A stroll down memory lane

 

Random thoughts generated by a stack of Goochland Couriers from 2002 to 2007.

Litter

Stories covering the battle against roadside litter abound. Initiatives from distributing free nets at convenience centers so trucks could secure their loads, to adopting stretches of local highways by various groups popped up often. In one case, a citizen followed a truck spewing garbage, got its license number, reported it to the authorities and appeared in court. The judge found the accused guilty and imposed a fine. How many people who complain about littering would take the time to do that today? Among the new state laws that go into effect on July 1,2021 is an increase in the maximum fine for littering.

The root cause of roadside litter is lack of home training. Too few parents teach their kids that tossing trash out the car window is unacceptable.

Voting precincts

In June 2003, the Hadensville voting precinct was moved from the Company 6 Fire-Rescue station to County Line Baptist Church. In June 2021, the supervisors approved moving that precinct to the county-owned Company 6 Fire-Rescue station.

Schools

A replacement for Goochland Elementary School was discussed quite a bit during the early days of the century. Former school boards even spent a good bit of money hiring architects to craft plans to expand the existing school. It’s just as well those plans never came to fruition. The new GHS currently on the drawing board will reflect changes in education.

Roads

Roads woes are always with us.

 In 2002, Rt. 288 through Goochland was just getting underway. For some reason that makes sense only to the brilliant traffic engineers in the bunker of VDOT—the state agency whose motto is “Oops!”—right of way easements along Broad Street Road were not secured at the outset in anticipation of increased traffic volume there. This made remediation of a dangerous and poorly designed intersection, the site of many serious wrecks and at least one death, take longer and cost more than it should have.

In another foresight fail, Three Chopt Road between 250 and Ashland Road was cut off by the 288 overpass to I64. There are now plans to restore it by tunneling under Rt. 288. It cost millions of dollars and several years to install traffic signals and turn lanes at the 250/288 interchange. How much will it cost to build that tunnel?

As reported on April 16, 2002

When the last segment of Rt. 288 between Interstates 64 and 95 opened in 2005, transportation authorities believed the road would not reach full capacity for many decades.

Widening of Broad Street Road to Ashland Road was finished in late 2007. The “Centerville Speedway” aka four lanes of Broad Street Road to Manakin Road, took several more years. Its completion also needed remediation because the wrong curve template as used to design at the Manakin Road intersection making it impassable for large vehicles. The entertainment value of watching moving vans and horse trailers stuck there was short lived.

Now we have more traffic than ever using essentially the same roads as traffic engineers, retained by developers, contend that existing roads have plenty of capacity, it’s just the choke points that cause problems. This is a case of putting ten pounds of manure in a five-pound bag, and likely to get worse because there is not enough money to fix the problem.

TCSD

The Tuckahoe Creek Service District, touted as the economic engine to fund the county while keeping Goochland rural, was approved by the supervisors in May 2002. The board borrowed $65 million—the total county budget that year was approximately $35 million— to build trunk lines to bring water from Henrico and move sewage to Richmond through lines that ran through the Country Club of Virginia to a connection on Maple Avenue behind St. Catherine’s School. What could go wrong?

As it turned out, lots. The bond issue was so badly structured that at one point, Goochland’s bond rating was lower than that of Detroit. (Thanks to an intrepid board of supervisors, mostly elected in 2011, Goochland now has two AAA bond ratings and hopes to complete a hat trick later this year.) The owners of West Creek, much of which is in the TCSD, and the county went to war over assessed valuation resulting in two lengthy and expensive trials. Economic development in West Creek dried up for more than a decade.

Cost over runs, including litigation with various companies involved with building TCSD infrastructure resulted in shorter “trunk” lines. The ad valorem tax initially discussed as being fifteen cents per $100 of assessed valuation ballooned to fifty cents. When a 2004 county-wide reassessment—the first in several years—drastically increased property values, people in the TCSD, especially those with little hope of ever being connected were livid.

Right now, Hickory Haven and Sammary Forest, communities that have paid the ad valorem tax since its inception, are in the process of connecting to the TCSD sewer lines. Homeowners there must pay full connection fees to do so.

The library

In 2003, the “new” library was opened after years of denial by the supervisors that the county needed one. The community turned out en masse on a frigid January day to move books from the old building, now home to the Goochland Business Center, to the current site. This led someone to quip that the supervisors’ attitude that “it would be a cold day in Hades before Goochland got a new library” came true.

Our library is part of the Pamunkey Library system, ( https://www.pamunkeylibrary.org/ a consortium of several smaller counties that provides more resources for their patrons than would be possible by stand- alone libraries. Library cards are free to Goochland residents. They provide reciprocity with the Henrico library system. Throughout the pandemic, Pamunkey provided electronic services to patrons, and limited curbside services.

County facilities

In 2002, most county offices operated out of antique buildings around the Courthouse green. A smaller version of the current clerk’s office housed the county administrator; planning and zoning department; Treasurer, and Commissioner of the Revenue. In 2005, many government functions moved to the renovated “old” high school.

