possibility sure i think The other thing is, I think, Dr. Miller touched on in his first question, the scale of what we're talking about is just considerably different.

[01:31:40] We'll go through more details tonight, but we estimate on the low end, conservatively, and we'll walk through all those assumptions this evening, that a single campus could generate, full build out, and I'll be talking about two subsequent ones, the ones in vertical construction now, let's just say $10 million for conversational purposes, netting out the things that had been mentioned here that the board would come back and consider on the rate side here, you're 50 million day one versus $10 million on a single Google campus that is still a good number of years away even at their current days.

[01:32:17] So while it's possible, absolutely, you could steer those dollars that way. Based on the dollars that schools is looking for to really have a meaningful impact in their major maintenance, That path is just going to take you a considerably longer period of time to accomplish the same goals.

[01:32:36] Okay. I'm just simply asking because I just think that the, whereas I think the personal property tax is good for some people, not everybody has vehicles that are even taxed, and it's not going to hit everybody in the same direction. Whereas I think that if we applied those dollars towards something that benefits everybody in the county, that's kind of where my mind is at.

[01:33:01] but that's just me personally. So I was just asking, thank you. - Mr. Carroll. - We're gonna do a point counterpoint. I think there are far less vehicles in Chesterfield County that get tax relief that are less than a $1,500 in value.

[01:33:16] And certainly there are a lot less households in Chesterfield County that have people in the school. You know, be realistic here. The schools are a priority. We got to take care of this issue. But the reason we're getting pushed back from the community is 'cause a lot of people don't have kids in the schools. over 55 and it's not their issue anymore they may be grandparents but it's not their issue and so is it does does the car tax relief program every single person I've spoken to has said I hate paying the car tax I've not had one person say I love paying the car tax not one I keep looking for it and found one that said I love paying the car tax so you know I end from the the point of

[01:33:56] whether or not and we're gonna go over this tonight it's whether or not some of of these data centers will ever get built, right? Because there is, although we could use this money to cut the rate, so to speak, is how we would end up doing it by ordinance, is actually cut the rate that we're charging from, you know, based on how much money we get in, down from 325 to whatever we could on the tax relief percentage.

[01:34:19] That's gonna be a long time down the road. And some of these data centers, you know, realistically speaking, might not get built because there's no power. And that's part of what we'll talk about tonight, is that there's no power availability for them to be built. And that's going to be a big challenge for Dominion to even get into a position to be able to do that.

[01:34:40] There's a reason why Watkins Center, which was approved for data centers way back in the day, doesn't have a data center on it yet. It's because there's no power availability. So I look forward to the conversation we're going to have tonight with all of that. I think we're going to answer a lot of good questions for the community. But if I'm looking to make a difference in someone's pocket on a greater scale in Chesterfield County, noting that the $41 million that we get from the state right now for tax relief was based on the number in 1998 on how many cars we had in Chesterfield County.

[01:35:13] Well, everybody who's sitting in this room has been here a while knows we have a lot more cars. I may have a clunker that might not be worth that. I don't know. It's getting close, right? But I think it's a good number she brought up that we should know how many vehicles actually meet that threshold for zero tax relief, comparatively speaking.

[01:35:32] Mr. Engel. I'm good right now. Well, a few things kind of pop into mind, you know, and I'm not saying that I'm I understand that we need money in order to to build schools as quick as we need to build them and to do some major renovation projects.

[01:35:56] you know the bird gym being one of them i walk the gym uh during a time where you know students are in there and i mean they're having gym class in the hallway um and so i understand exactly where we are of kind of like busting at the seams and it's really trying to balance the needs of schools and the dale needs a new elementary school we need a new pre-k uh we need to take care of the gym at Byrd High School, but also balancing, um, you know, I can say this, um, and, and, and really make no apology about it.

[01:36:36] Um, you know, my district is, we're, we're probably one of the most economically depressed districts in the County. And so when you have a family that goes out to eat maybe once a week, and this is going to add 30 cents to their $30 meal or 40 cents to their 40, $40 meal, you know, it really have some impact for them every day, and I think that the state should have given us a little bit more flexibility in how we apply the tax, and so those are things that are top

[01:37:10] of mind for me, and talking to citizens every day with the rising cost of food and other amenities that they need in order to ensure the success of their family, you know, I know this tax goes up, it goes against those things that they're trying to do. But at the same time, I understand we're trying to build out the schools. We're trying to take care of some infrastructure things that we need to take care of. And so it's really a delicate balance. You know, I hear both sides of the argument. And I think that we did a smart thing. The General

[01:37:48] Assembly gave us the smart thing to do is to put it on the ballot and let citizens decide how they feel about it. And, um, but I want people's voice to go, uh, heard in terms of where they're coming from, uh, in regards to just making life less affordable for them in some cases. Um, and, and I think you did a great study, Matt. Um, I think I saw some numbers about how much this

[01:38:23] would be for a family of four or five. Um, and I hope that that's out there on the website and And it's just a real delicate balance. So I'm glad that we put it in the hands of the citizens to make that decision.

[01:38:39] It's democracy at its best. And if people want schools quicker, then this is the option. If they want it to take longer for schools to be built out, then they're also going to let us know.

[01:38:57] And I think that's important. I think we're doing the right thing by putting it on the ballot and letting citizens decide what's best for them. Do they want to pay that increase in tax or do they not? So that's where I am. Mr. Carroll.

[01:39:13] Chair, I just want to clarify, I agree with everything that Dr. Hilton just said, that I think that it's extremely important for the community to have an opportunity to weigh in on how these things are done. Our job and staff is to do the best that we can to educate the community on how government works, how things get funded and how long it takes to do all these things.

[01:39:38] One of the things that I guess you've heard the wheels of government move very slowly, sometimes they do, and it's really because of how long it takes to design a product like a school, how long it takes to get the land set aside for a school, how long it takes to go through the procurement process and the funding process.

[01:39:58] So all of the things that delay a project from getting done quickly, We've still done some amazing things to get the two middle schools built as quickly as we did by restructuring debt to be able to do that. And then moving forward with the bond referendum from 2022, they get the schools, you know, all the ribbon cuttings we've just had with some of the products that have already come out of the ground.

[01:40:20] But our job is to make sure that people can make the best decision they can by having as much information as possible. I'm not sitting there telling people, please go out and vote yes or vote no, But please make sure you do your research when you do this so you can decide what your priorities want to be.

[01:40:38] And if this project and taking care of schools is a priority, then you vote accordingly. And if it's not, then vote accordingly. But I think it's important that you're bringing all this information forward to the community so they can make the best decision possible.

[01:40:54] We're going to continue to educate as much as we can as well. So thank you for the presentation. Any other comments? One more. Dr. Hilton? You know, and one of the things I would like to see is just, I know I've seen a lot of pros and cons about this.

[01:41:11] And so I think it's important to weigh the pros and cons. And that's how you make an important decision like this, is do the pros outweigh the cons or do the cons outweigh the pros? And I think we got to, we have to, we're already transparent in where we are financially, but I think we have to really lay it out for citizens to see where we are.

[01:41:38] And while we just can't, and I agree with you, Kevin, while we just can't move and do schools right away, even in new school in the Dell Elementary School, hopefully we'll get it by 2030. But that's really the collaboration of the board.

[01:41:55] But that's also taking back a backseat for other things in the county that need to be done in the Dell District. So it's really a balance of making sure that we're putting money where it needs to go and doing the right things.

[01:42:13] This will allow us to do everything we need to do with those six projects. But there are some tradeoffs, and citizens have to understand what those tradeoffs are. So I think a good balance sheet of pros and cons is something we need.

[01:42:28] And I think we've tried to incorporate that spirit into a lot of the materials that have been developed. I think Mr. Mixon is giving me a stare. can feel that we were we're very restricted in being able to develop what I would call a pro list so I think we just try to lay out the you know very clear set of you know seven or eight bullet points that you know explain to Mr. Carroll's point you know here is the research on it this is exact and I think I agree you know maybe some more flexibility would be nice but there's also a certain comfort and that the fact that the state has put a very you know strict boundaries around

[01:43:07] this so it it is a pretty easy thing to explain but and we will absolutely hear you try to do as much as we can but we a pure pro and con list is gonna be something I think that we are probably prohibited from going quite that far but we want to make sure that we've got this out in every format we could possibly think of we'll continue to do that and and talk to folks with that in mind but probably short of saying these are the pros of the particular initiatives that is that fair yeah by law it's got to be a neutral recitation of the facts and so so we can't really

[01:43:42] advocate but we can um explain a neutral presentation of the facts although it can't be labeled a pros and cons it's still a pros and cons i mean you lay out the facts and the facts are going to be received by one person maybe as a pro and another person as a con but it's still a pro and con list for each person to make their decision. Absolutely. Absolutely. So it's important to make sure that people are, that we can't determine for them what's good and bad, but we can

[01:44:18] share with them all of the information so that they can make an informed decision and they can decide what the pros and cons are. So when we say pros and cons from the, from the dais, we're not saying that if Jim Engle thinks it's a pro that you must think it's a pro or that if I think it's a con you must think it's a con we're saying these are the facts you figure out what your pros and cons are and you decide based on the uninformed decision which is all we can ask our citizens is to learn as much as they can about the topic whether they like some of the points that are

[01:44:56] put out or not is up to them but we want them to be informed and so I do think that legally I understand a lawyer's um perspective on it but i don't think that we're actually i can assure you i'm not telling people that these are your pros and your cons i'm saying these are the facts you need to decide what the pros and cons of these facts are for you and vote accordingly so i think that's exactly what we should be doing so yeah that's right other comments yeah mrs schneider

[01:45:31] so again thinking outside the box here so what would the difference be if we did a one percent meals tax. And I understand that's an evil word in some people's minds, but again, people could choose not to go out and go out to dinner and buy something, but we have the sports and entertainment people coming in.

[01:45:51] We talk about what the percentage is of the people that would be paying those. People don't have a choice but to go and buy gas or to buy a new car sometimes that they would be paying on 1%. Those are eliminated. Gas tax is not included in the 1%. Purchase of a vehicle is not included in the 1%. Your rent and your mortgage is not included in the 1%. I know that there was some misstatements last month, but none of the, I went and looked it all up to verify. If you actually eliminated the car tax and then somebody went

[01:46:30] out and bought a new car, they would not pay an additional tax for the 1%. And they wouldn't have to pay um as much on the back end depending on what kind of revenues from data centers were generated to lower the cost but but cars and gas are not included in the one percent groceries are not included i know groceries weren't and prepared prepared food is um yeah and personal care items are not and your your um rent and your mortgage are not so the majority of what you pay for are actually not included in the 1%.

[01:47:08] But meals are, prepared meals. And so that's what I'm saying. I mean, what would be the difference then? I'm sorry, I'll stop now. No, it's a fair ask. And it's been a good number of years since we looked at that topic.

[01:47:25] I'm happy to do the analysis and report back to the board in terms of what those numbers look like. No problem whatsoever. We can do that for you. So any other comments from the board? I've been sitting here kind of just watching and going on.

[01:47:43] I've had the opportunity to be a high school English teacher and to stand in a building that is falling apart. And when that building is falling apart, it has an impact. It has an impact on the teachers. It has an impact on the students. It has an impact on the whole culture of the community that is attempting to teach.

[01:48:04] Education is extremely important. And as a result, we have, as a community, have an opportunity to say out loud that we're not doing attacks on meals necessarily. What we are doing is investing in our schools. We are investing in our teachers.

[01:48:21] We are investing in our community. And I think that's a really important topic and a way different way of looking at what the intention is for our community. I am, even with the 55-plus of Mr. Carroll, I don't have anybody in school.

[01:48:38] The value of your home is based on the quality of the school. End of story. So when someone comes to Chesterfield County and they're trying to decide, they're gonna be looking at the different localities and they're gonna decide where is the county and its people making it as a priority.

[01:48:57] And so we need to ask ourselves, and I think it's a legitimate one, why wouldn't Henrico wanna sign on to the 1%? And they said, frankly, we don't need it. Why don't they need it? Because they have a 4% meals tax. And because they have 4% meal stacks, the quality of the schools that they're not in the same situation, frankly, that we're in, and frankly, what Richmond is in.

[01:49:19] And Richmond has the meal stacks, and that is a whole 'nother story. Here we are in a situation where the county, the community can make a decision as to where our priorities are. I hear you about what's happening with Matoak and the softball team.

[01:49:34] I'm embarrassed that Midlothian that has one of the best softball teams in the state doesn't have any running water out at their softball fields, that they have to bring someone into Chesterfield County, hi, we're visiting Midlothian, and they have to use porta potties, and they don't have any kind of concession stand.

[01:49:56] And that's embarrassing. The truth is that Midlothian specifically is 103 years old, and it's falling apart. And that is not a good reflection on our community. And we have an opportunity to move forward as quickly as possible, where I would love to have enough money for a data center with dollars to come in, pennies on the dollar.

[01:50:16] It's when we don't even know when that's gonna come in. Here is an opportunity to move forward with what we would need in our community in major maintenance. I don't wanna put $20 million into a middle school that's falling apart, and that's what they're saying, is that there's a possibility that if we wait another five years, we're gonna have to put $20 million into the middle school, and that would be a just waste of money.

[01:50:40] Here is an opportunity that we have in the community talking about, do we want to do this now or do we want to wait longer? I am hoping, I'm speaking for a Midlothian and what I'm hoping that folks will say is, we want what's best for Midlothian, we want what's best for our schools.

[01:50:55] And I think that that's across the county. So that's what I'm hoping for. It's gonna be a late night in November and my deepest hope is that we can move forward so that we can have a Midlothian middle school that is, we can be proud of.

[01:51:11] - I think we went past the five minutes. - I think we went beyond the five minutes. - Just one quick clarification. There's no local option sales tax on auto sales currently. So that's why that's not that part of that. It wouldn't double it because it doesn't exist today. So that's, it's not exempted per se, it just doesn't exist now, so it's not wrapped up.

[01:51:31] - Thank you for clarifying that. But I went and looked and said, is this subject to sales tax? And the answers to those questions that I said no to were no because they don't, they're not subject to sales tax. That's why they're not included in the legislation, but they were never subject to sales tax.

[01:51:51] So the at-a-glance referendum, at-a-glance thing, the exemption purchases only show right now food purchases for home consumption and essential personal hygiene. And we can clarify that on there. I think what Mr. Engel said is they didn't exempt it because it's not in place today.

[01:52:10] But we can definitely add that. I appreciate you pointing that out to us. It would have to be a point of clarification because the law only allows us to exempt those other things. But when something is not included in the sales tax, then it is otherwise exempt because it's not included in that sales tax.

[01:52:28] Now, I'm not saying there's no taxes on those things. There are. They're just taxed a different way, not through the sales tax. And this sales tax increase would not affect those items. But not everybody knows that, so that's why I'm saying it. Thank you. Mr. Chair.

[01:52:47] Yes, Dr. Hilton. One of the other points of clarification is that if you can use an EBT card to purchase it, then it's not subject to the tax. And so that's another rule to look at and explore. So I think that goes to Jessica's point.

[01:53:05] could use an ebt card to eat out no but i think that goes to our earlier point just wanted just yeah just clarification in terms of just want to acknowledge and and and and let her know that we hear what she's saying and she has great points and um we we do need to make sure that we have clarification around the rules uh and what is is and is not included in the um the text so just

[01:53:37] wanted to appreciate her for saying that. Any other points? Madam Clerk. Item 6, 15-minute citizen comment period on unscheduled matters. This time is designated for citizens to talk to the board of supervisors. It is not a time for dialogue with board members, and it is not a question-answer period. Those conversations can easily occur with individual board members outside of the board meeting. As a reminder, the board's procedures state no citizen shall speak on any matter of business that is a subject on the board's agenda for that day, and each speaker shall have three minutes to address the board.

[01:54:14] We have one speaker, Justin Goodman. Is Mr. Goodman here? Deputy, yeah. Deputy, can you please just go to the hallway and make sure he's not out there?

[01:54:34] Thank you so much. Let's move on. Item seven, county administration update. Dr. Catlin. Thank you very much. I just have two very brief comments. One, I want to congratulate our utilities department.

[01:54:54] They've received the AAA revenue rating, bond rating, for another year from Moody's ratings, and that reflects water and sewer enterprise's large system, growing customer base, healthy finances supported by regular rate increases, and low leverage.

[01:55:10] The enterprise water and sewers customers grew by 4.4% over the last three years, and we expect that consistent residential and commercial development will continue to support steady customer growth. The enterprise ended fiscal 2025 with strong debt service coverage equaling 16.3 times and solid liquidity equaling 3,337 days.

[01:55:33] Management anticipates balanced operations through fiscal 2027, though notable expense pressures in the form of rising electricity costs and chemical purchases for wastewater processing will exist. I also want to mention that I had the privilege of flying over Chesterfield County, having a flyover to view our major developments, major facilities that we have around Chesterfield County so that I am oriented in those developments and some of the facilities that we are constructing at this time.

[01:56:09] And so I look forward to connecting with each and every one of you individually to tour your districts, to learn from you and your perspectives so that I can learn from you and help our team ensure that we can effectuate some of the changes that you'd like to see. So, pleasure being here and thanks for your time.

[01:56:26] - Dr. Kettle, curious to ask, how were you with the motion sickness? - Yeah, that's a great question. Actually, so I used to do some work with the Tulsa Police Department, so I used to go on helicopter police chases. So I was very, this was tame compared to that.

[01:56:41] So, appreciate it. - Thank you, Dr. Kettle. - Madam Clerk. - Item eight, board member reports. - All right, what are we beginning with? I think we're beginning with, let's see here, Mr. Engel. My colleagues and I participated in National Night Out.

[01:57:00] That event was held this year on August 4th. I would love to say it was a very dry event, but I do think that there was some areas that you may have needed a boat to access. But I was pleasantly surprised at the annual celebration, focusing on building community connections and featuring block parties, neighborhood cookouts and public gatherings at our recreation centers that most all of the indoor

[01:57:31] events went along as planned and I was very happy to see that. Disappointed that we weren't able to have all of the parties take place that night that we would normally see but all in all for as wet as it was um i thought it was a great turnout and really excited to see everybody that came out to um build collaboration between our residents and law enforcement and public safety

[01:58:02] in general in chesterfield county so it was a great night even with the rain that conclude your report all right ms schneider that picture that was just there was you know as high as my hair was that all night because my hair does not do well in rain, sorry.

[01:58:22] Anyhow. It is mine. So, we had the Community Engagement and Resources held its annual International Teachers Welcome event to celebrate the arrival of our new global educators joining Chesterfield Public Schools through the initiatives such as Participate Learning.

[01:58:49] We had a great meal together, got to know some of the visiting teachers, learn about where they were from, and just a great evening. Additionally, local organizations, including the Sheriff's Office, joined to extend a warm welcome and share some of the resources that they have available for those teachers as well.

[01:59:14] And then, oh boy, I was very excited there. So Mr. Engel and I had a wonderful time at the talent show held at Camp Baker. It's just a great way of experiencing. These are the adult and student or adult campers that participate and they sing and they dance and we all cheer for them.

[01:59:42] We enthusiastically cheered on campers as they displayed their musical abilities. I had to keep myself from singing and dancing along with them. just to, but each summer Camp Baker welcomes over 275 campers, all of whom have primary diagnoses of developmental disabilities, and we are deeply appreciative of the robust partnerships that bolster its mission in Chesterfield County, and that concludes my report, thank you.

[02:00:15] That is a beautiful picture, by the way, I don't know who took it, but that is a great picture yeah all right dr. Hilton so the first event was a James Wyatt jr.

[02:00:36] scholarship banquet I'm a proud member of the Prince Hall Masons been a member since 2007 and so I was delighted to join the brothers of Trinity Lodge 4/4 and Hannah Chapter 26 in their scholarship banquet that was student going to Virginia State University must note that Virginia State University is only four-year institution in the county we're very proud of all the work that Virginia State University is doing and organizations such as the Masons and Ensuring that our students are taking care of in terms of scholarships so just

[02:01:16] want to highlight that event next Dr. Miller and I enjoy some great food at Korean Independence Day celebration. I know he can attest to that. Really great food, but it was great for Dr. Miller, my family, and I to enjoy the heritage and the history and the contributions that the Korean American community has brought to Chesville County. And so just delighted to be

[02:01:50] with them on a good Sunday afternoon. Next, First Baptist Church of South Richmond hosted a bike ride day event a few Saturdays ago. It was on the Capitol Trail. Hopefully we can get them to move it to Pocahontas next time because we have some great riding trails here in Chesterwood County instead of going to Henrico and no slight to Henrico. But the Capitol Trail was a really a great ride for us we talked to kids about uh what we do and our role in government and etc

[02:02:29] got on a bike and rode about three three and a half miles got off made sure everybody was okay talked to them some more and then rode back another three and a half miles and talked to them more uh just about things that they were going through and things that they were experiencing And so it was a great event and just want to highlight First Baptist Church in Reverend Dwight Jones and Derry Jones and all the great things that they're bringing to the Dell District in Chesterfield County at large.

[02:02:58] So thank you. That concludes my board report. Thank you, Dr. Hilton. Mr. Carroll. Before we go to the first slide, I do want to make an announcement that this Saturday, August 29th and 30th from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

[02:03:15] If you have some time, you should head out to the Greater Richmond Coptic Festival at the St. Mina and Pope Kyrillus Coptic Orthodox Church. It's taking place, again, this Saturday and Sunday, the 29th and 30th, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They're located on Winter Park Road.

[02:03:32] I've been going to them now for, I guess, the last six years in a row. It's a great event, and the food is absolutely fantastic. And it really is a really interesting perspective that they bring with their church.

[02:03:50] And you really should come on out there and experience it. It's really great, great, great, great people, great part of our community. I don't think a lot of people know about it, quite frankly. But it's a great festival, and they didn't know I was plugging them today, but I don't care. They're great people, and we need to get people to come out to it.

[02:04:10] So, first slide, we concluded the Summer in the Park series on August 11th at Horner Park. The event was filled with bounce houses, hot dogs, Italian ice, and a variety of games for the children. It also provided residents with a chance to learn about Plan Mod and about some of the great improvements that are coming to Horner Park.

[02:04:28] Plan Mod's amendment to the comprehensive plan, if you don't know, during ZOMOD community engagement, feedback was gathered. That was relative to the density set forth in the comprehensive plan. And densities or not in the zoning ordinance are recommended based on the land use category in the comprehensive plan.

[02:04:44] Given this, PlanMod is focusing on addressing the feedback provided during the ZOMOD process. But again, PlanMod is available for review if you want to take a look at it. But one of the things that was great is that Parks and Rec had out at this event some of the renditions of all the good new improvements coming to Horner Park, including pickleball courts, a disc golf, a 3D archery range, splash pads.

[02:05:16] It's a covered pickleball court, so great event, opportunity to speak with people in the community. Yesterday, Mr. Chair, more than 100 golfers across 28 teams came together for a fundraising golf tournament at the Highlands Golf Course to support two Chester County police officers who were injured in the shooting in May.

[02:05:39] Officer Jacob Wells and Jacob Clark are both still recovering after surviving a line of duty shootings and thankfully they both returned home from the hospital and continued to recover. Jacob Clark was there yesterday. We got to talk with him and his family, and he is recovering, walking with a cane, but he's recovering and is in great spirits.

[02:06:03] The event raised a lot of money. Members of the Chesterfield Fire, sheriffs and police were part of the teams. The community response was incredible and showed a level of support for the police department that was very moving. And Mr. Chair, I think I've said this, I don't know how many times since I've been on the Board of Supervisors, but I do believe that our community overwhelmingly supports our public safety personnel.

[02:06:26] And the amount of donors yesterday, the amount of corporations, businesses, and people who gave up themselves to come out for this event, we didn't win. We wanted to, we didn't win, but it was a great event and a great way to help these families, and I really appreciate the community coming out yesterday, and it was just my honor to be able to participate and play with some old friends that we used to play in golf tournaments together with when I was with the police department.

[02:06:56] That concludes my report, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Kerr. Let me just begin by saying that I want to make sure that it's out there in the community that on September 16th, that's a Wednesday, from 6.30 to 8.30 at Midlothian Middle School, We're going to be doing a community meeting to discuss what our options are with regard to moving forward with the new middle school.

[02:07:19] And so we're going to be laying out what the different options are. No decision has been made contrary to what folks may be saying out on the Internet or social media. No decisions have been made. The opportunity there is for me to gather information from the community, what they're thinking about, but also to provide what the options are.

[02:07:39] There are a few that we can talk about. Some are better than others in my opinion and we'll talk about what makes sense. So I'm really looking forward to this meeting It's an important one again. It is Wednesday September 16th 6:30 to 8:30 at Midlothian Middle School It's a really important picture. This is the Mondale topping out ceremony This is when regional leaders came together with Shamian hotels and their employees and folks that are building this hotel It's a topping out ceremony, which marks a significant achievement in the construction process.

[02:08:17] The installation and the final structural beam of the building. So folks got to sign that beam. And now that's sitting up there, we are looking for an anticipated opening date of 2028. The Mondels Conference Center aims at enhancing the county's flourishing tourism sector by providing a premier venue.

[02:08:36] And I mean that. It's going to be a premier venue for major meetings, conventions, large-scale events. I'm looking forward to weddings being there. I just think it would be a wonderful opportunity. And with that, also, it will provide upscale accommodations for our business travelers.

[02:08:57] Also, last week I joined Chief Center and Fire and EMS Department's accreditation team in Chicago to present to the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. This is a big deal, folks.

[02:09:14] This is years of effort, including community risk assessment, drafting emergency service standards, and creating a five-year strategic plan. The department underwent a self-assessment and peer review to ensure best practices. So just to kind of give you a feel for this, in that when we decided we were going to pursue this particular accreditation, the folks that do this said, there is no way you can do this in two years.

[02:09:40] There is just no way. And Chief Center and the team went, want to bet? It was a way to say, you know what, welcome to Chesterfield. And the truth was that we weren't starting at Ground Zero. And I guess maybe some of the folks that they work with across the country would do start at Ground Zero, but we weren't.

[02:09:58] And as a result, we were able to get this accreditation And we've received unanimous accreditation approval. I had the honor to be speaking to the panel. And this will add to, it'll make all four public agencies in Chesterfield County accredited.

[02:10:17] And that is a very big deal. So, you know, there were some questions that were asked, and we were able to answer them. And we walked away from that. And understand, it's a panel of maybe 20, 25 people all lined up in front. ready to fire questions at you, and they went through it, and really there was this sense like they knew that they were sitting in front of a group of people, and they had a sense that we truly are some of the best in the business.

[02:10:46] So I just want to appreciate Fire and EMS for all their hard work and for their accreditation, our accreditation. I couldn't be more proud. And finally, if y'all are interested, please go out and take a look at everything we're doing in the community we are all out in the community all the time and so you can go through that QR code and see everywhere we are and all the opportunities and all the happenings that are occurring in Chesterfield and that concludes my report madam clerk item 9 new business a appointments mr.

[02:11:23] chair we have one appointment to the committee on the future thank you for that can I get a motion and a second all in favor madam clerk next we have one appointment to the policy board of the John Tyler Alcohol Safety Action Program. Thank you for that. Can I get a motion? So moved. Thank you and a second. And all in favor? Aye. Madam Clerk. And last, we have several appointments to the youth advisory board. Yes, can I get a motion on that? So moved. Second. And a second. I hear the second. All in favor? Aye. All right, Madam Clerk. B, consent items. Mr. Chair, there have been no requests from board members to remove items from the consent

[02:12:02] agenda. I move on. Mr. Carroll, were you going to add something or are you just getting ready to do the motion? I was going to say I make a motion to approve the consent agenda. Yes, board members, are there any requests to remove again with that for the consent agenda to remove anything? All right. If not, may I ask for the motion? I got that. And can I get a second? Second. All right.

[02:12:25] All in favor? Aye. All right. Aye. Madam Clerk. Item 10 reports. Catching up with you, Madam Clerk. I'm getting there. Are there any questions regarding the reports? Seeing no questions, the reports are approved.

[02:12:43] Mr. Chair, we need a motion to recess for dinner in room 502. Can I get that motion, please? So moved. Second. And if you get a second, I hear all in favor? Aye. All right.

[02:27:38] Good evening, everyone.

[03:02:10] I want to welcome everyone to the evening session on the August 26th Board of Supervisors meeting. I want to let you know that we have all verified, all board members have received copies of the comments posted on the online comment portal for consideration on the matters before us tonight.

[03:02:34] These comments are part of the public record and will be attached to the meeting minutes. In addition, for those members of the public who are here for zoning portion of the meeting, we have actually three deferral requests. The supervisor for case 24 SN115, Walton Station rezoning and adjustments, has requested a deferral until November 18, 2026 meeting.

[03:03:05] For that, also in the other two, DS26SN2080, this is the Charleston Landing, and also the Midlothian Microtel, which is case 23SN0027, both of them have been deferred for the next meeting, which is September 23rd.

[03:03:30] Before we begin, I want to remind everyone on the guidelines that help us maintain respectful and an orderly meeting. asking first that you all keep your signs lowered so that you don't block the viewers of others. Second, please be respectful of the presenters. That means, please, no interruptions, no shouting out, and allowing each presenter their full opportunity to speak. I'm really grateful on behalf of the board for your assistance and your cooperation in this way.

