Plans to revamp the northern corridor along State Route 10 in Chesterfield County are moving forward, with county officials soliciting feedback from nearby residents at a meeting Tuesday night at the Beulah Recreational Center.
The plan — which covers a 3.5-mile stretch of Iron Bridge Road from just north of Cogbill Road, near Fire Station 11, to State Route 288 — is still in its earliest stages, with no current estimates for the cost or when development would begin. But the draft plan shared Tuesday emphasizes a desire for this section of Iron Bridge Road to retain a “unique feel” compared to other high-traffic corridors in the area: US 1, Midlothian Turnpike and Hull Street Road.
“The intention of this design guidance is to enhance the experiences of residents and visitors by shifting the focus away from auto-oriented uses,” the vision statement in the draft plan reads. “This design framework will help to promote connectivity for new developments, redevelopment, and infill within the corridor. Emphasis on pedestrian infrastructure improvements will assist with these goals and help to make the area more livable.”
“We did hear from members of the community that there’s a desire to get around without a car, or at least go shorter distances with a car,” said Brett Meadows, a senior planner with the county. “That could be on foot or on a bike.”
The county’s plan involves improving pedestrian infrastructure to make both existing and new developments more friendly to people on foot. It identifies the intersection of Iron Bridge Road and Kingsland Glen Drive and the area near Chesterfield County Airport and Harry G. Daniel Park as “strategic development nodes,” anchor points along the corridor where the county wants to prioritize high-density mixed-use developments with commercial businesses and amenities close to residences.
But that vision would require rezoning, and the plan acknowledges that some current infrastructure (including water and sewer systems) is not prepared to support increased density. Some residents, like Jerry Turner, who lives just south of the redevelopment corridor, are worried about overdevelopment in the area.
“The county is going to a lot of effort to increase the population,” Turner said Tuesday. “They’re not looking at the infrastructure. Twenty to 30 years from now, they’ll regret having all these apartments.”
A top of mind concern for many was the traffic. Margaret Burke, who lives in the Braxton neighborhood, told VPM News that there is already too much traffic along the corridor — and additional development would only worsen the situation.
“We’ve been a community there for over 30 years,” she said. “It’s a safety problem, quite frankly. When the traffic goes back and forth, it gets really thick. I wouldn’t get out there and walk at all. What we’re concerned about is if you put six lanes of road there, you might as well be in a box.”
She added: “It’s the only entrance or exit to our neighborhood.”
Public comment on the project is still open through the Chesterfield Planning website until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23.