The Sheriff’s Office operated out of a warren under the General District Court Room until a state-of-the-art communications center, gracefully grafted onto the building was completed a few years ago.

As Goochland has grown, so has county staff. A few years ago, the Community Development Department absorbed an unused corridor to increase its footprint. Last year, offices of the Treasurer, Commissioner of the Revenue and DMV Select got a make-over.

In the spring of 2007, the “old middle school” AKA Central High School, closed at the end of the school year. This historic and well-used building moldered for too many years as the supervisors dithered over what to do with it. Options considered included tearing it down, using it for multijurisdictional special education facility, or selling the property. In the meantime, its gym was used by Parks and Rec, in spite of dreadful restroom and other facilities.

Thanks to a collaboration between the county and hard working and creative citizens, the facility was reborn as the vibrant Central High School Cultural and Educational Center. It is now home to the Monacan Soil   and Water Conservation District; the Extension Office; a 170 seat multi-purpose theater; meeting and classrooms; a renovated gym; restrooms; outdoor recreational opportunities; and a museum. Additional uses are in the works.

Housing

In 2003 Knight Bowles, then a District 2 planning commissioner, cautioned that, unless Goochland took an active role, it would become a high-priced bedroom community. People who expressed a desire for the county to be an inclusive mixed income community with a place “at the table” for a wide range of citizens have been disappointed. Not much has changed on this front.

In 2005, the average (the total divided by the number of data points) sale price for a home in Goochland was $430,756. Last May, statistics presented to the supervisors (see GOMM A home for everyone) contended that the median (half above, half below) home price was $421 K. (Many homes in the county have not yet returned to their pre-Great Recession 2009 valuations.) This is still out of reach for deputies, teachers, and fire-rescue providers.

Fewer county employees currently live in Goochland than in 2005. We don’t know how many people who work for large employers in the county live here. Land prices here remain higher than surrounding jurisdictions, housing costs follow.

Developers used to tease that if they were allowed higher density—more houses on less land—the prices would be affordable by teachers and deputies. That rarely materialized, even with the higher density.

Land values

A front-page headline on January 17, 2007, declared that land values in Goochland were $5.56 billion, the prerecession high. In January of 2021 that figure was $6.12 billion, $84 million of which was attributed to new construction during the year of Covid lockdown.

Weather

There were droughts and floods—sometimes in the same year. In 2003, Hurricane Isabel hammered Goochland with long and widespread power outages. Ice storms and snow storms knocked over trees and closed roads. Our intrepid fire-rescue volunteers were often first on the scene with chainsaws and strong backs to clear Mother Nature’s debris.

Fire-Rescue

There are lots of stories about our valient Fire-Rescue volunteers giving freely of their time, talents, and treasures to save lives and protect property in Goochland. This year marks the 70^th anniversary of the formation of the first volunteer fire company in the county at Dover, now Manakin Company 1, when a group of local men learned how to fight fires.

Goochland is a special place.

 

 

 

 

 

Service above self

The Goochland Rotary Club (https://www.goochlandrotary.com/) recently celebrated its silver anniversary. In the quarter century of its existence, this group has lived the motto of the organization “Service Above Self” enriching the county and having fun along the way.

At their June 1 meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved a proclamation recognizing the club for its many contributions to the community. “Wood chucking”, the club’s signature project provides free firewood to those who use it as a primary source of heat and sells the remainder to raise funds for other projects, including scholarships.

Our local Rotarians freely donate their time, treasure, and talents to enrich our community.

Club president Jay Shively explained that, in the past year, Goochland Rotarians donated 2,628 hours of their time on various projects. Using a national average value of volunteer time at $25 per hour, that totals almost $62 thousand in donated labor. In addition, the Rotary Foundation contributed almost $70 thousand to local non-profits.

Board Chair John Lumpkins, Jr (l) and Jay Shively

From enhancing our parks by building walkways, dog “Barks” complete with throwing stick libraries, to mentoring children in our schools, the club’s influence enriches our community. Rotarians partner with many local agencies including Goochland Pet Lovers, Christmas Mother, Goochland Cares, Meals on Wheels, and Scout troops. All good things in Goochland are touched by Rotary.

One of many Rotary enhancements for county parks

Goochland is blessed to be served by this fine organization that seems to be just getting started. Happy Anniversary!

 

 

 

 

 

No one told me

 

Town criers used to keep citizens informed

How do you get your information about Goochland County? Do you care about what’s going on in Goochland County? Do you care?  Do you even know if you live in Goochland County?

Regular readers of GOMM know more than most, but GOMM cannot report on everything.

Newspapers are well, yesterday’s news and cannot compete with the 24/7 news cycle. They no longer have the staffing, budget, or will to report on anything but the most salacious topics. Budget hearings, school board meetings, and land use applications are too boring to bother with. Too often they are filled with “contributed” items that are cut and pasted into the publication with no vetting.

