A 16-acre Chesterfield County rezoning that would replace a ramshackle trailer park and abandoned motel with colorful apartments may be a defining case in the struggle to revitalize Jefferson Davis Highway.

The $25 million plan was conceived by longtime Chesterfield developer George Emerson, whose other projects include The Highlands and Chester Village Green. The vision is for a 255-unit development similar to the latter development's Festival Park -- a three-story mix of affordable apartments atop retail stores.

Proponents say the project would be a spark for the revitalization effort along a gritty stretch of U.S. 1 that had its heyday before the advent of interstates.

Roger Habeck, a member of the Jefferson Davis Association and former director of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, called the trailer park "the most blighted piece of property between Route 288 and Chippenham Parkway."

Habeck said he has seen other redevelopment plans fail over the years because of the condition of the property, and he said the county was lucky that Emerson was offering to replace it.

"It's absolutely nasty, and it's foul, and it pulls down the value of other properties around it," he said.

Carrie Coyner, an attorney for the developer, said that beyond being an eyesore, the 61-trailer Young's Mobile Home Court -- more commonly known as the Flippo park, its former name -- is getting dangerous. The property generated more than 170 calls to police last year.

Coyner said developers have met with park residents to discuss potential relocation and would help those in need with the help of the Jefferson Davis Association.

Rosa Guzman, who used to live in the park, has served as a messenger and interpreter for the park's predominantly Hispanic population. She now lives in another park down the road that is scheduled to close its gates by 2010.

"These people just need to know what's going on so they can find another place if they need to," Guzman said.

An answer might come on May 28. At the Board of Supervisors meeting April 23, the matter was deferred for a month after a motion for approval of the rezoning by Bermuda District Supervisor Dorothy A. Jaeckle failed.

County staff and the Planning Commission have recommended denial because of a lack of cash proffers and no assurance that commercial and retail would be included permanently.

Emerson said he won't pay the county cash proffers -- the supposedly voluntary payments from residential developers to help pay for the infrastructure needed to support the new residents -- because they would make the development financially impractical considering the massive cleanup and improvements the property requires.

"There are so many problems there," Emerson said. "I just can't pay the proffers and do the development."

The cleanup would include removing abandoned trailers and underground storage tanks and replacing the existing septic system that now leaves the rear portion of the park reeking of sewage.

And while the developers have offered to build for retail and commercial uses beneath the apartments along Jefferson Davis Highway, they've reserved the option of converting those spaces to residential if there are no business takers within 18 months of construction.

Midlothian District Supervisor Daniel A. Gecker said that without the proffers or promise of a larger commercial component, approval amounted to a county investment of the amount not collected from developers.

"What we're doing, if it happens, is essentially making a budget allocation of $4 million to subsidize what amounts to a purely residential project," Gecker said. "This is basically a blank check with regard to uses. I can't think of another place in the county where we would do that."

While rezoning for the Cloverleaf Mall property was approved without proffers on the same night the Emerson case was heard, that project promises 400,000 square feet of commercial space in addition to its residential component.

Board Chairman A.S. "Art" Warren gave Emerson credit for what he called a risky venture but suggested the county needed to develop a policy on revitalization and how it should be subsidized so there is a clear precedent.

Jaeckle said the Emerson project should be used as a test case to clean up the corridor with the potential to attract young couples and professionals with little impact on schools and emergency services.

"Proffers are necessary in areas where we're trying to stop growth and slow down growth," Jaeckle said. "This is a perfect example of how we can use them to encourage development where we need it."

Local business owners have also come out in support of the project.

"We've seen very little development over the years, and that hurts our business," said Lisa Bailey, who has owned and run the nearby Auto Express Center for 16 years.

She said stagnation has pushed the area into a sharp and visible decline.

"I'm concerned about the safety of my customers and employees even during the day," she said. "This project could be the catalyst for great things."
Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.