Kevin Carroll and Chip Carbiener are running for the Matoaca seat on the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of discussions with the candidates vying for seats on Chesterfield County’s Board of Supervisors. Four of the five districts are contested going into next month’s election.
Incumbent Kevin Carroll and his opponent Chip Carbiener are facing off in Chesterfield’s Matoaca District to represent the area on the county Board of Supervisors.
Carroll and Carbiener have opposing perspectives on the value of big-ticket economic development projects. And while Carbiener would like to see the board slow down on its approvals of development in general, Carroll sees a need for greater commercial development on Hull Street west of Otterdale Road in particular.
Carroll pointed to major economic development projects by toymaker Lego, indoor farming company Plenty and nonprofit drug maker Civica as wins for Chesterfield that will serve to diversify the county’s tax revenues thanks to funds collected from their operations in addition to the jobs they will bring. He would look to support more major projects if he is re-elected.
“As we move forward, we need to continue to identify these types of companies we can bring in and put them in the right place so they can continue to have these economic development opportunities and work regionally with regional partners on this,” he said.
Carroll said that he is interested in seeing and supporting rezoning proposals to bring additional commercial development, including small businesses to the Hull Street Road corridor west of Otterdale Road.
Kevin Carroll
New commercial development there, as well as around the Rockwood Park area, would serve to provide more amenities to residents in the immediate areas. In doing so, Carroll contends, there would be less congestion on Hull Street Road as people would have more options closer to home.
“We need to have conversations with the development community to ensure that projects coming forward will enhance the community. What we need on the western side of Hull Street is commercial development,” he said. “Redevelopment of the Rockwood area will bring revitalization to that section of Hull Street.”
Carbiener said that if elected he would seek to slow the rate of rezoning approvals by being less receptive to exemptions requests for projects.
“I don’t think the comprehensive plan in Chesterfield is that bad. It’s the constant approval of exemptions to (the zoning ordinance),” Carbiener said. “I get tagged as a no-growth person. What I continue to say is that what I would support is responsible growth, that the infrastructure and county services grow in parallel with the growth.”
Carbiener would like to see the county put greater emphasis on small businesses and direct less energy toward landing large commercial projects and multi-use development.
“I think economic development in Chesterfield should be focused on supporting small businesses more appropriate for serving a suburban and rural county. By that I mean, more local businesses, family-owned restaurants. Give the county some character instead of an endless march of mixed-use developments down the major thoroughfares of the county.”
In regard to the rate of development in Chesterfield, Carroll said the county is obligated to approve rezonings that follow the comprehensive plan and that lack a legal justification for rejection. He said most proposals that make it to the board have been vetted by that point, and that it’s common for proposals to be nixed in preliminary meetings and conversations before they embark on the formal approval process.
Carroll is supportive of giving supervisors the ability to consider requests to build new public roads to serve housing developments that would rise on properties with the agricultural (A) zoning designation. Currently, the board is prohibited from considering such proposals.
Carroll said the staff proposal that he and the rest of the board recently rejected needed more work. He said a change along those lines would provide less-dense housing options. He contrasted the current limitations on home building on agricultural zoned property with the relative ease of coming forward with a rezoning request to change the designation of such land for a denser development.
“If you want to come in and bring a (rezoning) case with density you can do it all day long,” Carroll said. If you want to come in and do an agricultural (development) project, the county has a rule you can’t put in a road so you can’t do it.”
Carbiener said he didn’t support efforts to loosen development restrictions in agriculturally zoned areas. He would vote against it if a proposal similar to the one that the board effectively tabled were to come back to its consideration.
Carbiener supports a return of racing to Southside Speedway, as does his opponent Carroll.
“There was and is a place for the Speedway. It’s something more uniquely Chesterfield, if you will, that sets it apart from some surrounding communities,” Carbiener said.
Carroll said the county’s ongoing efforts, such as the Economic Development Authority’s acquisition of the site and the recent request for proposals, are positive steps toward finding an operator that can return auto racing to the now-shuttered track in a way that’s financially feasible.
“I want somebody to come forward with a development proposal that is financially responsible, that will return racing to Chesterfield County so that the fans and the community have this track which was great at one time.”
Carbiener was critical of the county’s ongoing effort to revamp its zoning ordinance, saying that it needs greater community input and that efforts to simplify the document are unnecessary. He would seek to table the project until an update of the comprehensive plan can take place, which is a recurring update that state law requires take place every five years.
Chip Carbiener
“The comprehensive plan should be updated as required with community input and the zoning ordinance should support and complement that plan. We’re working on a zoning ordinance before we’ve updated the comprehensive plan,” Carbiener said.
Carroll said exemptions are common in rezoning cases because the county’s ordinance is outdated, and the update process involves a review of practices in other jurisdictions to see what’s a good fit for Chesterfield.