[03:04:03] At this time, I'm going to invite Mr. Carroll to give the invocation. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Heavenly Father, on behalf of my colleagues on the board and the people of our community, I ask that you guide us in our deliberations this evening. Father, we ask that you protect our members of public safety, our military, and all of our county employees as they continue to provide the best service they can to our community and nation. I also ask, Father, that you keep in your grace the family of Mary Catterfield, who was a community member of the Dale District who recently passed away. She was a valued Chesterfield volunteer and recognized

[03:04:40] recently in our Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame. I also ask you keep in your grace the family of Thomas Trotter. Thomas was one of our retirees from Chesterwood County. He served as one of our custodians for many years. Finally, Lord, please keep in your grace the family of Dolly Parton. We ask all of this in your heavenly name. Amen. We would like to call forward Deputy County Administrator Matt Harris to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

[03:05:07] Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[03:05:27] Item 14, work sessions, A, consent agenda highlights. Mr. Bowles. Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the board, Dr. Catlin. I have several consent agenda highlights this evening.

[03:05:45] The first is acceptance and appropriation of grant funds from the Department of Criminal Justice Services for continuation of jail mental health treatment programming. This is a grant of just over $320,000 with no local match requirements for longstanding treatment programs at the jail for inmates with mental illness and co-occurring disorders to receive services both during incarceration and immediately after release. This program covers continuation of housing, medication availability, data collection efforts to measure

[03:06:20] success, and continuation of training for jail staff. Next is acceptance and appropriation of grant funds from the Federal Aviation Administration and Virginia Department of Aviation. This is for the next phase of the airport runway extension project. This is largely site work, including site grading, stormwater basins, purchase of wetland credits, and some select tree removal to maintain aircraft clearances. This is a total project of just over 5.5 million with federal

[03:06:55] and state grants covering well over 90 percent of the total cost. Next are two appropriations from the Opioid Abatement Authority funding that is used to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder. These funds are awarded on a competitive application process, and once granted, individual programs are eligible for up to four years of renewals. The first is Mobile Outreach Cooperative, which is just over $990,000. This is a cooperative project with Chesterfield,

[03:07:34] Colonial Heights Powhatan in Petersburg that's in its fourth term, and this program has proven to be an asset in providing harm reduction services and ensuring that individuals impacted by substance abuse are connected to appropriate resources and care. The second program is the Compass Cooperative. This one is just over 678,000 for Chesterfield Colonial Heights and Powhatan.

[03:08:01] This program is in its second year and has hired, trained, and established a medication for opioid use disorder team within the jail to support individuals who are impacted and ensure they're receiving appropriate care and resources.

[03:08:17] Next up is the FY27 Community Service Board performance contract. The Code of Virginia requires that the governing body of each community service board locality annually approve a performance agreement between the CSB and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

[03:08:41] The CSB board approved this contract at their August meeting, and this contract establishes the primary accountability standards and funding mechanisms between the department and the local CSB as well as reporting responsibilities, budget and service and financial requirements. And then finally is the construction contract for the Ettrick fire station number 12 replacement.

[03:09:08] This item authorizes a contract of just over $11.1 million to branch builds the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for construction of the station. This is a project approved by voters in the 2022 bond referendum, which was subsequently included in capital improvement programs by the board. You can show the picture of the station. Thank you. Currently, Fire and EMS operates out of a roughly 8,000 square foot facility dating back to the 1930s that's had

[03:09:44] additions over the years. The new station is a little under 17,000 square feet, has three apparatus bays that will house two engines and ambulance as well as equipment for special responses. And this will allow fire and EMS to operate out of a facility much better suited for modern public safety operations and continue to maintain effective coverage in the Ettrick area.

[03:10:11] So that's all I have for this evening. Happy to take any questions if you have any. We do have any questions. B, data centers update. Mr. Chair.

[03:10:41] Good evening, everyone. I first want to thank you all for being here. It means a lot.

[03:11:13] It means we have an engaged community, and it means that we all very much care about each other. Over the past year, and more intensely over the last few months, we've been listening closely to the community, and we've heard your questions about data centers, your concerns, and your expectations.

[03:11:37] We've listened, we haven't responded, and we've taken the time to hear what people have said, not just in this room, but also online.

[03:11:57] Tonight I'm asking for something in return, an opportunity for you to listen to us and for us to share the information that you've requested and the work that we have done.

[03:12:13] The data center topic has presented a notable option for our community. Working with any major company in our community requires us to be responsible, thoughtful, and intentional.

[03:12:33] It also presents the potential to shift more of the revenue burden from residential taxpayers towards commercial businesses, strengthening the long-term fiscal health of our community. I need to see, by a show of hands, how many people have not read the zoning case.

[03:12:53] If you can keep your hands up, what I would like to do, with the help of staff, I would like to give you a copy of the zoning case. Just hold your hands up.

[03:13:14] Keep your hands up. I just want folks who have not had the opportunity to read the zoning case to have a copy of it, please. I'm talking about the zoning case for Lock and Sky.

[03:13:32] There was no zoning case on the other because that was by right.

[03:13:50] Thank you for the question. Thank you for the question.

[03:14:27] How are we doing?

[03:15:03] Anyone else who has not received a zoning case and would like one?

[03:15:39] One of the things that I've learned over the last few months, especially with around the data centers, is it's no longer business as usual in a way, right?

[03:16:01] This is different, and it's something that we need to handle differently. It really is a big deal. This evening, you're going to hear presentations from multiple members of our staff.

[03:16:17] They're going to work to address many of the questions that have been submitted over the past month, provide an overview of the data center's operation within our county, and to an extent, their and its local responsibility.

[03:16:36] We want to share site-specific details and walk through tax-related topics. On behalf of the board, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the level of community engagement, especially on this topic.

[03:16:56] We truly want this to be a transparent discussion, and that is essential. And your partnership is an important part of that process. Before we begin, I ask everyone in the room to please maintain decorum and respect for the staff.

[03:17:17] We will be presenting this evening. Let's ensure that this is a constructive, informative, and respective presentation for all involved. So that this presentation is presented appropriately to all in the room, as well as viewing from home.

[03:17:38] My fellow board members are going to come out and we're going to sit in the audience for the presentation. So I'm going to ask you all to come down. Here's the thing that's so important, and I think it's kind of gotten lost.

[03:18:00] All of us care deeply about our community. And I think that sometimes with the cynicism that's out there, that we forget that we are part of the community. This man over here, Kevin Carroll, was a police officer for 30 years.

[03:18:22] Mr. Engel was chair, lived in a trailer park for a period of time, ultimately went to William & Mary, and I love going to his church.

[03:18:40] Jessica Snyder served on her HOA. She's only one of us that have gone through the Government Citizens Academy, all three of them. Laquan Hilton, Dr. Hilton, has served on the Planning Commission, raising three daughters and part of it.

[03:19:02] Myself, I've lived here for 30 years. I worked for Chesterfield Mental Health for 13 years. Work with Bright Point now with students that have disabilities. We're all part of the community, and please make no mistake about it.

[03:19:19] We care deeply about it as you do. Every step of the way, we try to do the best we were capable of doing. We love this community. We want to make the best decisions for our community.

[03:19:35] And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Jesse Smith to get us started. Thank you. Thanks, Dr. Miller, and thanks to everyone that's here tonight. Certainly, I think you'll see that it was your input that really shaped tonight's agenda.

[03:19:51] So thanks to everybody that submitted comments. There really was quite a bit of response. You can see we tried to classify these into sort of general topics. There were 172 entries, which is quite a bit, obviously.

[03:20:06] And on the right there, you can see really the top things that folks wanted to know about. And we're going to cover most of these tonight, so I'll go over sort of what we're going to cover and maybe what we need to do some follow-up on. So taxes, the finance implication, Matt Harris, we'll cover that sort of at the end of the presentation.

[03:20:25] We have Matt McLaren here that will speak to economic development, some of the NDAs, sort of why that's a tool in their toolkit. Water, noise, I'll cover that as part of the discussion on zoning. and I appreciate you handing out all the zoning cases so you guys have some light reading for you.

[03:20:45] Air quality emissions and energy and transmission. So those are gonna be DEQ regulated and Dominion regulated respectfully there. So those are things that if folks have additional follow-up questions, we are certainly happy to get representatives from those organizations to either to come out to a board meeting like they did last month on ChewSmith for those of you that were here or even Dominion.

[03:21:08] We are in constant contact with those folks. We are happy to ask questions on your behalf and get those answers or to even have them come out. In addition, we'll provide a series of resources sort of halfway through the presentation that points to some of the resources that organizations like DEQ have posted because of the interest in the data center topic, not just here in Chesterfield County, but throughout the Commonwealth.

[03:21:32] And I think a lot of you also know that this is not a topic that's unique to even Virginia. it really is a nationwide discussion so again appreciate everyone's interest in that and then in the last one that's shown there on the right sighting buffers also those things are included in your handy dating zoning cases that that you have with you but we're also happy to answer questions this is not the end of this discussion you know this is the beginning of a conversation we want to make sure that you know folks are getting the answers you know that they need and we're happy to continue that conversation um all of the comments that you all submitted have

[03:22:09] been posted online so if you go to chesterfield.gov slash data centers and we'll provide the link again uh all 172 of those are posted so you can see what what people said what their concerns are we are are also working to draft uh specific responses to all of them to degree that there was actually that there was a question some of them are strictly just comments uh but there were a lot of things that we will respond to. Our hope is to get that done in about a week. So we're currently drafting those. We didn't cut off the portal until yesterday at 5, so we still had a lot of things coming in, and we will answer all of those. So with that, this is the agenda, at least

[03:22:48] for this portion of the presentation. Matt McLaren will start and give a data center overview from an economic development standpoint. I will then tag in and go over some of the specifics of the history, land use, zoning, whether it needed zoning at all for the entire universe of data centers within Chesterfield County. I'll also discuss some of the zoning audits amendments and how those are actually restricted uses now and look at some of the best practices that, again, this is a national topic. As we sort of get better at this and learn things, what are some of the things that we did well? What are some of the things we could do better?

[03:23:26] Matt Harris will present a financial analysis, and then we'll try to end with hopefully covering some of the things that maybe we didn't through sort of the end part of it. So with that, I will hand it over to Matt McLaren, who's our Deputy Director of Economic Development.

[03:23:47] Good evening. The first slide here, we wanted to lay out a little bit more about the mission and the purpose of economic development as laid out in Blueprint Chesterfield, which established a strategic framework for a vibrant community and outlined a focus on economic opportunities, business and visitation, quality jobs, and diverse businesses.

[03:24:16] The department vision is thus to enhance the economic vitality of Chesterfield County by attracting business capital investment, reinvestment by those companies in established areas, and new jobs. So I wanted to start the conversation there.

[03:24:34] This picture, as you can see down below, is the Facebook, what was the Facebook data center, now referred to as Meta. This was the first project that they announced in Henrico County, so at least wanted to share what that looks like for those.

[03:24:50] I think many people are aware of what that facility looks like and where it is. A little bit of a timeline here. Jesse will outline a little bit later some of the initial data centers in the county, but I wanted to share a little bit of the history of the Commonwealth's incentives around attracting data centers.

[03:25:09] And in 2010, as you can see up here, Virginia established a sales and use tax exemption grant for data center equipment. And that was basically to attract large data center investments that were beginning to show up in northern Virginia and in other limited locations around the rest of the Commonwealth.

[03:25:29] One large one that I think most people are aware of is in Mecklenburg County. There is a large Microsoft data center, so a very rural area. In 2017, Henrico County lowered their tax on data center equipment from $3.50 down to $40 per $100 of assessed value.

[03:25:51] Sorry, thank you. I gotta get the right decimal point there, 40 cents. Later, in 2017, we competed against Enrico County for this data center, which at the time was a $750 million capital investment project, which was the largest capital investment project that the Great Richmond region had ever seen.

[03:26:15] And so in 2019, we decided, the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, decided to lower the data center tax rate from $1.80 to $0.24 per 100. And that would allow us to better compete for data center opportunities.

[03:26:35] If you look at the percentage cut for both of those, ours is around the same as what the Henrico County Board of Supervisors did in 2017. It's actually a little bit less aggressive than what they did. It is important to note that at this time we had no existing revenue from this tax rate because Capital One was classified as a bank and banks don't pay any personal property tax that way.

[03:27:01] And the state IT center, which was our other data center, was already moving into the cloud and so didn't have any equipment that was running at the time. In late 2019 and in early 2020, as you can see up here, Google, which was then Project Peanut, finished their due diligence and purchased the property.

[03:27:21] We stayed in contact with them on their plan for Project Peanut, and in August of last year, they announced with the governor that their initial investment plans for Project Peanut were underway, and that they owned the two additional sites in Western Chesterfield that we're here to talk about today.

[03:27:38] To set the stage for a little bit of what the thought was when the rates were lowered and in some of our earlier conversations with data centers in general, again, going back to diversifying our economy, This is the last 10 years of monthly construction of data centers.

[03:27:57] I don't think that this would surprise anyone. Roughly from 2016 to 2020, they went from $500 million on average a month to $750 million. You can see that they have now quadrupled roughly since that time.

[03:28:17] But that even into 2022 and 2023, they were roughly what they were at the beginning period of this reporting. And so wanted to share that and help folks understand that when we were approached by these kind of projects, these 500 million, 750 million, they weren't even a billion at that time, these really were once in a county's opportunity to go after these kind of projects.

[03:28:49] they really weren't at the same level that they are today. And so one of the ideas was, we aren't seeing projects at the same rate that we are now. And so how do we make sure that we get the next $750 million project?

[03:29:04] We also had, we were also able to compete for capital investment at the scale that the rest of the country was able to at the time. And then as COVID impacts of early 2020 were unfolding, a project of this caliber was an exciting opportunity for the county.

[03:29:24] On the next slide, these are some of the businesses that have shown up in the county or reinvested in the county since we started seeing some data center investments. So as we were competing for these projects, we started seeing more of our existing companies expanding with opportunities to supply these types of mission-critical facilities.

[03:29:43] And on this map, you can see some of those long-term industrial companies like Super Radiator Coils and Atlanta Constructors have made meaningful hiring and investment decisions in the last few years. New companies like Shepherd Electric, Condair, and other electric suppliers have also signed leases and hired new folks.

[03:30:02] By our accounting, over 600 jobs, $141 million of capital investment, and 1.65 million square feet of industrial space have been occupied in these data center supporting businesses in the last few years. Wanted to also touch on confidentiality agreements and how they're used.

[03:30:21] As a matter of course, privately held or publicly traded companies want to share confidential information with us related to their site selection. And at times they request us to sign these agreements. It allows them to share information such as financial data, business plans, or many times facility layouts that if publicly shared could harm their business position.

[03:30:42] So as an example, when DuPont has a new product line that they want to understand if they can build it here in Chesterfield County, They want to know that their product information is protected before the product is even announced to the marketplace. And when we worked with Lego, these types of agreements also allowed them to share their identity with us and to the Board of Supervisors and helped us to start laying out the facility on their site.

[03:31:06] Some of you have heard this story, but for those of you that haven't, they were so secretive when they first showed up that they wouldn't even really talk to us because they were afraid that we would guess where they were from by their accent. So some of these agreements allow us to have the conversations that we would otherwise not be able to have and that companies would not want to have with us and we would not be able to compete for these kind of projects, not just data centers, all of our large economic development projects.

[03:31:33] These are how two businesses would interact with each other. The last project, the last slide that I wanted to throw up here in front of you all for discussion is we've seen some conversation about the land transaction, how much land was left over, and who paid for what.

[03:31:52] So I wanted to try and walk through that. There have been some questions about the land transaction for Project Peanut. The site that is in red, which was at that time combined with the site that was in yellow for approximately 353 acres, was zoned already.

[03:32:07] It was originally owned by the American Tobacco Company, who had its headquarters directly behind this property. And they had purchased this land to eventually build another cigarette factory there. and so it had very heavy industrial zoning on it and it was then owned by a private individual that lived in the region and he was only willing to sell the land in one fell swoop so he wouldn't sell it off for 50 acres or 60 acres which a lot of the properties a lot of the sites that are a lot of the prospects that we were showing this property to weren't really ready to take 353 acres

[03:32:47] down so when project peanut Google showed up they wanted to take most of the property down and so we had an agreement with the private landowner that would allow the EDA to buy the entirety of the site and then at the same time we had a concurrent agreement with Google that allowed them to buy the 305 acres they paid the same exact price that the EDA paid for the land and we were left with 48 acres on the other side that, as you can see, is adjacent to Mediville Technology Park.

[03:33:18] That land, using all of the due diligence that we have on the property, taking out wetlands and steep slopes and things like that, is approximately 38 acres of usable land, and we sell the land in Mediville for approximately $100,000 per usable acre.

[03:33:34] So we purchased that 48 acres for $2.8 million. It's on the market right now for $3.8 million. So those are the slides that I have, and thanks so much for your attention, and Jesse, I think you're next.

[03:33:50] - Thanks, Matt, I always find it flattering that LEGO thought we would recognize immediately Danish accents versus any other European country, so. Anyway, so moving on, sort of the data centers through Chesterfield, and Mr. Engel reminded me, we have set up a specific email address if you have further questions, it is datacenters@chesterfield.gov.

[03:34:10] We'll put it up on the screen, we'll certainly push that out through our, through socials and other channels as well, But if you have follow-up questions, please send them, datacenters at chesterfield.gov. So what you see before you, this is the universe of data centers at Chesterfield. It's a fairly small universe.

[03:34:26] We've color-coded these, green, yellow, and red. So the green ones are the ones that are approved and built. Yellow are ones that have some sort of zoning approval or other entitlement and either are under construction or will be under construction or going through some phase of permitting.

[03:34:44] Sort of that, I guess it's a pinkish-red color. So these are sites where folks have submitted site plans for data centers. So if you go onto our online system, you will see that folks have submitted plans for data centers. What has happened is we have said, well, no, you actually can't build those.

[03:35:01] And I'll explain this in another slide or so. But it's because the board changed, amended the zoning around data centers. So those are actually all required to be what's called a conditional use. So they're no longer allowed by right. So those folks are not allowed to build them. I will say they are posing some legal challenges to that because, as you can imagine, folks want to be able to sell their land to data centers to be able to capitalize on that investment.

[03:35:24] Those are the ones we are saying, no, you actually can't build data centers there. But you will see those. If you go into our online portal, there are plans on those. It's six approved sites. They all have different numbers of buildings. It's somewhere around 15 or 16 buildings, depending on how you look at it.

[03:35:41] So we'll go through all these and give you the history. I did mention the board has now amended the zoning ordinance. So data centers are no longer permitted by rights in our industrial districts. And I put this one, I bold and underlined in there, the board has come out and said, you know, we really aren't interested in seeing any more data center development.

[03:36:04] So sort of what you see is what you get at this point relative to those green and yellow ones. That's, you know, at least for now, the universe of what we know to be data centers in Chesterfield. I also note that, you know, you could see that we did, we the county, denied the application for the old Bermuda data center.

[03:36:22] That was then appealed to the BZA, which is the Board of Zoning Appeals. They upheld our decision, but we do expect that there will be a legal appeal. And I'm not a lawyer. We've got some of those. We can explain that if you have questions about that process. So Medieval Technology Park.

[03:36:40] So this is actually where we have the majority of the existing and proposed data centers, or at least it's either in or very close to the technology park itself. This was zoned back in 1996. If you remember the days of like Pentium processors, folks were really all pursuing from a local government level a microchip manufacturer.

[03:36:59] So this particular technology park was built to accommodate sort of that advanced manufacturing. It has robust water lines, as an example. It has lots of power coming to it. So what made for an attractive site for a chip manufacturer also makes an attractive site for data centers.

[03:37:18] Also, through this out there, you know, because utilities also falls under me, one of the challenges we had out there is because the lines were so large for years, we actually had to flush water out of one of our hydrants because the water quality was so bad because there were no end users there to use it.

[03:37:34] So it was built with a very robust infrastructure. And we were certainly excited in 2006, when really the very first data center in Chesterfield County, one of the first in the Commonwealth, was constructed at Meadowville Technology Park. It was called Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions.

[03:37:51] It housed the data centers for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Relatively small facility, and you could see sort of the years when it was done, the water usage. But it's important to note that this was the first one we had.

[03:38:07] It has been there for 20, going on 20 years now, and most folks wouldn't even know it's there. You can see it here. The front building is actually the office component, right, sort of where the basketball court is, and then the back is the data hall.

[03:38:23] So, you know, from a Chessler perspective, this was the world of data centers, you know, at the outset. The next one that came along, and Matt spoke to this being the Capital One facility, specifically because they don't pay taxes.

[03:38:41] So there was really no revenue coming out of this one. But that was really the next one that we had come online in Chesterfield. It is still out there. It has been since retrofitted by a company called Carissa. And they have three existing buildings at this address with one building that's under construction, about 1.5 MGD for all of the buildings.

[03:39:05] And again, this is subject to that original 1996 zoning. So we didn't hand out all of those cases. If anyone does ever want to see the original 1996 zoning for Mediville, we can certainly give that to you. But again, it's a 30-year-old zoning case that entitled these properties to develop data centers.

[03:39:24] And this is another property in Mediville, sort of running north-south on your screen. That's 295 to orient you. The really large building is Amazon Niagara, is Niagara, which is the water bottling facility there.

[03:39:42] So you can see that this one is, again, situated central to the technology park. No homes around it. They're going to use a closed loop cooling system, and one of the questions of the portal said, hey, you know, there's actually, do you use water? Absolutely correct.

[03:39:58] It's just you continue to recycle the water. You do have to flush it on occasion, but it's not water that's specifically used for cooling like some of the other ones. 600,000 square feet total for those two buildings, again, subject to that 1996 zoning. So this is Project PNUT, which is obviously Google.

[03:40:20] So Matt McLaren covered this one as well, spoke to sort of the land purchase and sale and how all that occurred. This one is actively under construction, so if you drive out to 2100 Bermuda 100 Road, you can see it. Again, this was a little bit different that it's not actually located in the technology park proper.

[03:40:39] It was zoned in 1966, and we were going through this, somebody was like, you screwed that up, it can't be. I was like, no, it was zoned in 1966, heavy industrial with no restrictions. So the challenge with this property for years is that we had folks come in and want to develop things like a paper plant, metals manufacturing.

[03:40:57] It allowed a lot of noxious uses that, you know, really from a local government perspective, we did not want to see there. So in terms of this getting conveyed to a data center is actually a much better use with what it could have been.

[03:41:12] You can see there as part of the tax rate and water agreement, they are promised six million gallons a day. What happened at the time is that's essentially what was available within that, you know, that area of our utility system. So as part of the tax rate and water agreement, that is what was conveyed to Google for development of that particular property.

[03:41:32] So moving on, this is the one that's called Project Lock. It's off of Watkins Center Parkway in the Midlothian District off of Watkins Center Parkway. So this was zoned in 2006 as part of the original Watkins Center development, same suite of properties where Westchester Commons is located.

[03:41:54] The north half was essentially zoned for retail. southern half of the Lathian Turnpike was owned for industrial. A data center actually would have been permitted by Wright on this property. What happened was, and you can't tell what this is, so I'll have to explain it to you, but they came in to the county in 2022 and said, we want to build a truck terminal. So if you imagine lots of purple and orange tractor trailers and box trucks, You can see that I think it was over 1,000 parking spaces here, cross-docked, 24-7 operations for this.

[03:42:29] From a county perspective, that was not a palatable use for this part of the county. You know, it just wasn't something that we wanted to see. So the planning director at the time actually denied the site plan. The applicant appealed that to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

[03:42:47] The Board of Zoning Appeals actually said the applicant is right. So they supported their truck terminal. We then filed suit in circuit court, which sort of put this thing in a holding pattern. When that happened, we met with the landowner and said, look, we would like to work with you to find a use that is better than a truck terminal that will still allow you to sell your property.

[03:43:09] So if you want to know what happened to the truck terminal, just go look at New Kent. Love our friends in New Kent and their Buc-ee's that's coming. This is what's coming to New Kent in 2028 right by the Buc-ee's. They announced it as a FedEx truck terminal. So this, if you want to know what could have been, that's what could have been.

[03:43:28] What actually happened is we were able to work with the landowners, and again, working with the Economic Development Department, worked with Google. They had interest in this particular property, and you can see on here from a meeting perspective historically what happened.

[03:43:46] So there was a Q&A meeting February 24th, 2025. 33 folks attended, we've got the sign-in sheets, we were able to verify that, and then there were two separate public hearings, one at the Planning Commission in April, and then another one in May, was also picked up, it was multiple news sources, I tried to spread the wealth for our friends in the back of the room, but you can see this was, Channel 6 was there, they covered it, there are conditions, so these are those handy-dandy zoning cases you guys have, you can look in there, if you can't find it, because they are, I know they're big documents, we can show you where everything is. There are conditions that limit the water usage,

[03:44:26] noise, building height, that establish buffers, and provide a lot of protections for the community. The board was adamant that they wanted to be sure that if these are going to be put in these locations, that protections for the community are provided. So we'd love to cover those with folks.

[03:44:43] You know, again, we're available to meet anytime to sort of walk through those, but it does speak to all the protections that are in there this is what the site looks like it explains why it is good for a data center so you can see number one the site has been heavily used it was a construction staging area for a variety of different things has a power transmission line running smack dab through the middle of it and a railroad to the north so you know it really does make a good fit

[03:45:14] for a data center. You can see no homes, at least in this area. The next one that was the subject of zoning case is the one that's in Matoica, and this one is up off of Mosley Road north of the Upper Magnolia Technology Park. Same song, different verse. You can see the meeting dates there.

[03:45:36] February 27th, 2025 held a community meeting. Slightly better attendance. About 65 folks showed up. I will note that, you know, just reading through the comments, a lot of the concerns over the format of meetings this one was a folks stood up there and answered questions it was not I know people complain about the the science fair sort of thing that's not what this was this was one where folks were there able to answer questions on a variety different topics it was these were all shown exactly as data centers to Matt's you know earlier contention the only thing

[03:46:10] that was not discussed was the actual end user but if you Google these things you can find that there really are not a lot of end users that would have done this. So it narrowed the field down to really just the Meadows or the Googles of the world.

[03:46:27] But again, it was made blatantly obvious that it's all in the zoning case that it was done specific for data centers. This one has, because of the size of the property, has slightly higher limitations on water usage. The limitations on height are very similar.

[03:46:43] Same thing with noise. But, again, they're actually specified in those zoning cases that you guys have. During the public hearings, we went back and watched the video. Most of the comments were actually in support. So, by and large, the people that showed up to the public hearings were from the trades.

[03:47:01] So electricians, laborers, other folks that really see a lot of benefit from the construction jobs related to data centers, they were the ones that spoke at the public hearings. Again, this was approved back in May 28th, 2025, same time as the other one.

[03:47:19] A few months later, fast forward, August of 2025, this was announced publicly across all channels. So, again, sharing the love to my friends in the back. This was done in TV, print, and radio. I think VPM is, well, radio or online.

[03:47:37] So, all of that was covered in August of 2025. It was actually a national, if not international, announcement due to the size of the investment. So we spoke to this earlier.

[03:47:53] This is, you know, concerns around data centers are not unique to Chesterfield, the Commonwealth of Virginia. You know, this is really something on the national level. The National Association of Counties, which is NACO, it's an unbiased organization that we all work with to try to, you know, local government officials to try to make ourselves better to try to see what other folks are doing and you know here in the county we are constantly trying to do things better if you look through the list generally speaking for the projects that were subject to zoning cases we covered the majority of these pretty well if you look at the cases there are restrictions on

[03:48:33] water noise lighting all of that is in there i think you know if we're going to do things differently moving forward and we will certainly do this you know a couple things have caught us by surprise, and it wasn't just us. And talked to Henrico, you know, we certainly talked to our counterparts over there.

[03:48:49] One of the things that caught everyone by surprise is just the sheer volume of construction traffic related to these things. So you see the second bullet from the bottom. What we're going to do moving forward on these things is actually develop a traffic construction and management plan, similar to what we do for solar sites, where you establish sort of hours of when people could come into the site, how they could come in, and then also repair some of the roads.

[03:49:12] One of the challenges that, you know, we really have in Chesterfield is a lot of the roads where these things would be accessed are two-lane rural roads, and they take an absolute beating when, you know, heavy trucks, construction traffic drives on them. So we're seeing that in the western part of the county as we're putting in new infrastructure.

[03:49:29] We're also seeing the challenge of, well, we need to fix these roads, you know, once the construction is done. So that's one takeaway of things that we're going to do better moving forward. Provisions for repowering, reuse, or decommissioning. This is a concept that you see with solar facilities.

[03:49:46] So there's enabling state legislation that allows you to require decommissioning bonds and sureties so that at the end of life for a solar facility, there's something there to make sure that it can be reestablished.

[03:50:02] We will certainly evaluate this. I've already talked to the county attorney to see, well, what do we have to do with that? Where do we look to ensure that whatever end of life these things occurs we have a plan for how they're going to be taken care of it could be sureties it could be bonds it could be some other mechanism just to make sure that we know what these things are going to be you know at some point in the future if they cease operations as a data center and I'll end with sort of this at least my section and then I'll hand it off to Mr. Harris to talk

[03:50:37] about the financial end of things there are lots of resources out there so the DEQ website is really good. They talk a lot about air permitting and sort of what they're seeing. We've developed our own data center website, chestville.gov slash data centers. There's a direct email address for a guy at Google. So if you have a specific question for Google that we can't get to you, we're happy to reach out on behalf, but you could certainly send it directly to Clay Alsop at Google.

