Lace up your running shoes

 

Attention runners and ambitious walkers. Registration is now open for the second annual Run to Revolution 5k to be held on Saturday, October 4 at Elk Hill in western Goochland.

The historic  Elk Hill property (https://goochlandhistory.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/thomas-jeffersons-elk-hill/  is now home to a facility that helps troubled youth get their lives back on track (https://www.elkhill.org/).  

Run to Revolution is sponsored by the Goochland 250 Commission, which was created by the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to commemorate the founding of our great nation and remind Americans how our country came to be.

Next July 4, we will celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Although the document was the result of collaboration of several people, Thomas Jefferson, who Goochlanders tend to consider a local boy because he spent part of his childhood at Tuckahoe Plantation in the east end, is credited with its authorship.

Go to https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Goochland/RuntotheRevolution for sign up information or to donate to fund other activities of the Goochland 250 Commission.

Signed months after the “shot heard ‘round the world” was fired in Massachusetts, the Declaration was an early event in the long and bitter struggle for independence that ended with the 1783 Treaty of Paris. In the interim, many signers of the Declaration lost everything to secure liberty for the 13 colonies.

 

 

Stewardship

 

Goochland County finances have come a long way since the dark pre-2012 days when the county struggled to cover the cost of providing core services with declining tax revenues caused by the negative impact on real estate valuations by the Great Recession.

On August 5, the county’s budget and audit committee made up of three supervisors, Chair Tom Winfree, District 3; Vice Chair Jonathan Christy, District 1; Charlie Vaughters, District 4; County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley; and Director of Financial Services Carla Cave, met. (Go to the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ click on the watch county meetings tab and select BoS Audit and Finance Committee August 5 for details.)

ACFR

First on the agenda was the kick off for the Annual Certified Financial Report (ACFR) with comments by Andrea Nichols of the Harrisonburg office of PBMares (https://www.pbmares.com/) the outside auditing firm retained by Goochland County to prepare the ACFR. She is the senior audit manager, the point person from PBMAres, working with partners Mike Garber and Betsy Hendrick, who focuses on the school part of the audit.  The ACFR must be approved locally for transmission to the Virginia Auditor of Public Account by December 15 of each year. Nichols expects that the Goochland ACFR will be finished on time so that can be accepted by the supervisors at their December meeting.

PBMares has been the county auditor through several contract cycles and has established a strong working relationship with all county departments, said Nichols. She explained that PBMares rotates those involved to ensure that a “fresh set of eyes” are used to perform Goochland audits each year.

Nichols said that her role is to oversee day-to-day logistics, coordinate with all departments, and handle the flow of information through the auditing process, to communicate clearly with those charged with governance, and ensure effective two-way communication.

The ACFR process includes reviews of internal controls, compliance with federal grants, and performs risk assessments to ensure that fiscal policies and procedures are appropriate and in compliance to mitigate risk. Standards used to assess that financial statements are not fraudulently misstated are also applied. (To review details of ACFRs for past years, https://www.goochlandva.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=43)

In the next few weeks, the audit team will be onsite in Goochland as work on the ACFR kicks into high gear. Goochland has earned high marks for financial reporting and operations for the past several years thanks to the hard work and attention to detail by all employees of the county and school division throughout the year. Kudos to all involved for being good stewards of public funds.

Fiscal ’25 fourth quarter projections

Cave presented preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter of the county’s 2025 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. As the county works under a 45-day accrual period, Cave explained, the numbers aren’t final.

Preliminary figures indicate that projected revenues will exceed those budgeted by approximately $4.8 million, much of which is due to a spike in fees generated by the Amazon facility under construction on Ashland Road. Departments are turning back budgeted but unspent funds, most of which Cave attributed to vacancies and $1.5 million not spent on the new GES returned by the schools. This translates into about $7.6 million put back into fund balance at the end of the year.

That’s the operating side. A notice at the bottom of Cave’s report  states that “The supervisors have indicated an interest in assigned these funds to future CIP (capital improvement plan) projects such as fire-rescue station 7, renovation of the old Goochland elementary school, hiring of a second deputy county administrator (Sara Worley was recently appointed to this post), future economic development incentives, or a possible additional contribution to Schools for unfunded  priorities. These assignments will be determined by the Board in October 2025.”