“My request (of the county’s consultants) was that they bring to us what’s the best of what’s going on (in other municipalities),” he said. “People don’t want, and I agree, they don’t want to turn Chesterfield into other communities.”
Carroll said one of his goals for his next term, should he be re-elected, is to strike out a proposed east-to-west freeway that’s included in the county’s comprehensive plan. That roadway would take the form of a six-lane roadway that would run from western Route 360 to I-95 north of Colonial Heights.
The county’s comprehensive plan calls for a series of mixed-use nodes that would run along the proposed roadway. Taking the idea off the table would manage future development along the southern rim of the county, Carroll said.
He said he would work to set the stage for a vote by the board to strike out the transportation proposal from the county’s planning documents.
“I plan to have a community conversation to discuss the east-west freeway and have a vote,” he said. “There are some in the development community who may not like that because they think we need it for future growth.”
Carbiener said he felt there should be an audit of Economic Development Authority projects, both ones that are underway and ones that are complete, because he questions the return on investment of the authority’s efforts.
Carroll, a Republican, was first elected to the board in 2019. He is a retired police officer who served with the county’s police force for more than 30 years.
Carbiener, an independent, is a retired civil engineer who worked for Disney, and in his last post at the entertainment giant oversaw a project management team that handled projects at Walt Disney World theme parks. Carbiener was also involved in the Magnolia Coalition, a group that opposed last year’s rezoning of the Upper Magnolia Green property near Moseley to set the stage for a technology park development.
Election Day is Nov. 7. Early in-person voting is already underway.
Kevin Carroll and Chip Carbiener are running for the Matoaca seat on the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of discussions with the candidates vying for seats on Chesterfield County’s Board of Supervisors. Four of the five districts are contested going into next month’s election.
Incumbent Kevin Carroll and his opponent Chip Carbiener are facing off in Chesterfield’s Matoaca District to represent the area on the county Board of Supervisors.
Carroll and Carbiener have opposing perspectives on the value of big-ticket economic development projects. And while Carbiener would like to see the board slow down on its approvals of development in general, Carroll sees a need for greater commercial development on Hull Street west of Otterdale Road in particular.
Carroll pointed to major economic development projects by toymaker Lego, indoor farming company Plenty and nonprofit drug maker Civica as wins for Chesterfield that will serve to diversify the county’s tax revenues thanks to funds collected from their operations in addition to the jobs they will bring. He would look to support more major projects if he is re-elected.
“As we move forward, we need to continue to identify these types of companies we can bring in and put them in the right place so they can continue to have these economic development opportunities and work regionally with regional partners on this,” he said.
Carroll said that he is interested in seeing and supporting rezoning proposals to bring additional commercial development, including small businesses to the Hull Street Road corridor west of Otterdale Road.
Kevin Carroll
New commercial development there, as well as around the Rockwood Park area, would serve to provide more amenities to residents in the immediate areas. In doing so, Carroll contends, there would be less congestion on Hull Street Road as people would have more options closer to home.
“We need to have conversations with the development community to ensure that projects coming forward will enhance the community. What we need on the western side of Hull Street is commercial development,” he said. “Redevelopment of the Rockwood area will bring revitalization to that section of Hull Street.”
Carbiener said that if elected he would seek to slow the rate of rezoning approvals by being less receptive to exemptions requests for projects.
“I don’t think the comprehensive plan in Chesterfield is that bad. It’s the constant approval of exemptions to (the zoning ordinance),” Carbiener said. “I get tagged as a no-growth person. What I continue to say is that what I would support is responsible growth, that the infrastructure and county services grow in parallel with the growth.”
Carbiener would like to see the county put greater emphasis on small businesses and direct less energy toward landing large commercial projects and multi-use development.
“I think economic development in Chesterfield should be focused on supporting small businesses more appropriate for serving a suburban and rural county. By that I mean, more local businesses, family-owned restaurants. Give the county some character instead of an endless march of mixed-use developments down the major thoroughfares of the county.”
In regard to the rate of development in Chesterfield, Carroll said the county is obligated to approve rezonings that follow the comprehensive plan and that lack a legal justification for rejection. He said most proposals that make it to the board have been vetted by that point, and that it’s common for proposals to be nixed in preliminary meetings and conversations before they embark on the formal approval process.
Carroll is supportive of giving supervisors the ability to consider requests to build new public roads to serve housing developments that would rise on properties with the agricultural (A) zoning designation. Currently, the board is prohibited from considering such proposals.
Carroll said the staff proposal that he and the rest of the board recently rejected needed more work. He said a change along those lines would provide less-dense housing options. He contrasted the current limitations on home building on agricultural zoned property with the relative ease of coming forward with a rezoning request to change the designation of such land for a denser development.
“If you want to come in and bring a (rezoning) case with density you can do it all day long,” Carroll said. If you want to come in and do an agricultural (development) project, the county has a rule you can’t put in a road so you can’t do it.”