[03:51:06] Google has also developed a project website on their own. The list there, it's chestville virginiadatacenter.com and again that email address please if you have questions you want to get together and meet you want one of us to come out you know to a community station whatever it is we are happy to do just send us an email at datacenters at chesterfield.gov we have a few of us will be checking that or be receiving those emails so we'll make sure you get the answers that you're looking for so if it's okay what we'll do is we'll move to yeah

[03:51:41] So Matt's going to cover the, sure, Matt's going to cover the, yeah, Matt's going to cover the thing. I think what we need to do is go through, a lot of these questions are going to get answered, but I want to remain, I understand the energy here, but at the same time, I really do want to go through this presentation.

[03:52:04] All those questions are going to get answered either one way or another. Please, Matt, why don't you continue, please? Thank you for your patience. Just three more slides here, and I will try to get through this pretty quickly.

[03:52:23] Finance stuff laid out very similar to what Jesse mentioned. Matt, let me interrupt for just a second. Folks, are you able to hear him in the back? Hey, Matt, can you bring the mic up a little bit higher? We're both deputies, but Jesse is... Thank you. He wears tall shoes, too.

[03:52:42] How's that? A little better? Anybody? Martin, I... Yeah, all right, there you go. So, again, styled it around questions we see from you guys. So, three slides, so stay patient with me.

[03:52:57] something's still cutting out got me there first one on the tax rate structure itself so number one takeaway here the data centers pay the same excuse me property rate as everybody else

[03:53:25] same real estate tax rate as all of you on your homes good and just pick it up clicking all right so that's that's been a very popular question um excuse me uh sec so the the tax rates break down

[03:53:55] in a couple of different ways. My apologies, Dr. Miller. Yeah, right now. Thank you. All right.

[03:54:25] 89 cents, same property rate as all you pay on your homes. The difference, and I think Matt McLaren touched on this in his part of the presentation, is the rate on the equipment inside the data centers. You see it up there in the second bullet. We did lower that to 24 cents, But as you'll see when we get to the next slide, really evaluating this from a revenue perspective, we focus on the real property part of this.

[03:54:59] That 89 cents, that is our, you know, if you look at the budget, that is where our primary revenue source that funds all of your programs and services comes from real estate. And so that's the main thing. So that stays at 89 cents. The 24 cents was that incentive piece we put in place.

[03:55:18] And you heard Matt McLaren talk about that. If we didn't lower it to $0.24, this doesn't happen. I mean, that's the long and short of it in terms of incentive structure. And so the $0.89 is, you don't pay anything different there than, again, than you do on your individual homes.

[03:55:34] Business personal property, I saw Ms. Hughes out there somewhere. There she is. So that piece of it, this is all the ancillary business property that the Google or anybody else would own. That remains the exact same rate as all other Chesterfield businesses at the $3.25.

[03:55:53] so no difference there. You see we've had questions about the depreciation schedule that's tied to the data center equipment as well. That's the same depreciation schedule that's in place for every other business, no different there. So long story short on the rate structure, it's really that data center equipment which was the incentive to bring these facilities to Justfield County. So taking a step back and really kind of go back to that first slide of the presentation Mr. McLaren walked through, you know, why are we talking about this at all?

[03:56:25] And the answer is quite simply that it's feedback we heard from you before this topic was a topic. It was about balancing out the rate structure in Chessville County such that residential payers paid a smaller portion of the overall share of the tax burden than the commercial.

[03:56:46] We're starting to try to find that balance. Chessville has been a suburban community for a very long time. it's absolutely true that the majority of the burden from a tax perspective falls on the rate payer, the homeowner in Chesterfield County, all of you for the most part. So that's why we're standing here. The board supervisors, the board before that didn't go out and seek data centers for any other reason, but as we'll get into the scene in the next slide, they really do hold a tremendous potential in terms of revenue generation to find that balance between residential and

[03:57:21] commercial taxpayers i think that's really really important in terms of background again why did we why how did we get here what was the purpose of this and again mr mclaren's slide touched on that sort of why we have the economic development department why we have the eda it's really really important so uh water's kicking in now some of you just run back through this for you make sure we're all on the same page same real estate rate is all you pay on your home no different there business personal property you own a small business you pay that tax on your computers other equipment inside there it's a small portion here but just from a rate structure perspective it's

[03:57:59] no different for google than it is for other businesses in the county it's the equipment the stuff inside the buildings um that that's where we lowered it down that's what you know a number of other localities did that's what henrico did they lower it down they incentivized someone to come there and then they've raised it back up we're a little bit behind that structure but that's it's not a playbook that hasn't been used successfully elsewhere in the state and and then yes sir i hear you and then again lastly on this slide the depreciation schedule which there's been questions of why does this stuff depreciate so fast no different than it is for other folks

[03:58:39] in the book so let's get to this one this is a dense slide admittedly but there's a lot of good stuff on here so I'm going to go slow you know stick with me on here but I think it ties back to what I just said in the previous slide the reason that you saw and heard about this as sort of a national topic they are very tax rich there is a lot of revenue potential from these facilities the strategic goal at the outside of this was to balance out that residential and commercial tax base so what do we have here a lot of information we'll walk you through it sort of

[03:59:15] piece by piece. So the table that's on this side, those are our top 10 principal taxpayers in Chesterfield County as of fiscal year 2000 or tax year 2025. That table's in our all as it is for years and years and years. You can go back and look at it. It's out on the county website. It's in all of our financial reports. It's based, as it says there down in the footnotes, if you can see that, it's just the real estate piece. So again, we're evaluating this from a financial perspective we're trying to balance out that residential commercial ratio we're looking at it from a real estate perspective that's the driver and that's what this table is is looking at assessed

[03:59:53] value so those aren't tax totals per se but that's our top 10 taxpayers based on their assessed value of their real property for those folks we've seen very little change in this over time it's one of the things that we do track and you can see some percentages of the overall valuation so that's in here just to provide perspective because I think we all you know if you watch the news or if you you read the newspaper every day you kind of get numb to millions and billions and trillions so just wanted to give you some context of what these numbers mean in terms of the local revenue mix and

[04:00:28] that's what the that's what the chart shows there. So this I'm going to walk through these bullets one by one so we make sure we go through all the details that you need. So the first one there that ties to what Jesse talked about there's a very minimal current presence very few data centers currently here today so 1.1 in real estate tax is what we generate from those facilities the equipment piece even at the 24 cents is just a hair under half a million dollars so not a big contributor to the overall mix but again I think from an economic perspective one of the county's

[04:01:06] absolute strengths is the fact that we are pretty diverse. And so I think when we set out this strategy, the goal was to add some data centers to the overall payer mix, but not to become something like you see in Northern Virginia. I mean, I think we've all, you know, if you guys are familiar with this topic, you know what you're talking about. Loudoun is, you know, very, very dense. That's not the goal here. It's to balance that out, to provide some diversification using data centers as another tool and because they are very powerful in terms of what they can generate. So second bullet here.

[04:01:38] So their $9 billion announcement, that's consistent. If you look at other Google projects, you know, in the mid-Atlantic over the last several years, all those numbers sort of check out. So $9 billion, think of it as nine buildings. That's sort of from a modeling perspective.

[04:01:56] That's how we've set this up. The estimates on how that each one of those billion dollars breaks down again this information is on on the website is roughly 300 million dollars on the building itself and then the rest of it is sort of the equipment and other features but again as i've said from a durability perspective when we're modeling this and looking at the revenue we're looking at that real estate piece i can predict that in a much much easier fashion if you will then the computer equipment was changing out, the technologies change, it's very turbulent.

[04:02:33] I mean, if you talk to the Google folks, each data center they built kind of has a different footprint, a different look. And so that's part of the reason we discount it for this analysis. But I think that'll make sense as we go through here. So again, three campuses. Jesse walks you through all three of those. For the sake of this analysis, we're assuming three buildings on each, billion dollar investment for for each building so running that through our current rate structure again the 89 cents I'm holding off the the 24 for a second the primary piece of that being the real estate eight million dollars

[04:03:11] for each campus and just from real estate alone so if you add in the equipment piece it takes that number to about ten million dollars per campus right you with me so far you do have the $500 million range this out I can't tell you precisely what these once these are all built out exactly what the numbers are going to be you know we've done our own research we've looked at comparable communities comparable projects and tried to come up with you know what we think are reasonable ranges we use that technique a lot when we're doing this kind of analysis so that's why you see in here if you look on the website and a

[04:03:50] lot of the information we provided we try to stay talking about this in ranges so but for the most part i think the points we want to make here we can do on the lower end of the range so eight million dollars a year from each campus just in the real estate piece up to 13 million if those buildings were to assess on the higher end of that so if you take let's just say one campus three buildings 300 million dollars a piece that's a 900 million dollar just again simple terms how does that stack up against our current top taxpayers we see any one of those

[04:04:27] buildings of the nine buildings we're talking about would qualify as the second principal taxpayer in the county they would be higher than bonds accords which is our current number two taxpayer so we can run through a thousand scenarios thousand iterations the point i'm trying to make to you is it is a significant revenue generation just on the real estate piece alone obviously we have modeled in the computer equipment piece we know what that's worth that you know we the board can adjust that rate up and i think mr mclaren mentioned this but it's it's kind of breaks like it does for like mr smith said in terms of the zoning piece the

[04:05:03] project peanut has the 30-year agreement the other two campuses don't they have a 10-year incentive agreement at the 24 cents has to come back to the board for that renewal for to get the additional 20 years in those 10 year increments. So that's another one of those questions that we received. There's a difference between the two projects as far as that goes. So let's just multiply that out a minute. If you had 900 times three, that's $2.7 billion of potential real, just real estate value. That is roughly two times our current number one taxpayer in the county,

[04:05:42] which is dominion stated another way 2.7 billion dollars our top 10 together is only 2.5 billion dollars so again discounting the equipment piece setting that aside the business personal property the other you know smaller categories just on the real estate alone this has tremendous potential in terms of revenue so that that is the reason you know that we looked at this that is the reason that we believe that it would move that ratio it would shift that burden from the the residential payer more onto the commercial doesn't meet all of our goals it doesn't achieve all those things

[04:06:20] but from a general perspective this is a you know sort of a once in a generation opportunity from one project and again any one of those buildings any one of the nine would find its way into that top 10 so what does that mean we do for those of you who have uh you know followed this stuff a lot we model we talk about that residential commercial burden who pays what so right now it's roughly 79 percent is paid by residential taxpayer 21 on the commercial side the full build out of these three

[04:06:55] campuses holding the rest of the values even that moves to 76 to 24 just from these projects that that is it may not sound like a big number but that's a seismic shift a seismic shift in terms of moving that valuation i i if i'm happy to sit down with you and go through the map i can you can i trust that it absolutely is i think it may be better represented or better shown there in the last bullet it would represent an 18 increase in the county's current commercial tax base 18 just from this one series of projects.

[04:07:31] Does it have anything else coming in? You've heard, Mr. Smith, we're done with adding data centers to our diversification strategy, but from a numbers perspective, these, A, pay the same rate that all of you do, using that rate, doing the math, it does have absolutely huge potential to solve a lot of these challenges that have been out there in terms of that rate-payer mix.

[04:08:00] so that's that's really the main point for that slide so as i said the whole goal with data centers was is trying to move that mix also i think it's been touched on a little bit but bears repeating a lot of this happened during the onset of covid when you know we weren't exactly sure what the the economic future was going to look like so i think that put a little bit more sense of urgency to it but again the main idea was how do we shift this burden off of the residential payer to the the commercial pair this isn't a silver bullet doesn't do everything but it from chipping away

[04:08:38] at it you know over time this is a really big swing so to connect those dots and to make that an absolutely tangible pledge and not just a sort of talking point which has you know been out there for a while this is what is on your agenda later on tonight this is that bridge this is that connection between an economic development strategy, bringing Google here, and then how do you invest those monies? What do you do with those dollars that would come from those data center projects? So what is being proposed, and we'll go through this in more detail later, but I think

[04:09:15] it bears repeating now, the public hearing that has been advertised for tonight would take all new data center revenue, so everything that Google's vertical construction would yield, and pledges it to lower the car tax rate in chessville county we're currently at three dollars and 25 cents we've come down from 360 just a number of years ago this has also been a long-standing commitment strategy of this board to try to lower that car tax rate we recognize that as an owner nobody likes

[04:09:48] any tax but the car tax is certainly an onerous one for sure we recognize that so let's put that in perspective what we're talking about here tonight, the Meadowville campus, or that first campus down here in the eastern portion of the county, on the low end of the range, again using that $300 million number we just talked about, has the potential to reduce the personal property rate by 32 cents. So you multiply that times all three campuses, and again, that's a very conservative estimate. You're shaving almost a dollar off of the current rate. $3.25 goes down

[04:10:23] to $225,000. Whatever that might be, if it's approved tonight, this policy structure goes in place via an ordinance, and all those dollars go into an account. It's very clear. It's very transparent, and they're all used to buy down the personal property rate each year, whatever has been amassed in that account, whatever comes from the data center. So that would include the real estate. That would include the business, you know, tangible personal property. Also include the equipment so if the board comes back and they choose to raise the equipment rate at some point in the future and we get into the next tax year any of those dollars on the carissa data centers

[04:11:02] would also go to to benefit this and i think it bears mentioning here they they can't really deal with the tax center equipment rate until the next tax year which goes into effect in january that that billing has essentially already happened it happens you know one point in the year so that's a consideration it's absolutely something that they are reviewing but that's something they would do as they're building their fy28 budget or talking about the fy or the calendar year 27 tax structure if that makes sense so that's why it's not necessarily in the mix for tonight so let's put

[04:11:42] that in a quick example. All three campuses, what does that mean to an individual tax? If you went out and bought a new car, we looked it up, just sort of the average price of a brand new car. It's about $48,000. Running that through the model saves about $400 year one on personal property taxes based on the rate reduction that would come from and associated with the data centers.

[04:12:08] So you can decide if you think that's a significant amount of money, but again, Trying to put it in context, trying not to just talk about rates and theoretical things. That's a real-life example. You can go out there and follow the math along. And again, like I mentioned, any future data center rate increases would also just help to bolster the amount of resources that we would have to dedicate to this initiative.

[04:12:34] So that is the – that brings it – Please, I'm going to ask you to hold your questions. That brings it full circle. please. Chasing, incentivizing data center to come here to try to shift that balance, residential and commercial. Second point here, really absolutely does have potential to become our principal taxpayer. The Google campuses alone would outstrip 2x what we currently receive from our current top taxpayer. And then what would we do with those dollars that tonight, via the

[04:13:11] public hearing would be attached to tax relief efforts forever more to drive that rate down to you know as as much as we can over time these three campuses have the potential to shave a dollar off of what is already one of the lower personal property rates around so with that appreciate your patience listening that's a lot of numbers but you know we're happy to connect with you outside and go through some of the spreadsheets and some of the more granular pieces but appreciate your your patience and uh and your attention tonight so so i want to um

[04:13:47] the first thing i would like to do is i want to thank matt and uh jesse and um both mats um for this evening's presentation and the time and the energy that you all put into this what we were attempting to do we recognize and hear loud and clear the concerns the worries about bringing this organization here. I do. We've heard you. What we are attempting to do is to explain as best as we are able what is the options we have in front of us. What I would like to do at this point

[04:14:23] is I know that there are a lot more questions that need to get asked. I know that there are a bunch that need to be answered. We recognize that there are people that are going to be speaking this evening in our public comments and that's where I want to move to next is to get started with the meeting back to where we were. I want to remind you all that this is a formal meeting and that as we go through this, this is not a one and done, folks. We're going to continue to have it and we're going to be bringing Google here to be able to answer questions also. This is not a one

[04:15:00] and done so i want to continue our meeting uh folks on the board would you please come back up

[04:15:06] and we're going to continue i know that there's some public hearings this evening all right um

[04:15:56] ladies and gentlemen what we're going to do is we're going to take a five-minute recess

[04:16:01] and then we're going to come back and we'll get started with the meeting thank you what i can tell

[04:25:48] you though is without madam clerk item 15 15 minute citizen comment period on unscheduled matters. This time is designated for citizens to talk to the Board of Supervisors. It is not a time for dialogue with board members and it is not a question-answer period. Those conversations can easily occur with individual board members outside of the board meeting. As a reminder, the board's procedures state no citizen shall speak on any matter of business that is a subject on the board's agenda for that day and each speaker shall have three minutes to address the board. We have four speakers if they'll please come

[04:26:25] forward and speak in this order, Pam Smith, Jenny Castle, Thomas Watson, and Sean Scott. First speaker is Pam Smith. Good evening, Pam. Welcome.

[04:26:41] Thank you. Hello, Mr. Chair, and members of the board, and Susan, and welcome, Dr. Caitlin. First of all, I ask that you first forgive me because I am going to have to read from my notes in order to keep within my three minutes, so it won't be very personable or looking at you. I have been a Chesterfield County resident for over 33 years, a Chesterfield County retiree, and a Virginian for 50 years.

[04:27:02] This is my second time to speak before the board. My first time was in the 1990s when the board mailed out a red postcard to notify of a developer building a housing develop directly behind my home, tearing down the woods. At that time, I was the only one who appeared to speak to the board. I asked for a 50-foot buffer of trees to be left behind our properties, and the board approved this.

[04:27:21] I learned later that the developer chose not to build at that time. I shared this example out of appreciation for, one, the board's transparency to all the residents long before any decision was approved allowing us to speak, two, the board's requirement that the developer provide full disclosure of their plans before anything was approved, and three, the board's willingness to listen to and approve a reasonable request from me, one resident.

[04:27:44] The known rule of thumb that politicians use regarding one person speaking equals 1,000 who did not speak, whereas writing a letter equals 50 who did not write, and shockingly, one phone call equals 10,000 who did not call. I wonder if this board considers these issues at hand when anyone speaks. I ask that you consider a mailing for major developments being proposed near residents' homes, just like the old days. The extra cost is worth it to ensure all affected residents are made aware and told when they can speak to the board well in advance of any decision being made, not just right before. Why? Because we the people may not always have the time to read

[04:28:22] everything you're deciding. We are working to provide for our families and be the best citizens of integrity in our county. Some of us may be below poverty level and cannot afford internet at our homes. Some of us may be working two or three jobs to provide for our families or managing elder care, so we may not have the time to read your website. Any remaining time is spent with families, and all of these three things, I've been there and done that. Thus, the mailing would prove beneficial. In section 3.5 of the Chesterfield County Charter that is entitled Powers of the board, and I'm abbreviating. It states that each of you are to put, number one, to provide for the preservation for the general health of the inhabitants of the county. Number three,

[04:29:02] to require the removal of all nuisances at the expense of the owner of the ground where the nuisance may be. And number four, to preserve public peace to prevent environmental hazards and shortages, and that the board shall have the power to adopt additional ordinances for that general welfare of the county. Now the legal meeting of a nuisance is an unreasonable action that interferes with the safety, the health, or the enjoyment of the property, or an activity that harms or bothers the general public, like a loud factory or toxic smoke. This being said, I ask you as our elected board of supervisors to uphold your powers when making decisions that affect county

[04:29:39] residents according to your charter. I realize that this is a hard job, as you, Mr. Carroll, said at the last board meeting, trying to do the best for all. I believe the golden rule is a good application. Do unto others as you would want them to do to you. When you make these decisions on behalf of us, consider if you would want it to occur next to your home.

[04:29:58] We voted for you, and as the old movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, reflects, we trust you to do your jobs, to protect us and fight for our battles politically, to avoid corruption, to inform us on major decisions that affect us, and to make decisions to ensure our health is not jeopardized and our environment is not sacrificed our water is kept clean and available without shortages our electric is not overextended our personal property taxes do not go up exuberantly miss smith your three minutes are up thank you i want to yeah go ahead and finish up and i do ask i did not finish but i do ask that the board request no no please complete your comments oh no i want to respect

[04:30:33] the board all i ask is that you let us speak five minutes it would only add 10 minutes to the entire meeting rather than three because it's nearly impossible to do that and i also ask that you you would allow us to speak to agenda items, which that's what I was going to do tonight. Thank you.

[04:31:04] My name is Jenny Cathel. I'm a resident. Can you pull it down? Yeah. I'm a resident in the Bermuda District in Chesterfield County. Many times I've stood here before you guys and with unorganized and unplanned fleshly thoughts, and speaking in public, it's not a setting that I'm comfortable in, and that's not an excuse, but before I begin any further, I would just like to apologize if I've been rude to any of you on this board.

[04:31:29] I had prepared, I'm sorry, I prepared a completely different story, speech to share with you tonight, and I won't even get through this one because this is hard for me to do, but I've faced direct impacts from planning development and approvals in this county on my own property and neighboring.

[04:31:51] It was a real eye-opener to me, and I understood the need for all of us in the community to be involved, so I've taken the time to show up to the meetings, to learn the processes, and to keep up with what's going on.

[04:32:07] But I'm a busy mom. There's a lot of rapid growth, development, and decisions being made in our county that myself and the community are growing increasingly concerned about the lack of transparency, the honesty, and moral integrity that are guiding these choices.

[04:32:24] Growth and progress are not inherently evil. We all want a thriving community, but progress without principle is merely reckless ambition, and growth that sacrifices truth and integrity is hollow. President Eisenhower famously stated that change based on principle is progress.

[04:32:44] Constant change without principle becomes chaos. And I think many would agree that the progress in Chesterfield County looks a lot like chaos. Proverbs 11, 3, 4 reminds us that integrity of the upright guides them and the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

[04:33:01] When public processes lack genuine transparency, when decisions appear predetermined, When the honest concerns of the families in our county are brushed aside for a favor of quick expansion, revenue, and I think we've lost our moral compass.

[04:33:21] Sorry, excuse me. We must ask ourselves, what is the true measure of our success, and is it at the expense of others? Jesus posed this question in the Gospel of Mark that every leader must reckon with. What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

[04:33:40] The earthly wealth, physical structures, and financial gains we chase today are temporary. They will all pass away. King Solomon denied himself nothing. He said, it's meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless. In Ecclesiastes, many quotes I'd love to share with you, but he says, he surveyed his vast achievements and concluded that chasing earthly wealth and accomplishments is entirely meaningless.

[04:34:03] It's like grabbing that wind. We cannot take financial gain with us into eternity. Our souls outlast this earthly life, and Ecclesiastes warns that God will bring every hidden deed into judgment. If everything under the sun is fleeting, temporary revenue cannot justify compromising the eternal moral responsibility of our leadership.

[04:34:24] Mr. Essel, your three minutes are up. You go ahead and finish. Thank you. You're welcome. The decisions made in this room are not hidden from God, and I stand here today as a believer of Christ to plead with you to understand that your highest duty is not to the developers, and you are not just accountable to political constituents. Supervisors, I ask you tonight to please look beyond the development maps and see the families that live in this county. The greatest commandment is in Matthew 22, 37 and 39. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your

[04:34:59] neighbors as yourself. Your legacy will not be concrete poured or the revenue that you've collected. Your legacy will be how you treated people you were elected to serve, and whether you led with integrity required of you by God. Growth will pass away, but your decisions here carry eternal weight. The Bible says it's appointed once for a man to die and then face judgment based on God's standards.

[04:35:23] I pray this board turns their heart to Jesus Christ. He is our only firm foundation of justice and righteousness and I pray that you will choose a path to be proud of when you stand before our Creator. Thank you. Good evening.

[04:35:55] My name is Thomas Watson. I live in the McTorch 100 subdivision about two miles from the landfill. Having watched the DEQ presentation at last month's meeting, one thing seemed very apparent. Both parties apparently were more interested in not being blamed on who was going to pay for the problem than how to solve the problem.

[04:36:17] Unfortunately, there's plenty of blame to go around. The DEQ stated that the landfill operated from 1976 to 2024. This neglected understanding that the original landfill operated and closed while the second landfill, and originally the quarry, began operation after county approval in 1997.

[04:36:38] The DEQ failed to mention that they approved not only the new landfill, but also the proposal to fill the quarry with trash. This was still their position in 2018 when the county finally chose to say no to the quarry. We should also note that the DEQ approved the design for the fly ash berm, which the county also approved.

[04:36:59] time will tell how big a mistake that was. The problem in Chesterfield County seems to be a lack of communication between the supervisors and the staff. My understanding is the county supervisors became aware of the leachate problem in 2024, but the supervisors apparently were unaware until 2026. I apologize if my timeline is not correct, but I don't think it's far off.

[04:37:25] This lack of communication came up before. Originally, Landfill 2 could not accept out-of-state trash, but Shoesmith approached the county for permission to start accepting out-of-state trash in Landfill 2. This was shortly before Landfill 1 was going to be filled up. At the meeting to vote on this, I asked the county to approve the request for out-of-state trash, and I was questioned as to why, and I said because the quicker they fill it up, the quicker we can shut it down. It seemed that none of the supervisors were aware that Shoesmith had to go back for county approval before they

[04:38:03] could start using the landfill, and they questioned me, and the attorney agreed with me, and eventually they did. Fortunately, the county finally closed. The DEQ also failed to enlighten us as to whether the leachate problem is confined to Landfill 2 or if it includes Landfill 1.

[04:38:24] This is important because Landfill 1 was capped many years earlier. If it was leaking, it should have been recognized during inspections. Finally, based on the pictures and reports shared with concerned citizens, the problem did not just come up when the landfill closed. They had to be deteriorating for years and simply ignored for the conditions that they have at that landfill now.

[04:38:48] Just as the DEQ and the county chose for years to ignore the proffer that Shoesmith must control the odor, which they could not, seems somehow the leachate problem was ignored, especially by the DEQ. Now we have $10 million budgeted by the state to handle leachate removal.

[04:39:06] This seems to me to simply be kicking the problem down the road. This is a far cry from the estimated $170 million long-term need. Mr. Watson, your three minutes are up. By the way, in 1997, when the board said they approved the plan because it was just for Jack, apparently expansion was improved so Jack could sell the landfill and not have to bear the cost of maintaining it for 20 to 30 years when Landfill 1 would have closed around 2002.

[04:39:36] I thank you for your time. Thank you so much, Sean. Good evening, Sean. Welcome. You're not signed up to speak. Are you Mr. Scott?

[04:39:52] I'm so sorry. Go right ahead. Good evening. I've lived in Chesterfield for a little, just over two years, but I wanted to speak tonight about my concern about flock cameras. I'm sure we've all heard of flock cameras and what they are, what they do, and the danger and the harm they could cause and have already caused.

[04:40:22] Our democratic process is supposed to be a system where citizens take part in shaping laws, policies, and leadership to guide their communities. Representative democracy is where citizens choose leaders to make laws and to govern on their behalf.

[04:40:43] Direct democracy is where citizens vote directly on specific laws and policies instead of using elected officials. In my opinion, Flock has taken away both of these powers. As far as I know, unless someone can prove otherwise, I don't think taxpayers got a chance to vote on whether or not they wanted these cameras in their communities. Did the city put it on any ballot? Did our county

[04:41:21] hold any public meetings explaining exactly what these cameras are capable of doing. If the answer to these questions is no, this is very concerning. I want to end tonight by reading a quote to you by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandes. Louis Brandes wrote in his dissenting opinion in the 1928 case, Olmstead v. United States. He said, the makers of our constitution undertook to secure

[04:42:00] conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. They recognized the significance of man's spiritual nature, of his feelings, and of his intellect. They knew that only a part of the pain, pleasure, and satisfactions of life are to be found in material things. They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions, and their sensations.

[04:42:30] They conferred, as against the government, the right to be left alone, the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized men. Thank you.

[04:42:46] Thank you, Sean. Madam Clerk, do we have any other folks that are signed up this evening? No, sir. So sorry that we don't have anyone else signed up this evening.

[04:43:02] I just have one question to ask, because I thought that there... Sorry, it's not part of the agenda, just to come up and address the board. I'm sorry. I thought just underneath the rules that if there was an agenda item that was talked about, that public could come and speak on that item.

[04:43:18] No, it's not. Not on the agenda. I apologize for that. I thought you had to sign up if you had something you wanted to talk about that wasn't on the agenda. It was not on the agenda, but I don't think you signed up. But then if it was on the agenda, I thought public could speak. That was my understanding. No, no. No, that's not the way that the procedure works.

[04:43:36] Can you put your mic going if you're going to speak? Yeah. You can't sign up for the 15-minute period if it's on the agenda. So because data centers were on the agenda tonight, you can't sign up to talk about them in the 15-minute period.

[04:43:55] But you can always sign up to speak to something that's not on the agenda. But the sign-up process, and I think maybe the clerk can explain to you how that works so it would be a little easier to deal with next time. So I'm looking forward to you speaking. However, what the plan is, what we're thinking about doing is that in subsequent meetings, well, because it won't be on the agenda at that point, is we're going to set aside more time to talk about things that are not on the agenda.

[04:44:22] So that could be data centers, that could be other things. But I think it's so important this evening. So if it's on the agenda, we can't speak about it as the public. Correct. But if it's not on the agenda, then we are allowed to speak about it as public. But no, again, again, the... Just trying to get the story straight.

[04:44:37] Just to try to make it clear, this process we're in right now is a process for up to five people to sign up. And there was only four. Yeah, if I could just finish, if it'd be okay. There were four people that signed up, and you have to sign up by a certain time to be able to speak, and that's part of the rules of the board, and that's how it keeps organized how the meetings work.

