Glorious Goochland

 

Goochland Day was three days before the planning commission public hearing on the small area plan for Courthouse Village.

The local iconic event, resurrected after almost two decades by dedicated and intrepid volunteers who persevered through the pandemic, was magnificent. Clear blue skies blessed the proceedings.

Nothing says small town living than a parade. This year’s included horses, storm troopers and an armorer from Star Wars, the high school marching band, lots of floats—one had an Alice in Wonderland theme—bubbles, local businesses, fire-rescue apparatus, Boy Scouts, robotics, McGruff the Crime Dog let Sheriff Creasey ride with him, an ark float, and, of course, Shriners on their drift trikes.

McGruff and Goochland Sheriff Steven Cresey

Robin Lind President of the Goochland Historical Society

Groups and activities, including a mechanical bull, live music performances and a wine garden entertained throngs of people well into the afternoon. A good time was had by all. Goochland Day 2023 was a success.

The open house held on Thursday, May 18 to share the presentation of the final draft proposal Timmons Group will make to the planning commission at a special meeting on Monday, May 22 beginning at 6 p.m. drew a medium sized crowd.

Timmons was retained by the county earlier this year to distill the somewhat vague and generic work of the consultant who started the small area plan study in early 2022 into a useful Goochland centric format. The latest version is easy to navigate and uses excellent graphics. This is considered a high-level overview to provide flexibility as development occurs. Comments suggest that this study will beget many more detailed studies.

A topic that is first and foremost in any land use decision is traffic. Courthouse Village is accessed by four main two lane roadways, Rt. 6, Sandy Hook, Fairground, and Maidens Roads. The only addition the proposal shows is the extension of Fairground Road to Rt. 6 through the round about currently under construction.

It does recommend a “road diet” to narrow the lanes of Rt. 6 near the Courthouse, to include on street parking. There is no mention if anyone consulted with the Sheriff and Courts to see if this would create a security concern. Because there are so few roads in this area, all vehicles, including very large trucks, pass through here.

Goochland Day illustrated the need for more and better sidewalks through the village. Greenways, paths through flood plains to move around the village, from the Courthouse green to, say Reynolds Community College, would offer recreation opportunities. Similar trails connecting Rt. 6 to Tucker Park on the James River could prove more challenging as the most direct route is through Department of Corrections property.

For some reason, count owned land between Sandy Hook Road and the high school, which will be made accessible by the Fairground Road extension, and seems to be intended for economic development, is shown as a park.

“Partnership opportunities” between the county and Reynolds Community College and the DOC are suggested to add more public spaces. The DOC might be tricky. RCC, on the other hand, is allegedly anxious to find community uses for its 90 acres, which, except for some athletic fields and tennis courts, is pretty much a dead zone in the center of the village. This would be an ideal place to hold Goochland Day in the future. The parade could end there, drawing people to the festivities. There is lots of room for all sorts of displays, and big parking lot.  Dickinson Road could be closed for the day letting commerce in the rest of Courthouse Village take place.

Residential density, how many “dwelling units” per acre are allowed, is the second most contentious part of land use. Developers always want more, citizens want fewer. The Community Development staff has to find a sweet spot between the two.

Building height is limited to three stories, pretty much along Rt. 6. residential density in areas proposed for neighborhood residential are proposed for two to four units per acre, this requires connection to public utilities. Density for multi-family is not specified. Mixed use suggests apartments, on the second story of commercial buildings and townhomes and “multi-family” dwelling units with no specified density.

Comments during the May 18 meeting were interesting.

A woman, believed to be a Chesterfield based realtor, said that four stories, higher density, and more parking is necessary to maximize the growth potential for such a limited area.

Another attendee contended that multifamily uses, like townhomes, is long overdue in Courthouse Village so that the people who work in Courthouse Village can live in the community they serve.

Predictably someone declared that they moved to Goochland to get away from townhomes and three-story houses and want the county to remain rural.

Gordonsville was mentioned as a place for Goochland Courthouse to emulate. That is great idea. However, it seems that Gordonsville’s renaissance as a place—it was a railroad depot and economic hub before the Civil War—came about when local citizens invested their own money to establish the businesses that make it special. Here, everyone seems to think that the county can wave a magic wand to make it happen.

Courthouse Village has lots of potential. The task of the comp plan is to create an environment that encourages careful and thoughtful development.

Review the proposed plan, which could have been tweaked when it gets to the Planning Commission herehere.