Homework

 

Homework

As we bask in the afterglow of Thanksgiving, let’s stop screaming at each other and take time to reflect on our blessings.

Take a break from football, shopping, and planning for the next holiday, for local homework assignments.

Goochland Schools

Learn about the good things going on in county schools

In the past week or so, you probably received a copy of Goochland Public Schools’ Annual Report to the Community. Please read it. For those new to the county who moved here after your kids were finished with their educations because everyone knows how bad Goochland schools are, you’re wrong.

A sizable portion of local taxes fund our schools. This is an investment in the future.

Public education is getting a lot of attention these days for a variety of reasons. Regardless of your views on this, the people who show up every day, and did so through the dreadful pandemic lockdowns, should have our gratitude and respect.

Teaching kids, under the best of circumstances isn’t for the faint of heart. Unlike their private counterparts, who select their students, public schools must take all students who show up at their door. Some kids struggle, others thrive. Not all students are scholars, but each has potential. Goochland schools are working hard to help each learner discover and develop their unique gifts to lead satisfying and productive lives after graduation.

 

Small area plans

When you finish the schools’ report, please take time to review the latest iteration of proposed small area plans for both Courthouse and Centerville Village.

Goochland’s comprehensive land use (https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan) plan is being updated to include development strategies for both Courthouse and Centerville Villages, which are served by municipal water and sewer. The comp plan has designated these as appropriate locations for higher density uses, allegedly to keep the remainder of the county—85 percent of the land area—rural. The math on that equation is a bit fuzzy, but the intention is sound.

 

 

Go to

 https://www.goochlandva.us/1213/Centerville-Village-Plan and

https://www.goochlandva.us/1212/Courthouse-Village-Plan for the latest version of these studies.

Two public meetings about these plans are scheduled for next week. The Centerville meeting will be on Monday, November 28 at Grace Chinese Baptist Church, 850 Broad Street Road, Manakin Sabot. The Courthouse meeting will be in the county admin building at 1800 Sandy Hook Road in Goochland on Tuesday November 29. Both sessions begin at 6 p.m.

The sessions will include interactive and facilitated discussions about the latest drafts of the respective plans.

The meetings will also be available via Zoom go to www.goochlandva.us/VillagePlans2022  for Zoom link information or to make comments via email before the meetings.  

 

Please note that next week’s community meetings are the latest step in the process. THIS IS NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT. Proposals resulting from these studies will be the subject of public hearings before both the planning commission and board of supervisors before they can become amendments to the County's comprehensive land use plans. These next steps are expected sometime in the spring of 2023. Both bodies could request additional revisions after these hearings.

Questions that percolate from these discussions are many.

 

The most important may be how much is too much development and where should it be?

According to the US Census bureau, Goochland’s population grew by 12 percent between 2010 and 2020 from 21,717 to 24,727. That’s a big percentages, but not a lot of people for a county whose area is slightly larger than that of Henrico. Our neighbor to the east added 26,353 people—more than the entire Goochland population— in the past decade. We’ve got lots of room to grow. There seems to be little support for a continuation of Short Pump—essentially an enormous strip shopping center with housing—west of Rt. 288.

 

When should needed road improvements be made to support new development and who pays for them is also a vital concern. Many existing roads are already overburdened. Where exactly is all that traffic coming from? Seems like many people pass through Goochland on their way to I64, so traffic is likely to increase even with little or no new construction.

 

High density development is touted as a way to provide modestly priced “dwelling units” for people unable to afford starter castles. Reducing land costs by allowing more units per acre, could be a solution. However, new apartments and town houses being built are priced for the upscale market.

 

Answers are not easy, but citizen input if vital. BANANA build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything responses are not allowed.

 

Please spend some time learning about local matters that will affect your daily lives.