[04:44:58] So there were four people that signed up in advance. None of those people spoke to data centers or any other topic that was on the agenda tonight. So there is no more speaking during this segment. The next thing on the agenda now is to go through the zoning agenda.

[04:45:13] So right now, I think that whatever the perception that you had is not the way that it works. So it's not five people. It's only five people have registered. So there's 15 minutes, but we don't use the 15 minutes if there's time left. No, it doesn't work. Yeah, it absolutely does not work that way.

[04:45:29] Thank you for your clarification. Yeah, thank you. Madam Clerk. Item 16, deferred items from previous meetings. Mr. Chair, you have three zoning requests that were previously deferred to the state. For all three cases, the public hearings were held and closed.

[04:45:46] First is 24SN 1115 in Midlothian Magisterial District. Walton Station rezoning and adjustments is a request to rezone from suburban community SC, agricultural A, and neighborhood business NB to transition residential TR with adjustments to ordinance requirements for development standards known as 410 Coalfield Road.

[04:46:10] The 39.93-acre property is proposed for a maximum development of 157 age-restricted dwelling units. The district supervisor is requesting deferral to the board's November 18, 2026 public hearing. With regard to 24 SN1115, I'm going to make the motion to defer this case.

[04:46:32] This case is going to be deferred to November 18th meeting. Could I please get a second? Oh, public hearing. I am so sorry. Actually, the public hearing has been closed on this matter. What you're now is deferring the decision, so you don't need a public hearing.

[04:46:47] Thank you so much. Okay. Thank you. Good to have my back. Can I get a second on the deferral? Second. All right. Thank you. Any discussion on that? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 25SN1336 in the Bermuda Magisterial District.

[04:47:07] McConnell Recreational Vehicle Parking is a request for conditional use to permit the parking of a recreational vehicle outside the rear yard in a suburban community SC district on 0.46 acre known as 11302 Ludgate Place.

[04:47:23] The public hearing for this request was held and closed at the July 22nd meeting and deferred to tonight's meeting for action. Should the board decide to approve the request, staff recommends the imposition of conditions identified in the staff report. Thank you, Madam Clerk.

[04:47:41] This case is in the Bermuda District. Mr. Engel. Is the applicant here? I'm going to need you to answer a question in a minute.

[04:48:15] That's what I wanted you to come up. So I went out and met the applicant at his home, evaluated the circumstances on his lot and what, if anything, could be done to modify.

[04:48:30] And he has a really unique property at the end of the cul-de-sac that really doesn't allow for a lot of ability to do anything. So I shared with him my thoughts that because he was able to get all of the properties in the cul-de-sac that he lives in to agree to allow him to park the RV in that red area that's shown on the board,

[04:49:02] that I would make a motion to approve his case with the condition that if somebody that lives in that cul-de-sac was to come forward at a later date and complain about it, then the board would have to reevaluate the decision.

[04:49:24] But as long as we got no further complaints from the people that live in that cul-de-sac, that we would allow him to park his vehicle if you guys approve the motion that I'm about to make. But that would require you accepting that imposed condition.

[04:49:42] Is that acceptable to you? Absolutely. And just to clarify, This is a conditional use permit that's being issued, so any time that we discover that there has been some violation of the conditions, it is available to come back to the board for consideration as to whether the permit should continue.

[04:50:03] That would be another public hearing, but it could come back to the board. With that, I make the motion to approve case 25 SN1336, and I'm not making it subject to conditions in the staff report, making that clear.

[04:50:22] I'm making it subject to the condition that if there's any complaints in that cul-de-sac that we would re-evaluate the conditional use. And he's agreed to that, and I'd hope to get a second. Second. Is there any discussion?

[04:50:39] All in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Thank you all very much. The last deferred item is 25 SN1254 in Midlothian Magisterial District. Robius Road rezoning and adjustment is a request to rezone from agricultural aid to transition residential TR with adjustment to ordinance requirements for development standards fronting approximately 250 feet on the north side of Robius Road, 375 feet east of Cranbeck Road.

[04:51:11] The 3.45-acre property is proposed for a maximum development of 27 dwelling units. A residential townhouse development is proposed with an adjustment to ordinance requirement relative to minimum project size. The public hearing for this request was held and closed at the May 27th meeting.

[04:51:30] Planning Commission and staff recommend approval subject to the conditions in your staff report. Thank you, Madam Clerk. This case is in the Midlothian District. I'm going to go ahead and move to deny 25SN-1254. The proposal is located on a section of Robius Road that has been identified as part of the high injury network in the county, which are the roads where a disproportionate number of severe crashes resulting in fatalities or serious injuries occur. In line with the county's commitment to safe streets for all, I can support the additional traffic generated by this request.

[04:52:09] until this safety issue has been addressed. In addition, the applicant is requesting an adjustment to the minimum project size, reducing it from 5 acres down to 3.45 acres. I don't believe this adjustment is justified or has been properly mitigated. Instead, the proposal is being shoehorned into a property that is too small to allow appropriate development of the site.

[04:52:34] I'm not opposed to development on this property, but this proposal is not something that I can support. Could I please get a second? Second. Thank you for the second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Motion passes. Thank you. Mark, I did not. I was abstaining.

[04:53:02] Item 17, zoning requests. Mr. Chair, you have seven zoning requests on your consent agenda for this evening for the benefit of the public. Consent items are those cases where the applicant accepts staff recommendation and there is no previous opposition. With all the consent cases tonight, staff has received written confirmation from the applicants that they agree with the conditions being imposed and that all proffers are offered in compliance with state law. First is 24SN1350 in Bermuda Magisterial District. East 100 Road self-storage

[04:53:39] is a request for conditional use to permit a self-storage facility in the corridor commercial CC district on 4.45 acres known as 540 East 100 Road. A three-story self-storage facility is proposed in addition to two retail pad sites along Route 10.

[04:53:55] To minimize the potential impacts of this use, staff recommends conditions that address phasing, police access, security surveillance, bensing, buffering, landscaping, building architecture and materials, and hours of operation. Planning Commission and staff recommend approval subject to the conditions in your staff report.

[04:54:12] Thank you, Madam Clerk. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 24 SN1350, East 100 Road Self Storage. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. My name is Danny Roten.

[04:54:32] I live in the neighborhood behind the new storage unit that is proposed. The issue I mostly have is our neighborhood is very quiet. Obviously, we have Route 10 right there, so there is some noise pollution. But the planning of tearing down trees, putting a three-story storage unit, it amplifies the noise pollution.

[04:54:58] So I'm not necessarily trying to stop the building of the development. It's more so adding more buffers, adding a wall, something to reduce the noise pollution is mostly my concern that I have.

[04:55:15] Thank you. That's all I have to say. Is there anyone else who would like to speak to this? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. This case is in the Bermuda District.

[04:55:32] Mr. Engel. I'd like to give the applicant an opportunity if they'd like to speak to the concern. Thank you, Mr. Engel, members of the board. Jack Wilson here on behalf of the applicant.

[04:55:48] We understand the concern that the neighbor raised, and in this case, we actually have both of the things that he's requested. We have a 100-foot natural buffer. The trees that exist 100 feet from the rear of the self-storage will be maintained. And there is also a wall to shield any light from vehicles pulling in.

[04:56:07] That's also at the main entrance. I think it's eight feet tall. So both of those issues were addressed during the zoning process. Thank you. I know it may seem counterintuitive, but the amount of trees in the area where that building's going to be, that'll be removed.

[04:56:27] That building will be built taller or as tall with insulation in it, which is going to actually help lower the sound from Route 10 that would make it to your home behind that. That building will actually act as more of a buffer than your tree line.

[04:56:46] Then the trees where it currently is would do that. With the 100-footed trees behind your home, you shouldn't have very much of a view on, except for possibly in the dead of winter when there's no leaves.

[04:57:06] But even then, you're going to have a very distorted view of it through the 100-foot buffer. Okay, so if where they're building it has no trees right now, you're definitely going to have more sound protection from this building than you would currently.

[04:57:31] And with the other protections that are in there, I definitely understand your concern. But I do believe that with the 100-foot tree buffer behind you, that your concerns should be alleviated through the mitigation that's been done through the development.

[04:57:48] But I do appreciate your concern, and I thank you for coming tonight to share it. I would ask in general to the people in the room, if you have a concern on any case that's coming up, if you can reach out to us so we have an idea about it.

[04:58:24] It's just the first time that I've heard of the concern from you. So I'm asking people when you have a concern that we can actually have more opportunities to interact before we get to a night where it's on the agenda to be voted on.

[04:58:44] So, but if you had shared that with staff, typically it doesn't come through on consent if there's been real opposition to the case. So, I personally, honestly, was unaware of it, but I do believe that the concerns that you have will be mitigated in the case.

[04:59:06] I'm going to go ahead and cut off the conversation here. That's fine. Sir, if you could go ahead. With that, I make the motion to approve case 24 SN1350, subject to the conditions in the staff report. All right. I have a motion. Can I get a second? Second.

[04:59:21] Thank you. Any discussion? Yes, Mr. Chair. Yes, Mr. Carroll. Mr. Carroll, I'm sure there was, but there was a community meeting held for this? Yes, sir. Anybody attend? Can someone from staff answer that question?

[04:59:42] A community meeting was scheduled on June 30th, a virtual community meeting. No one signed up to attend. It was subsequently canceled. Okay. Can I ask how you informed the individuals about the community meeting?

[05:00:00] Sure. Adjacent property owners are notified by the applicant, and a sign is posted on the property, and it is put on our website. Okay. So let me just make sure I understand that. The way that the adjacent homeowners were aware of it was made by the applicant? Correct. And how is that done? The applicant sends a letter to the applicant letting them know when the community meeting is going to be held and ask them to contact them for the link to attend the meeting if no one rsbps then do you get a copy of that letter we do get a copy of that you get a copy letter did it meet the requirements or would necessarily be appropriate for this kind of um notification

[05:00:38] sure as it's a community meeting you know they are allowed leeway and what they put in it it generally explains what the request is and the time frame to receive more information so yes it had that information. Okay. And then also usually how far in advance do these letters go out prior to? They're a minimum of 14 days. A lot of times they're between 14 and 21. All right. Is there any kind of a sign or anything like that that goes out or how does that work? A sign? I'm sorry. Yeah, just to let folks know. Sure. There's a sign placed on the property. The sign actually has a QR code and a phone number and a case number. So someone could scan the QR code, find the information

[05:01:17] online, or they could call staff and ask for information about the case. Okay, thank you. Any additional questions, Mr. Carroll? Ms. Snyder? Did you receive a letter? Of opposition? No. No, I'm talking to the gentleman that spoke.

[05:01:35] Oh, I'm sorry. I did, unfortunately, I had recently, months ago, seen plans and development.

[05:01:54] Couldn't tell you the name right now, but I voiced my concerns with them. So did multiple people on the fly, so, and he kind of pushed it kind of, he made it seem that it was going to happen regardless, you should be happy, isn't like a wah-wah or something.

[05:02:19] That's what it made it seem, that's why everybody on the street, you know, didn't even say anything. That's why nobody else is here. So just so, I mean, is there anything else? Dr. Hilton, any question? No. Any additional questions?

[05:02:34] So I have a motion and I have, it's been properly seconded. Is there any other discussion? Okay, can I say all in favor? All in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 25SN 1158 in the Matulka Magisterial District.

[05:02:57] McDonough Equipment and Wholesale and Storage is a request for conditional use to permit a home occupation, equipment, wholesale, and storage in the Agricultural Aid District on 50 acres known as 11671 Adventure Hill Lane. The applicant is seeking conditional use approval to continue the operation of an equipment, wholesale, and storage business as a home occupation on the property.

[05:03:22] The applicant has operated the business on the property without zoning approval since 2018. Planning Commission recommends approval subject to the conditions in your staff report. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 25SN 1158, McDonough Equipment, Wholesale, and Storage.

[05:03:40] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name.

[05:03:56] Jerry Turner. I think I have participated in the original meeting, the community meeting, and the planning meeting.

[05:04:20] This guy is just trying to make a living. That's what he's trying to do. What he's doing out there for the community itself, we ought to be thankful we had a guy like that that would take care of you.

[05:04:38] He's a good neighbor. He takes care of his neighbors. This is one of those cases where he may not have all the property that he needs to beat the standard that the county has established, but he's doing the right thing.

[05:04:59] And that's what I keep telling y'all. Do the right thing. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Turner. Is there anyone else who would like to speak to this case? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing.

[05:05:14] It's back before the board. This is in the Matoaca district. Mr. Carroll. Mr. Chair, I think the applicant's here. If you can come up. You can bring your boss.

[05:05:33] Michael McDonough. Hey, Mike. And Heidi McDonough. Hey, Heidi. Last snowstorm we had last year with all the ice, who cleared the road?

[05:05:53] We did. You did with your heavy equipment. Way ahead of VDOT, right? Absolutely. They never actually made it to our road. Yeah. Mr. Chair, this is a case that I know staff has recommended denial. You own, what, 300 acres there?

[05:06:11] A little over 300 acres. A little over 300. And you're designating about 20 acres of this or 50 acres of this to actually utilize for storage for your equipment that sometimes you sell or sometimes you lease out. Is that correct? Or we just use it for neighbors or burials or whatever.

[05:06:28] Whatever anybody needs. Right. I have had an opportunity to go out and look at the site. It's tucked away in the middle of the woods. I don't believe there was anybody who spoke against it at the community meeting. No one spoke against it at the Planning Commission meeting. I think that this is one of those cases very similar to the sawmill you had in one of the neighborhoods of Bermuda District, or perhaps even the mobile home from earlier.

[05:06:54] The one thing about this, too, is that if you sell the property, the condition goes away, correct? Correct. So it would only be for you, if you're living there, to be able to utilize this in this fashion. And I think that because of all those factors, Mr. Chair, I think it's an appropriate exception for use there.

[05:07:14] And that's why I would like to make a motion to approve case number 25SN 1158, subject to the conditions in the staff report. Thank you so much. I hear a second. I heard a second. Any discussion? Mr. Engel.

[05:07:30] I'd just like to say that whatever you did to get Mr. Turner on your side, you did a good job. So you didn't just take care of your neighbors. You touched somebody that cares about the community, but definitely is more likely to say, please don't let them do this than to do it.

[05:07:52] So that's a pretty good sign that you're doing the right thing. Thank you. He's cleared trees for people, fixed all kinds of stuff out there for people in the community that are in need when the time happens.

[05:08:08] And again, as Mr. Turner said, a great neighbor to the community. Thank you, Mr. Carroll. So I have a motion. I have a second. Any other discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk.

[05:08:23] Thank you for coming out. Thank you. I would like to say thank you to everyone, staff, at sea, everyone. Thank you. Next is 26HP2157 in Matoka Magisterial District, Beach Station, LLC.

[05:08:41] Request the removal of historic landmark designation for the parcel, 3.328 acres, located at 11410 Beach Road, while maintaining designation solely on the George Perdue House. This case amends the original Historic Designation Case 08HP0153.

[05:09:03] The Preservation Committee, the Planning Commission, and staff recommend approval of the request. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Everyone, this is a public hearing on Case 26HP2157, George Perdue House Historic Designation Reduction.

[05:09:20] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. Seeing no one, I'm going to go ahead and close this public hearing. It's back before the board. This case is in the Matoaka district. Mr. Carroll. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[05:09:37] For those who may not be aware of where this is, it's at the intersection of Spring Run and Beach Road. The historic designation was placed on the property as a whole years ago. There is obviously a very significant historical application here for the historical houses.

[05:09:56] Beach Station at one point was actually a train station stop in Chesterfield County back when coal used to be transported from Cobol Road east to the county. What we're doing is fixing an issue to allow for them to use other uses that they've already got zoning for on the rest of the property where there was a conflict within the historical designation.

[05:10:21] So it's just narrowing the historical designation to the actual historical houses, which are the landmarks. So I make a motion to approve case number 26HP2157 subject to conditions in the staff report.

[05:10:37] Actually, there are no conditions in the staff report. Right on. Yeah. Even better. All right. Do I have a second? I have a second. I hear a second. Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 26HP2168 in Matulka Magisterial District, Beach Station, LLC.

[05:10:58] requests the removal of historic landmark designation for the parcel 5.211 acres located at 11400 Beach Road while maintaining designation solely on the Purdue-Mitchell House. This case amends the original historic designation case 08HP0154.

[05:11:20] The Preservation Committee, the Planning Commission, and staff recommend approval of the request. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 26HP-2168 on Purdue Mitchell House, historic designation reduction. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name.

[05:11:51] Hey, Steve, how are you? Good. I'm Steve Meadows. I go past this site every so often when I go hiking at Mocahanna State Park. I've been baffled as to what they were doing. I thought this was going to become a nice, large, historical site.

[05:12:12] But hearing tonight is that you're squeezing down to just the houses. And it concerns me, as being a longtime Virginian, that we should always protect our historical sites and make sure that they are always in pristine condition or as best as we can to the original condition.

[05:12:34] You're squeezing this territory for two houses and what is happening to the rest of it. Is that going to become a diner, an amusement center? Are you going to have trains come on or something? I've seen this.

[05:12:50] I haven't really gotten deeply into what is it, except since originally the entire site was going to be historical. And now I know it's just two houses. So I question anything that changes history. It should be clearly visible to the people and understanding.

[05:13:11] So if you're just doing these two sections, What is happening to the rest of it? That big railroad station that they've built in the back, what's going to happen? So that's my question to y'all. Maybe you can help illuminate my understanding. Thank you. Chair Turner, I really was not going to say anything about this, but it looks like this is the same thing that's going to happen here.

[05:13:44] It's happened at, I guess it's Victorian Square, where they've got a historical house there, and the house is going to fall down because nobody can do anything with it. it's just there they've tried to do some businesses in there but it's just not going to work and y'all like they say y'all squeezing this this house so there's not going to be anything that can be done there what's going to happen around it over victorian square they they built the commercial

[05:14:21] stuff around it but that's not going to save that house that house is going to wind up i hate to say it but i look for it to catch fire because nobody wants to be there this is looks like what this is going to happen to this one. You're not doing anything for the history. You're just letting it deteriorate. And by squeezing this property, the way it's, and I kind of looked at the way it started out when they originally set this up. There was a lot of property there. I'm sure they

[05:14:55] had other plans. Y'all are doing away with whatever those plans were. Just going to have these two little houses sitting out there and hopefully somebody can maintain them. But I doubt it. It's just going to be there. And next thing, 20 years from now, they won't be there. They'll

[05:15:14] just be gone. I'm not sure this is the right thing to do. Thank you. Welcome. I'm Jenny Castle. And I just wanted to remind you, Mr. Carroll, that last meeting, you quote, and I quote, I think it's important we never forget our history. So preserving our history is quite important. I hope you will

[05:15:51] consider that. Thank you. Anyone else would like to speak to this case? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. This case is in the Matoka district. Mr. Carroll. What's that? Is the applicant present? Oh, is the applicant want to speak? Is the applicant here? Okay, I'll go ahead and close the public hearing.

[05:16:26] It's back before the board, case in the Matoka district. Mr. Carroll. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think there needs to be a little more perspective added to this. The applicant owns the entire property. If you look at these two buildings, they've been completely restored quite beautifully by the applicant who intends to keep them in that manner.

[05:16:48] It's part of a bigger development that they have planned for that area, which was approved back in May of, I think, 2022 for a multi-use facility which has been built in the back for wedding venue and other type of events that was approved.

[05:17:06] But they've incorporated these buildings into everything that they're doing on the property. In order to, and I think staff can probably speak to this, there was an issue that was related to that in his historical preservations of the house.

[05:17:25] Maybe some of the staff can speak to that, why we're fixing this. The owner, what a lot of people don't know, the gentleman who was doing this development died suddenly from a heart attack, and his wife has inherited, and family has inherited the property. And some of these issues have come up, And we're trying to alleviate some of those issues for that family, if you can speak to that.

[05:17:51] Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Carroll. So the reason for the reduction is to concentrate that historical designation on the house. And what that does is that any external changes to either one of those houses, historical farmhouses from 1890, 1893, has to go through the Preservation Committee and they review those external changes.

[05:18:18] What happens inside a historical property under the historical ordinance that we have here in the county, that can be anything that's allowed by zoning on the property. And so the event center that's being built and the fields that they have and the parts of the wedding events that you're talking about right now, anything that happens to those that aren't historical would have to be reviewed by the preservation committee.

[05:18:48] And they're not really reviewing anything. They don't have comments on a non-historical part of the parcel. This also puts it in line with state and national designation, which just has the houses themselves and not the parcels as well.

[05:19:06] So to clarify, if they try to do anything to the houses and everything that they have done, they had to go through the preservation committee to do in the first place, right? To bring them up to the beautiful condition that they're in now. I think at one point they were even selling ice cream out of one of them.

[05:19:21] I'm not sure if they still are doing that or not. And so they had to go through a process to restore them. And they were doing that before they ever got approved for the other stuff that's on the site. And so this will keep these houses, these designations, under the protection of the historical committee so that anything they try and do to change it, they'd have to go through that process and be required to maintain it.

[05:19:47] Is that correct? Yes, sir. Okay. So what we're doing is not going to hurt the ability to maintain the houses. Actually, what we're going to do is give the people who actually own the property an opportunity to continue to make money on the property and keep them in the shape that they're in by actually having a successful business there.

[05:20:06] So, thank you. You'll make a motion? I'll make a motion, Mr. Chair, to approve case number 26HP-2168. All right. Can I have a second? Second. Any discussion?

[05:20:23] All in two? So, the houses themselves stay historical. The part that what was behind it technically had to be reviewed by historical society, but this historical society said we have no review because they're not historical pieces.

[05:20:43] So we're just taking the part that they're not going to review anyways out of the requirement for them to say we're not going to review it. Is that really what we're doing? That's it. That's all we're doing? That's it. Okay. Thank you. I do like the picture with the snow on there. I just want to let you know.

[05:21:00] All right, so any other discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Anyone saying opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 26 SN 2068 in Clover Hill Magisterial District 7-11 Convenience Store Amendment is a request to amend zoning approval, case 03 SN0214 to modify permitted uses relative to gasoline sales in a suburban community SC district on 1.55 acres known as 14600 Times Square Drive. The property was developed with

[05:21:37] a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station in 2009 that subsequently was destroyed by a fire in 2024. The applicant would like to rebuild the convenience store and expand the gas canopy to sell gasoline and diesel fuels. Prior to zoning approval, case 03 SN 0214 limited the gas station to only three gas pump islands and prohibited diesel fuel sales. Planning Commission and staff recommend approval subject to the conditions in your staff report. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Everyone,

[05:22:09] this is a public hearing on case 26 SN 2068 711 convenience store amendment. Is there anyone who like to speak to this case. If so, please come forward and state your name. Welcome, sir.

[05:22:29] I'm Josh McConnell. I'm a resident who lives in the neighborhood right behind that place. My family just wanted to come down and say we'd like to support the business there and let them go ahead with this and go ahead and rebuild. Thank you. Good evening, board. My name is James English.

[05:22:56] My parents actually live at the property on Genito Road right around the corner from that location and i have noticed that it's been derelict more or less for a long time um the only question i would air is um not only is there a lot of traffic coming through that area from the poet extension from all the residential areas coming up in that property or in that area excuse me um as a civil attorney i've also handled a lot of accidents at that intersection right in front

[05:23:31] front of that gas station. So my concern would be what kind of plans are there for adding traffic signals, stop signs, yield signs, anything like that to kind of help curtail that likely addition of more traffic with more gasoline pumps and larger vehicles using diesel fuel. Thank you.

[05:23:51] My name is Kathy Gorman. I live in the neighborhood, Sayboat Circle, that is adjacent to the gas station, and my husband and I attended the virtual meeting that the applicant originally had, and we were, you know, it was suggested that we definitely

[05:24:25] have our questions, ask people questions, and get some answers. So I did do that with two of the people that were indicated or that were also at the meeting and I've like kind of gone through a lot of different concerns but some of the main concerns I'm just going to read this first part first just so I'm here tonight regarding Edgewater the case 26 SN 2068 while we support

[05:25:05] business recovery after the devastating fire, we must carefully look at what this expansion actually means for our neighborhood. The applicant is asking to add a fourth fuel pump and to introduce diesel sales to this small 1.55-acre lot. However, our county's own comprehensive plan explicitly designates this exact property for residential neighborhood to use, capping development at a low density of two houses per acre adding heavy commercial operations like

[05:25:43] the commercial refueling tractor trailers or trucks and it kind of contradicts the county's long-term residential vision for this space and we are not asking to block the store from being rebuilt to its original size but we're asking the board to uphold our community standards and deny this expansion request for the reasons of um this is also zone i mean the gas station is

[05:26:23] directly adjacent to a learning center the child care child time learning center And I just kind of want to make a statement about, like, the issue of having the emissions from an additional pump, so adding another pump and then adding the diesel emissions to that area and the scientific sort of research that would not support having that in a local neighborhood

[05:27:00] where the children are outside playing most of the time that they are there. And it would involve, obviously, trucks coming and going and more trucks and vehicles idling while they're waiting or just the initial starting up of cars and trucks.

[05:27:23] Ms. Gorman, your three minutes are up. Thank you. Any other thoughts? Yes. So there was one other thought about Times Square Drive, which is right in the back of it. And it comes right out into our neighborhood, which is also adjacent to the Child Time Center.

[05:27:40] So in Times Square Drive, there's a lot that's owned privately by someone. So right now they have closed that road, but when and if they decide to open it, which when it was open, when the gas station was open previously, there were trucks that were parked behind the gas station overnight. There was all kinds of big trucks. There was issues with that lot of property, with people partying or whatever they were doing, and that's our neighborhood. And so Times Square Drive

[05:28:18] comes, one of the ways that it was explained to us that they would exit the gas station to alleviate all the cars going out one way onto the main road, Woolridge. People could also come out of Times Square Drive, which if they go behind the gas station and exit Times Square Drive, in order to exit the gas station, they are coming right into our neighborhood, which is right next to the child care center right behind the gas station. And then they have to go out of our

[05:28:54] neighborhood. So they're like entering in and then taking a left to go out. And the traffic on And Watermill Parkway and Time Square and Woolridge is just like super fast. And yes, they're doing the construction project, so that will change.

[05:29:13] But I just think it's super unsafe with buses and cars, families coming and going from the child care center and our neighborhood. So those two big. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else who would like to speak to this case?

[05:29:36] With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. This is in the Clover Hill District. Ms. Schneider. Thank you. Could I have staff come up, please? And I also had a question. Chessa, with the Woolridge widening there, is there not going to be a roundabout at that intersection?

[05:29:59] And I know we talked about Edgewater wanting, we talked about doing a road diet there at some point. We were going to wait until the construction was being done? Well, the improvements that are coming to Woolridge Road, right there where the gas station is at Fountain View, that will remain a, we're going to widen the road, and that will be a full access there.

[05:30:32] Watermill to the north will have the roundabout, right? And then what she was saying about if you move up Watermill, go north, there's that access point that she's referencing. Yeah, so she's correct in that, right.

[05:30:52] But it's not traveling through the heart of the neighborhood. It is adjacent there to the Learning Center, but yes, yes, yes, they'll be able to circulate, yeah. Is it roundabout funded? Oh, yes, yes. Got it, okay. While you're up there, I have a question.

[05:31:09] Sure. Can we limit truck traffic, and I know we've got to work with VDOT, but to Times Square Drive from behind there, so that they don't have tractor-trailers trying to go out that way? Or is that the way you're saying you want them to go out? I'm saying I don't see an issue with them going out that way.

[05:31:27] Out the back, past the daycare. My question to staff was about the trucks, because I think these are showing that the trucks are only coming, it was my understanding that this was not for commercial truck refilling.

[05:31:43] This is only those semis that are shown there are only for showing that they can come in and fill the tanks. Is that not correct? And how they're going to have their ingress and egress? Restrictions of heavy vehicles through using a particular instance. I think the diesel that's going to be sold is only for like, you know, residential vehicles.

[05:32:02] Is that not correct? If the pump's not set up for a tractor trailer, they won't be able to get fuel there. And it doesn't look like those canopies are set up to allow a tractor trailer to get fuel. It doesn't look big enough to circulate a heavy vehicle. That's what I was talking about is a tractor-trailer using Times Square Drive, but it looks like what Ms. Snyder is saying is that it's only drawn there to show that they can actually service the, bring the fuel in.

[05:32:33] It's not for tractor-trailers or commercial trucks to fuel, which makes me a whole lot more comfortable. You beat me to it. That's what I was going to say. It's definitely not being designed for it to be some type of truck stop or truck terminal of any way. It's a gas station. We are really just adding one pump here and adding diesel as a possibility.

[05:32:53] But it's, again, not being designed for trucks to come and frequent the site on a regular basis. It's really just what you see here in this image is just to show how a truck would be able to get on the property to be able to deliver fuel. Yes. So these are going to be no different than the pumps at Sheetz or Wawa that have diesel on one side and the other on the other side.

[05:33:12] Yes. So, and that was my understanding. Is the car wash going to remain? Are they going to reopen the car wash? The car wash is going to remain. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Carroll, you're good. Any other questions?

[05:33:28] So is there a way that we can stop trucks from parking back there? Semi-trucks? Well, in the case, again, we're just rebuilding here essentially what we had previously before the fire. With, I mean, the site itself is only a portion, only contains a portion of what you might, the overlay there on Times Square Drive.

