Front Page Archives
Chesterfield begins construction of flood wall around Swift Creek plant
Posted June 9, 2025 at 9:27 PMBy Greg Pearson
The 1,500-foot flood wall around the Swift Creek water treatment plant is under construction, and the four-month long pile driving effort is expected to start on or about June 20th. County officials report that 441 piles are to be sunk to protect the plant from flooding on three sides.
The noise from the pile driving will occur between 8 am and 6 pm on weekdays and be noticeable to nearby residents and motorists on Hull Street Road near the treatment plant. The pile driving will end after four months.
The flood wall will prevent flooding of the plant that has occurred twice in the past 7 years. Hurricane Michael flooded the plant in October, 2018 and put the plant out of service for a month.
And on August 15, 2020, an unnamed storm anchored over the Swift Creek Reservoir and dropped 11 inches of rain in a few hours. That torrential storm shut down the treatment plant for 9 months. Brandermill Country Club reported that the water rose to six feet above its 9th green, washing away part of its golf cart path of blacktop pavement.
The flood wall construction will cost $21 million, which includes an $8.7 million grant from
federal sources. Anne Urenda, a principal engineer with the Chesterfield Utilities Department,
said she didn’t know if the federal government might “claw back” any of its funding. Urenda and
Mike Larson, an engineering supervisor with the utilities department, were the featured speakers
at the June 5 monthly meeting of the Brandermill Region Men’s Club (BRMC).
The flood wall construction period is expected to end in July next year. The height of the wall will vary with some portions being 18 feet tall.
The second part of the speaker program for the BRMC covered a new, fourth source of drinking water. Currently, Chesterfield has three drinking water sources: Swift Creek Reservoir with a maximum capability of 12 million gallons daily (mgd); the Appomattox River Authority with a maximum capacity of 66 mgd; and the James River (from the city of Richmond) at 32 mgd. With a total of 110 mgd available, the peak usage for Chesterfield thus far on any day is 70 mgd.
Because Chesterfield is experiencing the fastest population growth of any county in Virginia, it recently purchased land near Point of the Rocks Park in eastern Chesterfield for a fourth water source. According to Larson, who is heading up the project for Chesterfield, there is the “potential for 80 mgd when the water treatment plant opens in 2033.” Currently, the county is conducting water sampling tests for the next two years.
Additionally, the county has already announced it is seeking to provide land for data centers to be built in the Westchester Commons development off Route 60 and also adjacent to the Magnolia Green community off Rt. 360. Data centers are known to utilize considerable water.
To see the 10-slide PowerPoint presentation on the developing water treatment plant, click here.
At the end of the BRMC meeting, there were reports of dead catfish and opened but dead mussels in Sunday Park from the club’s membership and guests. By email later that day, Larson reported “the [Swift Creek Treatment] plant has confirmed that they are taking regular samples of water in the reservoir and the water quality is suitable for treatment at our plant. The plant is aware of the observations of floating mussels. According to our Biologist, there are several factors that contribute to mussels surfacing. Weather, wind, water quality, temperature, depth, carp, muskrats are some of the factors. Overall, the amount of mussels is not too dissimilar to previous years, but this year has had a much narrower time window. Water temperatures have been warmer earlier in the year before dropping recently, and wind speeds have been slightly above normal this spring. Our Biologist spoke with Scott Hermann at the Department of Wildlife Resources, and he confirmed that this phenomenon has been observed at other bodies of water in Virginia this year. Mr. Hermann is going to discuss further with DWR counterparts who focus on freshwater mussels and will coordinate with the Plant staff.”
Annually, the BRMC goes on hiatus for July and August. The speaker for the September program will be Chesterfield Police Chief Edward Carpenter. Over the past 25 years, Col. Carpenter has been working his way through the ranks within the department. He will be addressing the BRMC at 10 am on Thursday, September 4th at the Brandermill Church.