Few people pay attention to local government until it does something they find objectionable. By then it’s usually too late to change the outcome.

Goochland County posts yellow signs on property involved in the change of land use. This could mean a rezoning or application for a conditional use permit for something not allowed “by right” in a particular zoning category. Although the signs are brightly colored, they’re hard to read while zipping along in a vehicle. You can go to https://www.goochlandva.us/833/Zoning-Signs for an explanation, but how many residents know to do that? Links on the zoning sign page take you to a list of pending zoning actions in the entire county. Unless you know which District a particular sign is in, this could be more frustrating that helpful.

When you see this, pay close attention.

Goochland County’s website https://www.goochlandva.us/ has much interesting and useful information about local government and links to community organizations from agricultural resources to the YMCA. It also has a calendar on the homepage showing upcoming government and community meetings. While property owners adjacent to a pending land use change are notified by the county, those living nearby could be affected by the action and not know anything about it until the bulldozers arrive. Checking the county website often is a good way to keep abreast of local activity.

At a June 7 day-long strategic plan workshop, the Board of Supervisors discussed ways to gather input from citizens and keep them informed. Creation of a public relations department to “toot Goochland’s horn” was discusses. This would not only distribute press releases but serve as a mechanism to “control the narrative” in difficult situations.

Currently, the county posts timely information on its Twitter and Facebook accounts. Social media, though flawed, is the fastest way to disseminate information in Goochland. This is most effective when residents “follow” those accounts. For instance, the county posts notices about closures of government facilities, yet on every holiday, people ask “is the dump open?”.

In a perfect—and long gone, world—the local newspaper had a reporter whose primary focus was schools. People like to see pictures of their kids in the paper. More importantly, education is the largest expenditure of local revenue, so people should know how their tax dollars are being spent.

Goochland schools have come a long way in the few years, yet newcomers to the county, and some long-term residents, still believe that you only send your kids to Goochland Schools if you have no other option. (On second thought, maybe we shouldn’t let this secret out. The small size of our school division may be a contributing factor to its success.)

Richmond’s mainstream media tends to cover only sensational events in the county. Not one news outlet bothered to report that Goochland holds two, and is hoping to secure a third, AAA bond rating. This is a feat unheard of for a county with a population under 30,000. Yet, TV cameras were recently happy to air footage of trash along our roadways. In the last few days, during a report on Covid vaccination statistics, WTVR Channel 6 did mention that Goochland has the highest vaccination rate in the Richmond region, if not the Commonwealth.

The influence of the postal service and telephone company further complicates matters. Many residents in the River Road corridor have Henrico addresses and Richmond phone exchanges. Their kids go to private schools and their real estate taxes are probably escrowed. Unless they write the check for personal property tax, they have no idea which jurisdiction they live in.  Indeed, it seems like many “east enders” sleep in Goochland and live their lives elsewhere.

At the conclusion of recognitions at the June 8 meeting of the Goochland School Board, Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Raley celebrated the pursuit of excellence that infuses every part of Goochland Schools, especially during the Covid lockdown. “It’s an honor to serve beside these great folks who are doing great things to serve our students and our families. We should be very proud of our public schools because we are truly shining in a number of ways. This is truly a very special place to be,” he said. (To watch school board meetings, go to https://goochlandschools.new.swagit.com/videos/122549)

Our school division will soon revamp its communication strategy to, as Raley said, “share the great work we are doing. We are on the cusp of a bond referendum and it’s important to educate the community about the good things going on in Goochland County Public Schools and to let them know that approval of the referendum will not raise taxes.”

It is highly likely the ballot for the November 2 general election will include a bond referendum to fund several capital projects, the largest of which is a new Goochland Elementary School. Should the referendum fail, the supervisors will explore alternate methods of financing to get the “best deal” for taxpayers.

At its June 8 meeting, the school board authorized execution of a contract with public relations firm BetsyOS PR LLC, (https://bospr.com) to examine and improve the way that GCPS gets the word out to parents and the community. These efforts will begin with a communications audit to determine the effectiveness of current information sharing practices and craft a strategy to raise community awareness of the vital work our schools are doing and explain the bond referendum. The firm will collaborate with GCPS to update its website and enhance use of social media to interact with parents and county residents.

Our schools and county government want Goochlanders to know what they’re doing. There is no excuse for saying “no one told me.”

 

Paying the bills

 

Goochland is working toward a tax base ratio of 70 percent residential to 30 percent commercial. This should ease the tax burden on landowners while generating sufficient revenue to provide the high level of services citizens expect.

Getting there is the tricky part and requires more than deploying for sale signs.

The supervisors authorized reserving 50,000 gallons of water per day for parcels near the intersection of River Road and Rt.6 in return for assistance of the land owners, who have not current development plans, in building a water line there. Land on main roads is being added to the Tuckahoe Creek Service District to make it more attractive for commercial development.

In the past, the county has offered incentives, some in the form of real estate tax abatements, to attract businesses. The incentives require creation of a certain number of jobs, and minimum dollar investment by a date certain to qualify.

