The mystery million: Anonymous donor’s gift may help Chesterfield brace for projected Midlothian growth

At a community meeting last week, Chesterfield officials made a surprising reveal — an anonymous donor has offered $1 million to the county.

While no checks have been signed yet, officials want to put it toward a 40-acre, $10.5 million property on Coalfield Road for future development of Midlothian High School. 

That donation would be stretched over three years, and its provider requested anonymity. They don’t want recognition and didn’t leave stipulations for how the money should be used.

The county has been trying to adapt to population increases before they happen. Chesterfield welcomed nearly 30,000 newcomers between 2020 and 2025 — triple the increase in Henrico County and Richmond City. Midlothian’s predicted growth has also played a major role in deciding where the new West Ridge High School sources its student body. 

If Chesterfield doesn’t soon purchase the land near Midlothian High, it may be virtually impossible later on without extensive condemnation. 

The Coalfield Road site was previously considered for Midlothian Middle School’s on-again, off-again development — which would be accelerated if voters pass a 1% sales tax increase in November. But it’s now likely off the table as two other locations have taken the lead. 

“I’ve been seeing it as being good ancestors,” Midlothian Supervisor Mark Miller said during a Tuesday interview.

“I wish people had been thinking 30 years ago about Midlothian Middle School. They weren’t. And so let’s think ahead in regard to the high school.”

Property owners eager to sell

For one of the 12 plots’ owners, Joseph Beauchamp, this will hopefully end a seven-year back-and-forth.

“Initially, when we got involved, we thought it was the best site for Midlothian Middle,” he said.

“I don’t care what the county does with the property at this point. Either buy it or let us sell it to somebody else.”

Beauchamp’s plot was home to the Spiritos School for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and in 2019, he and the neighboring plots’ owners looked to sell. 

Between 2021 and 2022, it was considered for a new middle school. The 2022 bond referendum originally financed the project, but cost inflation and hesitation kept things in the waiting room. Having three schools so close together raised concerns over excess traffic in the area, Beauchamp said. Come 2023, Coalfield Road negotiations officially fell through.

The county’s comprehensive plan recommended the plots be developed into housing. So, the plots’ owners contracted with Stanley Martin Homes. The company crafted plans for a senior community — which, compared to a middle school, would invite less traffic. 

During its April 21 meeting, the Chesterfield Planning Commission considered a proposal to transform the site into 157 senior living dwellings. This was unanimously recommended for denial because the development’s age limits didn’t make it an ideal neighbor to Midlothian High and Watkins Elementary. 

“How much longer do we have to wait before we can sell our property?” Beauchamp asked. “A housing development is what the comprehensive plan suggests for the area. There's housing developments all around it, and yet we’re being held back.”

The last step in the senior community’s rezoning process is a final vote from the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. It was originally on the agenda for the board’s May meeting, but was unanimously pushed to August. The supervisors said they needed more time to consider the case before a decision.

But during that August board meeting, Miller moved to postpone the vote again — this time to Nov. 18. His fellow board members again unanimously approved.

“The 55-plus (neighborhood) is needed in the community, no doubt about it,” Miller said Tuesday. “I’m not sure that’s the right place for it.”

If the county were to buy up Beauchamp and his fellow property owners’ land, it would have to go through Stanley Martin.

New Midlothian Middle School seeking a site

The two sites being considered for the new Midlothian Middle School are 500 Old Hundred Road (which is 3.5 miles from the current middle school) and 1101 Otterdale Road.  

In an Aug. 10 interview, Miller indicated that, of the three options, he was most interested in the Otterdale Road location. He said it would make the middle school more accessible to the Salisbury neighborhood, and planned road construction would connect it even further.

“It’s really going to be much more convenient to be able to get to the middle school than it was,” Miller said in August.

But Otterdale Road is within a mile of a data center, which sparked concern from parents following the Sept. 16 community meeting.

Janet Lachowsky, Beauchamp’s wife, attended that meeting — which marked the first time the couple learned of the anonymous $1 million. When asked about the donation, Beauchamp said he has “no idea what that’s about.”

On Tuesday, Miller said the 100-acre Otterdale Road site remains the front-runner for the future Midlothian Middle. A reasonable price plus expansive greenspace are giving it an edge — especially since Chesterfield wants to buy the Coalfield Road plots as well.

“We need to make sure we have the funds available to purchase both properties,” Miller said. “That’s a conversation that needs to be handled on another level. I feel pretty confident that those dollars are there to do that, but everything is always shifting and changing.”

Contact Eleanor Shaw at eshaw@richmonder.org. She is a Report for America corps member.