Clear and
present danger
Fairground
Road, one of the three traffic access corridors for Goochland Courthouse Village,
is a narrow, windy two-lane road that, in many places, falls steeply away from
the pavement. It has no margin for error.
The county’s
2040 major thoroughfare plan indicates that, at some vague point in the future, Fairground Road will be a four-lane
undivided highway. The cost to do this was included in the 25-year capital
improvement plan crafted by the county a few years ago. Inflation has made a
mockery of that cost estimate.
At its
September 6 meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors held a public hearing
on a rezoning application filed by Truett Real Estate Investments, LLC for a 49.372-acre
parcel near the intersection of Fairground and Maidens Road from A-2 (agricultural
limited) to R-1 (residential limited) to create a subdivision of no more than
40 single family detached residences. Comments made by speakers were thoughtful,
civil, and overwhelmingly opposed to the project.
Assistant
Director of Community Development Ray Cash, who presented the case to the
supervisors explained that the project is unusual in that the applicant inherited
the parcel, which insulates the project the high land costs in Goochland.
The subject
property is designated low density by the Goochland 2035 Comprehensive Land Use
Plan, which means average lot size of two acres per dwelling unit. It is inside
the boundaries of Courthouse Village. Since the 2035 plan was last updated,
additional public water and sewer capacity has become available, to support
smaller lots without adverse impacts on nearby wells.
Staff and
neighbors said that the applicant has a cordial relationship with concerned citizens
and has worked to assuage opposition to the project. Petitions both hard copy
and online signed by dozens of people who live on or near Fairground Road opposing
the project were presented to the supervisors.
The proposed
name “The Village at Hidden Rock” adds another layer of confusion to the issue.
There can be only one village in a village. A village, by one definition is a
“small town center” not a bunch of houses. Please change the name.
The starting
price point of the homes in the project was estimated at $425K, allegedly “affordable”
housing. Several speakers said that is too expensive for many people who work
in Goochland.
Since the
first community meeting on this land use application in October 2021, neighboring
property owners and those who live along and travel on Fairground Road have
opposed the addition of traffic generated by more homes in the corridor. The
initial application proposed 23 lots. Concerns about the impact of many septic
fields and wells caused the applicant to consider extending utility lines from
Hidden Rock Park to the property. The increase in the number of lots was
justified to cover the expense of extending utility line.
The
applicant contended that, because the subject property is inside the boundaries
of Courthouse Village and is served by water and sewer, higher density is
appropriate.
Utilities
also make smaller, clustered lots possible, allowing for a 100-foot buffer
around the subdivision. The applicant dedicated rights of way for future
widening of Fairground Road.
On August 4,
after a deferral, the Planning Commission voted 3-2 to deny recommendation of
the application for approval. (The Planning Commission is an advisory board;
the supervisors make the final decision.)
The
applicant proffered left and right turns at the single entrance from Fairground
Road, including a 200-foot storage taper and road improvements of various types
along the entire Fairground Road frontage.
However,
VDOT—the state agency whose motto is OOPS! mis-striping of the new intersection
of Patterson Avenue and Parham Road its latest achievement—requires a stub road
for future expansion be part of a subdivision plan so the roads can be added to
the state system for maintenance.
As the
subject property is at the edge of Courthouse Village, a stub road leading out
of the village anticipates, indeed mandates, its expansion. This is clearly a
usurpation of the Board of Supervisors’ authority over local land use
decisions. A stub road that leads back into the village, encouraging creation
of a road grid for future development inside the village makes a lot more sense.
According to
the applicant and neighboring property owner Ben Slone, repeated attempts to
meet with the VDOT engineer charged with overseeing these plans to discuss the
matter, were rebuffed. Despite entreaties by both the applicant, who has no problem
with a stub road going back into the village, and Slone, said engineer decreed
that the stub road must end at the boundary with Slone’s land, and be paved to
the property line. This also requires that a sign be permanently displayed at the
property boundary.
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| How would you like this on your property line? |
Slone said
that, because VDOT engineers never bothered to visit the site, they are unaware
that the end of the stub road is wetlands. Google Earth shows the area heavily
wooded. VDOT refuses to provide analysis to justify this location of the stub
road.
Back to
traffic. Several speakers contended that Fairground Road is already overburdened
by vehicles. Many traffic statistics were bandied about by the applicant,
including a study contending that construction of the subdivision would have
little or no effect on already failing intersections, especially at Maidens and
Fairground Roads.
Opponents cited
the time needed to either cross or turn at Maidens Road. Those who live along Fairground
Road spoke to the high volume of traffic. According to staff comments, citizen
response to the rezoning was about 14-1 against approval. Opposing petitions
with more than 100 signatures were given to the supervisors.
The most
poignant comments came from Barbara Slone, who, while driving on Fairground
Road more than two decades ago, was hit head on, suffering serious injuries,
some of which still plague her, and a miscarriage.
Curiously, there
was no comment about people who live south of the James River using Fairground
Road to get to Interstate 64. During afternoon rush, many cars turn south on
522 heading for Powhatan. Presumably, they go the other way in the morning.
Ben Slone
said he is not as concerned about how long it takes him to drive to Broad
Street Road, as he is about getting there safely. He quoted Virginia Code §
15.2-2200.
“This
chapter is intended to encourage localities to improve the public health,
safety, convenience, and welfare of their citizens and to plan for the future development
of communities to the end that transportation systems be carefully planned;
that new community centers be developed with adequate highway, utility, health,
educational, and recreational facilities; that the need for mineral resources
and the needs of agriculture, industry, and business be recognized in future
growth;... that residential areas be provided with healthy surroundings for
family life;... and that the growth of the community be consonant with the efficient and economical use of
public funds.”
Louise
Thompson, a resident of Soldier’s Lodge Road explained that her address is on
Soldier’s Lodge Road where it intersects with Sheppardtown Road. Her address is
there, Thomspon said, because even 30 years ago Fairground Road was too
dangerous for people to come and go and identify her address.
Thompson
also questioned why the applicant, unlike other developers in the Fairground
Road corridor, did not have to make a cash contribution to fund future road
improvements.
Andrew
Browning, speaking on behalf of the applicant said that to get affordable
housing, higher density is needed. “If I came in here presenting a couple of
hundred town homes for that property, I’d get thrown out of the county.” He
said that finding the perfect place for that level of density in an area served
by water and sewer is a challenge.
A study
of the Fairground Road corridor is going to begin in the next few months. It
will identify problem spots and recommend long and short-term improvements.
This will provide solid data to pursue funding and a clearer picture of existing
safety issues. Also, the small area plan for Courthouse Village is still in
process, now expected to be complete early next year.
For
those reasons, the supervisors approved deferral of a vote on this project until
at least its February meeting, hoping to have more information on which to make
a sound decision.
John
Lumpkins, Jr. District 3 said that this board is more involved in transportation
issues than ever before and believes that VDOT wants input from localities
about road projects.
Other
board members implored citizens to stay engaged in the Courthouse Village and
Centerville small area plans. The village plan must work to let Goochland grow
gracefully.
