As it continues an expansion of a considerably larger project in the county’s northeast corner, a local housing nonprofit is extending its reach deeper into Chesterfield with an apartment development along Genito Road.
Better Housing Coalition recently broke ground on Horner Run Apartments, a three-story building with 49 income-based units that will rise just south of Genito’s intersection with Hull Street Road.
The $17 million development marks new territory in Chesterfield for the Richmond-based nonprofit, whose other properties in the county – Winchester Greens and the under-construction Winchester Forest – are concentrated along the Route 1 corridor.
Lee Alford, BHC’s multifamily development director, said the move westward was prompted by a land donation that set the stage for the apartments.
The 3-acre development site at 11000 Stigall Way was donated by members of the Horner family, who Alford said were involved in nearby commercial development and had held onto the undeveloped property. The donation included an adjacent half-acre parcel, 11041 Stigall Way, that will remain undeveloped.
Alford said one of the family members had worked as a case manager for Chesterfield’s Community Services Board, leading to a collaboration on the project between BHC and the county agency, which provides occupational support and other services for people with developmental disabilities, mental health concerns and substance abuse disorders.
“It was near and dear to their heart, so they were willing to donate the project site for this type of collaborative effort,” Alford said.
Resulting from that effort is an arrangement that eight of the 49 apartments at Horner Run will be set aside for CSB clients, Alford said.
“They’ve been a really strong partner of ours in terms of helping to get the county comfortable with the concept and working through the entitlements, and bringing a new kind of dynamic to what we have traditionally done, which has just been straight income-based housing,” he said.
All of the units will be restricted to households between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income. Alford said that comes out to between $29,880 and $44,820 for a single renter, and between $42,640 and $63,960 for a family of four. Monthly rents are expected to range from $500 to $1,400.
The three-story Horner Run Apartments Building will total 49 income-based units, eight of which will be set aside for clients of Chesterfield’s Community Services Board. (Images courtesy BHC)
Consisting of one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans, the units will range in size from 580 to 1,250 square feet, and each will include a balcony or porch. Planned amenities include a community room, a walking trail around the site and other recreational space. The site will also include 82 parking spaces.
Purcell Construction is building the apartments, which were designed by Winks Snowa Architects. Engineering firms involved include Balzer & Associates (civil), RTB Engineering (structural) and Diversified Consulting Group (mechanical, electrical and plumbing).
Also involved in the land donation was Chesterfield Alternatives Inc., a standalone organization that serves similar clients to CSB. BHC acquired the land in 2020 and secured zoning for the project the following year.
Capital for the project comes from a mix of sources including Virginia LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corp.), VCDC (Virginia Community Development Corp.), Virginia Housing, Chesterfield County, Commonwealth of Virginia, philanthropic grants and BHC equity.
A site plan shows the adjacent half-acre parcel across Stigall Way that will remain undeveloped.
Horner Run is targeted for completion by the end of 2024. Alford said he hopes it leads to additional opportunities in Chesterfield.
“We haven’t always been able to work in those parts of the county, and we really have gotten a warm reception from the leadership – both the elected officials and the appointed officials – in supporting this work,” he said. “We want more of these in the growing parts of the surrounding counties and areas of opportunity.”
The Horner Run site is just west of Chesterfield’s Rockwood area, where the county is implementing its Rockwood Special Focus Area plan that’s setting the stage for new development, including hundreds of residential units.
Meanwhile, BHC continues construction on Winchester Forest, a 160-unit addition to its 60-acre Winchester Greens campus off Route 1. The addition, which got underway last year, is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.
BHC also is planning a 166-unit development farther south on Route 1 at the site of the former Colbrook Motel property in Chester.
Outside Chesterfield, the nonprofit recently opened The Planet Apartments, a 67-unit building in Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood that Alford said is on target for lease-up by year-end. He said financing work continues for a 106-unit, $41 million complex it’s planning near Henrico County’s Eastern Government Center.
Site work also has started on the final phase of Highland Grove, a mixed-income development in Richmond’s Northside that BHC is developing with the Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority, the City of Richmond and others. Alford said construction for that project is expected to ramp up in the spring.
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