The county has seen a healthy uptick in economic development in the past few years. Audi of Richmond, Drive Shack, The Sheltering Arms Institute Rehabilitation Hospital Residence Inn by Marriott, and Greenswell Growers are some new enterprises in Goochland.  More will be coming. At their June 1 meeting, the supervisors learned what the Department of Economic Development is doing to bring more business development to the county.

A few years ago, Sara Worley and Casey Verberg were appointed as economic development coordinators. Worley focuses on the retention and expansion of existing business, Verberg on attracting new enterprises. To get a clear picture of where the county is and where is going, the women created databases of existing businesses, developable resources and network with state and other economic development agencies to put opportunities in Goochland on the “radar screen” of companies looking to move to central Virginia.

A missing piece of the local economic development puzzle was what kind of industries would be a good fit with what Goochland has to offer. Last year, the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development took along hard look at Goochland and the central Virginia region to develop a list of industries that should be targeted for maximum return on marketing efforts.  (Go to https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/122299 to watch the full presentation beginning about the 1:50 mark)

The top three industries, which already have a strong presence in the county, are financial services and insurance; headquarters and management branches of a wide range of industries—both Performance Food Group and CarMax headquartered in West Creek fall into this category; and construction including general contractors, commercial and institutional developers, and prefabricated building developers.

The latter category has a strong need for people with career and technical skills, like those leaned at the Goochland High School CTE program. “We are one of the few programs in the region that lets our students get hands on experience before they graduate enabling companies to recruit our students out of high school,” said Verberg.

Industrially zoned land, which is in short supply in Goochland, is in high demand. Businesses that need outside storage and use heavy equipment need this kind of property.

Emerging industry categories in the region include health care and life sciences; logistics; and food and beverage manufacturing.

Logistics companies need last mile warehouses, in short supply locally, and freight distribution. Verberg said that delivery companies need smaller local distribution “node” to keep up the demand for next day service.  Access to major highways makes Goochland an ideal location for this kind of enterprise. Indeed, an ordinance amendment to allow distribution centers as a by right use for land zoned M-1 should be on the board’s July agenda. (Much of West Creek and industrial parks in I-64 corridor from Mid-Point near Hadensville to those in the Ashland Road corridor fall into this zoning classification.)

Healthcare and life sciences builds on the presence of medical office buildings and the Sheltering Arms facility. Verberg expressed optimism that entrepreneurs in the field attracted to the burgeoning Virginia Tech Bio Tech Park in Richmond could be enticed to locate in Goochland.

All of the industries identified in the analysis require a well-trained and educated workforce.

Verberg introduced new marketing materials for West Creek, which has been broken up into seven “campuses” targeted for different uses. (Go to http://www.goochlandforbusiness.com/205/West-Creek-Business-Park to view the brochure.) This targets the needs of clients to specific places instead of presenting West Creek as a 3,500-acre business park. West Creek offers water, sewer, broadband and a nearby well- educated workforce.

Demand for existing commercial space is far outstripping supply, Verberg said. Efforts to encourage development of badly needed speculative industrial space were derailed by Covid but are starting to ramp up.

Tourism, which Verberg contended grows more organically than other kids of economic development, also was hurt by Covid. Our existing beverage enterprises, including wonderful craft breweries, wineries, cidery, and distillery are part of tourism.

Goochland has a sound plan for economic development to enhance our tax base and create jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2021 Board Highlights

 

The June 1 meeting agenda of the Goochland Board of Supervisors included some items covered in previous GOMM posts. Other topics, however, bear mentioning.

COVID

Goochland more than did its part to protect citizens during the pandemic and provide opportunities for inoculation once vaccines became available.  As of June 12, according to the Virginia Department of health website (https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-summary/) Goochland has administered 26,596 doses and 13,134 people in the county are fully vaccinated.  This puts the county in the top tier of Virginia jurisdictions in vaccine response with 55.3 percent of the population fully vaccinated and leads the Commonwealth with percentage of residents vaccinated.

County Administrator Kenny Young commended Goochland Fire-Rescue, the Chickahominy Health District, the department of General Services, county staff, and others who volunteered to operate clinics and vaccination information hotlines to ensure that everyone who wanted a vaccine could be inoculated. Young said that 3,674 shots were administered at local clinics.

 To achieve this result, the county partnered with Goochland Cares; the NAACP; Goochland Christian Churches Association; Goochland Public Schools; Dawson and Goochland Pharmacy; the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps; and Medical Reserve Corps from The Chickahominy and Henrico Health Districts.

Fourth of July

Fireworks are back! They will be held on Sunday, July 4 beginning at 9 p.m. behind the sports complex (also the county administration building). Parking opens at 7 p.m. Come early to grab a good viewing spot. Goochland puts on a great fireworks display, so good that in past years the traffic created by outside visitors has deterred many county residents from attending. Rain date is July 5.

VDOT

Ashland Residency Administrator Marshall Winn was back in person after Covid restrictions were lifted. He listed the work in progress like mowing and pothole repair.

