The 62-acre estate fronts Hermitage Lake within the Hermitage Country Club property in Goochland. (Photos courtesy CVRMLS)
Four years after it last hit the market at nearly $4 million, a Goochland estate that has since undergone substantial upgrades has been put back up for sale, this time with twice the acreage and at more than double the previous asking price.
The estate at 1 Starwood Lane, in the heart of Hermitage Country Club, returned to market last Friday at $9.99 million.
The listing includes more than double the land from when it was last marketed in 2022. The asking price then was $3.9 million. Two years before that, it had been listed at $3.7 million, likewise with no takers.
The 15,000-square-foot house was built in 1984 and has been remodeled.
Scott Ruth and Scott Shaheen with SRMF Real Estate have the listing this time, representing seller Robert Chesson, a local developer who purchased the property in 2016 for $2.7 million.
The estate was previously owned by Jonnie Williams, the former CEO of Star Scientific who was the star witness in former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s corruption trial in 2014. Williams bought it from industrialist Harry Figgie, who built the home in 1984 after moving his company, Figgie International, from Ohio to the site of what is now the Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center in Glen Allen.
Scott Ruth
In the four years since he last had it listed, Chesson has remodeled and upgraded the home, which spans 15,700 square feet across four levels with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and four half-baths.
“The sellers have given it a complete new identity as it relates to the style and the look,” Ruth said, noting such upgrades as new paint, a new slate roof, paved driveway and updates to the interior.
The listing also includes adjacent land that was part of the estate but not included with previous listings, Ruth said. The 62 fenced-in acres are within the Hermitage Country Club property and contain sites where Ruth said additional homes could be built for use by the owner, such as for a family compound or to lease out.
Hermitage Country Club’s golf course surrounds the largely wooded property, which includes a baseball diamond.
The expansive property includes a baseball diamond with stands beside a barn with an apartment that Ruth said could house a property caretaker. A separate cottage includes a three-car garage, and a conditioned shed provides additional storage for land and water vehicles. Along with a four-car garage attached to the main house, the total garage space on the property can house 14 vehicles, Ruth said.
A tennis court and gazebo are also on the property, which has golf course frontage and views of Hermitage Lake. A rear patio leads to a pool, hot tub and pool house, as well as an outdoor fireplace and kitchen. Access to the property is secured by an electronic gate.
The three-story house has a wine room, golf simulator with wet bar, and a putting room. The primary suite is on the second level, and the finished upper level and basement provide additional space options.
The house includes a golf simulator.
Ruth said Chesson, who had worked with other brokerages in the past, approached SRMF for this latest listing. He said Chesson is moving to another residence but didn’t say whether he’s remaining in the area.
“It’s been a great home for him. At this stage, they’re taking on a new home in another location,” Ruth said.
The basement includes a game room with putting green.
Chesson’s development firm, Manakin Cos., has been busy of late with several projects. It filed a pre-application with Goochland County this summer for a rezoning of over 70 acres along Hermitage Road for Allston Station, a proposed 72-lot subdivision in Manakin-Sabot.
Last month, an LLC tied to Chesson purchased a six-lot assemblage at and around 1887 Sheppard Town Road, also in Goochland and listed at the time by Ruth and Shaheen, who typically co-list. That $3.7 million deal was September’s second-highest and was described by Ruth as a development play by Chesson.
Ruth said they’re marketing the Starwood estate both locally and nationally through networks such as Board of Regents’ “Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate” platform. He said initial response has been positive since the listing went live Oct. 23, adding that it would take some time to catch the attention of buyers in other markets.
Acknowledging major projects in the works in Goochland, such as the Eli Lilly campus under development at West Creek and Google’s announcement this week about a data center campus there, Ruth said the estate could appeal to executives moving to town and other high-profile buyers seeking seclusion.
The tennis court is tucked beside trees opposite the surrounding golf course.
“It could very well be somebody local, but for a property like this, it could be someone that’s outside the Virginia area looking for the privacy level that this property offers,” he said.
Ruth added that the asking price was determined based on the upgrades to the property and recent listings and sales in the area at comparable price points. He said those comps included the nearby former home of NBA legend Ben Wallace, whose 35-acre estate went under contract in August after being listed in May at $6.9 million.
In Hanover County, a 17-acre estate at 13259 Greenwood Church Road is listed with a nearly $8 million price tag. And in Richmond, the Hill Crest mansion at 5103 Cary Street Road sold in August for over $9 million after being listed in May at $10 million.
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