Punt

Goochland’s Planning Commission deadlocked—Commission Chair Tom Rockecharlie, District 5, was absent— on two major rezoning applications at its November 2 meeting, opted to send the cases to the supervisors noting the tie vote. The Commissioners were frustrated at the dearth of data on which to base sound decisions.  They voted, in both instances, 2-2 with John Shelhorse, District 4 and John Myers, District 1, in favor and Derek Murray, District 3 and Matt Brewer, District 2 in dissent.

The commissioners voted to suspend the provision in their by-laws that automatically defers tie votes to the next meeting to secure an up or down vote. Both applications began the rezoning process early in 2017, and, by statute, needed planning commission action by the end of December. According to County Attorney Tara McGee, the supervisors then have a year to act on the applications.

As Commissioner Vice Chair John Shelhorse, District 4, observed, these are landmark cases. If approved as submitted, they could, together, add more than 800 new homes to Goochland, the equivalent of one tenth the number of homes currently in the county. It is believed that other larger subdivisions may follow.

Realizing that the county does not have a clear picture of the true cost of significant residential growth over the next 50 years or so, consultants have been retained  to provide detailed criteria for evaluating the impact of residential growth on county facilities. This model is expected to be completed and adopted by February, 2018. An updated thoroughfare plan to address actual county growth is also underway.

The cases, an application filed by HH Hunt Land  (HHH) for 207.839 acres to build a 520 home senior residential community named Mosaic, and an application filed by Readers Branch Partners, LLC, and Hockett Road Partners, LLC, to rezone two subdivisions, Reader’s Branch and Swanson Ridge “on the books” creating a single community, Reader’s Branch, were the first large enclaves to run the gauntlet created by the new state proffer law.  Both are located on or near Hockett Road south of Broad Street Road. 

Major areas of impact that cash proffer calculations may address are: schools; public safety—law enforcement and fire-rescue; transportation; and parks.

Transportation—roads—was perhaps the biggest concern to citizens and planning commissioners for both cases.

Traffic Engineer Erich Strohhacker, who worked on both communities, explained that Hockett Road is currently capable of handling 12,000 trips per day (TPD) and has traffic of 2,000 TPD, according to VDOT. Neither proposed subdivision would add sufficient traffic to Hockett Road to exceed the 12,000 TPD threshold. (It would seem that these numbers are based on 24 hour days and that most of the trips happen during morning and evening rush hours, further clouding the issue.)

The problem with Hockett Road traffic, contended Strohhacker, is its intersection with Broad Street, which is currently at a failing service level. A short term solution to this is the addition of a right turn lane at the intersection. The Reader’s Branch application seemed to $100 thousand to build the turn lane. However, as it does not own the land, it cannot build the lane on its own, so the county and VDOT—glaciers move faster—need to be involved. Strohhacker said that the ultimate solution to the bottleneck at Hockett and Broad is the rerouting of Ashland Road to connect with Hockett further south.

Director of Community Development Jo Ann Hunter took great care to explain the restraints of the new proffer law before presenting each case. As handed down by the Virginia General Assembly, the statute governing cash proffers is vague. The county adopted a revised proffer policy to adhere to state code as best it could, but dealings between the county and developers remain as delicate at a porcupine mating dance.

Hunter said that residential development that fails address its fiscal impact on community facilities could create a financial burden on the county.

It seems like both sides want to deal in good faith without giving away the store. The county is very wary of approving hundreds of new homes without a clear cost/benefit analysis. Developers want to maximize profit, which makes them capitalists, not evil. The search for balance between the two remains elusive.

As described by Kim Kacani,  of HHH, Mosaic will add a new housing option for long time older Goochlanders to downsize and remain in the county. It will provide a wide range of amenities for active seniors. As no residents under the age of 19 will be permitted to live in Mosaic, it will have no impact on schools—the most expensive county service—but adding at least 500 older people  will further stress emergency medical services.

HHH retained the services of a consultant to determine Mosaic’s impact on Goochland EMS using call volume statistics supplied by the county. Perhaps a more meaningful metric is the number of hours that Goochland EMS is in a condition known as NUA (no units available), meaning that if you call 911 for EMS, no crews are available to respond.

Another issue plaguing the Mosaic case was what seems to be a “false flag” objection by adjoining property owners who contended that Mosaic must provide connectivity to main roads in West Creek and not block a conceptual interconnective road. Hunter indicated that this issue does not involve Mosaic.

Kacani said that an eight year build out if envisioned for Mosaic. It offered  a cash proffer of $1,471 per home for public safety. This is about $750 thousand over eight years (proffers are paid when certificates of occupancy are issued), roughly one and a half fully equipped ambulances at today’s prices.

Scott Gaeser presented the rezoning application for a new improved Reader’s Branch.  He contended that since Goochland began accepting cash proffers in 2000, the county has collected about $300 thousand per year, which is  approximately one half of one percent of the annual budget. He further contended that the effort put forth by developers and county staff dealing with the new proffer legislation may not be worth the effort. The supervisors have shown little interest in unwinding Goochland’s proffer policy.

The Reader’s Branch application included cash proffers of $1,585 per lot, $1,506 for public safety, $79 for parks and zero for transportation and schools. According to its development impact statement (DIS), Reader’s Branch is expected to generate 93 school-aged children. Gaeser contended that these students would not increase enrollment at any county school in excess of capacity, therefore no school proffer can  be justified. The Planning Commissioners metaphorically scratched their heads over that one.

Both applications touted the increased real estate tax revenue that will be generated by their communities as well connection fees and ad valorem tax revenues for the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.  The message implied is that the increase in real estate tax revenue will more than offset the cost of the development.

Comment on the applications was somewhat mixed. Several people support the Mosaic application, agreeing that Goochland needs a dedicated senior enclave. Others were appalled at the number on homes on small lots, contending that they will bring Short Pump to Goochland. Shelhorse contended that both proposed communities in an area designated for growth that will keep the rest of Goochland rural.

Joe Lacy, former District 3 supervisor and planning commissioner, characterized the cases as  the most significant land use decision since the creation of West Creek more than a generation ago. He contended that jamming as many houses as possible on to small lots is not what Goochland is about. Adding traffic generated by these projects, he said, will make Hockett Road a disaster. He also observed that Rt. 288 is already at a standstill around 5:30 p.m. He urged deferral until more impact information is available.

See the planning commission packet for its November 2 meeting at: http://goochlandcountyva.iqm2.com/citizens/default.aspx for complete details on both cases.

Mosaic will be a good addition to Goochland housing options, if it does not swamp EMS. If Reader’s Branch can find a way to build the turn lane at Hockett and Broad and help the Hickory Haven subdivision, which has been paying TCSD ad valorem tax since its inception, connect to sewer lines, it could be a win for the county. But, we still need much more data about the burden, if any, that large subdivisions will have on county facilities. Stay tuned.