Board members raised concerns about speed limits on Hockett Road, both above and below Tuckahoe Creek Parkway. Don Sharpe, District 4, observed that the stop sign at the intersection of Tuckahoe Creek Parkway and Hockett Road is often treated as a “suggestion” by motorists rolling through. Winn will look into a speed study for the southern portion of Hockett Road.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2 raised concerns about recent paving of Whitehall Road. Marshall promised to visit the site with Spoonhower to explore mitigation of the situation.

Fire-Rescue

D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr.  Chief of Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services presented his bimonthly report. (See page 67 in the June 1 BoS packet for details.) The Chief issued his yearly caution about float time on the James River to remind people that the trip from Western Goochland to Maidens Landing is far longer by river than by car. “It can take up to 12 hours by inner tube,” Ferguson said. When it starts to get dark, people call 911 for help getting off the river. This can be prevented by planning ahead.

Read, heed, and pass this along

As the world exits Covid lockdowns call for service rise, said Ferguson. He explained that recruiting is under way to fill new career fire-rescue positions authorized in the FY22 county budget. Salary pressures from neighboring jurisdictions has reduced the number of qualified applicants from previous years.

Consent Agenda

This is a list of items that require approval via a public vote by the supervisors. These tend to be routine and are voted on as a block.

On June 1, by approving the consent agenda, the supervisors:

·        Approved a resolution requesting a waiver from the Virginia Department of Elections for split voting precincts.

·         Set public hearings at their July 6 meeting to consider repeal of the Ordinance for Continuity of Government Operations during the Pandemic, which has been in force since March 2020; and add parcels near Songbird Lane and Hockett Road to the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.

·        Approved a resolution providing notice of intent to abandon a segment Three Chopt Road east of Rt. 288 and to set a public hearing for August 3.

·        Authorized Young to execute a 50,000 gallon per day water allocation agreement with River Road and Patterson, LLC for multiple parcels long River Road and Patterson Avenue. The developer will pay capacity charges for this allocation. The agreement wilk terminate in ten years if the parcels are not developed or the agreement renewed. This does not obligate the county to rezone the subject parcels. Director of Utilities Matt Longshore explained that the developers of the subject property are making a capital contribution to the construction of a water line—paying for a line that others will use—and they asked the county to reserve part of its water allocation for them.  (See http://goochlandcountyva.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1304&Inline=True for details page 91 for details.)

 

 

A walk in the park

 

Goochland’s parks are a good place to get outside and take a walk.

On June 1, the supervisors joined Parks and Recreation staff; Scott Foster, Director of General Service; and members of the Friends of Goochland Parks and the Tucker Park Task Force to cut the ribbon on the newly completed walkway under the Maidens Bridge along the James River. Bisected by busy Rt. 522, connecting both sides of the park was long thought to be an unattainable goal.

Cutting the ribbon on the Tucker Park connector

“This is the fulfillment of a plan drawn on a napkin at the White Hawk Café by the late Don Charles, former Deputy County administrator. It looks very much like the original sketch. A lot of people have had a hand making this park what it is today,” said Jessica Kronberg, Director of Parks and Recreation. Indeed, Charles’ vision, though dismissed by some as impossible, planted the seeds for the connector, which have blossomed.

The county obtained grant funds for the project, which was initially conceived as an asphalt path under the bridge. In 2019, John K. George and Company, which has extensive experience in building walkways over or near bodies of water, submitted a bid to the county to build the connector for the amount of money available. The stars aligned and the project was completed earlier this year.

The connector curves under the bridge for an up close view of the river

Foster said that the final project is the result of a team effort the work of many hands in most county departments.

County Administrator Kenneth Young said the project is exciting. He thanked the Friends of Goochland Parks for their role in the project. The walkway, supported by massive timbers—purchased before the cost of lumber skyrocketed—curves gently under the bridge above the river. The connector extends trails that wind around the west side of the park.

Walking trails, picnic tables, an archery range, a canoe launch, dog “barks”, and rare access to the James River are other features of Tucker Park. The Goochland Rotary Club has plans to add a grilling area.

The canoe launch at Tucker Park

Tucker Park is not the only park in the county system. During Covid lockdowns, Goochland Parks were well used and offer many nice walking opportunities.

Leake’s Mill Park, on the south side of Rt. 6 west of Rock Castle Road, has fields for soccer and lacrosse, a playground, walking trails, one of which leads to the ruins of the mill, and a system of well-regarded mountain bike trails. Earlier this year, Parks and Rec offered guided nature walks, which, sadly, were poorly attended.

Ruins of Leake's Mill can be accessed by trail.

Hidden Rock Park, near the animal shelter and central convenience center, has a recently completed walking trail from the “dog barks” at the foot of the hill to the animal shelter. The Goochland Rotary Club built a “boardwalk” over a damp potion of this walkway.

A two-mile trail through densely wooded parcels in Courthouse Village can be accessed behind the Fire-Rescue Office, which is at the back of the Courthouse Complex.