Carbiener said he didn’t support efforts to loosen development restrictions in agriculturally zoned areas. He would vote against it if a proposal similar to the one that the board effectively tabled were to come back to its consideration.
Carbiener supports a return of racing to Southside Speedway, as does his opponent Carroll.
“There was and is a place for the Speedway. It’s something more uniquely Chesterfield, if you will, that sets it apart from some surrounding communities,” Carbiener said.
Carroll said the county’s ongoing efforts, such as the Economic Development Authority’s acquisition of the site and the recent request for proposals, are positive steps toward finding an operator that can return auto racing to the now-shuttered track in a way that’s financially feasible.
“I want somebody to come forward with a development proposal that is financially responsible, that will return racing to Chesterfield County so that the fans and the community have this track which was great at one time.”
Carbiener was critical of the county’s ongoing effort to revamp its zoning ordinance, saying that it needs greater community input and that efforts to simplify the document are unnecessary. He would seek to table the project until an update of the comprehensive plan can take place, which is a recurring update that state law requires take place every five years.
Chip Carbiener
“The comprehensive plan should be updated as required with community input and the zoning ordinance should support and complement that plan. We’re working on a zoning ordinance before we’ve updated the comprehensive plan,” Carbiener said.
Carroll said exemptions are common in rezoning cases because the county’s ordinance is outdated, and the update process involves a review of practices in other jurisdictions to see what’s a good fit for Chesterfield.
“My request (of the county’s consultants) was that they bring to us what’s the best of what’s going on (in other municipalities),” he said. “People don’t want, and I agree, they don’t want to turn Chesterfield into other communities.”
Carroll said one of his goals for his next term, should he be re-elected, is to strike out a proposed east-to-west freeway that’s included in the county’s comprehensive plan. That roadway would take the form of a six-lane roadway that would run from western Route 360 to I-95 north of Colonial Heights.
The county’s comprehensive plan calls for a series of mixed-use nodes that would run along the proposed roadway. Taking the idea off the table would manage future development along the southern rim of the county, Carroll said.
He said he would work to set the stage for a vote by the board to strike out the transportation proposal from the county’s planning documents.
“I plan to have a community conversation to discuss the east-west freeway and have a vote,” he said. “There are some in the development community who may not like that because they think we need it for future growth.”
Carbiener said he felt there should be an audit of Economic Development Authority projects, both ones that are underway and ones that are complete, because he questions the return on investment of the authority’s efforts.
Carroll, a Republican, was first elected to the board in 2019. He is a retired police officer who served with the county’s police force for more than 30 years.
Carbiener, an independent, is a retired civil engineer who worked for Disney, and in his last post at the entertainment giant oversaw a project management team that handled projects at Walt Disney World theme parks. Carbiener was also involved in the Magnolia Coalition, a group that opposed last year’s rezoning of the Upper Magnolia Green property near Moseley to set the stage for a technology park development.
Election Day is Nov. 7. Early in-person voting is already underway.
If I ran for Office I would run on the idea of turning the land into a massive 2,000 acre site into a public park and to take sidewalk and road funding to the moon.
I am a Chesterfield resident, just not in this Matoaca District. What I see in our own District is a huge number of multi-family developments either in the form of Townhouse or Apartment buildings which of course are higher density per-acre than single family. There’s mention of roads and other infrastructure needed here in their plans for growth, but I need to review the Comp Plan to know where the Board intends to add an appropriate amount of additional schools to support the already overcrowded schools with all of this development. In my eyes and regarding my District, we’re already… Read more »
Kevin Carroll is spot on with his projections for the future of Chesterfield. His plan WILL grown small businesses because when the county embraces economic development and larger projects that benefits and grows all of our smaller businesses and attracts the cool restaurants and amenities folks along 360 are begging for.
It’s actually because of the massive growth on 360 west of 288 that was a deterrent for us when considering a move just before the pandemic. To us, the traffic was not worth it when thinking of daily lives to get to any errands, school events, work, etc. Adding a new highway to Colonial Heights is odd to hear when it’s other corridors that need improvement for people who work in the city or other points north of the 360 corridor as evident by the daily massive 288 south backup to get to Hull Street west.
I avoid Hull Street at all costs I think they need to fix Hull Street by closing off a lot of the driveways with service roads and replacing the stoplights with interchanges.
What would be Kevin Carroll’s plan for sidewalks and road funding in that Chesterfield County only has 5 million a year in community connectivity funds for local neighborhood sidewalks. But it’s giving the Powhite Parkway 160 million in one year for a 2 to 3 mile extension with 750 million dollars down the road at a later phase after that. Would he support the idea of raising the sidewalk funding to 30 to 40 million a year to make up for a lot of lost time And prioritize building sidewalks and pedestrian crosswalks on Route 60 and Hull Street and… Read more »