A CIP work session will take place on Thursday, September 4 at noon. This was postponed from an earlier date to include the new county administrator. Goochland’s capital—high dollar, long life items that cannot be funded in a single budget cycle—needs are at least $100 million. These include a new courthouse, (Goochland’'s will mark its bicentennial next year), school improvements, public safety equipment, routine maintenance to existing buildings, and other important items.

Financial Management Policies

The “Revolution” board of supervisors elected in 2011 took office in 2012 and immediately rolled up its sleeves to get the county’s fiscal house in order. Thirteen years later, the result of these Herculean efforts to wrest Goochland from the brink of bankruptcy, is a county with three AAA bond ratings, making Goochland the smallest jurisdiction in the country to accomplish this feat.

Among the measures put in place to get a handle on county finances were creation of financial management policies in 2013, which have been amended several times to ensure Goochland’s fiscal stability. These took a very conservative approach and included a revenue stabilization fund—essentially a rainy-day fund—to ease the county over fiscal bumps in the road caused by economic conditions beyond its control and enable the county to continue to provide core services.

This philosophy served the county well as it climbed out of revenue declines caused by the Great Recession and uncertainties during the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Current supervisors have discussed if perhaps the ratio of debt relative to the assessed value of real estate not to exceed 2.5 percent as expressed in existing policy, is too conservative. Debt payments, exclusive of that for the Tuckahoe Creek Service District Bonds, have a target of 10 percent of general fund expenditures and a ceiling of 12 percent to accommodate temporary overlap of debt service payments.

Last December, the audit committee met with the county’s financial advisor to discuss reducing or eliminating the policy of keeping an amount equal to 55 percent of unassigned fund balance on hand for emergencies. After discussion, a decision on the topic was postponed allowing more time to investigate the implications of the change.

If there was a March meeting of the audit committee, a recording and minutes of it do not seem to be on the county website. At the May meeting, there was mention of approval of reducing the required percentage of unassigned fund balance on hand from 55 to what seems to be 20 percent of the coming year’s General fund budget and the non-local portion of the school operating budget.

The quandary is between ensuring adequate reserves as a cushion for county operations and perhaps sitting on money that could be better used to fund capital projects.

Supervisor Jonathan Lyle, District 5, presented simplified financial language for the policies, whose current terminology, he contended, was written for and by lawyers and accountants. Lyle’s revisions, which include footers on each page with illustrative calculations of the policies using real county numbers for the most recent five years, were approved. However, the updated version has not yet been posted on the county website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky is not falling

 

The county logo, industry and agriculture

In the month or so since Goochland County proposed changes to county code and its comprehensive land use plan to help attract high revenue tech companies to the designated growth area, mostly the West Creek business park that hugs the border with Henrico from Rt. 6 to Broad Street Road, a firestorm has erupted.  Residents of Readers Branch, a relatively new subdivision on Hockett Road, for instance, seemed to believe that a data center was on the verge being built in West Creek south of their neighborhood. There is no truth to this rumor.

(Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1408/Technology-Overlay-District-Technology-Z for details.)

Goochland County needs significant commercial revenue to bolster its tax base, which largely dependent on real estate taxes. The goal is to achieve a 70/30 split between residential and commercial taxes. Currently, the ratio is closer to 80/20 and slipping backwards. People complain bitterly when their tax bills go up due to rising assessments but want no commercial investment. The money must come from somewhere to pay the bills.

The internet—whose existence and ubiquity drive the need for data centers—is awash with horror stories of places overrun with enormous data centers built a stone’s throw from existing neighborhoods replete with ugly photos of anonymous buildings marching over the landscape.

Data centers have been a by-right—essentially prezoned—use in West Creek for several years. Without changes to existing regulations, a data center 80 feet high could be built, if equipped with a fire suppression system, 500 feet from land zoned for residential use. A football field is 360 feet long.

Adding a technology overlay district (TOD) and technology zone (TD) allows the county to offer incentives to attract desperately needed commercial investment in the county and strengthen existing zoning regulation for setbacks, landscape buffers, and design standards to ensure greater compatibility with nearby homes.

Provisions of the proposals, including by right building heights up to 120 feet, depth of setbacks from adjacent residential properties, lack of clear mechanisms for enforcement or consequences of violation of noise regulations, and no public input or supervisor oversight for placement of large buildings, raised red flags for citizens.

The county held a community meeting on July 7 (See GOMM “In search of a bigger worm”) to present the TOD and TZ. Although the boardroom was filled for that meeting, many complained that it was poorly advertised.

