Henrico supervisors shoot down 370-home development proposed near Wyndham Forest, citing area’s overcrowded schools

Westford Glen, a proposed residential complex of 370 townhouses and single-family homes in western Henrico, will not see the light of day after the Henrico Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected the plan Dec. 2.

Along with many other rezoning cases this year, the Westford Glen proposal sparked community debate about the future of new housing in Henrico, with some Three Chopt District residents pointing to the area’s already overflowing school populations while other residents highlighted the county's dwindling housing supply.

The 76-acre development, proposed east of the Wyndham Forest subdivision, would have included up to 330 townhomes and 40 single-family homes near the intersection of Nuckols Road and Hickory Park Drive. The development would have yielded around 164 K-12 students, according to Henrico Schools’ projections.

But several residents of Wyndham Forest, the subdivision just blocks away from the proposed site, said that county officials were relying on the presumption that townhomes do not yield many students – a presumption that they said was often incorrect in the Three Chopt District, where families will consider almost any type of housing as long as it is within the boundaries of certain schools.

“Families move into this area because of the schools, not because of the homes,” said Wyndham Forest resident Kim Edwards. “A lot of the folks that live in the townhomes live there because there was no single-family home to purchase.”

“Follow any school bus stopping at any of the numerous townhouses and developments, and observe the number of children that do live in townhouses,” said Jacqueline Dickerson, another Wyndham Forest resident. “It will surprise you.”

‘Development has gone on unchecked’

Rivers Edge Elementary, the closest elementary school to the proposed development, is already struggling with the current number of students enrolled, said Three Chopt District supervisor Misty Roundree. Some P.E. classes at the school have upwards of 50 students, and the school relies on four different trailers, with every single classroom in the building full. 

“I think about those families that are sacrificing so much to buy a home in the pursuit of a quality education that I fear will decline, because we’re not realistically addressing the crisis of school overcrowding in this district,” Roundtree said. “Building more housing to make things more affordable is good, but it has to be the right project in the right place at the right time.”

Families are already struggling with the current reality of West End schools, said one Wyndham Forest resident. And while the Henrico School Board is looking to implement redistricting, the proposal mainly shifts boundaries at the county’s high schools, and does not address Rivers Edge.

“My oldest son went to Rivers Edge and during his fifth grade, he spent the whole year in a trailer. He had to wear his jacket in the classroom all through the day [during] the winter,” said the resident. “We were told that there is going to be a redistricting done in a couple of years. The redistricting process is going through right now, and we all know the results. Nothing is going to happen.”

But the development would not be fully built out until several years later, said Hirschler attorney Jeff Geiger, who represents the developers. HCPS has predicted a decrease in enrollment at the elementary level over the next few years, and then enrollment is expected to creep back up to pre-COVID numbers. By the time the development would be built out, the state of school overcrowding could be much different, said Geiger.

“A lot of the viewpoints and perspectives offered tonight are about today’s experience. As we know, this project will not show up tomorrow. New students will not show up tomorrow,” he said. “I would submit to you that today’s experience will not be tomorrow’s.”

But Roundtree said that unchecked development is one of the biggest concerns of Three Chopt residents in recent years, and that approving too many housing projects will only push a problem further down the road.

“What I am dealing with as I sit in this seat now, in 2025, are the repercussions of projects my predecessor passed under that same logic, of this project will not be here tomorrow,” she said. “Probably the biggest concern of voters in Three Chopt was, we feel like development has gone on unchecked. It hasn't been smart. Our schools are getting overcrowded, our infrastructure is being overtaxed.”

Henrico facing an ‘urgent’ housing crisis, residents say

Several other Three Chopt residents, however, spoke out to the board in favor of Westford Glen, saying that more affordable housing in the district was desperately needed and would open the door to many new families eager to join the community.

“As a parent, I see firsthand how many families want to be a part of this county, but simply cannot find a home they can afford in western Henrico,” said Tracey Jameson, a Three Chopt resident. “I want my children to grow up in a community that plans ahead, welcomes others and continues to invest in its future.”

“Today’s housing shortages are not abstract policy problems, they are real barriers preventing the next generation from putting down routes here,” said land acquisition manager and Three Chopt resident Matthew Glover. “Henrico County is facing a clear and urgent housing imbalance.”

Developers had promised the county that if passed, the proposal would include about 5% of homes that would be a part of the county’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The remaining residences would be priced starting in the $400,000 range and upwards.

Developers had also committed to making significant road improvements to Nuckols Road and Hickory Park Drive. A third traffic lane would be added on Nuckols Road to address current traffic backup in the corridor, and both a sidewalk and right turn lane would be added to Hickory Park Drive. The proposed development would only use 6% of the traffic capacity of the intersection once improvements were made, said Geiger.

“Not one house will be built until we build the third land, and [once] we do that, this whole area will see a dramatic improvement in how vehicles travel on Nuckols road,” he said. “You will get through in one cycle of [traffic lights]. That third lane is instrumental to adding the capacity that is absolutely needed.”

Henrico County has conducted a traffic study of the intersection area, but has not yet designed any road improvement projects, and would likely need to acquire some land from private property owners, said county officials.

But Roundtree said that regardless of traffic issues, school overcrowding in the area remained unaddressed by the proposal. Parents will continue to flood the West End area to access the schools and amenities, and overcrowded schools remain a pressing issue for the district, she said.

“My fondest desire is that we have equity and equality throughout Henrico County, so that folks don't feel like they have to live in one section of the county in order to have a really high quality education,” she said. “But that is the perception right now. And frankly, the reality to some degree.”