Building community

 

Goochland County supervisors had a packed agenda for their August 3 meeting. They addressed matters routine and significant.

An application filed by Yellowstone Communities, LLC to rezone 265.612 acres from A-2 agricultural to R-3 residential general with proffers, to create the Rural Hill subdivision with up to 170 single family homes, was the most contentious agenda item. Including the total acreage, this translates into approximately 1.5 acres per dwelling unit. Removal of the 97 acres of open space reduces the average lot size to one acre, lower than the two acres recommended for low density housing in the comp plan.

The developer contended that nearby subdivisions of Venice Heights and Swann’s Inn have smaller lot sizes. Because all lots in Rural Hill will be served by public water and some connected to public sewer, smaller lot sizes are permitted.

A vote on the application was deferred from the Board’s July 6 meeting to clarify last minute changes. Although a public hearing was held in July, the Board permitted a second public comment period. Shortly before 11:30 p.m. the supervisors voted unanimously to approve the application. Most of the speakers opposed the application.

In June, the Planning Commission voted 4-1 to deny recommendation of approval for the project. Carter Duke, District 3, where the project is located, was in dissent.

(See the recent article on the subject by Richmondbizsense.com at https://richmondbizsense.com/2021/08/06/170-home-development-okd-near-goochland-government-complex/)

Local residents were not happy about the supervisors ‘decision. They objected to the number of homes proposed, and the negative impacts on area roads. The developer contended that its revised interior roadways to funnel construction traffic through Reed Marsh Lane to access River Road West at the signalized intersection opposite the county administration building. The traffic—most of the new residents will work elsewhere—will then head to Interstate 64 via Fairground or Sandy Hook Roads, both narrow and winding with two lanes, or east on Rt. 6.  

Home buyers in Reed Marsh, who believed they were moving to a relatively small, private subdivision, will now enjoy a parade of heavy construction equipment until Rural Hill is built out. There seems to have been a good bit of disingenuousness during the Reed Marsh rezoning, which seemed to indicate it would be a self-contained residential enclave.

Neighbors of the proposed Rural Hill raised valid concerns about adding more intense traffic to Gathright or Scott Roads, both very narrow lanes. According to the developer, owners of property along Scott Road refused to sell them rights-of-way to improve that road. The final iteration of the Rural Hill plan keeps construction traffic off Scott Road, though it does include striping of turn lanes at its River Road West intersection, opposite the Goochland Restaurant.

The rezoning application, which became law after its approval, restricts earth moving and construction traffic from Scott Road.  Another change to the application since July was stricter adherence to the conceptual plan. This prevents the developer, after completion of detailed engineering studies of the property, to make significant changes to the proposed layout.

There seems to be some confusion as to exactly what constitutes Courthouse Village. The county’s 2035 comprehensive land use plan, whose main goal is to keep 85 percent of Goochland rural, guides residential development into the villages. Like it or not, Rural Hill is entirely inside the boundaries of Courthouse Village.

Going forward, it might be useful for the Community Development Department to illustrate how many homes would be appropriate in the Courthouse and Centerville villages.  The density comparisons between subdivisions inside villages—for some reasons, Holland Hills, which is also in Courthouse Village was never mentioned—is confusing at best.  Until those thresholds are reached, development outside the villages should be restrained to densities designated in the Comp Plan.

Courthouse Village is larger than the River Road West Corridor

Current residents of Courthouse Village contended that the influx of new residents would decay the county’s rural character. There are other things to consider.

Adding population to the county’s center will balance, somewhat, the growth in the eastern end. The 2010 federal census found that, in the previous decade, growth was evenly distributed throughout the county. Indeed, only a handful of census tracts moved from one electoral district to another.

Changes following the 2020 census are likely to be more dramatic. While many of the new homes under construction in the east end were not counted because they were unoccupied on April 1, 2020, when the federal head count was taken, two apartment complexes and subdivisions nearing build out will change district boundaries next year. After the 2030 census, there could be three electoral districts east of Cardwell Road. That would be a majority on the board of supervisors, weakening the influence of the rural Goochland in local government.

Courthouse Village is a true village. It has governmental buildings, churches, schools, a library, YMCA, businesses, and a college. Villages, according to the Comp Plan, are where the people should be. Almost every day, someone complains about the lack of amenities in Goochland. Businesses locate where their customers are. The more people, the better chance that they will be profitable.

How this influx of new residents will affect the soul of Goochland, our sense of community, is of real concern. Will they embrace the goodness of Goochland, warts and all? Will they become part of the community, or sleep here and lives their lives elsewhere?

The 2021 Dixie Youth Baseball Tournament held at Hidden Rock Park in July was a wonderful reflection of community spirit. Volunteers from GYAA (Goochland Youth Athletic Association) with some help from the county’s Parks and Rec Department, staged a complicated multi-day event that show cased the finest of Goochland. Visitors were impressed with the facility and organization, and the county.

We can only hope that some of the newcomers will volunteer their time, talent, and treasure to support county non-profits. Maybe they will bring new business to Courthouse Village and help the area thrive.