The shape of things to come?

 

Proposed Centerville land use 

If geography is destiny, Goochland may be in big trouble. Since early 2022, the county has been rethinking land use parameters in both Courthouse Village and Centerville. These areas are served by public utilities that make dense land uses to accommodate all the people who want to move here possible.

Earlier this year, a small area plan amendment to the county’s comprehensive land use plan for Courthouse Village was approved by the supervisors. On July 3, a 40-lot subdivision at the very edge of Courthouse Village, in the Fairground Road corridor was approved.

The proposed small area plan revision for Centerville met with so much citizen push back when it appeared before the planning commission in June, that it was sent back to staff for, at least, clarification if not modification.

The Centerville Village is huge, running from the Henrico line to just west of Manakin Road and north to I64. Because of its size, the small area plan focused on the “core,” previously understood to be on both sides of the 250 corridor between Ashland and Manakin Roads.

Long time Goochlanders understand that the county is growing but want it to happen gracefully by creating an environment where businesses can thrive and enhance the community. New comers think that all the open land that was there when they moved will stay that way and scream when new development is proposed. There is no drawbridge at the Henrico line. Defining the sweet spot of an appropriate growth rate—some believe it’s about two percent annually—is tricky. The devil is in the details.

A proposal put forward by the first consultant tasked with revising the Centerville “vision” included lots of verbiage about signage, fonts, and branding, but only vague details about land use. Last winter, Timmons Group was retained by the county to distill community input gathered by the first consultant into a coherent proposal. This was presented at an information only session in May.

Simply put, citizen input was “don’t Short Pump Goochland”.

To the astonishment of many closely involved in the process, in the May version, the village core had been extended beyond Manakin Road, “lodging” was in a matrix of permitted uses throughout the village, and the golf course had become part of the mixed-use core with no buffer protecting existing homes. If the owners of the golf course want to change its land use, and there may well be compelling reasons to do so, there is an open process to accomplish that.

No public input at the May meeting was reflected in the proposal that went before the planning commission.  

The inclusion of “lodging” as an intended use in the entire core, instead of only east of Ashland Road, where there is a gracious plenty of raw land, is believed to be driven by the owner of the parcel behind Satterwhite’s who wants to build a hotel there. This land was rezoned with detailed proffers for a strip shopping center around 2009, to fill an “urgent” need for more retail options in Centerville.

Queries about the impact of the proposal’s higher residential densities on the county’s ability to handle significant population growth were dismissed as being too vague to calculate in a meaningful way.

By applying suggested density to acreage in the village— not every acre will be covered with “dwelling units”— could add thousands of new residents in a short time. Cash proffers will fund needed infrastructure to support growth, the consultant replied, when asked how the county will handle the cost of what could be explosive growth.

The county is in the process of building a new elementary school for about $55 million, several million above initial cost estimates. Available cash from school proffers collected over many years did not cover the shortfall. Residential construction does increase the real estate tax base, but homes require more services than agricultural or commercial uses, making it a continual game of catch up for a jurisdiction. That could lead to an increase in real estate tax rates for the whole county.

Outside the core, recommended uses for large parcels in other parts of the Centerville Village are mixed use commercial and economic development that abut existing subdivisions. Red lines drawn around Sycamore Creek and Bellview Gardens vaguely indicate “transition zones” with no definition. Is it a buffer, a fence, a berm, or a line of small caliper vegetation to be determined during rezoning?

Justification for the new plan includes making it more economically feasible for smaller, local businesses, rather the national chains, to locate in Centerville. However, because there are few existing buildings, expensive new construction will be needed to accommodate most new enterprises. Will there be enough interest, and necessary financing, to make this a reality?

It seems unlikely that changes to the proposal to amend the county comprehensive land use plan will be made before it is adopted by the supervisors on August 7. As currently drafted, the Centerville small area plan raises more questions than it answers. Maybe it’s time to scrap the proposal and stick with what’s “on the books” and leave the Centerville portion of the comp plan unchanged.

The planning commission will hold its final public hearing on the proposed Centerville plan on Tuesday, July 25 beginning at 6 p.m.

Go to the county website goochlandva.us to view to proposed plan.