[05:33:51] So the condition would only limit a portion. Okay, on their section of it, yeah. So I don't know if that would get at the full concern. Perhaps there's other ways of doing it other than this particular zoning case. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Carroll. Don't we already have an ordinance prohibiting parking of 18-wheelers in residential neighborhoods?

[05:34:07] We already have an ordinance that covers this, so they can't park in there. If they do, they're subject to getting ticketed and towed. Am I right? Yes. Yeah, I'm not sure that, so I think Times Square Drive is private road, and I'm not sure the zoning on this a lot.

[05:34:24] We run into this a lot where, you know, sort of these roads that border on a subdivision are actually zoned something other than residential to accommodate convenience stores. So we would have to look into that, but we could certainly follow up on if there's a way to restrict our parking. Okay.

[05:34:42] All right. Is Times Square Drive beyond the convenience center not owned by the convenience center, right? the convenience store property no that's i think where they were saying it was and that's where there's a problem it's a shared private road that sort of serves that's on private property correct and so um the whoever right now trucks could theoretically park there if the owners allow them but if the owners were to prohibit it then depends on the zone to run too so a lot of what we find in here is perhaps one side of the road is owned residential the other side is owned commercial, so it might be one of those instances where they could park on one

[05:35:21] side but not the other. We'll dig into it. We will run it down. We run into this at a lot of it. It happens in a lot of places. Most of the time we're able to get the, well most time it's not necessarily private, but we're able to put up no parking signs and then ticket and/or tow people that don't follow that. What I I would recommend to you as we work with the new owner of the 7-Eleven, you know, typically those folks aren't going to want folks sitting there and idling either.

[05:35:52] So I think it's at everyone's best interest to try to restrict that. So staff will work with that during the site plan review to make that happen. Thank you. So again, I don't know how many, I went through and counted the ones that I could find, but I've had lots of residents of Edgewater contact me wondering how long this is going to sit because it was affecting their real estate values of trying to sell because it's the first thing you see when you drive into the neighborhood.

[05:36:23] And so I understand your concerns, ma'am, and I appreciate you coming out tonight, and we will try to mitigate as many of those as we possibly can. So given that, I move to approve case 26SN 2068 subject to the conditions in the staff report.

[05:36:49] Thank you so much. Can I have a second? Second. We'll hear a second. Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 26SN2080 in Matulka Magisterial District.

[05:37:10] Charleston Landing rezoning is a request to rezone from suburban community SC to semi-urban neighborhood SU for property known as 6700 Magnolia Green Parkway. The 60.2-acre property is proposed for a maximum of 90 single-family dwellings with a neighborhood amenity space is proposed.

[05:37:30] The community is planned to be an extension of the Charleston Landing neighborhood in Magnolia Green. A residential development containing a maximum of 90 single-family dwellings with a neighborhood amenity space is proposed. The district supervisor has requested a deferral to the board's September 23rd meeting.

[05:37:50] Everyone, this is a public hearing on deferral of case 26SN2080, Charleston Landing rezoning. is there anyone who would like to speak to the deferral of this case is so please come forward and state your name seeing no one I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing on the deferral it's back before the board this case is in the Matoa district Matoa district mr. Carroll thank you mr. chair you know this case went through the Planning Commission when I didn't have a Planning Commissioner it was in between Planning Commissioners and I didn't have a

[05:38:30] Planning Commissioner actually went to the community meeting and since the case has gone through I've received some communications from people who actually live in the Magarin subdivision who are concerned about you know what type of amenities will be available for the people in this community are they providing any new amenities or are they going to be utilizing the amenity spaces that are currently in the existing part of the community and so I'd like to have a little more time to have some discussions with the developer about

[05:39:04] that and have, you know, they show amenity space here, but there's nothing shown as to what could be in the amenity space. So I'd like to have more time to discuss with the developer on that, and that's why I've asked for a deferral. So I'll make a motion to defer case number 26SN2080 until the September 23rd meeting.

[05:39:28] Yes, sir. Second. I hear a second. Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Last on your consent agenda is 26 SN 2088 in Bermuda Magisterial District.

[05:39:44] Womack Road rezoning is a request to rezone from Agricultural A and Transition Residential TR to semi-urban neighborhood SU for property known as 12222 Womack Road. The 0.68 acre property is proposed for a maximum development of one dwelling unit.

[05:40:02] The applicant intends to construct a new single-family dwelling on the property to replace a home that was recently demolished. If rezoned, the applicant will proceed with a lot line modification with an adjacent property to obtain the required road frontage from Womack Road.

[05:40:20] Planning Commission and staff recommend approval subject to the conditions in your staff report. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 26 SN 2088, Womack Road rezoning. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name.

[05:40:43] Jerry Turner, this is one of those cases where I wish the whole county would like this. One house per acre. That's what y'all need to go to.

[05:41:00] I'm sure a lot of them developers out there don't want to hear that. That's what the county needs to go to. One house per acre. And this would fit right in there. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else who would like to speak to this case?

[05:41:19] With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. this case is in the Bermuda district. Mr. Engel. Well, with a resounding approval again from Mr.

[05:41:34] Turner, I see no choice but to recommend approval for case 26 SN 2088 subject to the conditions in the staff report. Second. Thank you, sir. I hear a second. Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Mr. Chair, you have seven discussion cases on your agenda, the first of which is 22SN0073, Big E Ranch rezoning.

[05:42:01] Mr. Saunders. Good evening, Dr. Catlin. Mr. Chair and members of the board, case 22SN0073 in the Metovica District is a request to rezone from Agricultural A to Rule Community RC on 548.88 acres.

[05:42:22] The property is located south of the intersection of Trent's Bridge Road and Extra Mill Road, and 65 single-family lots are planned. Lot sizes would be a minimum of five acres. Staff and Planning Commission recommend approval, and I'm happy to answer any questions. Board members, are there any questions for staff?

[05:42:46] Yeah. Okay. Is the applicant present? Did you have a question for staff? No. Okay. Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the board.

[05:43:09] My name is Jeff Geiger here on behalf of the applicant. Dr. Kaplan, also welcome. I'd like to just take a quick minute. I've got a fuller presentation that I can go into if needed, but would like to just hit a couple of highlights. First, I'd like to start with, you know, when we started looking at this property, the question was, what could we do with it?

[05:43:32] Comp plan called for a significant number more units, but that really wasn't what we thought was right for the area. We knew in the area there were subdivisions with smaller lots, but we also knew that there were housing opportunities on larger lots.

[05:43:50] And we decided that the smaller lots were not the right way to go, but to really take advantage of the new tool that ZOMOD gave us, that new RC zoning district in order to create the large lot housing that is prevalent within the Mitoga district and for which there is a market in Chesterfield. There are people looking to build houses in the woods like you see on this picture here. This picture is taken from those large lots I highlighted in green on the prior slide. We want to give people this opportunity.

[05:44:31] As Mr. Saunders noted, this is the layout for those lots of the large lots for the homes. A variety of proffers are provided in order to control the quality of the homes, and it's very important that we make sure that certain housing is prohibited so that we have that higher-end large lot estate that people are looking for.

[05:44:58] We will also be providing a variety of road improvements in order to support the houses. With that, I would ask that the board approve the request before them, subject to the proffered conditions set out in the staff report. I'd be glad to answer any questions that you may have.

[05:45:15] Thank you, Mr. O'Neill. Any questions for the applicant? Are these, if I remember right, these are 10-acre lots? Correct. They're all 10-acre lots? Or more. Or more. Minimum 10. We have some that go up to two. They're all minimum 10-acre lots.

[05:45:32] Okay, that's what I just wanted to confirm. That's what I read. Any other questions? Mr. Carroll? Mr. Chair. Just out of curiosity, and you probably do know the answer to this, there's a property next door to this that's zoned differently, isn't there?

[05:45:49] Correct. What's that zoned for? And when was it zoned? What was that, early, mid-2000s? Yep. It is for significantly large development with small lots and commercial. Right. So this is actually a lot better today than what has been zoned back in the early 2000s for land next to it.

[05:46:10] That's been sitting on the books as a pending development since then. I think that's like 575 houses on one to two acre lots with about 40,000 square feet of commercial, if I'm correct. Sounds right to me. I haven't looked at that case in a long time. I think I'm pretty close. Thank you. That's the only question I have right now.

[05:46:30] Thank you, sir. Any other questions from the board? Ms. Schneider. Am I correct in saying that this is all going to be wells and septic? Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. Any other questions?

[05:46:49] Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 22-SED-0073, Big E Ranch Rezoning. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. Jerry Turner.

[05:47:16] I normally don't agree with Mr. Geiger, but he's doing better than what I thought was going to be five-acre lots. And now you're saying 10-acre lots. That's even better. If we put it off another month, maybe it would be 20-acre lots.

[05:47:33] I don't know. I think some are more. which brings up another thing you're talking about something that's been already zoned earlier somewhere along the line y'all need to come up with some way of saying you only got so many years and then if you don't develop it you lose and you gotta start over because you got some coming down the road where y'all have already zoned things around and now it's the people are trying to get

[05:48:10] it rezoned again, it's affecting, it's really going to affect the people that's already living there. And it's been zoned that way for 10 years. So that has nothing to do with this case, but this is an ideal settlement here. 10-acre lots? Yeah, oh yeah, we'll go for that. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Welcome. I actually agree with Mr. Turner. I think 10-acre lots is really great, but this is

[05:48:48] the situation that I had with my property. 20 years ago, a development was approved. It snuck up on me. I've owned my home for seven years. The person that approved an easement on my property is deceased. We didn't know about it when we bought the home, and this development jumps out of nowhere with flags and disagreements from the developers. It was ugly. Luckily, it hasn't been built yet, but the next developer just bought the land, and they're beginning with their traffic studies. It sneaks up on people. I agree. There needs to be a limit to how long this approval

[05:49:22] is good for. They put in the 10-acre latch, that's wonderful, but those 400 or whatever amount of homes are coming one day, and no one's going to know about it until it sneaks in, and they have no say, just like me, and it stinks. So, thank you. Anyone else would like to speak to this case?

[05:49:45] With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. This case is in the Matoica district. Mr. Carroll. Dr. Miller, real quick. Oh, I'm sorry. I see an applicant in front of me. I apologize, sir. I do need to correct one thing, and Mr. Turner is going to be disappointed in me.

[05:50:01] The minimum is five. Average is around 10. We have some that are 20-plus. So I just wanted, Rich pointed out to me that I made a mistake, and I just want to come forward and tell you that I did. Mr. Turner, do you want to speak to that, sir?

[05:50:17] You're good? Okay. Thank you, Mr. Geiger. Mr. Engel, you wanted to say something? Well, let's go ahead and close the public hearing. Let's just do that. It's back before the board. I'm going to send it, this case is in the Matoika District. I'm going to send it to Mr. Carroll. We'll go from there. Thank you.

[05:50:34] To speak to the old zoning case, it would require a legislative change by the General Assembly to allow for a sunset clause to be put on a zoning case.

[05:50:50] Tried to do that years ago. Actually tried to get the legislation carried in the General Assembly to do it. They wouldn't do it. So I don't disagree with you. There should be a time case. I'll give you one that's even a bigger example of that. The commercial landfill in the western part of Hull Street was approved in the 80s for commercial landfill.

[05:51:12] Sat there for years. And then in 2019, they petitioned to turn it into a commercial landfill. Then they got approved. But it was zoned for it in like 83 or 84, if I'm correct. That's right. Matt Green was approved in 91.

[05:51:29] Sat there for years. And then when the economy got better, after 2008, a company came in, built a tremendously beautiful neighborhood, which they have. A lot of people love living there. It's real pretty. But it's out there for years. So there's many examples of this that have happened, not just here in Chesterfield County, but all over the Commonwealth.

[05:51:49] Where, you know, there was a little neighborhood called Peacefield down on River and Graves. It's 50 units on 50 acres. All of a sudden it gets built and people are blaming me. I'm like, wait a minute. I was an undercover cop when that got approved. That's how long ago it was approved. But people don't know that.

[05:52:05] They just see it coming out of the ground. They get surprised like you did when it pops up. When Carvana was proposed to build the Carvana car dealership, two parcels of land, one across the street, residential, the other across the street, industrial, commercial.

[05:52:23] Residential builds out 18 years later. They come forward, am I right on that, Jim? Pretty close. And they say, we want to put Carvana here. And the people living in their houses here go, what? Are you crazy? So I agree with you 100% that something should be done. We're a Dillon Rule state.

[05:52:40] We can't make an ordinance like that in Chesterfield County without the General Assembly giving us permission to do it. If they did it, we'd do it in a heartbeat, at least as a way to – but you also have to be careful what you wish for when you do that because if you put someone on a clock and say you have 10 years to do something, you push things a lot quicker because they know they're on a clock and they go, okay, I've got to get busy and build this Because if not, I'm not going to get to build it at all.

[05:53:05] So there is a give and take on that. This particular case, I think, is a much better use than the higher density that's proposed on the other property. It's five acre plus and big lots. I would tell you that the applicant has restored the historic homes that are on here and done many other improvements on the property, including a private cemetery.

[05:53:31] So I do think that there are some concerns from some of the people that live down there about traffic. I don't see anything, quite frankly, from this particular development jumping out of the ground right away. I think that the person who owns the property is trying to do something that could be utilized by his family in the future.

[05:53:53] And that's why I believe that they're doing it. So I do think it's a much better case than what could have been there. This is 548 acres that you're cutting up into 65 lots. Some of these are going to be very big.

[05:54:09] And the type of houses that could be built will be obviously based on how much people would have to pay for a lot. Probably not cheap. So, Mr. Chair, I make a motion to approve case number 22SN0073, subject to conditions of staff report.

[05:54:26] Second. I hear a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 23SN0072 in Midlothian Magisterial District. Midlothian Microtel is a request to rezone from Agricultural A to Corridor Commercial CC on 2.57 acres known as 11213 Robius Road.

[05:54:51] The district supervisor is requesting a deferral to the September 23rd meeting. Everyone, this is a public hearing on the deferral of case 23SN0072, Midlothian Microtel. Is there anyone who would like to speak to the deferral of this case?

[05:55:07] If so, please come forward, state your name. Seeing no one, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing on the deferral, and it's back before the board. This case is in the Midlothian District. I'm just going to go ahead and move for the approval, I'm sorry, for the deferral of case 23SN0072, and it is going to be moved to the September 23rd meeting.

[05:55:31] Could I please have a second? Second. Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Next is 25SN 1184, Spring Creek Baptist Church rezoning. Ms. Gibson. Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the board, and Dr. Catlin.

[05:55:51] Case 25SN 1184 in the Matoka Magisterial District is a request to rezone a portion of the property from Agricultural A to Suburban Community SC. The applicant proposes to rezone approximately 7.45 acres from agricultural to suburban community with the intent to construct a single-family residential subdivision with up to 12 lots.

[05:56:14] Planning Commission and staff recommend approval, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you so very much. Any questions for staff? Is the applicant present? Hey, David.

[05:56:37] I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you? That's right. It's good to see you. Nice to see you also. Mr. Chair, members of the board, Dr. Catlin, welcome and congratulations. Glad you're here. Look forward to your leadership. I'm going to reserve, because I know we've talked about the length of this meeting.

[05:56:53] I'm not going to go into a lot of detail other than to potentially respond to comments that might come up. I will say that this is a classic infill case, one of the most classic that I've seen, where the uses around us have been completely woven into what we're looking to do here, which is a small residential subdivision.

[05:57:12] The developer, the owner of the property is a church, and they're looking to help fund their missions, and we've been working hard with them and working with the county. I do want to point out that the county has been great to work with. The staff has been awesome, and even through the deferrals that we've had to take, we appreciate the whys they were needed, and we look forward to approval tonight.

[05:57:34] But I'll answer any questions now and then respond if there's a need. Poor members, are there any questions for the applicant? No? All right, thank you. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 25 SN1184, Spring Creek Baptist Church rezoning.

[05:57:54] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. Seeing no one, I'm going to go ahead and close this hearing, and it's back before the board. This is in the Matoika District. Mr. Carroll.

[05:58:13] Can I turn on your speaker? Sorry, Mr. Chairman, I'm trying to pull something up. Just bear with me here. Now I have a question for the applicant. How many houses are you building?

[05:58:38] I'm sorry, sir? How many houses are they proposing on this? A maximum of 11 houses. Right, 11. I'm sorry. I got confused on the, they were advertised, that was one of the deferrals.

[05:58:54] I'm sorry, that was one of the deferrals and it was advertised at 11, but so we deferred. It is up a maximum of 12, 1.6 acre maximum. And this is on church property, right? It is church property. And this backs up to another subdivision that was built, actually approved back in 2019 and is still coming out of the ground. Is that right?

[05:59:15] Yes, it is. The homes are still being finished. Yeah, still being finished. So I think there's some context that I want to make sure the community is aware of. They're proposing up to 12 houses on this acreage, which are houses that are, as you can see, similar in design to the residential houses that are there now in the neighborhood.

[05:59:39] Look great, by the way. Nice layout plans, everything. But a lot of people aren't aware of this, and so I want to make sure you are. The General Assembly passed legislation in this past session, and it takes effect January 1, 2027.

[05:59:57] And it basically says that religious organizations that own land can actually, by right, do multifamily. By right means there's no zoning case that gets heard.

[06:00:13] There's no public hearing. They file a case. If water and sewer are available, they get to put multifamily on it. 60% of that multifamily is required to be affordable housing for 30 years. That's a code that was passed by this General Assembly in the last session.

[06:00:35] So the alternative here, if we were to deny the zoning case, could be that the church could say, you know what, we're just going to let you come put multifamily in. And I think based on the size of this property, it could be a lot of multifamily. I think at the planning commission they said maybe up to 70 units of multifamily on the property.

[06:00:55] So given a choice, because I did get some communications from some people who were upset with this case, because of the fact that there will be construction vehicles going in and out of the area. And I think that the proffer that's in this case, I think the church even proffered that the vehicles coming in, delivering materials, would come through the church property and they could exit to the other side once the materials were dropped off.

[06:01:22] Is that my... Yes, and the limitation was a physical one. The question was, can you do it both ways? And we looked at it and actually designed, tried to figure out how to design two-way, but it just is a tight fit. So we did the best we could. But it would be a whole lot worse if you do a multifamily.

[06:01:38] Double the traffic. Or even more, and so given the choice of what could be here, or what is being proposed here, where the public actually had an opportunity to have a community meeting, which they did, weigh input, which they did at the planning commission, and now here tonight, I think the choice is pretty clear.

[06:02:02] I think I'd rather have, if I lived in the neighborhood next to these people where they have these nice houses right now, if I had a choice between having nice brand new houses like this, or the church basically saying, I'm going to do multifamily, which they could by right, wouldn't be great neighbors, but they could by right, but it's a great church by the way, really nice people there, I actually had the opportunity to meet with them and discuss this issue, and they're trying to do what they think is best for the community as well, and so I think this is a better choice, Mr. Chair, quite frankly, so that's why I make a motion to approve case number 25 SN 1184, subject to conditions in the staff report.

[06:02:40] Thank you, do I have a second? Second. I got to second any discussion. One last thing. Yes, sir. Just for those who are taking notes, code section is 15.2-2288.9. 15.2-2288.9.

[06:02:58] That's the code section that was passed. And the General Assembly also tried to pass a Senate Bill 454 last year, which would have allowed for multifamily buy-right on commercial property. That was the only case. So if you had commercial property up and down Malothian Turnpike, Route 10, genital road with 7-eleven is you name it they could have luckily we got that killed i think laquan for coming down doctor and coming down and speaking against that with us um you spoke too i believe so it was uh something that we worked very hard to to stop um i think everybody thinks

[06:03:37] that all we want to do is approve every zoning case on the planet and and and put apartments up everywhere and it's it's not the case um so i want to make sure you knew that what these other things where they're going on in the General Assembly when I had an opportunity to do so. I know there's a motion on the floor, Mr. Chair, and I will shut up.

[06:03:53] That's all good. All right, motion. I do have a second. Can I get a vote all in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Yes, sir. I got Laquan. Dr. Hilton, want to say something? I just want everybody to understand that we're still advocates for affordable housing. This is just a measure to help control the growth in some areas where there's likely some overcrowding.

[06:04:17] and could potentially spill over in some other areas in our county. But we are advocates of affordable housing. Mr. Chair, speak to that, we are. And if someone goes out and looks at Stratus right now and looks at how many units are available to be built in Chesterfield County, they realize that there is plenty of housing stock that could be built that developers and builders are just in the process of bringing forward.

[06:04:44] And we look at each zoning case as a separate case. That doesn't mean that another case couldn't be brought, oh, wait a minute, I think I got another one coming up, which actually would be housing that they're proposing could be affordable, like the housing we approved last month in front of Matoka Middle School, which some people were against.

[06:05:04] But those units are going to start at about $400,000, which, believe it or not, that's what the numbers look like here in Chesterfield County for the low end. But I appreciate you bringing that forward, because I don't want people to think we're against affordable housing, because we're not. But it's relative.

[06:05:22] If I could add to that, Mr. Klincher, Ms. Schneider, did you want to add anything? I want to continue on that theme in that the goal here is to find the rate of development that's a good balance. And with that balance, if it makes sense, like infill, I approved over at Sauer's office, Dine Mart Festival, right behind there, that was apartments that was going to be at a rate that was going to be far less expensive than other places.

[06:05:51] I mean, we do work hard on trying to figure out what makes sense. We do, we already touched on it this evening, that there is no sunset clause. And because there's no sunset clause, we need to be always thinking about the bigger picture. And so there is a lot that has been approved that hasn't come out of the ground and that, you know, folks are, you know, the developers need to make a decision as to when that's going to happen.

[06:06:17] Frankly, my fear is that, you know, when something comes out of the ground, it had a really good chance wasn't any of us who approved it it could have happened in there are some that are out there i think in the 1980s that have not been approved that have been approved and have not yet come out of the ground so with that i know that there's a motion in the second um we ready to vote on this one all right all in favor say aye aye anyone opposed madam clerk next is 25 sn 1208 spring run road rezoning miss hatch good evening mr chair members of the board

[06:06:50] Dr. Catlin. Case 25 SN 1208 in the Matoaka Magisterial District, Spring Run Road rezoning is a request to rezone 102.4 acres from agricultural to semi-urban neighborhood and a conditional use to permit a future telecommunications tower. A waiver to street connectivity requirements for a connection to Clover Way is also requested. A development containing a maximum of 199 dwellings is proposed. The residential community would include single-family residences with minimum

[06:07:25] lot sizes ranging between 4,500 square feet and 11,000 square feet. The development is primarily designed around a nine-acre lake that is central to the property and will serve as the main amenity feature for the neighborhood. As part of the zoning request, a conditional use approval is requested to reserve area on the property for a potential future telecommunications Tower to, again, potentially address cellular coverage gaps within the area.

[06:07:57] A waiver to street connectivity requirements is also requested from a required connection to Cloverway, which is shown up on the northern end of the property. Cloverway is an existing unimproved right-of-way that leads into the adjacent neighborhood of Cloverhill Farms.

[06:08:14] The total residential density for the project would yield 1.94 dwelling units per acre. Both the Planning Commission and staff recommend approval of the application. I did just want to note the board did receive two comments in the public comment portal. However, I do believe that one was actually speaking to a different area, but it was under the Spring Run Road case.

[06:08:36] And staff is available for any questions. Thank you. Board members, are there any questions for staff? Is the applicant present?

[06:08:54] Yes. Good evening, Dr. Miller and the rest of the board. My name is Mark Smith. I'm a partner with East and West Communities. I'm sort of going to probably take a card from the deck that Mr. Anderson said, and I'll just be available for questions, given that we're already after 9 o'clock this evening.

[06:09:12] Thank you, sir. Mr. Chair, I do have a question. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So you were asked by me, honestly, to look at this case, to consider putting a cell tower on it after we had an officer-involved shooting in the adjacent neighborhood, and we could not get cell phone service on the cell phones for public safety.

[06:09:41] And obviously all the people who live in that neighborhood have the same issue. Is that right? You are correct. Mr. Chair, in having a conversation with Mr. Schumach who was standing over there, he reminded me that we actually had approved a tower site just a short distance down the road on Spring Run Road that will actually cover this entire service area.

[06:10:09] He called me today. That would really make it not necessary to have a secondary tower on this site. And rather than have a zoning case go forward with an option for another cell phone tower that people will probably not want to look at anyway.

[06:10:26] And since we already have one and looking at the propagation map that was sent to me today would definitely cover this area. And I think they're actually getting ready to move quicker on that cell phone tower. would you um object to striking the use of a cell phone tower in your case i would not at all okay i wanted to have that consideration before we held the public hearing for the public to understand um that you know it was my request that asked you to look at this because of the public safety issue that if someone's trying to dial 9-1-1 in that area they need to have cell phone service

[06:11:02] but we think we've got it covered now with mr schumick's case which is literally just a short distance down the road which will cover up to three miles from that distance with the 199-foot tower if i'm correct which should take care of the cell phone service for those we would be willing to remove that profit okay thank you mr chair we can move forward from there and i'll i'll may make a motion later yeah it's it's it's just a matter of of of just not accepting it's a conditional use for the tower you just don't strike it when we should i make a motion later just make it not not to accept that yes okay but he's except he's agreed to accept it already but but I wanted the community to understand that before the conversation started, because some people might not want to self-entown.

[06:11:41] Yeah, and it's a peculiarity that under state law you can't actually amend the proffers while the meeting has begun. That's right. But you can just not accept that conditional use. Yep, thank you. Before you leave, I think in the interest of transparency, is there anything unique about this property?

[06:12:00] Anything unique? Yes, sir. Certainly the almost 10-acre lake is probably the most unique element. Dr. Mill, I don't know if you're referencing the fact that we found eagles on the site. It wasn't necessarily addressed in the staff comments, but at least publicly.

[06:12:21] So, yes, we did, after having the property under contract, were made aware by several residents from the neighboring communities that there was an eagle, or if not a pair of eagles, occupying a nest. And so we obviously decided to run to that.

[06:12:41] Immediately also came to Supervisor Carroll and we went out on site. We actually went out first and then went back out with Supervisor Carroll and a gentleman from the State Wildlife Service. And yes, we did in fact find eagles that were, we couldn't say they were nesting in the nest, but they were clearly utilizing the nest and utilizing flying around the lake.

[06:13:08] We were advised by Mr. Cooper, who works for Virginia State Fish and Wildlife, that we would need to engage with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. We immediately did that, literally within the week, applied for a permit that allows, basically it's called a general permit, that would allow for the development of the site if the zoning was approved.

[06:13:30] We have since been approved and received that permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife. I wanted to just put that on the record. You went through, you checked all of that. It certainly was something that I wanted to ensure that we had that out there. And we have to do ongoing monitoring.

[06:13:47] It doesn't prohibit us from developing, but we do have to maintain certain areas around the nest. And we have time of year restrictions. And we have to start a little, when we start development, we commence from a little bit further from the nest. And we'll have to keep doing ongoing monitoring. And we will do that.

[06:14:02] Okay. Thank you. Board members, are there any other questions for the applicant? Okay. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 25 SN 1208, Spring Run Road rezoning.

[06:14:18] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. Good evening, Mr. Chairman and members of the board. Hey, Bill. Dr. Catlin. I just want to thank you.

[06:14:34] I understood the real urgent need to have cell coverage out there and the reason why you requested it. Just to let the board know, network towers, that's why they came out on Spring Run Road, as a matter of fact. They are through the final stages of the site plan, as a matter of fact.

[06:14:50] They anticipate breaking ground within two to three months, so thank you very much. Thank you. Over to the right, sir. Hello. I'm Robert Harmon. I currently live with my 96-year-old father next door in Cloverhill Farms.

[06:15:16] I was running through this neighborhood in the woods 50 years ago before it was a Girl Scout camp, and they had fences around it and everything else, so I've got sort of a personal interest in it. I realized that the owner wants to sell it off and develop it for profit, and that's their option, so there's not much I can do about it.

[06:15:39] However, I just want to comment that I feel this is horrible stewardship of the land, And to put 200 homes on 100 acres or whatever, I think that's right. But anyway, it's entirely too many people and too small of an area of land.

[06:15:59] It's going to adversely affect everybody who lives around it. The neighborhood I lived in, one of the stipulations of the neighborhood was that the minimum property side was two acres. So I sort of agree with Mr. Turner on the size limits.

[06:16:17] Overall, I just think there's, I mean, 200 homes average two or four people a home. That's maybe 1,000 people right next door over the course of a couple of years.

[06:16:35] And the current infrastructure just isn't going to handle that. And as far as, this is a zoning amendment. As far as moving from an agricultural to whatever, as far as agricultural, The only thing you could consider it right now is a tree farm.

[06:16:54] I'm not quite sure what semi-urban means, but if you're trying to convert it into a city, this is the way to do it. You're about two miles from Hull Street Road, which are the nearest stores of any type, and Spring Run Road just is not going to handle that traffic.

[06:17:18] Not to mention, aside from the schools across the street on Bailey Bridge, There are no amenities out there. It's all homes. It's roads. There's a few churches on Bailey Bridge, and that's it.

[06:17:35] So everybody in this neighborhood is going to be going up Springhorn Road to Hull Street. I, like I said, I just question the development and its whole conception.

[06:17:52] Personally, I just feel a little bit better as a park, a public utility. You were talking about data centers earlier. Personally, if it wasn't for the lake, you could put a data center up there and have less environmental impact than 200 homes.

