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An 81-acre property in Varina is now permanently protected from development, following the implementation of a conservation easement.
The parcel, which is adjacent to Deep Bottom Park and includes nearly one mile of stream frontage along Four Mile Creek, is owned by Randy Welch. He worked with the Capital Region Land Conservancy and Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation District – which jointly hold the conservation easement – to facilitate the change.
“Working closely with CRLC and HSWCD staff,” Welch said, “I have been able to meet my goals for this land and insure a future vision that reveres the property and preserves our ecology and history for the enjoyment of future generations.”
The initiative is the first phase of a multi-phase, multi-year conservation easement project that ultimately will protect 341 acres, including nearly one and a quarter miles of Four Mile Creek frontage, more than half a mile along Roundabout Creek and one-tenth of a mile of land adjacent to the James River.
The combined acreage is adjacent to Deep Bottom Park where two boat launches provide public access for canoes/kayaks at Four Mile Creek and motorized boats at the James River. The Virginia Capital Trail and Four Mile Creek Trailhead are within a mile of the properties.
The land’s permanent protection from residential and commercial development provides a buffer for adjacent natural resources, recreational uses, and scenic views from the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail within the James River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
“We’re thrilled by the opportunity to protect these 81 acres of the James River watershed,” said Nicole Anderson Ellis, Vice-Chair of the Henricopolis Soil & Water Conservation District. “This easement advances our mission – to protect clean water and healthy soils – in numerous ways, including the preservation of a broad forest buffer along Four Mile Creek. We’re providing a critical service to our constituents.”
Although parts of the property are managed for timber, the portions of the property adjacent to Four Mile Creek protect a large area of hardwood forest and non-tidal marshes and wetlands. Those areas provide protection for stream ecosystems from pollution, sedimentation, stream bank erosion and increased temperatures.
Portions of the property are said to have been part of “Claymount” owned by Stephen B. Sweeney in the first half of the 19th century and included in his earthenware pottery operation with several kilns and a hotel along today’s Route 5. Other portions of the property were owned in the 1850s by Titus C. Rice and operated as Deep Bottom Landing, with a ferry crossing the James River to Chesterfield County.
The property also contains evidence of three Civil War battles in 1864: First Deep Bottom, Second Deep Bottom and Chaffin’s Farm, when Union troops advanced on Richmond using pontoon bridges connecting to Jones Neck.
Terms of the conservation easement include protection of historic resources, including no ground disturbance areas around identified rifle pits and remnants of a winter hut, as well as a prohibition of relic hunting. A cemetery on the property that includes the gravesite of WWI African American veteran Paul Morris, Jr. also will be protected in perpetuity.
Planned trails connecting the property’s historic features and scenic views will accommodate visitor access, according to officials. Future educational and environmental interpretation will allow visitors of all ages to enjoy an informative outdoor experience.
Under Virginia’s Conservation Easement Act, such an easement is a voluntary act of the property owner and must be compatible with the locality’s comprehensive plan.
Henrico County’s 2026 Future Land Use Map designates the property as a “Prime Agriculture and Environmental Protection Area.” CRLC’s and HSWCD’s conservation easement on the property also supports the Comprehensive Plan’s Community Character and Natural, Cultural and Historic Resource objectives to “protect areas with intrinsic natural, historic, and cultural resources.”
“It’s assuring to know that there are important places like Mr. Welch’s property yet to be conserved that offer such significant value to the community by protecting both natural and historic resources,” said Parker Agelasto, executive director of the Capital Region Land Conservancy.
