A site plan of the Belmont Green subdivision, oriented with the bottom side as north. (County documents)
Belmont Golf Course could be getting new neighbors with a subdivision that’s in the works across the street from its clubhouse.
Henrico-based builder The Kittrell Co. is planning an 18-home subdivision on just over 8 acres across Hilliard Road from the Belmont Recreation Center that anchors the former 18-hole course that’s now managed by First Tee of Greater Richmond.
The partly wooded, mostly undeveloped site is beside the midpoint of the century-old course, which First Tee converted to a 12-hole course and 6-hole short course when it acquired Belmont from Henrico County five years ago.
The 8-acre site is next to the 12-hole course south of Hilliard, which bisects Belmont. The site also is near the path of the planned Fall Line Trail that would run along the west side of Belmont and dogleg on Hilliard over to Brook Road.
Kittrell is seeking a rezoning to allow smaller lots on the site, which is zoned for residential development and consists of a 7-acre tract and a smaller parcel with a house at 1605 Hilliard Road.
The company purchased the parcels Dec. 20 from seller Elizabeth Craig in a deal that totaled $1.25 million. Henrico had assessed the parcels at about $340,000 combined.
David Hamnett (Image courtesy Kittrell Co.)
President David Hamnett said the company was comfortable going forward with the purchase because the land can be developed, albeit with bigger lots, under its existing R-2 residential zoning. The requested change to R-4 would allow for up to 18 smaller lots.
“You can already put a subdivision back there, but R-2 would be big lots and big houses, which doesn’t really conform with the Lakeside area,” Hamnett said. “We’re trying to rezone it to R-4 and be able to do smaller lots and smaller homes, to make them more affordable and fit in with the rest of the neighborhood.”
Hamnett said the one- and two-story houses would range in size from 1,600 to 2,700 square feet, each with three or four bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms. Most of the homes would have a one- or two-car garage.
The homes would be built as lots are sold and at prices that he said have yet to be determined. Hamnett said a cost estimate for the development has not been finalized.
The existing house would be retained and renovated with the development, called Belmont Green, which would have one access off Hilliard leading to two cul-de-sacs. A 25-foot-minimum landscape buffer would separate the new homes from the golf course and other adjacent properties, and parts of the site would be reserved as green space.
Sample elevations of the one- and two-story homes, most of which would have one- or two-car garages.
A county staff report notes that Kittrell held a community meeting at the rec center in early December. About 15 attendees voiced concerns about traffic and other potential impacts from the development.
“In our talks with the neighbors, we decided to keep the existing house there, which gives it the same appearance from Hilliard Road, and have the newer houses back behind it. Our plan is to renovate that and keep that as part of the subdivision,” he said.
“There have been some concerns with what is going in, but after the community meeting and explaining everything, people seem to understand that that land was going to get developed one way or another, and with the plan we have, it conforms better and will look better for the neighborhood and the golf course.”
Hamnett, whose father Bill founded Kittrell four decades ago, said the company has been active primarily in and around Lakeside, where it developed the eight-lot Rock Hills subdivision off Lourdes Road and other individual homes in the area.
The Henrico Planning Commission is set to consider the rezoning request at its meeting Thursday. If recommended to and approved by county supervisors in February, Hamnett said it would be about a year before site work could start. He said build-out would likely take a year to 18 months.
Kittrell is working on the project with engineering firm The Bay Cos., which drew up the site plan. One South Commercial’s Chris Corrada and Justin Sledd brokered the land sale.
Belmont Green would add to other new residential development in the area. Farther north, Texas-based Mark Dana Corp. recently completed its Brook Villas apartments near St. Joseph’s Villa.
I’m happy to see that the scale of the proposed homes fits within the context of Lakeside and that affordability is a focus. Great location.
This style of small 18 lot subdivision would work with in a mile of Powhatan Courthouse and could be linked into the sidewalk system. The trouble with a lot of developers in Powhatan is they propose things that are way to big in one sitting and will most likely not pass the planning commission.
Justin Sledd and I represented the seller on this transaction who lived in on the property for 75 years! It’s a great outcome for her and we are excited to see David’s development come to life.
Congrats, nice work Chris!
Great idea to put the new houses behind the existing ones along Hilliard. I like the scale of the newly proposed houses but I do not like the huge garage doors that overpower the whole front facade.All in all though this seems like a win.