[06:18:14] Mr. Harmon, your three minutes are up. Your three minutes are up. Thank you very much. Chairman Miller and board members, I'm Phil Lowe from Bermuda District, and I've talked to Kevin Carl about this case, and I have talked with several of the neighbors that travel Spring Run Road, and Dr. Miller, I heard you earlier tonight turn down a case on Robius because it was a crash zone and dangerous.

[06:18:46] You know, you've got crash zones all over the county because the roads are getting so congested from all the residential cases you're approving without sufficient infrastructure. You know, it looks like you selectively apply the crash zone, and this particular case highlights it because Spring Run is already overrun with traffic, and both the exits are going to come out onto Spring Run, not that far from either.

[06:19:11] If you were able to get Bailey Bridge, maybe that case would have, the traffic would have been averted. I think you're doing a real injustice. It just highlights the problem with this board that we've seen for three, two, three, four years, seen for six or eight years.

[06:19:29] You don't seem to listen. You won't have a lot of neighbors coming out because once it's voted 5-0 at the Planning Commission, why come to the board? Because it's not going to seldom, if ever, going to be turned down. I got a little sign I want to show you. might have seen it out in the audience earlier. It's 1991. You know what happened in 1991 and I don't think there are many people in the audience as old as I am and I remember very well, but we had a situation where developers are running rampant. They were paying no proffers. They're not paying any proffers now.

[06:20:01] They're there you're passing what 5,000 residential units so far this year and you've got three to four thousand more on the table to pass. You just made a comment about a lot of cases that are coming forward Mr. Carroll. I think that residents are really sick and tired of the board not listening to the residents of how we want Chesterfield to develop you know and I think I'm just frustrated I think the only solution is to go back to 1991. Back in 1991 same circumstances you know what happened citizens organized the citizens throughout

[06:20:39] four to five board members with with board members that would not let the developers run the county and the only one it didn't go thrown up mr. Daniel didn't have competition I really think it's time for that now because this case highlights it thank you yes sir good evening thanks for giving me the privilege of speaking to the board this evening my name is Ken Tarrant my wife

[06:21:14] and I have resided at 13021 Singer Road in Clover Hill Farms for the past 33 years. Our property is adjacent to the proposed development at Gera Woods. In fact, of all the adjacent properties, with the plan that's in place, I'll have five different lots backing up to my property. However, one of the reasons my wife and I and my family settled here is because we enjoyed and looked forward to living in Chesterfield County. A lot of the opportunities, etc., just

[06:21:50] like everyone else within the community. And of course, obviously because of that, there's a lot of other people who want to live here too. So since our property backs up to the old Go Scout camp, we had always suspected there would be development. And over the last past year, we were notified early on that there would be a rezoning community meeting. We weren't surprised at all. So we got together with our next door neighbor and we asked about, got the word out in the neighborhood. And we had probably 35 or 40 people meet prior to, and try to decide, you know, what information do we

[06:22:29] have already before this meeting, and what would we do going forward? And unfortunately for me at that meeting, the group decided, Ken, you need to speak for us. So based on that, I worked with another neighbor, Nancy Tickle, and we started to investigate prior to that meeting. I got to tell you. I learned an awful lot. There was an awful lot available to me, both online and more importantly, anytime I asked for people on the planning commission to meet with them, they were right

[06:23:07] there. Betsy Hatcher spent time with us. Other people on the staff spent time with us. When we talked to the developer, EastWest, they spent time with us, answered our questions, and listened to our concerns. The concerns we had early on and still throughout the process was, number one, the egress from the proposed Clover, from Clover Hill Farms on the proposed Clover Way. We thought that was a real issue, not just personally for us because it goes between us and our neighbor's

[06:23:41] home, but because it would dump a lot of traffic into our neighborhood. The other one was the status of the dam and how that would be handled, buffers between us and the proposed development, the wildlife issues, and you've already heard the thing about the Eagles, and finally the ability for the current infrastructure in schools to support things. I have to tell you, we went through two community meetings, and those issues were addressed. We voiced our concern every time

[06:24:17] we went and met with people, and those people, whether it had been Mark Smith at East West or Betsy Hatcher from the county, or even Mr. Carroll here. Every time that we brought those up, they addressed them and made adjustments to their plans if they were appropriate and doable.

[06:24:36] Mr. Tarrant, your three minutes are up. I think I actually have five if I'm speaking for a group, but whatever. Anyway, quickly, we are concerned that we, just to give you an example, when we were concerned about the Cloverway issue, They dug in, found out that that was under the control of CDOT and not VDOT.

[06:24:58] And they made an adjustment in their plan. And that adjustment was a fairly major one. The same thing with the Eagles. As soon as that came up, Mark Smith was on it, got involved. Mr. Carroll even came out and visited and checked that thing out.

[06:25:15] And they went forward with it. So in conclusion, like many of the residents in Clover Hill Farms, I would prefer that things remain the same. I don't know if 1991 is it, but I'd like to see it remain the same. But on the other hand, I know that that is not realistic.

[06:25:32] The lifestyle that was brought by my family here over 30 years ago continues to draw people. That lifestyle is Chesterfield County. And since Gera Woods will be developed, EastWest has shown us, from my standpoint and people that I've worked with, that they are the right partner to develop this property and And that the county has done everything they can in regards to answering our concerns and supporting us for changes to the development plan.

[06:26:08] The county's plan may not be perfect. The comprehensive plan may not be perfect, but those individuals who have been tasked with monitoring and executing that plan, they've shown us that they are willing to work with us. And therefore, we're in favor of the rezoning request.

[06:26:23] Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else would like to speak to this? I think Mr. Turner is coming down.

[06:26:48] Terry Turner, I'm glad to see people stay tonight. So it's refreshing to see other people get up and say something about, you're building too much. And this is a prime example of too much.

[06:27:07] Yeah, they're going to build it, but I'm going to tell you, and I'm going to get up every time y'all bring up something like this. This is too many houses in too small a place. I don't know what y'all can do about it. Probably nothing right now because it's gone too far.

[06:27:26] But this is too many houses. No matter how you look at it, there's too many people, there's going to be too much interstructure, they can't support, the interstructure can't support what y'all are doing there. Spring run is already overrun.

[06:27:42] Y'all just piling more on it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Turner. Yes, sir. Back to the applicant. Yes, I just want to make- Hold on just a second. Mr. Minx, do I need to close the public hearing first, or how does that work, sir?

[06:27:59] Yeah, if there's no one else that's going to speak, and then it would be the app, so you close the public hearing, and then the applicant can respond. So anyone else would like to speak to this case? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It is back before the board. This case is in the Matoika district. I'm going to send it to Mr. Carroll.

[06:28:16] I think the applicant wanted to address some of the concerns. Thank you. I just want to make two points of clarification as it related back. Just make sure we're highlighting, in terms of the questions about density, the current Chesterfield Comprehensive Plan does specify up to four units to the acre on this site.

[06:28:35] And we consciously, while it may not appear to some people, that we consciously worked to keep something less than half of that. So we're at 1.94 units to the acre. One other comment that one gentleman brought up, I did want to highlight also that he talked about people not paying proffers.

[06:28:51] We have agreed to pay the full residential cash proffer of over $9,000 a lot. That's it. Thank you. Mr. Carroll. Can we go to the beginning?

[06:29:09] I'd like to see what the overlay for the comprehensive plan shows. in the case. Does it, do we have that title? Does that slide in there? Should be, I think, the very first page, perhaps. There we go, right there. So, residential neighborhood four,

[06:29:49] Betsy? For people who may not understand what that means, what does that mean? The comprehensive plan includes suggested densities for designated areas. Residential neighborhood four would mean that the site is designated as appropriate for four dwelling units per acre or less.

[06:30:10] For a dwelling in S. Perry Cornelius. Thank you. Yes, sir. So, just as a public, since we have a lot of people from the community here tonight, we actually did try to get legislation passed in the General Assembly four years in a row, actually.

[06:30:29] Four years in a row to allow for locality to look at insufficient infrastructure as a reason to deny a zoning case. Glenn Studivant, Senator Glenn Studivant, carried the legislation three times in the Senate, and Mark, early when he was in the House, carried it twice.

[06:30:47] got killed in the General Assembly. The purpose of the legislation was to do exactly that, to be able to look at something and say, do we have, for example, capacity in the schools to allow for this? Florida passed it.

[06:31:03] It's called school concurrency. If you don't have availability for students in a school in Florida, they can approve a zoning case but tell them you can't build anything until you actually have capacity in the schools. That's what we were trying to get passed in Virginia.

[06:31:21] They killed it. We pushed it out to the community, asking people to come and speak. One person from the community came to speak, from the Westerly community, one. And he was like, I can't believe no one's here to speak again.

[06:31:37] Speak for this. So I will continue to ask legislators to carry legislation to help us with that issue. Looking through this case, looking at, talked with staff about if there's a safety issue on Spring Run Road, That would, in looking at crash data, that you could look at and say, there's a tremendous amount of crashes here or fatalities here.

[06:32:04] The data's not there. Just not. If it was, I could deny the zoning case. I could say it's a public safety issue. We've had multiple fatality crashes here. I get quarterly briefings from the police department, we all do, on the crashes that happen in our districts and the fatalities that happen in the district.

[06:32:26] And so looking at it from, trying to look at it from a public safety standpoint, which truthfully is probably the, would have been the easiest way if you were going to deny a zoning case under the current structure in Virginia, that's what you could argue. Then looking at the comprehensive plan, you know, we are bringing forward, we talked about it earlier today, you know, there are community meetings that are coming forward about the comprehensive plan.

[06:32:53] I encourage all of you to come to them and actually see what we're proposing to change for densities throughout the county to try and deal with some of these issues. Because, again, here's a case that they could put four.

[06:33:09] Do I think four would be appropriate? No, I don't. The houses in the units would even be smaller in the lot sizes than what they are. They're asking for half of what's in the comprehensive plan. I actually witnessed the eagle fly away when we went out there.

[06:33:26] Do you think the developer was happy that I saw the eagle fly away when we were walking the property? No. But he's like, well, you know, it is what it is. You saw it. And the beautiful eagles nest, and they went through the proper channels to get the permitting that they would have to do.

[06:33:44] I didn't think they could get it. They did. Again, it's an issue that was brought up by the community at the community meetings. We investigated it with an expert, because I'm not an expert on eagles, and I did State of Hollywood Express last night. We brought someone from the state who is an expert, who could even analyze the flight patterns based on eagle poop.

[06:34:07] I think that's what he said. So they were an expert. So we had a nest that was believed to be an active eagle's nest, and they went through the process of securing the proper permit to even be able to do the development. So there was a question about a connection through Clover Way, which was a county right-of-way access, but not a stub road.

[06:34:33] And the community at the community meeting said, We don't want people from this subdivision coming through our subdivision. Would it be preferred, as one speaker said, to have a connection off of Bailey Bridge Road? Absolutely.

[06:34:48] They don't own the property to do that. But in the case, it is stubbed for two other locations in the future, that if the property becomes available, that a connection could be made. And we have mandatory policies towards stub roads.

[06:35:05] The other one was not a stub road, which is why we could say we're not going to make them connect number one and number two the neighbors they didn't want it so we looked at this case over a long period of time under a microscope looking at all of the different assets of this case even they even changed the buffer on the right side to increase the lot sizes that would be adjacent to the houses and Cloverhill farms they've increased the buffer and putting a six-foot privacy fence along there to shield that neighborhood from this neighborhood

[06:35:41] that's part of this case so as was stated uh there was a lot of discussion with the community about this um and so mr chair i mean again looking at the case on its merits what it is based on everything that i've talked about and what the community talked about um i make a motion to approve case number 25 sn 1208 subject to the conditions in the staff report and i would ask that we strike the language or impose striking the proffer that would allow for a cell tower It's a conditional use. You would just deny the conditional use?

[06:36:21] Yes, yes. Just deny that part of it, yes. And that's fine. That'll take care of the zoning, that motion right there. Then there is the waiver to the connectivity policy, which is a separate piece of business. So once you've taken a vote on this, then there'll be another vote on the waiver of the connectivity.

[06:36:37] That's it for the zoning, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I'll go ahead and get a second. Second. Thank you. I got the second. I just want to do a quick moment on discussion. it was brought up that somehow we indiscriminately select when we're going to enforce a concern on traffic and when we're not going to.

[06:37:04] And that couldn't be further from the truth. You spoke to it exactly as the data needs to be there. It's one of those things where looking at one case that's three acres and another case that is far larger, In my particular case, the individual, the folks that are leaving, there is only one way in and one way out, and you can only make a right-hand turn.

[06:37:31] Not only can you not only make a right-hand turn, if you want to make a left, you got to go down 100 feet, maybe, to make a left, make a U-turn on the corner of Cranbeck, Robius, and Mall Drive.

[06:37:51] So there's easy to fall into the trap, the one plus one equals two, without truly understanding the nature of what we do, which is that we look much deeper to what is happening in a particular, I mean, it's not as if that we just read this somewhere and then we make a decision willy-nilly.

[06:38:12] We go out there, we look, we learn, we try to figure it out, we do the best that we're able to do. As Mr. Carroll mentioned, you were out there and saw an eagle. And then, hey, we need to talk about that. And I want to compliment the developers.

[06:38:29] I mean, East West has done a great job in working with the community. The gentleman who spoke earlier and said, hey, you know, I would love it if it stayed the same. That is not realistic. But we felt heard.

[06:38:46] And we felt that we were able to take the steps and make it the best we possibly could. We do that all the time, and so that is always our intention, is to figure out if it would work, how it would work, but be careful of folks that jump to conclusions without having all the information.

[06:39:05] That's all I'd like to say about that. Any other discussion? Yes, Ms. Schneider. So this goes back to, it frustrates me when we look at the overall size of the project, when we calculate the size of the lots, because technically if you take out the 10-acre lake and the land around it, it's about two and a half houses per acre, right?

[06:39:36] If you were to take away the RPM. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah. But that's not what our ordinance said. I know, I know. It just, I agree completely with Mr. Turner. This is so, and only again, because I think about what Jesse said earlier today about the data centers and the access roads and if we would have, you know, really thought about how tight those roads are out there and they're two-lane roads and that's what these are out here.

[06:40:09] I've driven on Bailey Bridge plenty of times and there's people that drive out there that are crazy. And I hear, I am so thankful that you didn't do the four lots per acre.

[06:40:25] I appreciate what you're trying to do. I appreciate, I just, this is just a lot of stuff going on, but I just wanted to make those statements very clear that this is, and I appreciate that the neighborhood came out and spoke in favor of this, that they felt heard, and I just think that I agree with Mr. Turner that this is a lot of stuff out there right now.

[06:40:52] Thank you. Thank you. Any other discussion? Thank you. With that, I have a motion. I have a second. Mr. General has a comment. Yes, sir. I think people think that we just go out and beg developers to come to Cheshire County and build houses.

[06:41:11] We don't. We don't. People want to sell their land. That's what it boils down to. People who own land want to sell it, and they decide to sell it. And then they come and knock on our door and say, we want to do a zoning case. And we have to look at the zoning cases in each individually on the merits of the case that's brought before us.

[06:41:33] I get the biggest district. It's 207 square miles. It's where most of the country is. So, yeah, that's where people are going to come knock on the door. They'll do infill projects. This is one. But they're going to come knock on the door for that. That's why we're changing the comprehensive plan.

[06:41:49] That's why we get rid of the East-West Freeway, right? The East-West Freeway, for those who don't know what that was, was a road that would go from Hull Street all the way south through Matoka Long River Road back up and tie into the Bermuda District. In 95. And that would have tied into 95, and that would have turned all of Matoka into, That would have been the equivalent of the Fairfax County Parkway or Prince William County Parkway.

[06:42:13] And the county's build-out plan, if you look at what it was for that road, is why you have a case sitting down there on Lake Chesden for 500 and something houses, because that was approved back when this road was put on the comprehensive plan. Now we took it away. So I don't disagree with some of what some of the people said tonight about development.

[06:42:34] I don't. But if someone brings a zoning case forward because someone wants to sell their land, I don't go and knock people's door and say, you want to sell your land? Someone wants to buy it. Someone wants to build something. I ain't got time for that. But we have to deal with the cases when they come forward and judge them individually on the merits of the case.

[06:42:54] And believe me, I thought when I saw that eagle, that was it, that I would have a legal justification to say, sorry, you can't build here. They took care of that one, too. So, Mr. Chair, that's the end of my comments. Thank you. All right, let me go ahead and take that vote.

[06:43:11] All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Any extensions? And now you need to vote on the waiver of the connectivity policy. of the connectivity. Make a motion to wave the connectivity, Mr. Chairman. Okay, let me get a second on that just to add it all on. Second. Okay, I got a second. Any discussion? Thank you. With that, all in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? Madam Clerk. Next is 25 SN 1223, Garcia Tree Service Business and Accessory Dwelling Unit, Ms. Hatch. Good evening again.

[06:43:47] Case 25 SN1223 in the Dale Magisterial District is a conditional use to permit a home occupation. So it would be a landscaping business with commercial vehicle storage in an agricultural district as well as a conditional use to permit an accessory dwelling unit, which would be a detached accessory dwelling unit.

[06:44:06] The applicant who resides on the property is seeking conditional use approval to continue operation of a landscaping business with associated vehicle and equipment storage, which is identified as Request 1 in the staff report. The applicant has conducted this home occupation on the property without zoning approval since 2023.

[06:44:27] The business includes the storage of landscaping and tree service equipment with an associated entrance and parking area. In addition to the home occupation, the applicant is seeking conditional use approval to legalize an existing detached accessory dwelling that existed on the property when he purchased the property in 2023. The conditional use request for the accessory dwelling unit is identified as request 2 in the staff report. Both the planning commission and staff recommend denial of request 1 as the requested use continues the operation of a commercial business within an area that is largely characterized by residential uses and single-family dwellings. The operation of the

[06:45:07] Landscape and business on the property is too intense for use in a residential area and therefore has the potential to adversely impact neighboring properties. Both the Planning Commission and staff recommended approval of Request 2 to legalize the accessory dwelling unit as the conditions would limit any impact or adverse effects on surrounding residential uses.

[06:45:29] Should the board choose to approve Request 1 and or Request 2, staff recommends the imposition of the conditions in the staff report. And I did just want to note that the board did receive two comments in the public comment portal in opposition of the case. Staff is available for any questions. Are there any questions for staff?

[06:45:47] Thank you. Is the applicant present? I do not believe that the applicant is present. All right. With that, board members, are there any questions for staff? Let me just check in again. Thank you. All right, everyone.

[06:46:03] This is a public hearing on case 25 SN1223, Garcia Tree Service Business and Accessory Dwelling Unit. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. Hey, Steve.

[06:46:28] Steve Meadows. Thank you, Mr. Director, and everyone else here. This is like I said earlier, it's the man that's trying to make business. He's going to make some money, keep his family happy. What hits me is, why was this not dealt with in 2023 when he purchased the land?

[06:46:47] Everything seems to be pretty neatly put away, nothing bothering his neighbors, and he could proceed using as he is if he's making a change as to something that is not already there then we can discuss that but it should have been done in 23 before we started his business thank you thank you yes ma'am absolutely good evening good evening my name is Mary Lois Jessup and I live right next door to mr.

[06:47:25] Garcia and I was only here tonight I put something in the portal comments but I I did want to come and see how the case turned out because I didn't know what y'all's decision was. But the only thing that I would reiterate as to what I said in the thing is there has been no change. When Mr. Garcia first moved there, all these trucks and all were not there. This started coming in as he was living, you know, as he moved in. And now, like I said, it's like a

[06:48:03] truck stop there and what I can't quite understand and I know he's probably not like I am but if I was trying to get something approved I would be maybe stop letting the trucks run during the day when I don't know what's going on but they'll just be running over there the motors running and nobody doing anything or whatever and coming in and out and all that so nothing has changed and, yes, I'm totally against it.

[06:48:40] Thank you. Thank you. Jerry Turner, I'm assuming that they got the building straightened out because it was, I think, doing planning.

[06:48:59] They weren't even sure it was on the right property. I have no problem with that part of it. This is not a landscaping business. This is a logging business. You look at the trucks. That's logging trucks. That's not landscaping to me is when you've got lawnmowers and stuff.

[06:49:19] And this is a commercial setup he's got here. in a residential area. I agree with staff on this one. The denial of the trucks being there, y'all should stand up to that.

[06:49:36] Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else who would like to speak to this case? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. This case is in the Dale District.

[06:49:53] Dr. Helton. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I advocate for small businesses all the time, and I think that they're vital not only to our local economy, but our state and federal economy.

[06:50:13] At the same time, trying to balance a small business that is trying to expand and find an office that's suitable while disrupting neighbors and quality of life for residents, I think it's very hard to kind of look at and see.

[06:50:40] Understand that the property that he bought, and this is a two-part case, so the first part is him or one part is the actual trucks and other equipment parked on the residential site and then the second part is the accessory dwelling which he he brought he bought the property with the accessory dwelling there so i think it's a really it's really two parts to this case um and i think that's is that right Betsy, do you have anything you want to elaborate on those two points?

[06:51:18] Yes, so the home occupation of the business was a result of a community enhancement complaint. The accessory dwelling unit, we did speak with the applicant on that, and he did confirm it was there on the property when he purchased it. And for what it's worth, we did see the Zillow listing for the property, and it did advertise that there was an ADU on there.

[06:51:38] So we were, you know, between those two factors that was present on the property. Right. And the applicant's not here tonight. So, you know, it's very hard to try to make a decision when you don't have, you know, to the credit of our chair, when you don't have all the facts.

[06:51:58] And the facts may result differently if the applicant was here at the same time, just hearing and reading the comments in the portal. and talking to citizens about the quality of life that they're suffering from because of the trucks being there and running.

[06:52:19] It seems like a very bad situation to be in for the neighbors. So, Mr. Chair, if I could make a motion at this point, or did you have other discussion? You can go ahead and make the motion.

[06:52:37] We can have the discussion, but I want to be clear on what you're making the motion on. So you've got to do a request one, which would be the conditional use permit of a home occupation. And then I'm seeing landscaping business with commercial vehicle storage in an agricultural district.

[06:52:57] That's all covered under the home occupation. So there are two conditional uses. The second one is the accessory dwelling. And the second is the accessory dwelling. So what are you making a motion on? So I want to make a motion of denial for the home occupation and a motion of approval subject to the conditions in the staff report.

[06:53:22] Let's separate them out. We're going to just do both. Yeah, and that's a difficult thing. You can vote on them separately. You can vote on them together. But I think the motion is to deny the home occupation conditional use and to grant the conditional use for the existing accessory dwelling unit.

[06:53:39] Okay. Subject to the conditions in the staff report. As you say it. Yeah, thank you. So we can keep both of them together as long as we all agree on that. So thank you for that motion. I got a second. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

[06:53:56] Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. And Mr. Chair, if I could for a moment. I'm sorry? I'd say if I could for a moment. Yeah. Just a few more words. This is really about the quality of life of residents and making sure that the quality of life is at the peak that it can be in respect to just being a good steward and a good neighbor.

[06:54:19] And so that's the real reason for my comments earlier. Thank you. Appreciate that. All right, Madam Clerk. Next is 25SN1354, Elder Property Rezoning and Adjustments, Mr. Saunders.

[06:54:36] Good evening again. Case 25 SN 1354 in the Bermuda District is a request for a rezoning from the corridor commercial semi-urban neighborhood and agricultural districts to the semi-urban neighborhood district with adjustments to ordinance requirements relative to development standards plus a waiver to connectivity on 61.45 acres.

[06:54:58] The property is situated at the southwest intersection of East 100 Road, or Route 10, and Point of Rocks Road in the Enon area, and up to 222 single-family dwellings are planned, which would result in a proposed density of 3.6 dwelling units per acre.

[06:55:17] Staff and Planning Commission both recommend approval of the request, and I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you for that. Any questions, Board, for staff? Is the applicant present?

[06:55:29] Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. My name is Jeff Geiger here on behalf of the applicant. It's getting late, so I'm going to go through the slides pretty quick. I think Rich kind of touched on that real highlight. We can dive into the specifics if you'd like, but I'd really like to focus on the community engagement with this request.

[06:56:05] We held two community meetings. At the first community meeting, we focused on updating or informing the community in terms of what the comp plan called for the property and that we were not, as a company that has done a lot of work in this area, the Bermuda District, we knew that the type of development that should be on this property was not the intensity followed by the comp called for under the comp plan.

[06:56:34] We presented to them a proposal that was at a density significantly less. We also shared with them that much of the properties already zoned R7 and that we were trying to assemble some land around that to build a better community at this portion of the Bermuda District.

[06:56:55] We educated them on the differences with developing buy-right or rezoning to SU. At the end of that community meeting, the message was loud and clear. entrance onto Point of Rocks. Now, I don't want to leave you with the impression that they were clapping up with my proposal, but what they said to us, the most important thing to them was that we update our plan to remove an entrance onto Point of Rocks Road. We went back, had a second

[06:57:30] community meeting, and we said, we listened to you. We removed the entrance onto Point of Rocks Road. We were also up front with them that Transportation Department and VDOT were pushing us to put another entrance onto Point of Rocks Road.

[06:57:51] We communicate to them that we were advocating on their behalf to say no, that's not going to happen. We were telling them that there is a paper street outside of the boundaries of the rezoning request that already has an entrance onto Point of Rocks that in the future could be developed, land around it could be developed, and that paper street could provide the access that VDOT and CDOT were asking for.

[06:58:19] It was just a matter of time. That then led to a question from the community at the community meeting and said, "Well, how much more land could be developed?" I pointed out to them that there was one landowner that owned the additional land, and if that landowner ever chose to sell, that land could be developed, and that land would then use the paper street in conjunction with the stub that we are providing to that paper street,

[06:58:50] required by VDOT for access to Point of Rocks using an existing entrance on Point of Rocks. The community was happy with that result. Apologies.

[06:59:06] We then talked about the road improvements that we have to make onto East 100. We were locating two entrances onto East 100. Our ideal configuration is to relocate a median break and provide turn lanes; however, that does require approval from VDOT, goes up to the central office, so we worked in conjunction with the transportation department and VDOT to come up with alternate improvements so that if VDOT does not approve the relocation, then we will use the existing median break

[06:59:46] and just relocate our turn lanes. At the conclusion of that meeting, again, we took feedback. One neighbor requested some separation between his parcel and the new lots, and then another neighbor requested a fence along the amenity space.

[07:00:04] We worked on that between the second community meeting and the Planning Commission, and at the Planning Commission we presented to those who were in attendance that we listened again. We added screening between the strategic amenity space and the lots that was requested, and then the gentleman who requested the additional separation, he was located here.

[07:00:26] He was in attendance at the Planning Commission meeting. and he was pleased that he was getting the screening he requested. That concludes my presentation about how we have engaged with the community on this request. On behalf of the applicant, I ask that the board approve the request before them, subject to the conditions set out in the staff report.

[07:00:48] If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer. Thank you, Mr. Geiger. Is there any questions for the applicant? All right, everyone, this is a public hearing on case 25 SN1354, elder property rezoning and adjustments.

[07:01:08] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward. State your name. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Patrick Tench. I'm counsel for Ken Wittig, who is there, and he owns 2118 Point of Rocks Road, which I believe is the paper street we were talking about, the 50-foot-wide dirt road there.

[07:01:33] He owns an undivided one-half interest in the property, as well as the parcel that kind of juts into the middle of the proposed development. and our concern is essentially the buffer area, that as it stands, of course, that road is not a road yet.

[07:01:50] It is not part of the development, and the concern is if this is all approved like this and there's no buffer in between there, what we can see coming is an issue over access through that dirt road into the backside of the development for ingress-egress, for bringing in heavy equipment for the development, all those things that would be concerning, And if there's no buffer there, if there's no separation, it's going to create confusion for folks of whether that can be used, whether that's an ingress-egress area, whether there's equipment and things that can be moved through there as part of the development process.

[07:02:26] And that's a big concern for Mr. Wittig. It's an unusual situation in that he owns an undivided one-half interest in that parcel. And what we're trying to avoid are issues down the road, if the development is approved and when that begins, of people trying to use it, whether that be the developer or future residents, whatever the case may be.

[07:02:47] We believe there ought to be some kind of buffer there, wooded area, fencing something to prevent that confusion and to block that area off, because there may be a desire to add that into the development at some later date, but that's not happening yet.

[07:03:02] And we think that if there's not some kind of delineation there, it's going to be ripe for confusion and issues that we'd like to avoid in the future. Thank you very much. And I'll just finish by saying, particularly if there's not an entrance on point of rocks and there's only one way in and out, it's just going to create people looking for another way to get into that development and potentially we create a problem there, especially with the proposed density.

[07:03:32] Thank you for your time. You're welcome. Thank you. Mr. Turner. Jerry Turner. It looks like y'all need to change a comprehensive plan. So it's only one house per acre.

[07:03:53] And if you can't abide by that, then you don't build. Because all they got to do is say, well, we're meeting a comprehensive plan. We're not meeting, we're not building quite as many. And they agree with it.

[07:04:08] This is really too many houses here, too. The thing I really don't agree with is they can, somebody can say, well, I don't want you coming through my neighborhood. So they said, okay, we won't go through your neighborhood.