County leaders explain upcoming budget
Posted May 5, 2025 at 11:58 PMBy Greg Pearson
Deputy County Administrator Matt Harris and Budget Director Gerard Durkin answered more than 25 questions from the audience who came to hear them talk about the FY26 Chesterfield budget that becomes effective July 1. Like other local governments in Virginia, the county board is keeping an eye on the financial uncertainty at the federal level and those monies that trickle down from the state government budget, which is still being determined by the state legislature.
About 80% of the $44 million increase in spending for Chesterfield’s budget goes into three buckets: $17 million for first responders (police, fire and EMS); $15 million for schools including a 3% hike in teacher salaries; and $5 million to offset spending on tax relief for the elderly and disabled.
While residents in the 360 corridor have focused on the growth of multifamily developments in the Midlothian area, Harris said the real population growth is further west surrounding Magnolia Green. The bond issues passed in 2022 will support the Deep Creek Middle School opening this August and a new high school nearby in 2027.
Despite concerns expressed by several participants at the meeting, Harris said, “The student population in Chesterfield is stable.”
The number of younger students is being offset by those who are graduating from the public school system, he explained. More schools are needed to serve the population growth in the western portion of the county. While there are more multifamily developments springing up, Harris pointed out that those units are typically only 1-3 bedrooms with few children.
Chesterfield has made some progress growing the commercial base of property taxes with that share increasing slightly to 22% with the balance from residential property owners. As a result of being known as a bedroom community, the county property tax rate — being reduced by a penny to 89 cents per $100 of assessed value — continues to be higher than neighboring Henrico County, which has far more retail and employment centers. Providing services for commercial developments is less expensive than residential, mostly because of schools.
Harris emphasized the three data centers in the Magnolia Green area and at the Watkins Center are making their way through the zoning process, which he said will provide employment at a low cost to those needed services from Chesterfield. The county utilities department is working on a new source of water from the adjacent Hopewell area. Currently, Chesterfield gets its water from the Appomattox River, James River and Swift Creek Reservoir.
Representatives of Chesterfield’s utilities department will present a program on the 1,500-foot flood wall being built around the Swift Creek treatment plant at the Brandermill Region Men’s Club (BRMC) meeting on June 5. The program will include updates on the fourth county water source plus the latest on the hydrilla problem and begin at 10 am at the Brandermill Church. The construction of the flood wall is slated to start later this month.
Given the lack of county news, the BRMC expanded the outreach of its speaker programs and made them available to any resident of Chesterfield County whether or not they were a member of the men’s club. The annual cost for senior men to belong is just $35/year and includes a Christmas party, picnic and numerous group outings at a nominal, additional cost. For more details, go to http://brmcva.org.
County outlines changes to zoning ordinance
Posted April 7, 2025 at 11:35 PMBy Greg Pearson
Chesterfield County is preparing its citizens and businesses for a change in zoning names but is concerned that they may think the comprehensive re-write of the zoning ordinance — called ZOMod — will affect the status of their current properties.
There will be a name change, said Assistant Director of Planning Steve Haasch but “we are not changing the current zoning.”
Haasch, Planning Manager for Chesterfield’s Comprehensive Plan Rachel Chieppa and Chesterfield’s Zoning Administrator Thomas Jenkins conducted a program that outlined the county’s draft plan before the Brandermill Region Men’s Club (BRMC) at its April 3 meeting. The BRMC invited non-members and a total of 63 persons attended.
A re-write of the zoning ordinance follows the updated comprehensive plan completed in 2019. Much of today’s zoning ordinance was written in the 1970s, and the re-write will improve the efficiency and transparency, providing for a “wider range of housing choices,” said the county planners.
The major processes of zoning and site plans will remain the same. So will most of the development standards (signs, fences, landscaping and building designs), notifications to the public and enforcement process. The density of developments will continue to be determined by the comprehensive plan.
The presentation made before the BRMC precedes additional community meetings on ZOMod:
- April 10 — Providence Elementary School
- April 16 — Cosby High School
- April 17 — Beulah Recreation Center
- April 21 — Matoaca High School
- April 22 — Midlothian Middle School
- April 28 — Thomas Dale High School, West Campus
The PowerPoint presentation made by county staff to the BRMC can be viewed HERE.