On Monday August 4, County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley, Ed.D.; Assistant Director of Community Development Ray Cash; and Director of Economic Development Sara Worley met with some residents of Readers Branch, Mosaic, and the Citizens Planning Committee to discuss the initiative.

Raley began the meeting by announcing that the TOD/TD amendments, originally scheduled for review at the Planning Commission’s August 21 meeting, would be postponed to the September 18 meeting to allow more time to gather citizen input and perhaps modify the TOD/TZ.

He also said that a second community meeting on the topic will be held in the next few weeks. Notice of this session will be mailed, advertised on social media, the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/  and distributed through other mechanisms to get the word out. The community meeting will also be livestreamed and archived on the county website for those unable to attend in person. This was done in response to sentiments that the proposals were being “rushed” into approval without adequate time for citizen input and thorough investigation of the long-term impact of unintended consequences. This postponement will allow the county to dispel misinformation and address legitimate concerns about the TOD/TZ.

Continuing and extending by right approval for uses, including data centers and bio tech manufacturing, which are new to the county, were high on the list of objections. Mandating approval by elected officials to ensure that these uses are properly sited to protect residential enclaves and scaled appropriate to the area was high on the list of requested changes to the proposals.

Allowing by right, rather than requiring conditional use permits for heights up to 120 feet was also a major concern for its impact on the viewshed. Insight into the rationale that included this in the TOD/TZ is needed to help citizens understand the proposals.

Noise, as currently drafted, the TOD/TZ set 65 decibels as the maximum permitted sound level. There are no details as to how, when, and by whom sound levels would be measured and violations enforced with meaningful consequences in addition to more stringent controls on backup generator testing noise.

During citizen comment at the start of the evening session of the August 5 board meeting, many residents, mostly from Readers Branch, made their feelings known and the TOD/TZ. Some of their comments were on point, others unfounded at best.

First of all, West Creek is not a nature preserve, or a mixed-use residential enclave. It was created in the 1980s to be the economic engine to generate business tax revenue Goochland and allow the rest of the county to remain rural. A Motorola chip plant was planned for West Creek Parkway, near the current Striker Soccer facility. Only parking lots were built before the chip operations moved offshore. The site is being marketed. The building on West Creek Parkway that housed the Federal Reserve, which did not pay real estate tax, has been vacant for some time and is currently for sale.

The notion that industrial uses in West Creek, most of which is zoned M-1 and has been for decades, should not be allowed is wrong. If the other requirements for data centers, like water and power are in reasonable proximity, the east side of Rt. 288 would seem to be an ideal place to put them. Traffic noise is about 70 decibels, higher than permitted by the TOD/TZ.

We do not know how many sites in the proposed TOD/TZ could support a data center. Aside from the need for water—the Tuckahoe Creek Service District has a 25 MILLION gallons per day allocation and uses about 5 million gpd—and power, which could be supplied by Dominion or turbines tapping into existing natural gas lines, seismic challenges from blasting at rock quarries to the north and south limit suitable locations. More clarity about this is needed.

Bio tech research and development and advanced manufacturing using 3D printing techniques are also by right uses.

Remarks made by some new residents suggest they performed little due diligence on the area before moving here. They naively believe that, despite the Hockett Road corridor and West Creek being the county’s designated growth area, they moved to a rural area and are surprised and outraged to learn that there will be robust commercial development nearby.

Kudos to the county for allowing more time to gather and evaluate meaningful feedback on the TOD/TZ proposals and dispel the bizarre rumors floating around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights of the August 5 afternoon Board session

 

The August 5 meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors began on a sorrowful note as Pastor Joe Brown of Goochland Presbyterian Church asked the Lord for profound comfort and peace for the family of Tia Baehr, wife of Captain Jason Baehr of the Goochland Sheriff’s Office, who passed suddenly. The community mourns this loss within the GCSO family and keeps them in our prayers.

Board Chair Tom Winfree, District 3 was absent to attend to a “private matter” according to Vice Chair Jonathan Christy, who presided at the meeting.

County Administrator’s Comments

Dr. Jeremy Raley, Ed.D. shared updates about the proposed technology overlay district and technology zone (go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1408/Technology-Overlay-District-Technology-Z) for details. He said that the county received great community feedback from the July 7 community meeting and continues to do so. To ensure that all perspectives on this matter are heard, the items will be rescheduled to the September 18 planning commission meeting, a postponement from the original August 21 date. In addition, a second public community meeting will take place in the next few weeks that will be livestreamed and archived. Notice of this meeting will be shared via mailings, social media posts, the county website, and email distribution lists.