[07:04:24] And I said this when they developed next door to me. We didn't want them to come through our neighborhood, but they're going to do it. We didn't like it, but they're going to do it. And it wasn't just one person that said it.

[07:04:41] There's a whole bunch of them who said it. But they're going to still come through our neighborhood. You can't pick and choose where you allow a developer to go through a neighborhood or not. If they're going to go through there or it's been designed to go through there at an earlier date, then it should be, that's what should happen.

[07:05:04] And I say, well, we've changed our mind. We don't want you coming through our neighborhood. But anyway, there's still too many houses. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Turner. Is there anyone else who would like to speak to this case? All right, with that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing.

[07:05:23] It's back before the board. This case is in the Bermuda District. Mr. Engel. Give the applicant a chance to respond if they choose. Thank you, Mr. Engel. Something told me Mr. Turner wasn't going to support me on this one.

[07:05:39] In Mr. Turner's neighborhood, it was a VDOT road that connected right to the property line. Chesterfield County drew a line on the thoroughfare plan and said, "We have to connect a thoroughfare road into his neighborhood," and that's what we had to do.

[07:06:05] That's not the situation here. This is a paper street. What is a paper street? It's a street that was drawn on a subdivision flat that was recorded, and it provides access to the lots that are along this paper street.

[07:06:23] They had to show the paper street in order to create the lots. If you were to go out there, it's a rough gravel road. I do have good news for Mr. Wittek and his attorney. When you bring, the reason we're bringing a stub to this paper street is because of VDOT's secondary street acceptance requirements.

[07:06:49] It's a law. Within that law, there is a mandate. It says you have to put a sign at the end of that stub that says, hey, this is a stub. Future connection could be possible.

[07:07:10] That sign is also going to say, not a road going through. That sign will be in the way of anybody who wants to, I don't know, jump the curb, drive through the grass before the property line, and then navigate their way down to this dirt road.

[07:07:30] My client will purchase the other half interest in that paper street. We don't have an interest in seeing people drive on it either. We're happy to coordinate with them and work with them as owners, half interest, half interest.

[07:07:48] If somebody starts driving, say, put up no trespassing signs. Put up any barriers that need to be put up. We're always happy to have that conversation. Mr. Wittick knows how to get in touch with us. I believe I'll address those concerns and ask the board to approve the request.

[07:08:07] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Edgar. Mr. Engel. Before you go anywhere, that paper street is not part of the zoning case, right? No. But your client will have interest in that paper street.

[07:08:24] We do. I have no interest in seeing a connection to Point of Rocks, personally. And I don't believe that somebody bringing something to me to make it something that would require a connection to Point of Rocks is something that I would be willing to approve in the future.

[07:08:43] I'm sure. I would love for, I would, if it was part of the case, I would force you to put a gate up, probably at both ends, which I cannot do because it's not part of the zoning case. But I would encourage you, at least on your half of the road, and possibly at your expense, at both ends of the road, to cover both sides if the adjacent landowner is amenable to you paying to put those gates up.

[07:09:21] Again, I can't force that into this case because it's not in the case. But I would highly encourage you to do that because I do believe that it would help alleviate much of his concern.

[07:09:37] And as far as I'm concerned, though, it was made extremely clear that any access to Point of Rocks Road was not going to be something that the people in the area would accept. And I can tell you when it first came out and there was a connection to Point of Rocks Road, it was very loud, very loud.

[07:10:02] Since that's all been taken care of, the only property owner that I've been made aware of that's anywhere close to this that's been upset is the gentleman whose attorney spoke. And again, I can't force you to do it, but I highly encourage you to work with them and make sure that both ends are blocked. Much of the rest of what I would say, Mr. Turner already knows from Mr. Carroll's case earlier. The rest of the story, Mr. Carroll laid it out pretty well on the

[07:10:39] last case. And what I can say is having everything here going to Route 10 and not going directly to the intersection at Point of Rocks Road, which was another request by the people that live on Point of Rocks Road, improved this case significantly. And I'm glad that we were able to take those considerations. And I want to say thank you to CDOT for not agreeing with me,

[07:11:18] But having a good spirited conversation on how things should go and working to get the right connections on Route 10 to alleviate other fears. So thank you for your work on that.

[07:11:35] And with that, because of all the things that were shared earlier, I make the motion to approve case 25 SN1354, subject to the conditions in the staff report. Thank you, Mr. Ingle. can I please get a second? Second. All right, I got to second. Any discussion?

[07:11:52] Ms. Snyder. How big are these houses going to be? I saw something about being like work rate for like houses for Lego and stuff like that. Is that not what this is? And price points? We don't have, I don't have the information with me to answer the exact price or size, but I would like to pick up on what you said because that is what is our interest here.

[07:12:29] Trusted County has done very well in terms of attracting jobs and employment to Meadowville Technology Park. Meadowville Technology Park is just up the street, and we would like to provide opportunity for those who work at Meadowville to buy a house here and move in.

[07:12:47] What the price point on these will be is not going to be half a million or above, but these are going to be smaller homes and smaller lots, probably starting in the range of the the $400,000 to $500,000 range because we really, as was said earlier, we cannot build a single-family detached house in Chesterfield for less than $400,000.

[07:13:08] It is not possible. Mr. Carroll. And looking at some of the renditions, it looks like some of them could be age-targeted first-floor masters. Is that right? Could be. The home builder will make the election as to which products will go in, whether it's a first-floor master or a two-story.

[07:13:30] But those are options that are in the zoning case. Looking at the images, I don't know, we didn't actually show the images to the community, I think, in the case. We did a little. I didn't have them in my PowerPoint. Yeah, we did a little. But, I mean, they look, I mean, they look, if you look at the size of some of them, they probably look like they might be less than 2,000 square feet.

[07:13:51] But these are, they are definitely going to be less than 2,000 square feet. I'm not comfortable telling you how long, how low we're going to go, but we're going to be these types of homes that we have done on similar projects that I brought before you have been in the 15, we've been starting in the 1500 square feet.

[07:14:08] That makes a difference. Thank you. Any other discussion? Mr. Ingold? Yeah, you've got the motion that's already been made to approve subject conditions, and then there's a separate piece of business, which is the waiver of connectivity.

[07:14:26] We'll have to do that. You have to do that separately. right right okay so let's go ahead and we'll just vote on the first and let's just go ahead all in favor say aye aye anyone does any abstentions okay madam clerk what do we want i make a motion to um remove the connectivity requirement as as explained in the in the staff report as explaining the staff report that makes it easy second all right i hear a second uh any

[07:14:59] discussion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Your last discussion case is 26 SN 2139, Dominion Sycamore Springs Switching Station. Mr. Saunders. Good evening. One more time.

[07:15:19] Case 26 SN 2139 in the Bermuda District is a request to rezone from the Suburban Community District to the Suburban Community District with adjustments to ordinance requirements relative defense height and treatment of drive aisles plus conditional use for a utility substation on 30.0 acres. The property is located on the east side of Bermuda Orchard Lane immediately to the south of a CSX rail line and approximately one quarter of a mile north of Enon Church Road. An electrical switching station that will route power between two electrical transmission lines that intersect

[07:15:56] on the property is proposed and staff and planning commission recommend approval. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Board members, are there any questions for staff? Board members, are there any questions for the applicant? Is the applicant here? Do you want to see the applicant? Maybe this is the applicant? Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of the board, Mr. Captain. My name is Brian

[07:16:33] Jackson. I represent Dominion Energy. I'll dispense with a formal presentation, but I'm happy to answer any questions, and I have with me representatives from Dominion as well. Are there any questions for the applicant? I'll reserve it. You have a reserve at this point? Okay. Thank you so much for being here. That's a late night. Thank you. You both. Everyone, this is a public hearing on case 26 SN1, I'm sorry, 2139 Dominion, Sycamore Springs, Switching Station. Is there anyone who would

[07:17:06] like to speak to this case? If so, please come forward and state your name. Jenny Castle. I attended the planning meeting on this one and there were some families that stood up and had some concerns and it really made me want to look into it. So this is going to be 30 acres right on the railroad so there's no buffers there's 500 kv lines that are going to be coming from these transmission lines 30 foot chain link fence much like a prison um the buffer between the homes that

[07:17:42] are on the back side of this which um if you look there you can see them there's like one two three four five isn't it's hardly anything they're gonna see this from their back porch um there's no buffer because it's right along the railway and we know that that's open because the train's got to come through so there's no fixing that unless they back this substation up and put a buffer in i know that there's wetlands on this property that prevent them from that but also the other problem that i

[07:18:17] see here is that there should be a 500 foot buffer requirement outside of the perimeter of this for the safety of these lines they're high voltage lines and i know that there was a recent study done that dominion did their own independent study and submitted you documentation of the emfs coming off of their high transmission lines but my question is has chesterfield county done their own independent studies because if we're relying solely on a study done that is in favor of the

[07:18:53] utility company how do we know the information that you're getting is accurate i've read those reports and it contradicts what you see in the health and safety of these high voltage lines. They're going to be extremely close to these families, all five of them. And I think it's worth knowing whether it's actually safe for the families living in these homes. I also think that it's worth a discussion or consideration of what it's going to do to their property values and to their quality of life. I don't think, I would not want to go out and sit on my back porch and look at 30

[07:19:26] foot chain link fence around a gigantic 30-foot substation that's buzzing, zapping, and 180 feet from it can arc and shock you. That's a health and safety risk that should be taken seriously. Thank you. Thank you so much. Is there anyone else who would like to speak to this case?

[07:19:51] With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. I'm going to just turn it over to Mr. Engel, this case in the Bermuda District. I'm going to give the applicant a chance to speak. Thank you, Mr. Engel.

[07:20:07] Just a couple of points I'd like to stress. We did meet with two residents that came to the planning commission, neither of whom came to the community meeting. And after meeting with both of them, one of them on site, we did a site visit, took the team there. That resident was satisfied with Dominion's response to the questions.

[07:20:26] The other person at the planning commission who had some initial objections was about noise. When he understood that we were not going to do a substation, but rather a switching station, which does not have transformers. Transformers are the things that create the noise in these kind of stations.

[07:20:45] This will not have that. This will be a switching station. I also think it's worthwhile to show an image or two that I have, I think, loaded up, so you can get a better view of this buffer. The first image shows you the existing site without the substation there, the switching station there.

[07:21:04] There are already transmission lines on site, so we're not bringing transmission lines that didn't exist before. Some are already there. I think we're going to add one more. I have another image that shows you the substation, the switching station on that site.

[07:21:20] You can see that there are trees that buffer, but also trees on the other side of the railroad next to the homes. One of the initially complaining residents at the Planning Commission lives on that side, the other side of the railroad, when she realized exactly where the station was going, she understood that she didn't have a problem. Those are 40 to 50 foot trees and while you might be able to get down on your knees and see through the trunks, you're certainly not going to see through the tops. I'm happy to answer any other questions that you might have. Thank you for clearing that up. I knew

[07:21:58] one of the biggest things was this is not a substation, it's a switching station. I think I think that's important to note in that the power lines already transversed that whole area, so they're already there. This is just taking and allowing what will essentially allow power to come from two different directions and be controlled through this switching station, I believe.

[07:22:26] Is that correct? That's correct. It will increase reliability for everyone in the area. But it's not bringing more power to the switching station than is already there. It's just allowing it to come from two different directions.

[07:22:42] Is that correct? I think that's correct. We've got Adam Ridge here from Dominion. I think there are two additional lines. But can you answer that question directly, Adam? Sure. I can answer that question. There's three lines in the area. I'm sorry, four lines in the area.

[07:22:59] What this allows is interconnectivity of those lines. So the lines that, say, go north, instead of just having two options to feed that line, now you'll have three or four options. That was what I was trying to get at. And I did understand that the people that lived on the other side of the train tracks, which Ms. Castle referred to, did actually work with y'all.

[07:23:26] and after meeting with you and reviewing how everything actually lays out, looking at their own buffer on their side of the train tracks and understanding the position of the switching station, that they no longer have objections.

[07:23:43] That is what you shared as well, correct? That is correct. Just so that I understand, the distance between the switching station through the trees to the homes, Can you give me an estimate on how far that is? I don't have an estimate.

[07:24:01] I can take a guess, but that wouldn't do it justice. Do you have any idea? You're saying from the back side of the station to the houses? Yeah, to the closest home there.

[07:24:16] Do we have a feel for that? What we have outside the fence line is 15 feet, and then you've got the railroad tracks, and then you've got those private lots. No, I'm talking about to the left of the picture. I suspect that might be south, but I don't know. The five homes in which was being referred to?

[07:24:33] It's a north. The north of the tracks? No, the other side. Yeah, the other side of the railroad tracks. North east of the tracks. Yeah, I don't know that distance.

[07:24:49] I think you're looking at 300 feet on the sort of north-south side. So I'm guessing about 100 feet, give or take. But I don't know. That would be the northeast, not the north-south, right? I'm saying sure on the north.

[07:25:05] Okay, northeast. So I'm heading to the south. No, what I'm saying is it's a rectangle on the north-south leg of the rectangle. That's approximately 300 feet. Probably wouldn't be able to draw it. We just heard that it's about 200 feet.

[07:25:24] 200 feet. Okay, great. Thank you. Mr. Chair. Thank you. Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. Mr. Jackson, in order for Dominion to put a substation here, you all would have to come back and go through planning commission and Board of Supervisors, correct?

[07:25:45] That's correct. We would have to come back for another permit to do that. And the wetlands that are present there now don't allow us to do anything. We can't move that site anywhere else on there, nor make it very much bigger because of the wetlands that are present. Right. Just want to point that out. Thank you for that clarification.

[07:26:05] Do you have one question? Yes, sir. Just explain to the community what the purpose of a switching station is. If you don't mind. - Sure, I'd be happy to do that. The intent of the switching station is there's a line from Chesterfield, the 2049 line, and there's a line from Chickahominy, the 2050 line.

[07:26:26] Those two lines meet at the Allied substation, which is over by the DuPont plant, that area. If you take the corner that's created by those two lines, we are bringing those lines into Meadowville Technology Park area, okay?

[07:26:44] And because of the expected load in that area, we need additional options to feed that area. Lego needs it now. So because we have the 211 and the 228 that run through the same corridor down here, what we can do is we can have those options to feed Meadowville Technology Park.

[07:27:06] And it's a NERC requirement. Okay, thank you. I don't think I have a motion yet. Have you made a motion on that? I don't believe I did. Okay, if you'll go ahead and make a motion.

[07:27:22] I think I turned it over to the applicant. So with that, I will make the motion to approve case 26-SN-2139, subject to the conditions in the staff report. Thank you. I have a second. Second. I got the second. Any discussion at this point?

[07:27:38] All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Aye. Madam Clerk. Item 18, public hearings. Mr. Chair, at the July 22nd meeting, the board did set a public hearing to consider the exercise of eminent domain for the Coalfield Road, Bristol Village Drive to Woolridge Road Sidewalk Project.

[07:27:58] Subsequently, transportation staff determined this project was not ready for the exercise of eminent domain. Accordingly, the public hearing was not advertised and it is not on the board's agenda for this evening. Your first public hearing is to consider a revision to Chapter 6 of the County Code related to business licenses.

[07:28:17] Mr. Harris. Mr. Chair, members of the board, we talked about this audit finance this morning in your work session this afternoon. This is on your B poll, increasing the threshold for the exemption up to $750,000.

[07:28:34] This has been a multi-year effort for the board to make sure that we are staying ahead of inflationary pressures, particularly for small business, and that no one is pushed from the fee-based part of the program into the raised schedule.

[07:28:50] So this is a continuation of that. As with the next public hearing, both of these measures were adopted as part of your FY27 budget. We're simply coming back now for the ordinance mechanics associated with that. Happy to answer any questions you might have. Board members, are there any questions for Mr. Harris?

[07:29:08] Everyone, this is a public hearing to consider a revision to chapter six of the county code related to business licenses. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue? If so, please come forward and state your name. Wasn't sure if you were going to be taking a seat or all right. All right, with that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board.

[07:29:39] Is there any discussion? Could I go ahead and get a motion? Motion to approve. I hear a motion to approve. Can I get a second? I hear a second. All in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. B, to consider amending Chapter 9 of the County Code related to elderly and disabled tax relief, Mr. Harris.

[07:30:00] Mr. Harris. Yes, sir. Mr. Chair, members of the board, same setup as prior public hearing, adopted as part of FY27 budget, goes into effect for tax year 27. Again, a multi-year campaign to make sure that we are being attentive and that the tax relief fidelity program is up to date.

[07:30:18] The main feature of this modification for you tonight is the addition of the fourth tier that adds that 15% relief, smaller relief, but sort of a higher income threshold to be able to pick up more of the population. That was feedback that you all heard.

[07:30:33] You passed that to staff. We built it into your FY27 budget, and again, these are the ordinance mechanics associated with those actions you have previously taken. Happy to take any questions you might have. Thank you, sir. Board members, are there any questions for Mr. Harris? Everyone, this is a public hearing to consider amending Chapter 9 of the County Code related to elderly and disabled tax relief.

[07:30:58] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue? Please, if so, come forward and state your name. Renee, welcome. Renee Eldred. Hey, Eldred. I'm glad to see that you upped the limit so more people can get the relief.

[07:31:19] But I think you need to advertise it a little more. There's a lot of seniors I don't think really know of this program. So you might not want to advertise it because it's less money in the kitty. But it's still, I think it wouldn't hurt to have some sort of advertisement to say this is, you know, Even the ones that were like, okay, I don't qualify.

[07:31:43] I'm a little bit over the edge, and I don't qualify. Now they will. So it needs some advertisement. Thank you, Renee. Is there anyone else who would like to speak for this case or to this public hearing? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing.

[07:32:01] It's back before the board. Is there any discussion? I have a question for Matt. Mr. Carroll. I mean, Mr. Carroll. I'm getting tired. The other bald guy. I remember this two of us. How do we advertise this?

[07:32:16] Did I already do it once? Doesn't the commissioner revenue when we send out notices, I mean, how do we advertise for this program? Primarily, it's a responsibility of Ms. Hughes and her team. They've been pushing this out, you know, pretty heavily, but I can get with Mr. Goode and make sure that, you know, since this is a different modification, I think, to Renee's point, larger than what we've had in previous years, it probably does warrant a heartier campaign, and we're happy to work with her, at least, you know, ask to ask her if we can be of assistance.

[07:32:51] Well, I'm not knocking what she does, but I'm making the point that when we send these, I've read the letters that comes in the mail notifying us that this program is available. And this has been a rather large increase in the budget every year since we've made the original jump with this years ago. This has probably been the fastest growing item in the budget, if I remember correctly. Yes, sir. One of. It does add the veterans component to it, but even isolating just the pure tax relief for the seniors, it's definitely growing at a very

[07:33:30] fast clip. Yes, sir. So when I say it's been an increase in the budget, I think people, I want to make sure people understand what that means. It means that we reduce the amount of taxes collected from the community by that amount. So in this case, it was $29 million, including the senior relief and veterans. And that has been the fastest, when I say fastest thing growing in the budget, what it means is that number has gotten bigger throughout the years and the tax relief to the community has gotten greater. Am I explaining that correctly? Yeah, I think that, I'm glad you bring that point up. There's a little bit of a nuance here in that we gross up the revenue side.

[07:34:10] So, you know, someone just looks at property tax intake for a given year, that's going to give a little bit of a misleading signal because we treat this book as an expense, and so we're showing all the revenue in this instance, but instead of netting it off, it's, you're losing some of that strength every year between the combined effect of the senior program and the veterans piece, so yeah, but your point is spot on.

[07:34:37] I mean, I think it's important because we get accused of not providing senior tax relief in the community, which is just not true. My first year on the board, Mr. Engel, we actually looked at this and said that we had not increased this for 10 years, and in the previous board, we increased it by that percentage that it should have been increased for each one of those years that we had not addressed it.

[07:35:05] Yes, sir. There was a catch-up provision that we put in, and now by policy, you're adjusting by the Social Security piece every year, and now you've got the additional tier on top of that as part of this proposal today. Thank you. Yes, sir. speak to that also, Mr. Harris, just to make sure I'm with you. Every year when the assessments come out, I'm going to get a series of phone calls, emails, for folks that are just concerned as to whether they're going to be able to hit their taxes, and they're making the assumption they're

[07:35:36] on income where it's fixed, and they're concerned that they're not going to be able to meet the necessary criteria to get some tax relief. And every time I speak with someone, I say, "Do not make that assumption.

[07:35:53] There is a really good chance there might be something out there that we've put into place." So I'm going to speak with what Mr. Carroll is saying, is that I do want to, and I agree with making sure what Renee is saying, "Let's make sure we get that information out there."

[07:36:09] So yes, what I get are the phone calls and the emails that are just afraid. because they're on fixed income and that this is available. I think it's a wonderful idea. It's very surgical in that what we can do to provide that, especially because it's 15%, right?

[07:36:29] So if their taxes went up less than that, they can benefit from that. So is that what would be an accurate characterization? I think, again, the addition of the fourth tier is it's a population that probably, to y'all's collective point, hadn't thought about the program previously, so we're going to need to identify, you know, those folks, and so it would need to be a more robust campaign, but we'll work with Ms. Hughes' office and offer any assistance that we can, but absolutely, it's a great point, and we will, you know, work on that starting tomorrow.

[07:37:03] Great. Thank you so much. And it doesn't necessarily limit it to people on a fixed income. They just have to have a total income below the threshold for each of the qualifying, So I just want to make sure, because I don't want people to say, well, I'm not on a fixed income, or I have other income on top of my Social Security, therefore, I don't think I'm going to qualify.

[07:37:24] I think everybody should look into it. They've got great folks over there that, you know, walk folk, you know, walk individuals through the criteria. And so if you have any question at all, I encourage folks to reach out to the office. They do a really good job of that. Thank you. Mr. Schneider.

[07:37:41] I usually, around that time, post the link on my Facebook page just so people have access to it because it comes up a lot and next door and stuff like that. So, yeah. Mr. Chair. Yes, Dr. Hilton.

[07:37:57] Just don't want to belabor their point, but I also want to give recognition to Dave and his group. They do a great job of getting the word out when we have things like this. So definitely leveraging, you know, their expertise could be beneficial. Yeah, thank you for that.

[07:38:15] All right, any other discussion? All right, with us, let's go ahead and make a motion. Can I get a motion? So moved. Second. All right, I hear a motion. I hear a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye and opposed. Madam Clerk. Seek to consider an amendment to County Code Chapter 9 relative to annual allocation of data center-derived tax revenue.

[07:38:35] Mr. Harris. And Mr. Chairman, just as fair warning, we're about 23 minutes away from 11 o'clock. All right, at what point do we want to go ahead and make that motion to go beyond 11 o'clock? So moved.

[07:38:51] All right, we're going to make that motion now. I'm going to make that motion that we're going to go beyond 11 o'clock. That way we have it in there. Can I get a second? Second. All right. You know, I have discussion. I had a, there was going to be discussion. Mr. Engel. The tie. The tie is coming up.

[07:39:07] I will agree. As long as at 11 o'clock, my tie comes in. I think that's a fair request. Any other stipulations? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right. Thank you, Mr. Harris.

[07:39:24] I'm here for the hat trick. So this is, it goes back to discussion that we had during the data center work session. So this is sort of that third component that I referenced earlier. This is where any data center revenue that would be generated from activity that's booked January 1st of 2027 and beyond is set aside for the express purpose of buying down the car tax rate.

[07:39:55] We had some good conversation about that on finance and then this afternoon as well. But we would, we know what that baseline is today. So the way it's currently drawn up, monies that are being generated from the Carissa footprint essentially that is in other existing properties in Meadowville, that stays as part of the base.

[07:40:17] But again, as the Google, in particular, the Meadowville campus comes out of the ground, which we know is happening, they'll certainly at least get a partial assessment beginning in January, all of those dollars are identified, lays out the steps in the ordinance, really puts that onus on the budget performance department to document that, come back with the mathematical recommendation as part of the budget process for what those revenues can support in terms of buying down that car tax rate with the goal over time to, you know, all of the data center revenues, whether it be from Google or any future rate

[07:40:54] adjustments, as I mentioned earlier, certainly doesn't preclude you from taking the 24 cents to whatever, and that would, you know, have a positive revenue effect on those non-Google properties, at least for the first 10 years, as we touched on.

[07:41:09] So I could walk you back through any of the estimates if you want to see that, but I mean, I think the real effect here tonight is just creating that connection, that nexus between data center revenue and what has been a fairly long-standing mission of this board, tax relief through the car tax program, you've taken that down from $3.60 to $3.25, making some pretty big swings at that, so we would continue that downward trajectory on that particular tax through this program, and I'm happy to take any questions.

[07:41:46] Report, is there any questions, Mr. Garrett? I think I heard something slightly different just now than I think I heard every other time. Did you say that the current Carissa revenue would stay in the, would not be part of this?

[07:42:04] If it's in the base today. No, I want all data center revenue to go into this. It doesn't matter if it's in the base today or not. All data center revenue needs to go to this. We could do it however the board wishes.

[07:42:23] I think it's noted in the presentation that all in is about a million and a half dollars today. And for, you know, if you're scoring at home, every cent off of the car tax is approximately $325,000.

[07:42:42] Well, 10 cents is $2.5 million. Let's make it easier. The purchasing power of that. Mr. Chair. Mr. Carroll. Oh, I think based on what you just said, if it's in the base today, which Carissa is, then it's included, right?

[07:42:58] So the starting place for this would be if it's in the base today, supporting a program and service somewhere, that from an incremental perspective, that's where we start to measure from whatever was in place today.

[07:43:21] So any of the growth that occurs on January the 1st as part of that reassessment activity in the tax year 27 is what starts to feed this program. Revenues that are in place today, that small base, I mean, we don't tie it to something precisely, but it is supporting some program or service somewhere.

[07:43:43] Well, I mean, right now, technically, Google properties are bringing something in today that would otherwise go to the base that needs to go to this relief as well. In any reassessment activity, again, just as it sits before you, any reassessment activity on the land would go.

[07:44:03] There's no improvements today. I mean, my understanding was we're putting it all in. That's where I'm at. We can pivot and do that. That's not a problem. just laying out how it sits you know at this moment. Wow I'm unsure if I'm on the page with you. Where I am with it is that up to this point Chris is already here they've been paying their taxes they've been doing what they want to do.

[07:44:31] I am leaning at 10:43 in nine seconds in the evening for anything going forward with Google specifically. I understand that I do understand that.

[07:44:47] Yeah, but I'm of the mind that this should be targeted specifically to Google, at least as my first blush on it. That was the idea. I know that we were both working on this idea from two different angles, but I was looking at the angle specifically from Google.

[07:45:06] So I may have to sit with that for a moment, but I'm not sure I'm on the same page with you on that. And just to be clear, we were not differentiating taxpayer moving forward, any category amongst any from data centers broadly, whether it be rate, reassessment, construction, all of those sources would feed into this.

[07:45:32] But as we do in a lot of cases, that incremental base stays in place. Again, we're open to whatever modifications need to be made. Is it necessary that we vote on this tonight, or is it something that we could?

[07:45:54] Well, this hasn't gone to a public hearing yet, and we've got to do that yet this evening, too. That's correct. You need to hold the public hearing up there, yes. But even after the public hearing, is it necessary for us to vote on this tonight?

[07:46:09] I mean, it's certainly up to the board to decide. There's nothing from an administrative or procedural perspective that we're waiting on to do that. You've got time up until January, but as we get into the budget process, which is happening September, October, we certainly would like to know what we're measuring from and if we're partitioning off appropriately.

[07:46:36] Any other questions for Mr. Harris? Let's go ahead and move forward on the public hearing. Everyone, this is a public hearing to consider the amendment to County Code Chapter 9 relative to the annual low allocation of data center-derived tax revenue.

[07:46:54] Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue? So please come forward and state your name, and thank you for hanging out. Hello, Catherine McMahon. To the point of what you're discussing about whether or not this gets voted on tonight, I just wanted to take the opportunity to note that, as far as I can tell, this proposal was announced for inclusion in today's meeting yesterday.

[07:47:19] I think it was posted on the county website yesterday. I would guess probably most constituents engage with you guys on social media. It wasn't posted on social media until this morning, about 12 hours ago. The county made a big show tonight of saying that they realize how important the data center issue is to constituents.

[07:47:37] And simultaneously, there's an unfortunate trend emerging of county officials pointing fingers at the community's engagement level in this issue, referencing examples from a time where details of these projects were still considered proprietary information by the county. Announcing agenda item the day before and then burying it, I mean, we're looking at almost five hours, into a meeting is not a way to meaningfully engage with your community.

[07:48:03] Dr. Miller, you had stood up and ended the data center presentation by saying we would move into an opportunity for people to express concerns and for the county to respond, but instead we moved directly into the public comment period, which of course explicitly prohibits citizens from addressing data centers.

