New Market Village at Rountrey is bracing for a major change that could disrupt our community’s quality of life and well-being: the proposed Powhite Parkway road alignments. The construction of alignments 1A & 1B (reference Conceptual Alignment 1 below) would significantly cut off our neighborhood's primary access to essential services and amenities, including Old Hundred Elementary School, Route 288, Westchester Commons, fire departments, hospitals, and even our community assets. This disruption poses a serious risk to the safety and daily lives of residents, especially with the expected population growth from a new development bringing an additional 350 homes to our area.

This issue is not just about roads and infrastructure; it’s about protecting the well-being of families, children, and the community we cherish. With increased housing density in New Market Village and neighboring communities, it's critical that VDOT re-evaluates its proposed plans. The impact on infrastructure would place considerable strain on families in both New Market Village and nearby neighborhoods, leaving many with restricted access to schools, emergency services, and necessary resources during construction.

Additionally, the proposed routes would disrupt one of the few remaining natural areas in our neighborhood. The small stretch of undisturbed habitat between New Market Village and New Market provides a sanctuary for local wildlife and is a rare green space for our community. Losing this natural buffer to a new road alignment would mean sacrificing a vital part of our environment.

We believe that alternative alignments—such as 2A/2B or 4 (reference Conceptual Alignments 2-4 below)—are better suited to meet the needs of both traffic management and community preservation. These options would allow for road improvements without cutting off vital access or endangering our neighborhood’s environment, thus preserving our way of life.

We urge the Virginia Department of Transportation to prioritize these safer, more thoughtful alignment options and respect the community’s needs. Stand with us to protect our neighborhood’s character, access, and environment.

Sign this petition to voice your support and help us keep New Market Village safe, connected, and thriving.

 

In addition to the petition, please be sure to provide comments directly to VDOT here: https://publicinput.com/q02508

Example letter for VDOT (copy/paste):

As a resident residing in New Market Village (off of Otterdale Road), I’d like to share my thoughts in response to the proposed conceptual alignments from the Powhite Parkway Project EIS (Woolridge Road to Hull Street Road).

If alignment 1A & 1B were considered, the construction phase itself would cut access to our main elementary school (Old Hundred), access to 288, Westchester, fire departments and hospitals as well as our community amenities. The planned upcoming development for our neighborhood (known as New Market South) shows an increase of approximately 350 homes, in addition to the estimated 150 homes already occupying New Market Village. These numbers do not take into account the families in our sister neighborhood, New Market, who would also see limited road access due to potential construction on Otterdale.

In addition to impacting the travel and access to hundreds of families, we would also see an end to the very little nature we have left in the neighborhood. The division between NMV and NM provides a home for ample wildlife and is one of only a handful of areas undisturbed by homes, people or traffic. Based on both this reason and the above, I would vote strongly against alignments 1A & 1B.

The greater need for this area aligns with 2A/2B or 4. Given the already-heavy traffic and expected increases in that traffic due to additional homes and retail planned for this area, Otterdale Road will become a hazard if left as-is. Rather than building new roadways, it would be ideal to see improvements made to already-existing roadways which would accommodate the increase in traffic as well as alleviate some of the heavy transportation concerns within the Woolridge and Hull Street Road corridor. Homes, families, children and wildlife appear to be least affected with options 2A/2B or 4, while providing much-needed increased travel lanes and improvements.

 

For more information on this project through the VDOT site, click here:
https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/projects/richmond-district/chesterfield---powhite-parkway-study/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGjRZtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWasiJMbmLoRit-DvcLFpEUZMQAlHd2b6ZvftCxk6Gv1P0G6tRE_iZBUNg_aem_eJg-QNof6ZwLWwnIs8xZlQ

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