Q. We need more affordable housing. How is this being addressed?

A: Recognizing the Richmond region has a severe shortage of quality residential units that are affordable to people with low and moderate incomes, Chesterfield has formed partnerships with local nonprofits to pursue a number of innovative solutions in the housing space –
including revitalization of the Bermuda Estates mobile home community, construction of affordable single-family homes at Ettrick Landing and expansion of the Winchester Greens campus on Route 1.
Because the price of housing is market-driven, affordability is a challenge when demand exceeds supply as it does currently. Another reason so many townhomes and condominiums are being built is they are affordable to people who want to own a new home but aren’t
financially ready for a single-family home; in many cases, they’re able to build wealth through equity and eventually can upgrade to a larger property as their families grow and their needs change.

Q: I am concerned about the increase I see in growth. Why is all this new construction,
especially apartments and condos, being built?

A: Chesterfield’s growth rate countywide is about 1.5% annually. In the Bermuda District, it’s slightly higher at 1.8%. Both are sustainable and indicative of a healthy, desirable community.
The new workers who are moving to Chesterfield form the talent pool that makes the county attractive to businesses such as LEGO, which will produce 1,761 new jobs at the precision manufacturing facility it is building in the Bermuda District’s Meadowville Technology Park.
Construction of apartments, condominiums and townhomes is driven by market demand, primarily from two groups: people in their mid-to-late 20s who don’t yet have children and either don’t want or can’t yet afford a single-family home, and those 55-and-over empty nesters who are downsizing out of a larger home and looking for a maintenance-free lifestyle.

Q. Growth is seen as hampering the quality of life for residents. Why is growth seen as
beneficial to the county?

A: Just in the past year, Chesterfield has landed three major economic development projects – LEGO, Plenty and Civica – that will bring a combined $1.5 billion in capital investment and more than 2,100 jobs to Meadowville Technology Park. These are innovative employers who offer competitive salaries and will bolster the economic fortunes of residents in the Bermuda District.
After many years without one, and much to the delight of longtime residents, Chester also now has a first-class movie theater and a growing number of retail businesses around the intersection of Routes 1 and 10. Additional economic development opportunities will be coming to the Bermuda District in future years, drawn by the deep pool of available talent and access to regional and interstate transportation networks.

Q. What is being done to address the new apartment, condominiums and neighborhoods that
bring additional residents on the roadways which increases congestion?

A. Chesterfield’s proposed capital improvement program for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 calls for a historic investment of nearly $362 million in local funding toward transportation improvements. That’s more than three times the amount allocated to roadway projects in the county’s most recent CIP. It includes $153 million for construction of the first phase of the Powhite Parkway extension, a project that is critical for both alleviating congestion and pursuing future economic development opportunities at the Upper Magnolia Green site.
Not included in the current CIP is the more than $50 million that has been appropriated for construction of the Route 10 Superstreet project, which will mitigate traffic on a heavily traveled link between Interstates 95 and 295 and improve safety for motorists in the Bermuda District.

Q: How will the schools accommodate new residents’ children at the capacity our schools
have currently?

A: Even during a period of soaring construction costs, Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS) has completed construction of nine elementary schools and two middle schools since August 2018, all on time and under budget.
The citizens’ overwhelming approval of the Community Facilities Bond Plan last November will give Chesterfield the authority to issue $375 million in general obligation bonds for additional school capital projects – including the replacement of Bensley Elementary and expansion of Thomas Dale High School’s main campus.
Chesterfield previously approved a separate $130 million bond issuance to fund construction of two new middle schools, while the School Board’s approved capital improvement program for fiscal years 2024-28 includes funding for two additional elementary schools.
In preparation for this new construction, CCPS decided that all elementary, middle and high schools will be built to design capacities of 1,000, 1,800 and 2,400 students, respectively. This will create space to accommodate future student growth countywide.

Q. How are teacher shortages being addressed with competitive pay in mind?

A: Recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers isn’t just a challenge for Chesterfield, but for school divisions nationwide. Fewer high school students are pursuing education as a major and universities are graduating fewer teacher candidates these days, while an increasing number of teachers have left the classroom for higher-paying jobs in the private sector.
Chesterfield has aggressively addressed this issue by investing $79 million in teacher compensation over the past two years, implementing a new pay plan for teachers and raising salaries to the point that we now lead the Richmond region’s other large counties in all but a couple of early steps on the teacher pay scale.
To include fiscal year 2024, Chesterfield has raised teacher salaries by more than 20% over the past three years. These efforts have paid dividends in attracting new teachers to the county and convincing them to stay and build a career here.

Q. Why did Chesterfield County decide not to renew the curbside recycling program?

A: As a regional leader in environmental stewardship, Chesterfield recognizes the importance of recycling and its effectiveness in reducing the volume of household waste that ends up in landfills. The county wants a robust recycling program that is available to all citizens, predicated upon multiple choices at the lowest price possible. Because of rising costs, this is best accomplished by transitioning from a centralized curbside recycling model to one where citizens contract directly with private haulers for recycling collection, as they have done for many years with trash services.

There were no private-sector options for curbside recycling when the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) was formed in 1990 to help member jurisdictions meet a state requirement to divert at least 25% of household waste from landfills. In recent years, however, Chesterfield has seen several private haulers enter the marketplace offering bundled trash and recycling collection.
By introducing free-market competition into the process, residents who want to participate in curbside recycling ultimately will receive the best service at the lowest price. Shifting to a subscription-based model also will be more inclusive by making curbside recycling accessible countywide to residents living in townhouses, condominiums, and apartments – rather than solely providing service to single-family homes, as specified under the current CVWMA contract.
Chesterfield will save more than $2 million in fiscal year 2024 as a result of this change. That money is being reallocated to the school system to be used on operating priorities at its discretion.

Q: Why are my real estate and personal property taxes so high and what is the county doing
to address it?

A: Under Virginia law, assessments on real estate and personal property, such as cars and trucks, must represent 100% of fair market value. Thus, both are subject to market forces, such as the supply-driven spike in used car values that caused personal property tax bills to increase significantly in 2022. Likewise, because demand for housing in Chesterfield is still significantly outpacing the inventory of available properties, sale prices for new and existing homes remain strong even at a time of rising interest rates.
Cognizant of the impact of rising assessments on household budgets, Chesterfield incorporated $52 million in local tax relief into its operating budget for fiscal year 2023. This year, residents and businesses will receive a 5% rebate on real estate tax bills due in early June, in addition to another comprehensive package of tax relief measures totaling nearly $37 million.
Current projections suggest both real estate and personal property assessments should fall back to historic norms in 2024.