The next class of Goochland Leadership Enterprise is forming. Go to https://www.facebook.com/GoochlandLeadershipEnterprise# for more information and to sign up. GLE is a great way to learn about Goochland and meet people from all parts of the county and all walks of life that share an interest in the community.

West Creek Fire-Rescue Station

Raley announced that the Company 7 West Creek Fire-Rescue Station, whose construction was put on “pause” by the previous administrator, will move forward on the original site on the east side of Hockett Road north of Tuckahoe Creek Parkway. The need for an additional fire-rescue station in the eastern part of the county was identified as far back as 2012.

“The topic was discussed at great length in several community meetings in 2017 to identify the best location. In 2022, five acres of land, the current site, was donated to the county for the station by West Creek Associates. Following a process which included community meetings and public input, the planning commission and supervisors approved rezoning of this parcel on April 2, 2024.”

The previous county administrator then put the project on pause, after which a broader and more comprehensive look at other potential locations was made. Staff reviewed sites along Tuckahoe Creek Parkway, CarMax, Capital One, the former West Creek Emergency Center, for which the county was outbid by another entity, and explored the possibility of locating the station on county-owned property roughly opposite Greenswell Growers on Hockett Road.

Fire-Rescue has explored options regarding use of lights and sirens when entering and exiting the proposed location. A detailed discussion with VDOT regarding speed and safety and the larger road network was also discussed.

After all of this work, said Raley, it has been determined that the original site allows the best north-south, east-west access and is well positioned to support an increasing number of fire-EMS calls in surrounding residential areas, West Creek business park, and nearby designated growth areas.

“Given this thorough analysis and due diligence since 2024, the work on station 7 is now being unpaused. We will continue to move forward to build station 7 on the five acre parcel owned by Goochland County on Hockett Road near the intersection with Tuckahoe Creek Parkway. We are committed to working with all stakeholders and neighbors on this project to ensure that it is successful for all involved.”

This is very good news to those of us who sat outside on a rainy election day in 2021 advocating for approval of the bond referendum to fund this station.

Citizen feedback

Continuing his commitment to learning from the community and gathering feedback to enable local government to better serve its citizens, Raley said that a feature on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ “tell us how we’re doing”  has  been moved front and center to the homepage. “We would love to get your thoughts on how we’re doing to ultimately serve you better. If you have a positive experience, a negative experience, or if you want to give a shout out to any member of our team and let us know about the good work we’re doing and opportunities to serve you better."

GYAA

Brandy Sims, on behalf of GYAA and the Goochland Youth Softball community, publicly thanked “incredible” county departments that made the District Five Darlings and Ponytails division all-star tournament not only possible but exceptional.

The tournament brought together young athletes, families, and fans from across the region to Goochland County. They came for the tournament but left with an exceptional experience, said Sims.

She praised the dedication teamwork, and professionalism of county staff, especially the parks and rec grounds crew.

“Your efforts did not go unnoticed. You’ve been in overdrive not just during the tournament, but during the entire season, which to my recollection has been the wettest in years. Game after game, the ground crew ensured that field conditions were safe, playable, and beautiful. You made it happen with long hours, attention to detail, and commitment to our community’s youth.”

Sims commended fire-rescue, whose presence throughout the tournament brought peace of mind to families ensuring that player safety was never in question. “Whether it was handling heat, minor injuries, or simply being on standby, your professionalism and care were appreciated more than you know.”

She also praised the Goochland Sheriff’s Office for its “visible support, keeping our families and guests safe, and for being a welcoming presence throughout the tournament. Whether patrolling the grounds or just taking time to chat, the GCSO showed exactly what community policing looks like. The collaboration between departments gave young athletes a chance to shine on the field and reminded us all what can be achieved when we work together. You turned a simple weekend of games into a showcase of what makes Goochland a beautiful place to live and raise a family.”

Sims then presented donations to the Michael G.“Tink” Sims Memorial Scholarship Fund, created to honor the sacrifice of the only Goochland Volunteer firefighter to die in the line of duty, and the Goochland Sheriff’s Foundation.