All BRMC meetings may be attended by any resident of Chesterfield County and begin at 10 am at the Brandermill Church. Deputy County Administrator Matt Harris and Budget Director Gerard Durkin will present a program on the newly adopted FY26 budget on May 1. The FY26 budget takes effect July 1.
On June 5, representatives of the Chesterfield Utility Department will explain the need for constructing a 1,500 foot flood wall surrounding the Swift Creek Water Treatment Plant and provide an update of water quality standards and hydrilla control in the Swift Creek Reservoir.
Assistant Director of Planning Steve Haasch
Rachel Chieppa is the Planning Manager of Chesterfield’s Comprehensive Plan
Chesterfield Zoning Administrator Thomas Jenkins
Hedge funds defeat rental control bill
Posted March 7, 2025 at 10:07 PMBy Greg Pearson
State Senator Glen Sturtevant expressed disappointment that his bill to prevent hedge
funds from buying up homes was defeated during the 2025 General Assembly session that ended
in late February. His bill made it out of a study committee but “was killed” by the Senate
Finance Committee even though he called it “bipartisan.”
“A lot of money was lined up against it,” he told the Brandermill Region Men’s Club (BRMC) at its March 6 meeting.
According to Sturtevant, hedge funds currently own 4,000 single-family homes in the Richmond metro and their presence continues to grow locally. The latest real estate data from Redfin reports that in the second quarter of 2024, investors bought 45% of the lower priced homes nationwide. Those residences are often starter homes for young couples and also where seniors settle as they downsize in later life.
With cash on hand, those institutional investors are spending billions to target suburban neighborhoods, preferring to purchase proprieties in specific areas to better control rental rates. Since hedge funds are buying homes with all cash purchases that had been previously owner- occupied, that creates even fewer homes for sale and drives up the cost of home purchases. Those Wall Street hedge funds see investment opportunities for their clients given the declining availability of affordable single-family homes.
In other comments, Sturtevant reported:
- For a bill that passed both the State Senate and House of Delegates that would prevent landlords from being able to ask tenants about any criminal record, he predicted it would be vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
- A bill passed by both legislative bodies legalizing marijuana retailing was also going to be vetoed by the governor.
- Sturtevant also opposes a bill that would allow county and state employees to unionize and possibly strike.
- He predicted more data centers being built throughout Virginia because they are “cash cows for local governments.” While counties like Chesterfield don’t have to build roads or schools for their support, data centers do require a lot of energy and water and can be noisy to their neighbors. Zoning requests are pending here.
Republican Sturtevant represents the 12th District, which includes much of Chesterfield County and all of Colonial Heights. He graduated from Catholic University and has his law degree from George Mason University. He serves on the Senate committees of local government, transportation and privileges and elections. He and his wife Lori have been married for 20 years and have four children – all adopted.
The BRMC meets monthly (except in July and August) at 10 am on the first Thursday of the month at the Brandermill Church. Due to the lack of local news, it opens its speaker programs to all residents of Chesterfield County.
On April 3, the Chesterfield County Planning Department will do a PowerPoint presentation of its proposed new countywide planning program with an emphasis on the Route 360 corridor.
On May 1, Deputy County Administrator Matt Harris and Budget Director Gerard Durkin will do a PowerPoint presentation on the FY26 approved budget. The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors will approve that budget by late April, which takes effect on July 1.
Chesterfield Sheriff outlines duties of his department
Posted February 13, 2025 at 3:43 PMBy Greg Pearson
Sheriff Karl Leonard explained the changes he has made in the Sheriff’s Office over the past
11 years to put the emphasis on treating mental health problems that most of the 400 inmates
suffer from on a daily basis. Those mental health issues are a direct result of closing down state
and federal mental hospitals back in the 1980s because those would-be patients now have no
where else to go.
According to Leonard, the average recidivism rate for local jails is 70%, but the HARP program implemented in Chesterfield has cut the rate to just 23%. Reducing recidivism cuts the cost of maintaining the jail, which currently runs $48,000 annually for each inmate.
