CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – After months of debate, the plan that would transform more than 2,000 acres of the Upper Magnolia Green neighborhood in Chesterfield has been approved by the county’s planning commission.
The plan would turn the area into a high-tech industrial center and new residential community, however, some residents are still concerned the project will have a negative impact on traffic flow and the environment.
A local environmental group president said that 20% of Chesterfield residents get their water from the Swift Creek Reservoir. He warned that one industrial accident could devastate the county’s water supply.
Resident Christopher Williams lives off of Otterdale Road and is fed up that there haven’t been major improvements to the road and that none are included in the plan.
“Otterdale Road is just a nightmare. I always call VDOT to get it repaired. There have been no major improvements on Otterdale in the eight years that I’ve been there,” Williams told commissioners in a meeting Tuesday.
Williams said his main concern is the amount of traffic that will be added to Westerleigh Parkway and Otterdale Road. He said construction trucks will be driving up and down the parkway where residents live and children are walking near the road.
“I had a gentleman in a vehicle run into me and break my leg in two places and I had to learn to walk again, and his first comment was, Otterdale was a terrible road with no sight distance,” he explained.
Two commissioners wanted to allow 30 more days before voting, but the idea was shot down.
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors will have final say over the project.