Broadband update

Paul Drumwright, Community Affairs Manager, the county’s point person on broadband, reported that connection activity is ongoing across the county from the west end to Crozier. The number of active connections is 1,574 with 79 in  July. Firefly, said Drumwright, is staying very busy working toward its goal of having everyone connected, or close to it, by the end of 2025. He said that Firefly sent out notifications to people who started but did finish registration process to see if they are still interested. He said that broadband connection questions can be directed to Raley at jraley@goochlandva.us for action.

Other departmental reports are in the August 5 board packet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon to a road near you

 

Proposed improvements to Ashland Road/I64 interchange

On July 22, a VDOT public hearing on proposed improvements to the I-64/Ashland Road interchange, including a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) was held at Salem Baptist Church. Go to https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/projects/richmond-district/interstate-64-and-route-623-interchange-goochland/ for an overview. Go to  https://bit.ly/I-64AshlandRoadDDI for specifics. The project is currently in the design phase. A request for proposals will take place later this year. A design build contract will be awarded in the fall of 2026 with completion expected by summer 2029.

There interchange improvements are part of extensive road upgrades to Ashland Road north of I-64. Go to https://goochlandva.us/1396/Rockville-Opportunity-Corridor for details. This area, where an Amazon and large warehouse facility are under construction, has been designated for economic and industrial development for decades.

Email comments about the interchange project to Anthony.Haverly@VDOT.Virginia.gov by August 1. A questionnaire was part of an information brochure distributed at the meeting but does not seem available on the website. It asked for name, address, a choice of reasons for interest in the project, if you support the project and reasoning behind the answer, if you support the relocation of the park and ride and reasons for your reply, concerns about the proposed improvements, if sufficient information was provided during the public hearing, and how you learned of the meeting.

The event was robustly attended. GOMM arrived around the 5 p.m. starting time to find many people examining illustrations of the proposed road improvements. Folks were still entering more than an hour later. Conversations were animated.

As currently proposed, a second bridge over I-64 to the south of the existing span will be built to accommodate the DDI. According to VDOT “The DDI was identified as the best interchange design approach based on the approved I-64 and Ashland Road Interchange Access Report. A DDI achieves more efficient traffic flow due to the removal of conflicting travel paths and simple traffic signal phasing.

The DDI would remove the existing left-turn movement conflicts from the ramp terminals by converting these movements to unconflicted turns by crossing Ashland Road traffic to the opposite side of the roadway within the interchange footprint. A traffic signal at each crossover intersection controls the crossover movement as well as off-ramp traffic.”

The DDI at the Zion Crossroads I64 exit is an example of how the finished project will work. There were concerns about large trucks being able to navigate the DDI safely and how motorists would react to a very different traffic pattern. When finished, the DDI will give the Courthouse Village Roundabout competition for wry comments on social media.

Additional turn lanes, including one on southbound Ashland Road to the existing I 64 westbound on-ramp, which is currently under construction, are part of the project. This, and a temporary traffic signal on Ashland Road, south of I64 at the ramps there, are designed to ease congestion during construction.

The project also includes relocation of the existing park and ride lot from the northeast corner of the interchange to the west side of Ashland Road just south of I64. The new “Hickory Haven” park and ride will be larger than the current one. It seems like most of the morning traffic for this will be going east toward Richmond, which will require a left turn onto Ashland Road northbound.  The access point for the park and ride to Ashland Road will not be signalized. According to traffic engineers, the vehicle count anticipated when this is complete does not rise to warrant thresholds that VDOT uses to determine the need for a stoplight. They contended that there will be enough breaks in traffic to allow left turns toward I64 with minimal waits.

North of I64, the intersection of Ashland and Bennington Road, which is on the east side of Ashland, will be moved north to align with the entrance to the Martin Marietta quarry on the opposite side. Currently, there are no plans to signalize this intersection either. The Bennington connection was relocated to make it easier for vehicles to make left turns on to Ashland Road, which is difficult and time-consuming in current conditions.

Undeveloped land along Bennington Road is included in the county’s proposed Technology Overlay District and Technology Zone (see GOMM “In search of a bigger worm” for details), so it would seem like there should be a mechanism to signalize that intersection to encourage investment on those parcels without going through VDOT’s cumbersome warrant process.

Current cost estimates for this project are $91.7 million, according to VDOT. Funding is provided by a combination of state and local sources. Goochland Supervisors who represent the county on regional boards, especially Neil Spoonhower, District 2, our guy on the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA), worked hard with the Commonwealth Transportation Board and VDOT to bring all the funding pieces together.