HARP (Helping Addicts Recover Progressively) is a faith-based program initiated in 2016 “using peer-to-peer recovery models and re-entry services, including assistance with obtaining identification, healthcare and job readiness.” Because it has not shown to be effective for inmates who have committed sex crimes and murders, HARP is not used for that jail population. Leonard just returned from Rwanda last month where HARP was recognized for its success as one of three effective programs in the entire world.
Chesterfield’s program focuses on treating trauma created by drug addiction. That treatment includes prescription drugs, which the jail provides free to prisoners at a monthly cost of $25,000. During Covid, Leonard said his prisoners were safer to be in jail than being on the outside because the jail was controlled space. By state law, each prisoner receives a free copy of the daily Richmond Times Dispatch.
Asked about the jail’s working relationship with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Leonard said nothing has changed even with a new administration. Chesterfield provides records to ICE frequently including a week before and the day of an immigrant’s release. But ICE doesn’t pick up inmates, and Leonard believes that is because ICE is focused on sanctuary cities.
Leonard served 30 years in the Chesterfield Police Department, rising to the rank of major. Shortly after that retirement, he began another career with the Sheriff’s Office and was appointed sheriff in 2014 and then re-elected in 2019 and 2023. He announced he will be a candidate again in 2027.
Sheriff Leonard has a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from VCU and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. His office also oversees the operation of 17 court rooms at the courthouse facility. The 340 personnel in his office are responsible for 400 prisoners in the local jail and 500 at Riverside Regional Jail.
Leonard was the speaker at the February, 2025 meeting of the Brandermill Region Men’s Club. At the 10am March 6 meeting of the BRMC, State Senator Glen Sturtevant is the featured speaker. Sturtevant will do a wrap up of the 2025 General Assembly at the Brandermill Church. All residents of Brandermill and Woodlake are invited to attend.
Mark Early spoke at our January Meeting
Posted December 17, 2024 at 12:18 PMThe January 2, 2025 meeting speaker was VA 73rd Delegate Mark Earley, Jr..
Brandermill Country Club and the BRMC
Posted January 13, 2025 at 10:57 PMThe Brandermill Country Club and BRMC offer several opportunities during the year for entertainment and dinner at the clubhouse for members. The next opportunity is January 31st, when Pat O'Brien will be the entertainment. Contact Greg Pearson if you are interested in this event
The Powhite Parkway Extension will eliminate direct access to it from Brandermill Parkway
Posted May 11, 2024 at 11:30 AMBy Greg Pearson
The VDOT plan to extend the Powhite Parkway westward to Woolridge Road will cut off direct access to Route 76 from Brandermill Parkway. Brandermill residents and others will have to access the Powhite Parkway from its new intersection at Charter Colony Parkway.
That VDOT plan is in the initial stage of development to extend the Powhite Parkway without tolls, looping around to Route 360 further west near Grange Hall Elementary School. Members of the Chesterfield Department of Transportation (CDOT) explained the plan. The goal, reported CDOT Director Chessa Walker and Senior Engineer Bill Arel, was to relieve the traffic congestion in the Route 360 corridor, particularly during rush hours entering and exiting Route 288.
The extension of four-lane divided highway to Woolridge Road will cost $200 million with construction beginning in 2027 and taking two years to complete. The closing of direct access from Brandermill Parkway is required because of the close proximity to the Charter Colony Parkway intersection. Since it is cheaper to have a two-lane road elevated, Brandermill Parkway would go over the 4-lane Powhite extension. The roadway is in the planning stage so that could change.
January 4, 2024 Meeting
Posted January 13, 2024 at 10:07 PMOur January meeting featured State Senator-elect Glen Sturtevant. He briefed the Club regarding the upcoming session of the General Assembly. He stayed behind after the meeting to answer questions from individual members.
Summer 2023
Posted May 30, 2023 at 10:44 AMThe Club does not meet in July or August. In September we will welcome back Major Brad Baderow, CCPD, who will highlight policing issues in the county.