This Week in Chesterfield

Chesterfield County's draft updated comprehensive plan proposes roughly 10 percent less residential density and 7.5 percent less commercial density countywide, with the biggest reductions in Bermuda and Matoaca districts south and west of Route 288.

The county expanded its real estate tax relief program to help more seniors and disabled residents starting next year.

Virginia state law now prevents localities from banning solar development, requiring Chesterfield County to establish its own regulatory rules for solar projects.

Publix Super Markets announced it will open a 50,000-square-foot store in Midlothian's Shoppes at Old Hundred, creating approximately 140 jobs.

Publix supermarket is opening a new location in Midlothian with plans to hire around 140 employees.

Chesterfield County officials announced that construction on the $565 million Powhite Parkway extension will begin this winter, with the nine-mile project slated for completion in 2034.

Waters Edge Winery Midlothian, the region's first location of a California-based franchise, opened mid-August at 2201 Chartermark Drive in Chesterfield's Midlothian area.

Pocahontas State Park now offers year-round kayak and paddleboard rentals through automated self-serve kiosks.

Chesterfield is moving forward with construction on the long-awaited Powhite Parkway Extension, with work potentially starting by late 2026 on two segments.

Chesterfield County Schools is redrawing high school attendance boundaries ahead of West Ridge High School's opening in August 2027, with the board weighing three proposals that would shift student enrollment across the district.

A Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission foundation launched in May helps local organizations and governments apply for state, federal, and philanthropic grants.

Two national sandwich chains, Capriotti's and Cheba Hut, are expanding their second Virginia locations in the Chesterfield and Colonial Heights area following early success.

Chesterfield County hosts four community events this week: planning input sessions Wednesday on the county's future and a school funding referendum, a free movie night Friday, and a history day Saturday.

Retired Matoaca Elementary teacher Tricia Johnson has been hand-delivering personalized packages of photographs, signatures, and poems to nearly 200 of her 400 former students from her three decades of teaching.

A bullet fired into the air pierced a Chesterfield County home off Simmons Branch Court on August 29, entering the master bedroom where the resident's daughter was sleeping, prompting investigators to seek information from the public.

A woman is charged with fatally shooting two VDOT contractors at a work site in Chesterfield County in July; authorities believe she fled to North Carolina.

A Chesterfield County family escaped injury after a bullet fired into the air crashed through their home's roof.

Thieves stole two HVAC units from Emmanuel Worship Center in Chesterfield, gutting them for copper and leaving half the building without air conditioning, with replacement costs estimated at up to $20,000.

Chesterfield Fire and EMS contained a garage fire on Stockleigh Drive on Saturday afternoon with no injuries reported.

A ruptured gas line prompted the evacuation of several homes in Chesterfield's Midlothian area.

Swift Creek Mill Theatre, closed since May 2026 after years of financial strain, is seeking $250,000 by the end of September to reopen in December with a scaled-down seasonal model centered on its popular holiday show.

Chesterfield County is covering GLP-1 weight-loss medications for about 8% of its employees as a long-term cost-management strategy, citing the drugs' potential to prevent more expensive chronic health conditions.

Chesterfield County ranked No. 2 in the 2026 Digital Counties Survey among mid-sized U.S. counties, reflecting its commitment to technology-driven government services.

Route 288 ramps in Midlothian will close nightly from September 8–10.

Midlothian resident Travis Snead is hosting community cookouts to provide hot meals to unhoused people in Chesterfield County.

A Midlothian resident is hosting free cookouts to serve meals to unhoused individuals in the Richmond area.