The walking trail planned for Matthews Park, north of Hadensville-Fife Road, is not yet complete.

Completion of the initial phase of an east end trail system, from the West Creek Emergency Center to the Hardywood Craft Brewery, though being deigned, is not expected for a few years, according to Kronberg.

A local non-profit whose volunteers raise money for county parks, promote them, and contribute sweat equity to continually improve them, Friends of Goochland Parks (https://www.friendsofgoochlandparks.com/) is yet another group of people that makes Goochland a great place to live. In normal years, the group hosts a Riverfest fund raising event. Hope it will be back in 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to what passes for normal

 

Things seem are getting back to normal as we enter June. Masks were few and far between at the monthly meetings of both the supervisors and planning commission. As the pandemic winds down and the frantic housing market rolls along, applications for zoning changes are back in full force. Developers and their land use attorneys arrogantly barked explanations of the county’s 2035 comprehensive plan at the planning commissioners and supervisors, who crafted and approved it.

(A word on the Comp Plan—available for your viewing pleasure at https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan. It is a little like the Bible, skilled practitioners can use it to support or refute a point of view.)

Somewhere along the line, the supervisors seem to have decided to get as much land as possible into the Tuckahoe Creek Service District (TCSD), which will bring zoning changes to flood eastern Goochland with new homes.

The rationale for this is that “higher density housing will take development pressure off of the rest of the county to meet the goal of keeping 85 percent of Goochland rural”. Sounds good until you think about it. Folks move to Goochland—the country—for privacy, and a bit of elbow room. How will homes on small lots, even with the communal “open space” touted by the high-density subdivisions, fill that bill?

Higher density was also touted to offer new homes in a price range that could be afforded by young families, deputies, teachers, and fire-rescue providers. (See GOMM A home for everyone for more information about this issue.) This too seems logical. The more dwelling units per acre, the more homes that share the cost of infrastructure like roads and public utilities.

If memory serves, the last time this rationale was included in a rezoning request was when the number of lots in Swann’s Inn Estates near the water tower in Courthouse Village was doubled as public water and sewer became available. At the time of rezoning the developer suggested that increasing the number of homes would make it possible to build homes affordable by teachers and deputies. Those homes are currently advertised at “starting in the upper $400’s”.

A few years back, the state tried to mandate that all fast-growing localities, which included Goochland, establish “urban density areas” to absorb several decades of future housing demand to prevent the dreaded urban sprawl. The UDA mandate went away, but recent development is a close facsimile.

The ordinance creating the TCSD included pages of parcel numbers that “could” join. If they did, ad valorem tax—which was initially as high as 50 cents per $100 of assessed valuation—would be levied on the land. Many property owners, with justified skepticism, declined unconvinced that the TCSD would be the economic engine for the county as it was touted to be at its inception. The property owners who did put their land into the TCSD when it was formed in 2002 and have paid the extra tax in the ensuing years, should be a little miffed.

There may have been a penalty requiring payment of several years’ worth of back ad valorem tax to join after the fact, but that seems to never have been codified. The penalty now is a 20 percent upcharge on connection fees, about $2k per home, depending on the size of the line, which will be passed along to buyers.

At their June 1 meeting, the supervisors voted unanimously to add parcels of land in the northeast corner of the county to the TCSD because the landowner thought it was “time to join” without any specific use for the property. One of those parcels, with frontage along Pouncey Tract Road, according to county land records, was assessed at $71k when the ad valorem tax was first levied, and $350k in 2021. It’s hard to fault that landowner for gaming the system, another indication of the glaring dysfunction that created the TCSD.

A comment made by District 5 Planning Commissioner Tom Rockecharlie at the June 3 meeting of that body, “one of the key points of the Comprehensive Plan was to have a high-density area in the eastern end of the county to pay for the TCSD,” sums up the approach to development.

The supervisors deferred a vote on another rezoning case which was predicated on pending inclusion in the TCSD to their July 6 meeting. “This is putting the cart before the horse,” Don Sharpe, District 4 said.

The application Sharpe referred to is an extension of the Parkside Village community behind the Aw Shucks near the intersection of Pouncey Tract and Ashland Roads. The property being rezoned is at the corner of Johnson and Ashland Roads. The proposal would add 31 age- restricted homes to Parkside Village and rezone for industrial and commercial uses on parcels  bordering Ashland and Johnson Road. There were a number of concerns about the condition of Johnson Road, which leads to the Vulcan Material quarry and is regularly traversed by dump trucks loaded with gravel.

Ben Johnson, a lifelong resident of the area, explained that the Vulcan Quarry is an important member of the Goochland  business community and its interests should be considered.

Once again, no specific uses were identified and concerns about the height of the industrial structure was also a concern. There is a critical shortage of light industrial space in Goochland but placing it adjacent to homes must be done with great care. A vegetative buffer does little to screen a nearby tall building.

Two other cases heard at the June 3 Planning Commission put the density issue front and center.