Right now, the Ashland Road corridor is often very congested. In addition to traffic from businesses in the area, including quarries and a landfill, it is perhaps the shortest route to I64 for people from Hanover and western Henrico. When complete, the projects are expected to be able to handle increased traffic volume as the area grows.

The DDI and relocation of the park and ride have been bundled into one “design build” project, to allow the contractor greater flexibility during construction, which, hopefully, will enable it to come in on time and budget.

State funds for the project were approved at roughly the same time that Project Rocky got the nod from Goochland. While Rocky may have tipped the state funding scales in Goochland’s favor, without it, road conditions would have gotten worse with little hope for improvement.

In a perfect world, roads would be built to handle traffic before they get congested. We do not live in a perfect world.  Goochland does not build or maintain its roads, VDOT is responsible for this. Roads are expensive and VDOT processes and procedures add time and cost to projects. For instance, the promised improvements to Rockville Road that were included in the rezoning for Highfield, will be completed faster and less expensively by a private sector developer.

We hope that DDI and related improvements to the roads in question will ease congestion. Change is hard and this will be a big change. Please share your thoughts on this project with VDOT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One small step

 

America watched as the dream became real

On July 20, 1969, 56 years ago today, Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. On that summer Sunday, slightly less than 66 years after the Wright Brothers first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903, and not quite seven years after President John F. Kennedy made his “to the moon speech” at Rice University on September 12, 1962, America held its collective breath watching scratchy video of the event.

The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, on October 4, 1957, setting off the space race. When America appointed its first seven astronauts in 1959, all military test pilots were instant celebrities. Most kids could recite their names: Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, and Gordon Cooper.

The world was a different place back then. Baby boomers were coming of age under the cloud of the Viet Nam war. The specter of cold war nuclear annihilation was ever present. Beating the Soviet Union to the moon was a high national priority. Schools focused on the importance of teaching science and math to ensure that America had the technical expertise needed to land on the moon.

By today’s standards, 1969 technology was primitive. The average smart phone probably has more computing power than those used by NASA to plan the first moon missions. Indeed, many of the calculations, whose accuracy was vital to the success of the mission, were performed by slide rule.

The six successful moon landings, which allowed 12 astronauts to walk on its surface, ended in 1972. These were followed by the space shuttle program and space stations used for research. Since then, many people have followed the original astronauts into space, including Sally Ride and Mae Jemison.

How did we get where we are today? Everyone’s mad. The “I’m right and you’re evil” attitude seems to infect every aspect of our daily life.

It’s time to pause and reflect on the moon landing and how we got to where we are today. Time to stop fighting and start collaborating for the benefit of all.

In search of a bigger worm

 

West Creek in the center of the proposed TOD looks more like a nature preserve than eocnomic engine

Every year when crafting the county budget, Goochland supervisors struggle to allocate expected revenues to fund core services in a way that is reminiscent of a mother bird dividing a worm among hungry hatchlings.

Despite burgeoning assessments, which result in higher real estate tax bills—the 53 cents per $100 of valuation rate has remained steady since 2007—fiscal needs outpace available tax dollars. Inflation is partly to blame for this. Higher citizen expectations and a changing world also contribute. For instance, not that long ago, fire-rescue providers were mostly volunteers. Now, they are paid employees, increasing county expense. Then there is the more than $100 million of needed capital expenditures festering in the county’s fiscal future.

The current board of supervisors has committed to increasing commercial investment in the county to improve the ratio of commercial to residential tax revenue from its current approximately 18/80 to 30/70, easing the burden on homeowners. They plan to accomplish this by pursuing robust development in the county’s designated growth area, roughly north of Rt. 6 and east of Mankin Road, which includes the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.

On Monday, July 7, the county held a community meeting to explain its initiative to amend the county code and 2035 comprehensive land use plan (https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan) by establishing a technical overlay district (TOD) and a technology zone (TZ) to attract high revenue business  that generates lots of tax dollars  and high paying jobs to the county. Much of the proposed TOD and TZ are in West Creek, with some acreage hugging I64 east of Ashland Road. The TOD and TZ, as proposed, account for a bit more than two percent of the county’s total land area and about 18 percent of the designated growth area. Goochland is approximately 290 square miles.

People who own land in and adjacent to the area under review were invited to the session by letter, others—the board room was nearly full—learned about the meeting from the county website, social media posts, and word of mouth. Property owners will be able to opt out of inclusion in the TOD and TZ but must do so in writing before October 7, when the supervisors are expected to vote on the matter. The planning commission will hold public hearings on the TOD and TZ at its August 21 meeting.