[07:48:20] You can't necessarily blame constituents for being confused by that. So I just wanna make a point of saying that these are not meaningful opportunities constituents to have input on issues you know are important to them. I would just hope that that doesn't become another talking point that's used against the community when issues like this arise. Thank you. Thank you. Mike Uzell from the Bermuda District. First, I want to make a few

[07:48:59] observations. The data center presentation tonight, I think, only added to the frustration of citizens. no questions allowed we were in my opinion we were talked down to so that's all i'll say about that number two this proposal tonight that we're talking about is at the end of the meeting after

[07:49:31] almost five hours six o'clock to 11. we've seen this time and again any big issue like this is passed to the end of the meeting again in my opinion to discourage public input and comment

[07:49:55] number three i want to welcome dr catlin to the county and this is how we're welcoming him okay on this proposal from what i understand any taxes well not anymore because we just found out it's not all the taxes from data centers only the ones that have not already been started

[07:50:35] would go towards our personal property taxes to me it's it's just a counterintuitive bait and switch. It's a sales pitch to placate the citizens after all this data center controversy. Matt Harris gave a good presentation about wanting to raise the ratio of commercial to residential tax base but yet if you if you pass this

[07:51:15] proposal the net income from what I understand from data's would all of it would go towards property tax decrease, so the net in the Treasury at the end of it all is zero.

[07:51:36] So you're going to tell me that we're approving data centers with no net increase to the Treasury to go towards schools, roads, infrastructure? Is that correct?

[07:51:53] I don't see anybody's head shaking except Jessica's. Mr. Eusel, your three minutes are up. Well, I'm going to say a couple more things.

[07:52:08] As I said, the benefit of this proposal is a net zero to our Treasury, Chesterfield County Treasury. And yet the county, maybe not you guys, but the county is pushing with a "one for schools" proposal on our ballot in November for us to pay for more school problems, more schools.

[07:52:47] This is what I say to that. you can come up with some argument that data centers are going to benefit our schools, our roads, our infrastructure, I'll say no to that proposal too.

[07:53:06] Thank you. Good evening. Gail Christie, 42-year resident of Chesterfield County in the Clover Hill District and at the risk of sounding like a broken record.

[07:53:30] This code change frankly feels like a bone being tossed to mollify a public that opposes data centers in our community. There are pressing needs in our community. Schools, for one example, infrastructure roads that could benefit from these funds. In addition, we only became aware of this proposal when it hit the news yesterday, and a public hearing 24 hours later at 11 p.m. is hardly an adequate way to solicit meaningful public input that would allow thoughtful and responsive

[07:54:04] consideration of such an action. Why the rush? Were alternatives considered? Where's the transparency? Unfortunately, this appears to be one more example of the board acting without regard to public input. I think there needs to be further discussion and consideration before any decision

[07:54:26] is made. Thank you. Got to stop this. Renee Eldred here. First of all, this isn't my first time I've here this long. I've sat here a whole lot longer, and public comments are always, always, always, for decades been at the end of the agenda. That's where they've always been. I mean public hearing,

[07:55:04] yeah, sorry. But if we're going to have data centers, we might as well get something out of them. Me personally, I don't particularly care to pay the car tax on my vehicles, especially since the amount of them that I have, but anyhow, if we're going to have them, we might as well utilize them to our benefit. If that is a reduction in car tax, it's less money out

[07:55:38] of my pocket. If they don't want, and if I'm not mistaken, this was advertised last week in the paper, so it wasn't added to the agenda today or yesterday. I don't know what to say.

[07:55:58] If the citizens don't want it, don't give it to them, but I'd love to have it. Thank you. Steve Meadows, Dr. Miller on the board.

[07:56:21] It is pointed out like the gentleman before me. You have a proposal to increase taxes, and then you have a proposal to decrease car taxes, which is probably the least of our taxes that we pay, whereas we can get some money from the data center and do away with the 1% increase in sales tax.

[07:56:45] I think you need to look over all of this together to see whether this is even worthwhile. I agree that we should give some incentive to the citizens of Chesterfield County as to their tax burdens. The one of them is to not do a 1% increase in our sales tax.

[07:57:09] You know, you have income coming in, use that. Thank you.

[07:57:22] Jenny Castle, and I'm a homeschool mom, and I'm tired, so I know you're tired, so I'll be quick so we can go home. But the data center tax, I feel like, is a let's play catch-up. We're behind in something, like our schools, and we didn't think about this when we first made a deal, and now we're trying to figure this out.

[07:57:41] The data center tax, if you cut my property tax, that's $68 is what I paid this year because I drive old cars. So you don't help me out much. It doesn't help me do much of anything because what can you do with $68? Can't even take my family out to dinner.

[07:57:58] But my electric bill has gone up $200 a month since they started infrastructure increases. That hurts. Let's add another 1% to all the shopping that I do to support my family. That's going to hurt. I really think we need to look at this tax allocation and think about how is it really going to impact the community.

[07:58:18] Our schools, our kids, our families, they're all going to be super impacted by the 1% increase. I think Google has a responsibility to be the good neighbor, to help take care of our schools, and not just Google, but every data center.

[07:58:34] They are hard on our infrastructure, hard on our area. They're not loved, but if they do something good, that might change. Thank you. It's late, so I won't keep you.

[07:58:52] I do agree with the opposition that's been spoken prior to my speaking here, but I think enough questions have been raised. I listened to the afternoon session and the discussion that Mr. Harris gave and the questions that were brought up by the board by Mr. Engel tonight about incremental and not counting the CARISA and all the funds for the data centers would go to this.

[07:59:16] I don't think the citizens really want to see this tax go directly to the CAR tax. I think it needs to be goaded, just like Mike Uzell said. You're just, it's placating, it's trying to placate the data.

[07:59:32] So as you double advertised it, you really didn't put it out to the public that well. All you're hearing here is just feel on point and it's all that. A lot of people didn't, don't read that newspaper anymore, don't even get it digitally. So, you know, you haven't really fully explained.

[07:59:49] It seems to be a lot of questions you have yourself. and I think you should defer it until more discussion. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else would like to speak to this? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing.

[08:00:07] It's back before the board. Is there any discussion? Mr. Engel. Madam Clerk, when were the announcements published in the newspaper?

[08:00:22] August 12th and August 19th. And I know you can't answer this question. I was actually hoping that some of the other citizens would share when it hit social media, because I know it hit social media on August 12th, not that we advertised it through social media, but social media had conversations starting on August 12th, so it's not something that just came out in the last 24 hours and that was jammed onto the agenda.

[08:00:58] When I voted to approve the data centers at Sky and Locke last year, my comment was the reason that I think we should bring the data centers in is to reduce the burden on our citizens. If we reduce the burden by lowering the real estate rate, then that's actually one of the higher revenue sources from the data centers. So you don't want to lower the real estate rate on the

[08:01:30] data centers with the data center money. If you lower it on anything else except for on the cars, It's not going to bring all the data center revenue in.

[08:01:49] That's where the thought process was to get the maximum return to the citizens through the car tax. The data center revenue is not enough to replace the 1% if that's the way the citizens decide to go.

[08:02:11] But the county has not asked the citizens to vote yes or no on the 1%. We are sharing all of the information, and you can look at the list of information and decide what the pros are for you and your family, and the cons are for you and your family.

[08:02:31] And the citizens are going to make a decision on the 1%, which is absolutely not connected to the item on our agenda tonight. They're two separate issues. If we were to come up with a solution tonight and pass it tonight on the data centers, then that would be where the data center revenue went.

[08:02:56] If the referendum in November passes, then that would be how we would fund some school opportunities and major maintenance. That would be the way we would fund it. If it doesn't, then that same stuff will have to take place at some point in time through a bond revenue.

[08:03:17] I mean, a bond referendum in the future. The next bond referendum that could be done is, as stated by Mr. Harris, somewhere around 2031, 2032, which would mean that all those items that are out there that could be funded with the 1% won't be able to be funded until then.

[08:03:42] So it would be a huge delay. But each family, each citizen that's going to vote in November needs to look at all the facts, figure out what their pros and cons are, and make that decision for themselves. When I voted for data centers, I voted on them because my thought process was if data centers are raising your cost in one form, say in the form of a power bill, and we don't have any data centers in Chesterfield County,

[08:04:20] then you're still going to have the increase in your power bill because it's not an increase because there's data centers in Chesterfield County. It's an increase because there's data centers in Virginia. The SEC sets the tax rate for the whole state based on users for the whole state.

[08:04:39] Now, they've done a couple good things this year. They have raised the rates on high-volume users, but quite frankly, that's going to raise our cost for power for the county because we're a high-volume user, but it does put the burden back more on the larger users than the residential user, and that is a fair way to take care of the burden that's created

[08:05:14] with high-volume users that generate more cost to the infrastructure. They also are now looking at increasing the rate for how much the data centers have to pay for the infrastructure itself that's going in.

[08:05:36] And I do believe that the data centers should cover their cost of the increase to the grid and that the SEC should approve an increase to the high volume users for their increased cost to the grid as well.

[08:05:53] So I think that's two things that the SEC is either done or is working on right now that are in a positive direction. But again, they set the rates, and the rates are going to be based on the consumption in the whole state.

[08:06:10] If we have data centers in Chesterfield, and my logic when I voted to approve them was, I can use that revenue to cut your taxes to offset some of the other costs that you're experiencing. And if I have no data centers in Chesterfield County, I have no ability to cut your expenses through your taxes in Chesterfield County.

[08:06:34] And that's why I did it, and that's why I've been in support of coming up with the most impactful way that I could to reduce your costs on taxes in Chesterfield County. If someone else has a better way to do it, I'm open to having that discussion.

[08:06:51] but the data centers most people here today would say they've cost them more money if we don't give that money back from the data centers in Chesterfield County then we're just we're not helping them to get that offset so that that to me is why I voted for data centers and why I've supported the effort that we have on the agenda tonight but if the board chooses to take some more time to

[08:07:24] work through it, then so be it. I mean, I think that it's a good idea. I think we should do it, but if we need to take some more time to look at it, I'm okay with that. Any other discussion? Dr. Hilton.

[08:07:41] So one, I want to thank staff for preparing this report and ongoing conversations that we've had. Now, speaking to my colleagues, I feel like we need more time to look at this. We need more time to study it. We need more time to listen to the community.

[08:07:59] and I think having another meeting with community input would be important so we can hear what the community has to say. We just, we can't get ahead of the people that we serve, and I believe if we voted on it tonight, we would get ahead of the people.

[08:08:20] Ms. Snyder. I think based on the conversation we had earlier today, I mean, you know where, I mean, I'm definitely, I don't know, leaning against this is not an equitable thing. I mean, especially given that not everybody owns a car, not everybody has personal property tax.

[08:08:43] I just think that this is something that we haven't, to what Laquan just said, had enough time to, I mean, I feel like this was not talked about enough as to what would be the best use for these dollars.

[08:09:04] I mean, I wrote down something before, because we just met with St. Francis today, and we were talking about, they said we could really use a homeless shelter in Chessfield County. And again, I mean, for me, those are the types of things that we should be investing in, things that, you know, can support the people that live in the county or, you know, Henrico did a great thing with affordable housing.

[08:09:34] I mean, for workers that work for the county. I'm just simply saying that I just think that there's a lot of better ways that would cover things that we should be paying for or making available as resources in the county and is reducing a personal property tax the best way to do that. So I agree that we should defer this and talk more about it. When we considered data centers, I had the same thought process as Mr.

[08:10:11] Engel did, that if we could move the needle on the commercial side, how can we provide tax relief to the community. We discussed whether or not we could reduce the tax rate from 89 cents a hundred to something lower. Well, who's done that? Well, Loudoun County has a tax rate of 80.5 cents.

[08:10:34] They have 250 data centers, 250. They get a billion dollars in revenue a year, Loudoun County does, a billion. They're still the most expensive county in the United States of America to live, still even getting a billion dollars. Look, if you don't believe me, go to their website and look at the information. When given a choice of data center in my district or 1,800 homes, which could have been proposed on that property, I made the choice of saying, what's better? What's going to

[08:11:11] give us the best opportunity for the highest and best use to give tax relief to the community? Everybody thinks we're like greedy up here. We're just trying to get tax money. It's not the case. Trying to actually cut taxes for the community. As assessments go up, and they have, we've adjusted some of the rate, but not as low as we'd like to go. We obviously know that. And as Jessica said, there are other bills within the county. As some of the speakers said, there are other schools

[08:11:43] projects that have sat for years in the county. The voters in 2022 and in 2013 approved two bond referendums. In the 2022 bond referendum, besides schools, they approved for fire stations and police stations. We've been renting police stations for 30 years. Renting a police station. We don't rent anything else. We rent fire stations. We rent police stations. Now, because of the voters, 75 percentile who voted yes, we're going to build police stations finally. And our police officers who serve the community will have forward-facing stations to serve the community out of.

[08:12:23] Instead of, and this is what I don't like about renting police stations, it means that somebody who owns that property is making money off the taxpayer renting a building to the community for a public safety station. And that's what we did for 30 years. Thanks to the taxpayers who voted for the bond referendum, we can change that. But in that bond referendum, the board of supervisors had to make priorities about working with the school system, what those priorities could look like. The other projects that are part of this 1% are projects that got left behind.

[08:12:59] They got left behind, Matoka Elementary School, Matoka Middle School got left behind because we had extensive growth going on in the western part of my district. With MAG Green, it was approved in 91, Harper's Mill was approved in 2000, Fox Creek, Foxcroft, Foxfire, Ashbrook Landing, I could name a bunch more but that's where the data set the data-driven decision was made that we had to have the schools to deal with that issue so the priority on that bond referendum was schools and public safety and yes as that debt gets paid down in the future we can use that money to we could we could do another bond referendum to try and deal with these with these

[08:13:38] others what Mr. Engel said earlier if people don't want to vote for the tax increase don't vote for it eventually someone's going to have to come up with the money to build those projects and the money coming in from the data centers is not going to be enough to issue bonds to move those projects forward. So they will wait until the next bond referendum. And then people will say, well, look what the county's doing with the additional money coming in from the data centers. They're just greedy and they're spending it on new programs and new things and funding new things with it instead of giving us a tax break. Because I get it on both sides. We get the phone calls from people complaining about their taxes. I don't blame them one bit. People complaining about personal property

[08:14:18] tax. I've not met anyone yet. Maybe tonight I have. But up until now, I've never met anybody who said I don't mind paying my personal property tax bill. I've not met anybody who said I love the car tax bill. I love writing that check in June every year. I've not met one. So when we looked at this as a way to effectively give back to the community, meaningfully, it was that's what the consideration was for. It's not a gimmick. It's not. Now, if you If you own an older car, you're right, you're not going to get as much back.

[08:14:53] Absolutely right. But I do think that more community members need to have an opportunity to weigh in on this decision, as opposed to, like they said, not enough people here tonight, late in the evening.

[08:15:13] Not enough people knew about it. I do think that more community members need to have an opportunity. Maybe we'll get more people to come out and say no. I think a lot of people are going to come out and say yes. But I think it's worth deferring this, holding the community meeting we did, deferring it to the next board meeting, and maybe even a little further out, if necessary, to holding some community conversation meetings with the community and giving them an opportunity to come forward and tell us what they think about it.

[08:15:42] Truthfully, that's where I stand. Thank you, Mr. Carroll. Any other thoughts? Ms. Schneider. So I don't know if anyone has seen the thing that they do, and there's an organization that does a thing in the city. it's called the community bank or whatever and so people can put you you have a bunch of different ideas of what they want the money to be spent on and people put coins in each of the buckets to determine i mean whenever we do engagements i just think it's an interesting idea you know giving people ideas of or opportunity to you know give feedback of what they want to do with it and i

[08:16:17] think that's a a good feedback type way with get the citizens involved thank you senator any other thoughts? I appreciate the comments this evening. You know, this is a decision. I want to kind of go back to what Mr. Ingalls said, and why would we go ahead and make the decision to have the data centers come here? As far as Midlothian is concerned, we touched on it a little bit this

[08:16:51] evening in the presentation. I mean, ultimately, the seller of the property was going to sell it to a FedEx distribution facility. And the chances of it becoming a distribution facility were substantial because we lost to the BZA.

[08:17:10] When I was elected, the first decision I needed to make, Mr. Minks came to me and said, what do you want to do about FedEx? And my answer to that is, I don't know anything about FedEx. What's going on?

[08:17:27] And the challenge, of course, is that to bring 1,000 trucks plus onto our roads every day, 24-7, was going to fundamentally change Midlothian, fundamentally change.

[08:17:47] Looking back on it, I guess the politically expedient thing to do would have been to just say, well, we'll just let circuit court figure it out. And I would have been able to just say, hey, circuit court figured it out. And I could have taken the easy road. Instead, what I decided to do was to look what other options were available.

[08:18:08] Instead of FedEx, we know that they landed in New Kent. And so if New Kent wants to have them next to Buc-ee's and all the rest, it was substantially smaller than what would have happened here at Midlothian. But the truth is we needed to find someone else.

[08:18:25] And we know, as you saw this evening, it's pretty much scorched land. I mean, I think that's the word you used, Mr. Smith, Jesse. I mean, it was industrial land. And so the idea was, if we can find a better use for the land that was going to have more of a positive outcome for Midlothian, I'm all in.

[08:18:50] Far is going to be better than a FedEx facility with thousands of trucks 24-7 rumbling through the village, rumbling down Midlothian. And turning 288, even more traffic out there. Something that Mr. Carroll said, you know, you have to make some choices.

[08:19:10] There isn't a day that goes by where folks are complaining or concerned about the rate of growth. And 1,800 homes in there was going to be a big thing. You know, when we were going to put in the east-west, we took that out to try to figure out a balance on that.

[08:19:30] So it was an option. Mr. Engel and I, we were both thinking about the same thing, was, well, how do we show our folks, those that we serve, that there was going to be a possible immediate payoff and that you would put more money into y'all's pockets? And that seemed like a way to go. I still think so as to whether we're going to defer it this evening. I could see the logic in, you know, continuing the conversation

[08:20:06] as to whether we want to put it toward affordable housing or something like that, or shoot, we want to put it right all of it into sidewalks. I guess that's a possibility, too. There are many different choices that we can make.

[08:20:23] I know I drive a very fairly old car that's 11 years old at this point, and I'm scared to buy another car because I'm not going to be able to afford the car tax, let alone the cost of it. So I'm very hesitant to purchase a car for that reason.

[08:20:44] As for the 1%, well, the challenge is that for Midlothian, we have a 103-year-old school that's falling apart, and we can wait for the next referendum.

[08:21:01] The last referendum only made space for half of a middle school. That's it. The other half was going to be selling the land, and I've been hesitant to do that. there's less green space in Midlothian than in our other districts. And so I've always thought that the land for which the middle school currently sits, I've been calling it Midlothian green. I think it's an opportunity to be able to create more green space with the lake there, with Locke, and with the mines. And I would love for that to happen. But I think we're going to

[08:21:39] have a choice. We'll find out in November what Chesterfield wants and where our priorities are. I said it this afternoon, I'll say it again, that Henrico didn't go for the 1%. Why didn't they? Because they already voted for the 4% meals tax. We don't have a meals tax. We don't. And so this was an opportunity to work toward how we were going to catch up with those schools that frankly had fallen behind. So going back to the topic, we're in a position this evening to defer.

[08:22:20] We can continue to have the conversation, but whatever we decide, we'll continue to have a conversation about data centers. There are a lot of questions that have already been asked. There'll be additional questions that we'll try to answer, and the questions will keep coming in, and we'll do our best to respond to them so that we can identify whether we made a good decision or not.

[08:22:50] What I do know is that the data center is a better choice than a FedEx distribution facility in Midlothian. All right, so we've been, you know, we're talking about this for a little while. The question is, I guess at this point, I hope we've closed the public hearing.

[08:23:11] This has come back in front of the board. And so we're going to need a motion. and I am hearing my board and the motion that I would like to make is that I don't think we're ready to make a decision about this this evening. I would like to continue the conversation and I'd like to defer it to our September 23rd, if I remember correctly, meeting and we'll continue to have this conversation. So let me ask for a second. Second. So moved. I hear a second. So all

[08:23:43] in favor? Can you say aye? Aye. I hear it and we're going to defer until our next meeting. Madam Clerk. D to consider a code amendment to the zoning ordinance chapter 19.2 and chapters 4, 6, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Mr. Jenkins. Good evening Mr. Chair, board members, Dr. Catlin. This is a public hearing on updates to the new zoning ordinance chapter 19.2 otherwise known as ZOMOD. This amendment does several things. First it incorporates

[08:24:16] Several mandates related to land use and development and zoning that were passed by the State General Assembly during the 2026 session. The amendment also makes several corrections to the zoning ordinance that staff has identified since the effective date of the ordinance on January 1 of this year.

[08:24:34] The amendment also makes several map corrections for properties that received an incorrect or inappropriate zoning district during the conversion from the old zoning ordinance and districts to the new zoning ordinance and districts. And lastly, it updates all references to the zoning ordinance that are found throughout the rest of county code, changing that reference from chapter 19.1 to chapter 19.2.

[08:24:59] I'm happy to answer any questions on the contents of the amendment before or after the public hearing. Thank you. Thank you so much. Board members, are there any questions for staff? Everyone, this is a public hearing to consider a code amendment to the zoning ordinance, chapter 19.2 and chapters 4.

[08:25:21] 6, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue? If so, please come forward and state your name.

[08:25:43] Renee Eldred here. I did have a couple of questions that I'm hoping can be answered. I should have done this a while back, but I lost track of time. There are several amendments to, it looks like, medical-type facilities and where they go.

[08:26:08] I did not see where methadone clinics fall in that. I don't know if they were considered. We do have one on Route 1, so I was kind of curious as to where they fall in the plan.

[08:26:31] They've also changed trailers on single-family lots, on single lots, and I don't see whether or not they're given a seven-year timeframe now before they have to come back and re-figure whether they got a permit to be on the lot or not, I didn't know if that had changed.

[08:27:03] Also with the food vendors, one of the things is that they need permission in writing from the owner of the property where they're sitting. I'm wondering if by chance, because I don't even know if all the food vendors know the rules and regulations as to how long they can stay, hours of operation.

[08:27:27] But in getting permission from the landowners, they should also know what the rules and regulations are if they're having somebody on their property to sell. That they should know how many days they can be there at one time or during a week and what hours of operation are.

[08:27:47] So I was kind of wondering if that was something that could be added to the permission, and I was kind of wondering how you actually regulate that for the code enforcement officers.

[08:28:03] You know, just telling them it has to be in writing doesn't necessarily give the code enforcement what they may or may not need to do what they have to do, and I think that's But like I said, should have done this earlier, but I just have those kind of, those three questions if they may or may not be in there, so thanks.

[08:28:35] Thank you. Any other one, anyone else who would like to speak to this? With that, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board.

[08:28:51] Is there any discussion? And I think we'll just go right back to staff. Thank you. Yeah, I can answer those questions. First off, methadone clinic is otherwise known as a medical assistance treatment service. MATS, it is in the use matrix, is a conditional use, which means it has to come before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, so it's in there, just called by a different name.

[08:29:17] The second question on manufactured homes, part of the changes to manufactured homes in this amendment comes from the General Assembly mandate that manufactured homes be treated similarly to single-family dwellings, anywhere a single-family dwelling is permitted. There are a few requirements that the manufactured home be converted to real property, and it has to be built within the past five years.

[08:29:38] But otherwise, manufactured homes are now allowed on other properties where residential single-family dwellings are allowed. There is still a process to go to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a manufactured home that doesn't meet those criteria. And the Board of Zoning Appeals does continue to hear those cases for the seven-year approvals and renewals.

[08:29:59] The last question on mobile food vending, we discussed some potential amendments to the parking arrangements on property for mobile food vendors, but the Planning Commission ultimately decided to table that discussion for a later date, and so there are no changes to the parking arrangement for mobile food vendors.

[08:30:19] We're just moving the use from the principal use matrix to the accessory use matrix to clarify that there should be a principal use on the site where a mobile food vendor is operating. So I hope that answers Ms. Eldred's questions. Thank you. Any other questions for staff?

[08:30:41] Let's go ahead and make a motion. Would someone like to make that motion? So moved. All right. I hear a motion. And can I get a second? Second. I hear a second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. E to consider approval of lease amendments for the airport fixed base operator lease with Vantage Aviation.

[08:31:03] Mr. Neal. Good evening. Good evening. Mr. Chair, members of the board, Dr. Catlin. I'm here for the approval of the lease amendments for the fixed space operator lease with Vantage Aviation at the airport.

[08:31:25] There are four items part of this public hearing. First is to adjust the percentage of monthly fees collected from Vantage. Currently, we retain a 6.5%.

[08:31:40] We're talking about increasing that to Vantage retain 6.5% of the money that's collected. We're proposing to increase that to 10 percent, cover the additional costs for credit card billing and administrative services, and that percentage has not been adjusted since 2020.

[08:31:58] And the second item is to increase the transient ramp fees, and it's important to note that the transient ramp fees are for those aircraft that are not based at Chesterfield but that are coming in, but there are also conditions that where the fees are waived for that, and And the scale of the fees are based upon the size of the aircraft.

[08:32:22] Smaller aircraft require less staff and equipment to handle, where the larger corporate aircraft that are coming in require more equipment and more personnel to marshal those aircraft in for servicing.

[08:32:39] With that proposed change and that proposed graduated scale, we are looking at being able to get additional revenue from that proposal. And then the other item we have is starting to receive fees from video production services.

[08:32:56] Occasionally, we'll get requests for video companies to come out and do movie shoots, commercials, and things of that nature. Currently, we do not have a fee structure in place to charge for that. So we're proposing to put in that fee structure so we can obtain revenues for those efforts that are primarily based upon the staff time and services that are provided.

[08:33:22] And then the last item of the public hearing is to have a lease of 288 square feet of space, lease that out to Vantage for their use in the terminal building. I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have.

[08:33:40] Any questions for staff? No questions? All right, everyone, this is a public hearing to consider approval of the lease amendments for the airport fixed base operator lease with Vantage Aviation. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue?

[08:33:55] If so, please come forward and state your name. Seeing none, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, I'd like to have a motion, if I could.

[08:34:11] Motion to approve. I hear a motion to approve. Second. Can I get a second? I hear a second. All in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. F, to consider the conveyance of county property at 4731 Black Oak Drive. Mr. Smith. So the board's approval is required to convey any property.

[08:34:30] This is one of those we acquired through eminent domain to abate blight. So similar to the one we did on Sheldad Drive in Midlothian and then most recently Ram Circle, we would like to convey this to Habitat to then convey to a qualifying new homeowner.

[08:34:47] I know Dr. Hilton has also expressed interest that we try to find a way to see if we can get this to a, perhaps, county employee, school's employees, or someone of that nature. So, we're going to work with Habitat and Maggie Walker, Community Land Trust, to see, just to ensure that those folks are aware of this and see if we can get somebody in one of those spots into this new home.

[08:35:08] So, this one is in the Dale District, and again, happy to answer your questions. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Smith. Board members, are there any questions for staff from Mr. Smith? All right. So thank you. Everyone, this is a public hearing to consider the conveyance of county property at 4731 Black Oak Drive. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue? If so, please come forward and state your name.

[08:35:33] Renee Eldred, this is a good idea, getting blight and fixing it up and selling it. I just wish we could find a different process that didn't take so long, because this is what, been two years now?

[08:35:52] Yeah. Whatever we can do to shorten it would be really helpful. Thanks. Thank you. Anyone else who'd like to speak to this? All right, seeing no one, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing. It's back before the board. Is there any discussion?

[08:36:08] Mr. Chair. Can I go ahead and get a motion? Is there a discussion? Just a quick, quick comment. You know, I just want to make sure that people know that we want to, at least me, I want to support the employees and support us and trying to find an employee on the county payroll, whether that's in the county proper, if we can say that, or in schools.

[08:36:33] I think this is a great opportunity to have someone as public service, public safety, teacher, you know, to live within the county that they serve if they choose to. So I want to make sure that we give our home team first dibs on this opportunity, especially since the county is putting up money and making sure that this is an opportunity for affordable housing.

[08:36:59] So I want to give it to our home team. Thank you, Dr. Hilton. Any other comments? Could I please get a motion? I've got a motion to approve. Can I get a second? Second. I hear a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. G, to consider the abandonment of a portion of Meadowville Road State Route 618.

[08:37:19] Ms. Snow. Ms. Snow, thank you for hanging out with us this evening. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Dr. Catlin, this is a public hearing to consider the abandonment of a portion of State Route 618.

[08:37:38] Lego Manufacturing has requested this abandonment as there is no longer any need for the portion of the road. Public hearing is required to abandon State Route 618. The request has been reviewed by staff and approval is recommended after the public hearing. Any questions for staff?

[08:37:58] Seeing none, everyone, this is a public hearing to consider the abandonment of a portion of Meadowville Road. This is State Route 618. Is there anyone who would like to speak to this issue? If so, please come forward and state your name. Seeing none, I'm going to go ahead and close this public hearing.

[08:38:16] back before the board. Motion to approve. I hear a motion to approve. Can I get a second? Second. I hear a second. All in favor of me. Aye. All right. Anyone opposed? Madam Clerk. Item 19, 15-minute citizen comment period on unscheduled matters. We have no speakers.

[08:38:33] Item 20, closing announcements. Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I have a question for Mr. Engel. What exactly is the record at this point for the longest meeting? I think the Shady Hill meeting went at least this long or close to it.

[08:38:48] We're not there, and so that is okay. I just want to check in. Hey, board, thank you. I do want to say, though, that at least one citizen stayed in there with the Turners and Renee tonight, so that went noticed by me as well.

[08:39:05] Thank you. Yeah, it's not easy. Any other announcements around the board? Madam Chair or Madam Clerk? Mr. Chair, we need a motion to adjourn to September 23rd at 2 p.m. in room 502 of the county administration building.

[08:39:21] Can I get that motion? How about a second? All in favor? Aye. We stand adjourned.

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