Songbird Lane

An application to rezone 65.22 acres at Songbird Land and Hockett Road from A-2 agricultural to RPUD (residential planned unit development) to build 130 homes. The subject property will need public utilities to support this density, but its application to join the TCSD will not be heard by the supervisors until July 6. It lies south of a parcel owned by the county.

The executive summary of the application notes that there no one supported the application at a March 16 community meeting.

Representatives of the applicant, Towne and Country Realty Partners, LLC and Joy-Scott LLC contended that, as the subject property is in the designated growth area and designated “flex” on the Comp Plan, the density, just under two units per acre, is appropriate. Home prices were anticipated to start around $500k.

The 2035 Comp Plan in fact indicates that the property in question, located outside the Centerville Village, is designated residential low density, which permits one dwelling unit per two acres.

Owners of a parcel to the west of the subject  property, who currently have an easement along Songbird Lane to access Hockett Road, were represented by an attorney who raised concerns that his client, whose business uses large vehicles, would have difficulty navigating the streets of a subdivision.

A representative of owners of the eight properties on Hamlet Road, which lies to the south of the subject property, said that group does not oppose the development. The sewer line, needed to support the density, will go under Hamlet Road, she explained. Individual property owners have made agreements with the developer for compensation for land their will lose to the sewer line.

Several people spoke in opposition to the plan.

Development will happen in this area. Instead of 130 homes, use residential medium density, with 65 homes to harmonize with existing use.

The planning commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Songbird Lane proposal.

Rural Hill

An application filed by Yellowstone Communities, LLC, to rezone 265.612 acres from A2 to Residential General R3 on Rural Hill and Gathright Drive in Courthouse Village to build up to 190 homes met with even more opposition from neighbors.

The presentation both by staff and the applicant included the usual details. However, there was no mention of the CSX Railroad tracks that run between the James River, which forms the western boundary of the subject property. (River Road West runs north-south through Courthouse Village.)

Minimum lot size in R-3 zoning is 20k square feet if served by both public water and sewer. This zoning category, as one person, who opposed the project stated, allows two and three family dwellings with a conditional use permit.

Lots along the eastern edge of the project will be served by public sewer, the remainder by septic system. All homes would have public water.

The applicant did a lot of verbal tap dancing around road access, provided by Gathright Drive, Scott Road and Reed Marsh Drive, contending that they cannot do anything to improve roads that would be used by the new residents. Currently, Gathright Drive, which runs behind Venice Heights, a neighborhood of charming homes around Lake Lido, is narrow, winding and unimproved. Two cars need to perform a porcupine mating dance maneuver to pass each other.

Gathright Drive cannot handle 400 vehicles

There is a sharp fall off to the south side of Scott Road. Traffic on River Road West, the main drag through Courthouse Village, is getting heavier by the day without dumping traffic from 190 homes—close to 400 vehicles—into the mix. Residents of Venice Heights were adamantly opposed to the project. A woman said that her parents recently bought a home in Reed March because it was a relatively small, self-contained residential enclave. They were very unhappy about the prospect of cars from 190 homes driving by their new home.

Scott Road has no shoulders, or capacity for 400 vehicles.

Courthouse Village is accessed via River Road West (Rt. 6), Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads, all of which are two lanes. Presumably, people who would live in the proposed homes would work in either Richmond or Charlottesville via Interstate 64, adding even more daily travelers to existing rush hour congestion.

Minimum homes sizes are 1,800 for single story, 2,500 for two story, but an average size of 3,200 square feet up to 6,000 square feet are anticipated. Prices will range from $600k to $2 million with an average of $650k to $750k. (See justifications for density. Our deputies just got a raise, but not enough to afford these homes.)

The presentation included lots of discussion of landscaping, trails, and a party pavilion located overlooking Venice Heights. Elevations of homes were presented, but only the front. Perhaps future residential rezoning application should include elevations from all side of a project to give decision makers a better idea of the total visual impact of new homes.

The applicant will pay full cash proffers of $13,781 per lot. This is a drop in the bucket to fund capital impacts of the new homes.

The planning commission voted 4-1with Chair Carter Duke, District 3, in dissent, to deny recommendation of approval of Rural Hill. Duke contended that residential density belongs in the villages served by water and sewer.

A better plan for this site, while not as profitable for landowner and developer, would be to carve it up into large river view estate lots, perhaps with an equestrian theme. It would allow development and not, as one opponent said, turn Courthouse Village into Chesterfield County.

Landowners have a right to petition local government for zoning changes to develop their property within reason. Both the Songbird Lane and Rural Hill rezoning applications defy reason.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We fund the police

 

At its Tuesday, June 1 meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 12 percent across the board pay adjustment for our sworn law enforcement officers (LEOs).

Goochland Sheriff Steven N. Creasey told the supervisors that at salary levels funded in the FY 2022 county budget, approved in April, his department was unable to compete with neighboring jurisdictions to attract and retain the high-quality officers.

