The Lake surf park, retail hub rises in Chesterfield

The Lake development in Chesterfield County is starting to shore up. The 105-acre mixed-use development will include a surf park as well as commercial, hotel and residential properties.

The centerpiece of The Lake will be a 13-acre artificial lake with a tow cable for wakeboarding, kayaking, standup paddle boarding and other water-related activities. It was originally slated to be completed by this summer, but “permitting has taken way longer than expected,” explains developer Brett Burkhart of Lake Adventures and Flatwater Ventures. The lake itself isn’t projected to open until 2026. It will also include a 6-acre surf park, one of few in the U.S. that can generate waves for surfing.

But waves of tenants have already started moving into the development’s commercial space. The first three retail buildings — totaling 20,000 square feet — are complete, Burkhart says, and half the tenants are operating, with a few more getting ready to start construction. (Chipotle and Soccer Post have opened at The Lake, and Starbucks and Saffron Nail Lounge are expected to open soon.) Developers have another 87,500 square feet of retail space in the permitting stage, Burkhart says, as well as townhomes, apartments and a hotel.

J.C. Poma, executive director of sports, visitation and entertainment for Chesterfield County, says The Lake development complements River City Sportsplex since they’re in such close proximity. About 500,000 people visit the sportsplex for tournaments each year, so it’s mutually beneficial to have restaurants and other attractions for tourists, he says.

“The Lake is filling a big void and really helping with that gateway model for River City,” Poma says. “A lot of the business attraction there very much has to do with what River City has become.”

There are also plans to develop more hotel space around The Lake to help with the surplus of sports tourism visitors to the county, thanks to the sportsplex. Currently, Chesterfield has about 4,200 hotel rooms, Poma says, but occupancy is “overflowing” between the attraction of the sportsplex as well as construction workers staying there during projects.

The 170-room hotel slated for The Lake should start construction as soon as developers get the permits, Burkhart says, but they don’t have an exact date or timeline yet. Burkhart and his team have also selected a hotel operator, but he declined to share more information.