BZZZZZZZ

 

Rhetoric at the June 15 joint workshop between Goochland supervisors and planning commissioners had enough land use buzzwords to do a beekeepers’ convention proud. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss next steps and “a way forward” to amend the comp plan. The planning commission deferred its vote on the latest draft plan in the face of robust citizen opposition. Adjustments to the proposal will be made for “workability, clarity, and or responsiveness,” Deputy County Administrator Krystal Onaitis told the dual boards.

The Centerville small area study started early 2022 to amend the Centerville chapter of the county’s comprehensive land use plan to better align with development pressures and “jump start” economic activity.  

Repeated contentions that the comp plan is just a high-level guide that doesn’t change any zoning fall flat on the ears of those of us who have attended zoning hearings for most of the 21^st century. Land use attorneys regularly exploit minute loopholes in the comp plan, or flat out tell the supervisors to ignore the plan to justify approval of their projects. The comp plan is the foundation for zoning ordinances and related documents. Getting changes to it right is very important.

Decades ago, Goochland adopted the “village plan”, to concentrate development in designated areas, like Centerville and Courthouse. Density would be highest in the center of the core, in Centerville that is defined as the Broad Street Road corridor between Ashland and Manakin Roads, decreasing toward the edges.

The fine print in the latest draft’s land use categories, plops “neighborhood residential”, which allows mixed uses, small scale multiplexes and accessory dwelling units in a two to four unit per acre density, adjacent to farmland at the far northwest corner of the village. This invites the dreaded “sprawl” to ooze over village boundaries, negating the premise of the village concept.

There are aspects in the latest draft plan not seen in earlier versions. Chuck Rapp, a principal with Timmons Group, retained to distil data gathered from more than a year of citizen input into a coherent “vision,” did little to offer “clarity”. Indeed, his vision for Centerville seemed like a description of West Broad Village in Short Pump. (Citizen input could be summed up as “don’t make Centerville Short Pump west.”)

West Broad Village is an attractive mixed-use enclave with apartments over commercial space, townhomes, a hotel, and amenities. It was marketed as a “live, work, play” community that didn’t quite pan out. If you worked there—most of the jobs were retail or food service—you could probably not afford to live there and vice versa. The developer mantra “rooftops bring retail” didn’t come to pass either. Despite many people living within a stone’s throw, most retail space there is empty and was before Covid changed the way we shop.

Walkable West Broad Village empty storefronts and sidewalks

New definitions appeared in the current draft plan, most curiously, “boutique hotel” to “clarify” the addition of “lodging” in the Centerville Village core. Rapp contended that boutique hotels are compatible with smaller scale, no more than three story, development.

According to internet oracles, a boutique hotel is a small, stylish hotel, with fewer than 100 rooms, typically located in a fashionable city center or trendy shopping area. They often reflect the local culture and highlight cuisine of their neighborhoods.

Who knew that Centerville is fashionable? Will guests at a “boutique hotel,” that could sprout on the property behind Satterwhite’s, browse at Dollar General? Will Mammoth Burgers be an in-house dining option to reflect local culture? Why site a hotel where Broad Street Road narrows to two lanes instead of further east where the road is wider and able to handle more traffic?

The term “boutique” conjures up charming older structures repurposed for lodging use. In Centerville, it means expensive new construction. The three-story height limit would require a large footprint, increasing construction cost and, in turn, room rental rates.

Who would stay at this hotel? It could be perfect for event guests at Dover Hall, or Deep Run who now use Short Pump hotels. Would there be enough paying guests on a regular basis to exceed an occupancy break-even threshold?

It’s not government’s job to pick winners and losers, but rather to create an environment where businesses thrive and deliver a robust return on investment. On the other hand, if a business fails, the investors declare bankruptcy and move along, leaving the county with its derelict remnants. The realtor mantra of “location, location, location” is apt here.

The county already has a B-3 zoning category to encourage location of hotels near the I64 and Rt, 288 interchanges. Indeed, land between the Audi store and 288 has been zoned for a hotel. If market forces to build hotels are so strong, that hotel should be under construction. It’s not.

The draft plan also removes the transition zone created by Sycamore Creek golf course between the homes around the course and the parcel behind Satterwhite’s, which was zoned for a shopping center about 15 years ago. The golf course was never intended to be a forever thing, but the lack of clarity for its use going forward is troubling.

As presented by Rapp, the draft plan has thick red Sharpy lines around the homes in Sycamore Creek and Bellview Gardens as “transition zones” between neighborhoods and commercial uses to be defined in some sort of appendix as part of “next steps”.

Onaitis said that roads shown in the draft are “conceptual” only and will be evaluated as land develops. Both sides of Broad Street Road in the core now have the same designation.

Citizen concerns about residential density and requests for even a thumbnail guestimate estimate of the population increase that build out might add to Centerville were ignored.  Rapp said that the cost of infrastructure to support new residents would be offset by cash proffers. “We’ll look at it later and figure it out,” was the answer to other questions about the draft.

The good news is that much of the land in the Centerville Village needs to be rezoned for any sort of commercial or residential use. Finding a workable balance between residential and commercial growth to enhance the village area is a challenge.

The draft will be further tweaked and go back to the planning commission for another public hearing, probably sometime in July, before continuing to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote after a public hearing, perhaps as early as August.