Director of Economic Development Sara Worley and Ray Cash, Assistant Director of Community Development, explained the proposals.

Worley said that the county needs more business revenue to achieve the 30/70 tax ratio to relieve the tax burden on residential property. Goochland has designated a growth area in the eastern part of the county where commercial and industrial growth should go to keep the rest of the county—the goal is 85 percent—rural. To maximize return on investment here, the county is actively pursuing high revenue producing businesses in the technology sector. These include data centers, which have been a by right—essentially prezoned—use in West Creek for years. This is expected to being significant private sector investment in the county as well as good paying jobs.

The TOD, explained by Worley, allows specific uses and imposes more stringent development standards for buffers, noise limits, and architectural standards to mitigate the impact on property outside the district, than West Creek, whose existing standards are fairly high.

The TZ is complementary to the TOD because it allows the county to provide incentives to businesses for locating in Goochland. These can include a reduction of certain fees and some tax rebates. Worley made it clear that any new business in the TCSD will not be exempt from paying ad valorem tax.

The boundaries of the TOD and TZ were determined, said Worley, after careful analysis of the existing zoning, availability of large tracts of developable land, availability of public utilities, and electrical and natural gas infrastructure in the designated growth area.

Data centers are proliferating around us. Louisa has several; one was recently approved in Powhatan.

Worley said that by right uses in the TOD will include: an advanced manufacturing facility that creates products through innovative technologies that depend on information, automation, computation, software, sensing, and networking; data center; public utility; technology college, university, or technical school; technology research and development facility; technology training center. All must be for profit enterprises. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1408/Technology-Overlay-District-Technology-Z for details.

Because these facilities do not exist in a bubble, accessory uses including on site water and sewage treatment plants, will be allowed by right. These will be regulated to ensure no adverse impact on Goochland. Also included as accessory uses are food service, and energy-generating and storage facilities, which too will be required to meet all health, safety, and environmental standards.

The TOD and TZ propose a by right maxim structure height of 120 feet, higher than the current 80 feet, which can be exceeded only with a conditional use permit. Worley said that some advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing needs this height for their processes. Worley said that these facilities will be built away from residential areas. “These companies want to be good neighbors and don’t want to locate in people’s back yard.”

Noise generated by proposed industries, based on existing facilities, is expected to be in the 60-65 decibel range, which is roughly between normal conversation and an air conditioner. Lighting must conform to the county’s dark sky policy.

Much of West Creek, which was created in the 1980’s as an economic engine for the county, still looks more like a nature preserve.

Cash discussed the land use side of the proposal. He outlined minimum 200-foot buffer and setback requirements in the proposed changes, which are intended to mitigate visual impact of large buildings on surrounding areas.  Tall trees, which already exist in much of the TOD, will provide screening. He also showed examples of attractive data centers that resemble office buildings.

Existing tree canopy south of Readers Branch

Some citizens raised concerns that water needed for data centers could result in water shortages for residential users. The TOD is in the TCSD, whose water comes from Henrico. Currently, the county has a water allocation of 25 million gallons per day, of which only about five million is used.

Another contended that trees are not an effective way to mitigate noise and advocated for earthen berms with trees on top. The 200-foot setback as a buffer to mitigate visual impact was labeled a “bundle of nonsense”.

Some attendees were skeptical that there is sufficient energy in the TOD to power the proposed uses and wondered where new high voltage electric lines might be placed.  One person contended that people who live near high voltage lines have a greater incidence of cancer. Worley said that electric power capacity will be determined by Dominion and the end user. There was no discussion of how the major natural gas line, located roughly in the center of the TOD, could be used to generate electricity separate from the power gird.

Worley said that currently there are no data center non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in effect. She did say that at least five companies have expressed interest in locating data centers here.

Concerns about “energy storage facilities” were raised. A proposal to locate a battery storage facility in rural Crozier seems to have gone away, but these could wind up in the TOD.

Citizens also expressed frustration about the lack of notification about the meeting and proposals in general. This has been a recurring issue and a valid concern, but the remedy is elusive. What is the best way to inform county residents about things that might impact their daily lives? Encouraging citizens to check the county website and follow it on social media could reach more people. Getting people to pay attention is the hard part.

Please check the county website often for updates on the TOD/TZ initiative and pay attention as this moves forward. Tell your friends and neighbors.

Map of proposed TOD. (Goochland County image)