First choice all along: Staunton set to locate JDR courts at Chestnut Hill Shopping Center site

STAUNTON — "It is because of this community interest I just mentioned that a connection was successfully made to begin the necessary steps to be able to announce tonight that the city will acquire Chestnut Hills Shopping Center in the West End as the new location...."

City manager Leslie Beauregard could hardly get the words out of her mouth before the packed house at Staunton City Hall on Thursday night erupted in applause.

"I'll stop sweating now," Beauregard joked as the applause died down.

It was a welcome sound for Beauregard, as the process to select a new juvenile and domestic relations court location has been turbulent. The city initially announced that the Hardy Parking Lot in downtown Staunton would be the location, but were met with vitriolic backlash from residents, business owners, and other stakeholders against the idea.

According to Beauregard, the city will purchase the site for a price of $1.75 million. The targeted end of the project remains the fall of 2025, but intermediate timelines will have to be adjusted. The city is meeting with the Commonwealth of Virginia in the next week to hammer out those details and to adjust the court order to reflect the new location. Once that's done, the city will issue a new Request for Proposals for the Chestnut Hills site.

"This was truly one of our first choices early on," said councilor Brad Arrowood, adding, "I don't know how many emails we answered with 'Yeah, Chestnut Hills sounds great but it's not on the table.'"

City staff presented options that had been explored for the site at the April 13 city council meeting. Chestnut Hills Shopping Center was described as their first choice, but the property owner reportedly showed no interest in selling when the city's realtor contacted him.

In the aftermath of that meeting, Beauregard said many residents reached out with suggestions for locations. Staff and council vetted every location suggested, sometimes engaging with members of the community. She specifically called out resident Robin Miller with gratitude, who had offered his time and expertise to the city in identifying an alternate location.

"Bottom line is we're grateful to everyone who engaged with us in this process," Beauregard said.

"Thank God everybody got involved because it really helped us really solve a problem that was looking pretty bleak at times," said interim councilor Terry Holmes.

At their April 27 meeting, city council directed staff to find an alternative location from the Hardy Lot for the juvenile and domestic relations court. About a week later, city staff received information that the owner of Chestnut Hills would be interested in selling, and they pounced.

“It’s been a really long process, so it felt good to get that positive reaction,” Beauregard said, adding, "It’s exciting to do this for the West End.”

Beauregard thanked West End resident Betty Jordan as being instrumental in bringing the city and the property owner together. That was met with resounding applause from the assembled crowd.

"She took the initiative by reaching out to Vice Mayor [Amy] Darby and council member [Mark] Robertson that the owner of Chestnut Hill was interested in talking to the city, and we immediately made contact once Ms. Darby and Mr. Robertson reached out to me," Beauregard said.

Jordan worked with the previous owner of Chestnut Hills, Joe Harding, for years trying to get something built at that location. From box stores to an urgent care, the list was endless but to no avail. When Harding sold the property, Jordan figured she was done.

Then, her dog groomer asked if she knew a place that she could relocate. Jordan reached out to the project manager at Chestnut Hills, and as they spoke, she learned that the new owner was having the same troubles getting businesses to move in and going through the permitting process. She informed them that the city was looking for a new juvenile and domestic relations court location, and they were interested in the site.

After that, she thought she was done again. About four days later, Jordan got a call in the morning from the property owner letting her know that he'd learned about the situation and he'd gotten almost all of his investors on board. The property owner asked Jordan to give his number to the city.

"So I called Amy [Darby] and was like, ‘Amy, I hope you’re sitting down,'" Jordan said with a laugh. After she informed the city, she stepped away from the issue. However, she did start to notice work at the Chestnut Hills Shopping Center slowing down.

"This is something that is sustainable," Jordan said, adding, "That’s going to be there, and then there will be other businesses that probably then will come out there.” Jordan said that from the time the first hole is dug in the ground, there will be people to feed and frequent new establishments that could come to the West End.

City council and Beauregard also thanked the West End Business Association for their help in the process, and Beauregard said that she wants to continue the conversation with them.

"I just want to, as soon as I can, sit down with them and engage with them and say, ‘Okay, let’s help each other, we need to work together on this. We have to be partners in this process,'" Beauregard said. She's not sure what form that will take yet, but there are plans for it.

Council, for their part, were overjoyed to make the announcement. Vice Mayor Darby pointed out that the space at Chestnut Hills allowed the city to address the three major requirements needed for the courts: circulation, security, and accessibility.

"The Chestnut Hills location has always had a strong alignment with council’s long-term strategic plan," Mayor Steve Claffey said. "This courthouse move will provide the catalyst to see a West End revitalization of existing businesses and allow development of further business opportunities."

Council member Michele Edwards said the city will always have challenges for space, and the proposed site at Chestnut Hills will allow them grow with the city and meet future space needs of city government. While early in the process, Beauregard said that the potential of the site was incredible and could be used in the future for other city services and court facilities.

"I believe that this is working together for Staunton's future," said councilor Alice Woods. "We are all so fortunate that we are able to acquire this property."

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—Akhil Ganesh is the Government Reporter at The News Leader. You can contact him at aganesh@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @akhildoesthings.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton to put JDR courts at Chestnut Hill Shopping Center site