A 20-home subdivision is proposed for 10816 Staples Mill Road in western Henrico, the six-acre site of the western-themed house locals call the Cactus House. Richmond BizSense reporter Jonathan Spiers reported the rezoning request on October 7. His story sits behind BizSense’s subscriber wall, and everything below about the plan comes from that reporting and from Henrico’s published meeting schedule. We have not reviewed the county file ourselves.
What BizSense reported
Henrico-based builder StyleCraft Homes is asking the county for a rezoning through an LLC that bought the two-parcel property in 2024 for $1 million. The house, officially named Saguaro Hill, was built in 1978 by Julian “Buz” Pemberton Jr. and Chloe Pemberton, who welcomed schoolchildren and other visitors and held an annual gala for the Henrico Humane Society. Buz Pemberton died in late 2024, soon after the purchase, and the house’s contents were sold at an auction the year before.
A conceptual site plan shows the homes filling the six acres, with a single entrance off Staples Mill Road leading to two cul-de-sacs and a stub road that could connect to land to the south. Sample elevations show one- and two-story homes with street-facing garages. BizSense says the county documents do not give home sizes or prices. A proffer in the request would let Henrico’s Division of Recreation and Parks photograph the interior and exterior and collect architectural features before the house is modified, moved or demolished.
The site is just south of the Linden Pointe subdivision, at the Staples Mill and Springfield Road intersection, and across from Saint Athanasius Church and the neighboring temple at Staples Mill and Mountain Road. The Henrico Planning Commission is scheduled to take it up on October 15, and attorney Jeff Geiger of Hirschler is representing StyleCraft. BizSense could not reach Geiger or StyleCraft president Richard Kuhn for comment.
What it means for the neighborhoods around it
Twenty homes on about six acres works out to roughly 3.3 homes per acre. That is our arithmetic from BizSense’s figures, and a rezoning plan can change before a vote. Nothing reported tells us how the lots compare with Linden Pointe’s, so we are not making that comparison.
Two features of the plan deserve a closer look if you live nearby. A stub road ends at a property line so a future project on the neighboring land could connect to it; homeowners to the south may want to ask whether a connection is contemplated, because that decides whether their street ever carries through traffic. And the proffer is a voluntary written condition of the kind § 15.2-2297 of the Code of Virginia allows a zoning ordinance to provide for. This one records the house; it does not say the house stays. Our guide to what proffers do and do not promise explains the difference.
The commission’s job on a rezoning is to hear the case and make a recommendation, and in a Virginia county the board of supervisors makes the final decision. Henrico says commission hearings are typically held on the Thursday following the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m., and its Meetings page lists upcoming agendas. A rezoning is also only one step. Plans for a subdivision then go through the county’s separate plans of development and subdivision review.
The pattern on the Staples Mill corridor
The builder is a Lakeside-based firm, and BizSense notes the same company is developing Rockwood Grove, a 260-unit townhome community in Chesterfield‘s Rockwood area. The Cactus House site is in the Glen Allen part of Henrico County. We covered the same kind of single-parcel proposal in Goochland’s Rose Retreat.
If a nearby proposal worries you, two of our guides help: how to track development before it is approved, and what could actually go on land next to a home you are buying.
Compare it with what is already built
If you are weighing new construction in western Henrico, see current new construction homes or start with our buyer guide.
Questions about the Cactus House rezoning
Where is the Cactus House?
At 10816 Staples Mill Road in Henrico, just south of the Linden Pointe subdivision at Springfield Road, according to Richmond BizSense.
Who is proposing the 20 homes?
StyleCraft Homes, a Henrico-based builder. BizSense reports an LLC tied to StyleCraft bought the two-parcel property in 2024 for $1 million.
When is the hearing?
BizSense reports the Henrico Planning Commission takes up the request on October 15. Henrico says commission hearings are typically held on the Thursday after the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m.
How big is the site and how many homes are planned?
Six acres and 20 homes, with one entrance off Staples Mill Road, two cul-de-sacs and a stub road for a possible future connection to the south.
What will the homes cost?
Not stated. BizSense reports the county documents do not specify home sizes or price points, so we are not guessing.
Will the house be torn down?
The site plan shows the new homes filling the footprint, so the house would need to make way. A proffer would let Henrico Recreation and Parks photograph it and collect architectural features before any removal. Nothing has been approved.
Does a rezoning mean construction starts?
No. A rezoning changes what the land may be used for. A subdivision still goes through Henrico’s plan review before building.
