Breathing room

 

At its July 6 meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors wisely deferred votes on two rezoning applications following lengthy public hearings that lasted nearly to midnight. This came after applicants tried to negotiate and amend proffers “on the fly”, to the point that the board was not quite sure what they might be voting on.

As rezoning applications, when approved become law, it is vital to nail down the details before a vote is taken. Changes to the applications were presented to the supervisors before the start of the meeting. What happened to the rule that application amendments must be presented two days before a hearing to allow all concerned time to study them? When applicants and the supervisors started discussing the placement of commas and movement of phrases in the application, it was clearly time to defer.

Density was a major objection in both cases. There was a lot of talk about the comprehensive land use plan and comparisons of density in the proposed communities versus existing homes. In the future, it might be useful to have residential density statistics for both Centerville and Courthouse Village to preclude contentions by developers that density is comparable to that outside villages. This is like comparing apples to pineapples.

There are no do overs in density.

The first application was filed by Yellowstone Communities, LLC for up to 170 single family detached homes on approximately 265 acres in Courthouse Village, met with a great deal of local opposition. Objections included high density; concern that 100 homes using septic tanks would foul ground water; worry that nearby roads will be overwhelmed with new traffic; serious safety hazards posed by large construction vehicles; and disruption of those who live on homes in Venice Heights on Scott, Pitts, and Gathright Roads by long construction hours six days a week.

This application will be heard again on the evening of August 3. Public hearings begin at 6 p.m.

Rev. Emily Dunevant, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church, located at the corner of Scott and River Road West, asked how these high end—price points are estimated between $675K and $2ish million—sustain the community.

She echoed comments made by members of Grace Church who worried about the negative impact of construction on Scott Road, where the main entrance to the church parking lot is located. The Grace Parish house hosts community groups ranging from Alcoholics Anonymous to Master Gardeners who must be able to access the parking lot. Dunevant also worried about the impact of construction and resident traffic on the safety of school buses who travel Scott Road.

Dunevant also spoke to larger issues. “We are not addressing how we care for one another in this community by this plan as it is provided to us this evening. It does not offer opportunities for older couples who are downsizing. It does not offer opportunities for our young couples trying to start out. It does not offer housing for people who live in this community and work in service industries, our teachers,” fire-rescue providers, and deputies. She said that only a small percentage of the population can afford those home prices. “I would ask you to consider who are we going to be as individuals in Goochland County?”

Primary access will be through Reed Marsh’s signalized entrance opposite the county administration building and Scott Road, a narrow lane. There was some vague reference to future access from Cedar Point Road.

Every rezoning application includes the complaint that county roads cannot handle more vehicles. Applicants trot out traffic engineers who contend that adding turn lanes or proffering money to pay for intersection signalization will mitigate the effects of additional vehicles.

All of the proposed homes will be served by public water; 69 lots would connect to public sewer, the remainder, dubbed “estate” lots, will use septic systems. (Increased capacity of water and sewerage systems operated by the Department of Corrections make this possible.)

A system of trails and sidewalks in the application were presented as for community use to expand walkability in the village. Will potential buyers be made aware that the trails and sidewalks are “public”, or will a homeowners association slap up no trespassing signs to keep the “townies” out?

Many people objected to the housing density here, claiming that it violates the comprehensive land use plan. The land in question is inside the boundaries of Courthouse Village and is served, at least partially by public utilities, which supports higher densities. This is a sticky wicket, because increased utility capacity has become available in Courthouse Village since the last comp plan review.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, changes are made before August 3, at which time a public hearing will be held and a vote on the application is expected.

The second application filed by Towne & Country Realty Partners, LLC and Joy-Scott, LLC to rezone approximately 65 acres from agricultural use to residential planned unit community (RPUD) to build up to 130 homes long Songbird Lane on the west side of Hockett Road, outside the Centerville Village.

The applicant contended that changing the use of the subject property from agricultural to high density residential was justified because of “nearby” high density residential use, either inside the Centerville Village, or in West Creek.

To accommodate this project, the subject parcels would need to join the Tuckahoe Creek Service District. Some adjacent landowners who spoke in favor of the project seemed to indicate that they expected that their land would have access to public utilities, thanks to the rezoning. It is unclear if those property owners understand that, to access water and sewer, their land must join the TCSD, pay connection fees, and an annual additional 32 cents per $100 of assessed valuation ad valorem tax.

The public hearing included objections to the proposed density, concerns about additional traffic on Hockett Road, and a plea by the owner of landlocked parcel whose access easement will be impacted by the project for more time to study an easement proposal by the developer.

Rob Williamson spoke about the comprehensive plan, likening it to a cookbook. “It has zoning ingredients that place the right ingredients and the right proportions in the right places. ...If you stick to the recipe, you get the right result every time. If you ignore the recipe and add too much (salt) you’re always digging around trying to solve it.” He contended that the comp plan is a recipe for growth the benefits the entire community and placing high density development in the wrong place is a mistake (Listen to his remarks at about the 8:18 mark on the recording.)

During rebuttal the supervisors spent a great deal of time discussing vegetative buffers and possible routes of an access easement for the landlocked parcel before returning to the main issue of density.

By this time, it was close to midnight. The supervisors, having been meeting since 2 p.m. deferred this application to their September meeting. The vote was 4-1 with Neil Spoonhower, District 2 in dissent. Had the board voted down the application, the project could not be resubmitted for one year.

To watch these public hearings, go to https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/128644  beginning at the 4:26 mark. The video is accompanied by an unedited transcript.