The Goochland Sheriff’s Office has an excellent reputation in law enforcement circles throughout the Commonwealth. Our LEOs are so good that they are actively recruited by other agencies. The ranks of local, state, and national law enforcement—including the FBI—contain officers who got their start as Goochland deputies.

Creasey explained that the first three years’ cost of training a new deputy is $46,871.22. This includes salary during academy and field training, but does not reflect the cost of academy classes, uniforms, and equipment. Every time a trained, sworn deputy leaves for greener pastures, they take the value of this training with them, and Goochland gets to spend more money on new recruits.

A chart comparing starting pay for law enforcement agencies in our region showed that Goochland, with starting pay of $47,380 was at the bottom of the barrel. Henrico, at $51,913 has the highest initial salary. Other jurisdictions also have incentives for lateral hires—officers trained and sworn at a Virginnia law enforcement agency. Goochland has none at this time.

Results of a recent anonymous survey of current Goochland LEOs found that 62 percent of our deputies have been actively recruited by neighbors where they can receive higher pay. Creasey said that larger law enforcement agencies focus their recruitment efforts on hiring officers that are already certified, saving the cost of initial training. “If 62 percent of our staff gave two weeks’ notice, we’d be in trouble.”

The 12 percent increase will be for sworn personnel only, said Creasey. This will raise starting salary to $53,066 effective July 1, 2021. “That will send a shock wave through the law enforcement community, “said Creasey. “Then we will have the best qualified candidates looking at Goochland, which demonstrates a strong commitment to the men and women in our sheriff’s office.”

As of July 1, the GCSO will have several new deputy slots to fill.

Board Chair John Lumpkins, Jr., District 3, said that this issue has come to the fore now because neighboring counties played their cards close to the vest about LEO compensation. Creasey said that if Goochland does not do something soon, we will be behind the curve.

Ken Peterson, District 5, thanked deputies present in the room for their service and professional demeanor as they serve the citizens. As the requested increase was based on information that came to light after the April approval of the FY22 budget, he wondered aloud if there could be regional cooperation to deal with the competition.

The total cost of the increase for salary and benefits is $425,000. The board voted to appropriate the amount, with the funds coming from real estate taxes. The vote was emphatically unanimous.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2, observed that Goochland is a special place. While this vote is at the local level, Spoonhower contended, it has national implications. “This signals that we do support our law enforcement. There is no time in my lifetime that something this important needs to be done. I am proud to signal that we do support our law enforcement.” His vote was a resounding yes.

Lumpkins also thanked our deputies for their service to the community. “You won’t hear defund the police around here,” he said.

Dealing with a companion issue, the board also voted unanimously to fund a full-time entry-level Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney position, whose primary duty will be to review body camera footage. The position was mandated by the Virginia General Assembly. Initially, the state compensation board, which provides fund for Constitutional Officers, was expected to fund $56k of the job, the county to pick up the balance. Deputy County Administrator for Finance and Administrative Services Barbara Horlacher said that the money for the position will come from public service corporation taxes to fill the gap between the $56K in the budget and the $65k salary being offered.

Goochland Commonwealth’s Attorney D. Michael Caudill, whose office was targeted by protestors earlier this year in connection with a fatal shooting on Interstate 64, explained the issue. His office has two prosecutors, Caudill and Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Ashely Thompson.

Caudill said he was notified in 2019 that any locality in Virgina that uses body cameras shall be required to establish and fund an entry level assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney position.  Caudill said that in 2019, he and Thompson were able to review all body cam footage. In FY 2020, his office had to deal with 593 hours and 42 minutes of footage, which they are ethically obligated to watch.

“This is not like watching Cops on TV,” Caudill explained. The police report is compared with the camera footage to make sure they are seeing what occurred. Camera footage, said Caudill “gives the feel and flavor of what happened.”  For instance, Caudill said that he and Thompson spent many hours watching and rewatching the 12 minutes of Virginia State Police dash camera footage from the I64 incident.

If multiple officers are present an incident all footage from each deputy must be carefully reviewed. This protects the accused and LEOs. “It’s incumbent on us to make sure that we understand that the body camera shows what it shows and is interpreted based on what the (police) report says,” Caudill explained.

In order to maintain competence, integrity, transparency, and ethics, a position to focus primarily on body camera footage review is needed in his office, said Caudill.

Right now, Caudill said, Goochland does not have enough body camera footage to qualify for state funding of the position, which indicates our crime level is low.

Hours of the footage are expected to increase as the number of deputies rises and the world opens up after Covid. Caudill said the assistant will also review jail call and social media. “You won’t believe how much evidence we can get from someone’s social media account,” Caudill said. The assistant must be a full-fledged attorney and member of the Bar.

The supervisors voted unanimously to approve and fund the position. The board told Caudill and the sheriff to let them know if they need additional support.

The supervisors met in closed session at the end of their afternoon agenda on June 1 to discuss plans related to the security of any governmental facility, building or structure, or the safety of persons using such facility, building or structure.