Stratford Grove: An infill project in South Richmond makes its wooded setting the star of the show

By Doug Childers/Homes Correspondent 

Anyone who has walked through one of the South Richmond neighborhoods that rise above the James River can tell you: It’s like strolling through a bucolic retreat. It’s blissfully quiet, the houses sit on lots shaded by mature trees, and the trails and rock-hopping options in the river’s park system are enticingly nearby. 

So it shouldn’t be surprising that Center Creek Homes – the Richmond-based developer behind Stratford Grove – chose to design the infill community’s homes with the site’s idyllic setting as a central focus. 

“We wanted to take advantage of the setting and the size of the lots with Modern houses that feature lots of glass,” said Greg Shron, Center Creek’s chief operating officer. “It’s pretty unusual to find such a bucolic site this close to the city center.” 

Center Creek bought the undeveloped, 2.6-acre site at a tax auction in 2021 and recently began construction on the community’s first phase, which will bring three new homes to the southern terminus of Bradwill Road in the Stratford Hills neighborhood. 

Each of the houses will have 2,462 square feet of living space, with an option to finish an 

additional 385 square feet of space on the first level. “We’ve focused the design on volume and natural light,” Shron said. “The open area for living, dining and cooking is pretty dramatic – it’s 27 feet by 23 feet. And the primary bedroom will have significant volume, with the ceiling vaulting to a height of 11 feet.” 

Each house will have a two-car garage. 

Prices start at $689,950. 

“It’s going to be a really picturesque little pocket neighborhood that is wooded and private,” 

said Dave Seibert, a broker with Dave Seibert Real Estate Group and the community’s listing 

agent. 

Center Creek has completed the permit process and has finished the initial clearing of the site. 

Shron said he anticipates completing the first home in the next six to seven months and 

finishing the other two houses soon afterwards. 

The first home opened for presales in early March, and Seibert, who has actively engaged with multiple interested parties, said he expected sales will be brisk. 

“It’s very rare to be able to buy something new in this location, and people love new 

construction,” Seibert said. “It’s not standard for homes in this area to have garages either, 

which I think makes these homes extra appealing.” 

He added: “I personally love that these homes are only a block away from the Southhampton 

recreation club, which I think has one of the best community pools in all of Richmond.” 

In the next three to six months, Center Creek plans to launch Phase 2 of Stratford Grove, which will bring two new houses to a 1.4-acre site at the eastern terminus of Prairie Road, a block away from Phase 1. 

The parcel, which Center Creek purchased last August, also has an older house on it, and the 

company will renovate and sell it. 

“We are hoping to have permits in hand and begin work by late summer of this year,” Shron 

said. 

Infill projects like Stratford Grove are key to the city’s growth, he added. 

“From a real estate perspective, land is the ultimate finite resource, and the only way the city 

will continue to grow and add population and tax revenues is by figuring out how to use existing land in the city,” he said. “Finding these hidden gems is critical because we can grow Richmond in ways other than just expanding further and further out.” 

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