County planner updates status on Genito Road development

Posted December 23, 2025 at 9:35 AM, Filed Under: All News, Front Page, Meetings

By Greg Pearson

Assistant Planning Director Steve Donohoe with Chesterfield County provided a PowerPoint presentation to 52 members and guests of the Brandermill Region Men’s Club on December 4th concerning the planned development on Genito Road from the Waterford Shopping Center to just east of the former Southside Speedway.

Townes at Waterford

The ten-acre site was approved for rezoning for 125 townhomes from I-1 to residential multifamily by the county board last month. It is located on Waterford Lake Drive in the Waterford Office Park and wholly within the Brandermill community. Residents will be paying monthly assessments to the Brandermill Community Association and will be eligible to use Brandermill amenities, including the community’s three pools. With the zoning approved, the heavily treed acreage has been transferred to the DR Horton, which will build the residential community.

Ice Arenas

The 8.5-acre site is located in the southwest quadrant of the interchange of Route 288 and the Powhite Parkway. Street access will be off Tredegar Lake Parkway. It will be named The Ice Box with two skating rinks, and the site does not require rezoning. The Ice Box will be built in two phases and designed for open skating, skating lessons and hockey practice, games and tournaments at both rinks. The popularity of youth hockey teams and the accompanying tournaments is growing rapidly, making hockey team practice sessions difficult to schedule on the existing facilities.

The Lake

Donohoe called the water park “a very ambitious project.” Under construction in the northwest quadrant of the crossing of Route 288 and Genito Road, access to the project is hampered by the lack of direct access to Genito from 288. County officials have said they are talking to VDOT management about waiving restrictions to provide that access in both directions. For safety reasons, VDOT policy restricts interchanges to high speed, divided highways from being within one mile of each other. The 288 intersection with the Powhite Parkway is to the north of Genito.

The Lake zoning calls for 700+ multifamily residences, 100,000 square feet of office space, one or possibly two hotels and 150,000 square feet of entertainment uses, including an amphitheater and outdoor surf facility. Developer Brett Burkhart has pledged 200+ events annually, when completed.

But the project has stalled. A November 25th headline in Richmond BizSense read: “The Lake Project in Chesterfield hit with a lawsuit and liens.” The story in the online publication went on to report: “The developer of the massive lake-anchored project near Brandermill says he’s still bullish on the endeavor despite claims of unpaid work from contractors and a commercial brokerage, and construction having slowed in recent months.”

Asked about the Lake project, Donohoe said, “The county is working with developer to get it moving.”

XL Sports

The county board approved rezoning of 10.9 acres for the business to build two privately-owned soccer fields and the necessary parking last April. The site is located at 2300 Oak Lake Boulevard adjacent to the company’s existing facility. The business park is off Genito next to the former Southside Speedway.

Southside Speedway

Donohoe said he had nothing to report regarding the former speedway since the owners have not submitted any plans to the county. In recent months, a portion of the wooden fence around the site has been taken down, and it appears that at least some of the seating inside has also been dismantled.

Hamlet at Falling Creek

The Middleburg Companies has begun marketing its residential mix of 365 rental and owner-occupied, single-family homes in the development that backs up to Falling Creek. The development also includes some single-family lots for sale. The Hamlet is located on the north side of Genito Road just east of the Oak Lake Business Park. The acreage fronting Genito is zoned for 35,000 square feet of commercial development.