Another subdivision on a troublesome road

 

(First, the good news. Goochland County Engineer Austin Goyne has confirmed that the intersection of Broad Street and Hockett Roads will remain signalized, unchanged, after completion of the Hockett Road realignment.)

 

SRO crowd at St. Matthew's Church

Concerned citizens filled the St. Matthew’s Church meeting room on the evening of January 30 for a community meeting fora rezoning proposal for up to 199 single family detached homes on a 136.97-acre parcel on Rockville Road. Attendees included supervisors Board Chair Charlie Vaughters, District 4; Vice Chair Tom Winfree, District 3; Jonathan Lyle, District 5; planning commissioners Curt Pituck, District 4, and John Myers, District 1 who were there “to listen”. The project under consideration is in District 4.

For the record, every property owner has the right to petition local government for changes to permitted uses of their land. The Board of Supervisors has the final say and there are no guarantees that any rezoning application will be approved.

A community meeting requires an applicant, in this case developer MarkelEagle, to share details of proposed rezoning projects and gather citizen feedback.  Ideally, the applicant will address concerns and tweak the proposal to earn community support and increase chances of approval. This is the first mandatory step in Goochland County’s rezoning process and must occur before any formal rezoning application may be filed. Markel Eagle has built other communities in Goochland, including the Parke at Saddlecreek, Readers Branch, and Parkside Village.

(On April 8, a Community Planning Workshop will be held at Goochland Baptist Church, 2454 Manakin Road, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This workshop will review specific tools and resources and explain the rezoning process to help citizens understand how things work.)

Natalie Croft of Eagle Homes gave a brief overview of the proposed subdivision, named Highfield, and its amenities that include walking trails, a neighborhood gathering place, parks, and extensive landscaping with native plant materials. To proceed, zoning fo the subject parcel must change from the current A-2 agricultural, to residential planned unit development (RPUD), which permits an average density of 2.5 units per acre.

This land is at the edge of the Centerville Village and in the footprint of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District. Public water and sewer are necessary to accommodate higher density development. The 2024 assessed valuation of the parcel, which has not yet been purchased by Markel Eagle, is $12.9 million, it was $4.7 million in 2023.

As presented— Croft was clear that this was a “first draft” of the project—Highfield will have one entrance on Rockville Road and connect to phase II of Tuckahoe Bridge to its south via an internal road, satisfying the requirement for two access points for subdivisions with more than 49 homes. Turn lanes and extensive road improvements will be made on Highfield’s frontage on Rockville Road, but no offsite traffic mitigation.

Conceptual Plan for Highfield I64 at top

She referenced the county’s major thoroughfare plan, which shows Rockville Road being improved at an unspecified future date. Goyne said that, at this time, there are no plans, or funding, to widen Rockville Road or improve its intersection with Ashland Road. A possible “solution” to the dangerously dysfunctional left turn onto Ashland Road would allow only right turns from Ashland to Rockville and Rockville to Ashland. No mention of how this would be enforced, or if it would be approved by VDOT. Traffic wishing to go left onto Ashland Road would instead turn right onto St. Matthew’s Lane, left on Plaza Drive, and left on Ashland Road at a signalized intersection there. Goyne said that there are no plans, or more importantly, funding sources, to build these road improvements by the projected 2026 start of construction for Highfield. There are no plans for any improvement to St. Matthew’s Lane.

Most of the objections/concerns expressed by the citizens, many of whom travel Rockville Road daily, referenced the lack of mitigation to address the drastic increase in the number of vehicles on an already dangerous road from residents of Highfield. At least one speaker mentioned the large white crosses on the side of Rockville Road that mark the site of past fatalities.

Traffic engineers contended that Highfield would add about 1,900 additional daily trips on Rockville Road, not enough to trigger the VDOT “warrant” threshold for a traffic light because traffic is measured over long period of time and averages are used.

This seems to be another instance of “things need to get worse before they can get better” that complicates building and funding roads. Goochland does not build or maintain its roads. County roads are handled by VDOT, through a Byzantine “mother may I” process. Speakers contended that no new construction should be approved until the roads are built but sadly, that’s not how things work.

Significant improvements to Ashland Road north of I64, including a second bridge over the interstate and a diverging diamond have been approved, and more important, fully funded. No improvements south of I64 are in the works currently.

Proposed density was another objection. The county comprehensive land use plan https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan indicates that the parcel is intended for residential medium density, which is an average of one dwelling unit per acre. Croft said that the average proposed density for Highfield is just under 1.5 units per acre. As indicated on a conceptual plan, lots in Highfield would vary in size to accommodate modest homes on smaller lots that might be affordable for teachers and other county employees. Croft declined to comment on expected price points in Highfield citing uncertainties of market conditions several years in the future.

A speaker noted that good land use practice places the highest residential density in the center of a growth area, in this case the Centerville Village, and diminishes toward the edges. The subject parcel is at the very edge of the village, whose center is somewhere around the Company 3 fire-rescue station. Croft contended that Highfield’s density lessens toward I64, seeming to indicate that her notion of village density applies only to Highfield.

Croft rejected the objection that the density of Highfield could seep into adjoining land, especially the 123-acre parcel along Manakin Road that is currently for sale, by explaining that Highfield is locked in by I64 to the north, and a large, undevelopable wetland to the east, which would prevent any expansion.

Should the General Assembly mandate high growth localities—Goochland has been put into this category because our growth percentage is one of the highest in the Commonwealth—build affordable housing, Highfield could help the county comply. As Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, jurisdictions have only those powers given to them by the Commonwealth.

Croft parried concerns about the impact of the large subdivision on county schools contending that cash proffers would address that.

For homes in the eastern sector, the maximum acceptable cash proffer per home is currently $9,809. That includes $5,080 for schools; $1,075 for parks and recreation; $1,961 for public safety; and $1,695 for transportation(roads). The 199 proposed homes would generate $1,010,920 for schools, less than the cost of furnishing the new $60 million Goochland Elementary School under construction.  Total cash proffers for 199 homes would be just under $2 million. Cash proffers address capital costs for big ticket items with a long useful life, like schools and fire-rescue stations. Operating costs, salaries for teachers and fire-rescue personnel are paid by recurring tax revenues.

There is no way to predict demographics of home buyers in Highfield. Trends, as discussed at the Supervisors’ January 20 retreat, indicate that newcomers tend to be older, with fewer school age children. While this could take pressure off education needs going forward, older people increase calls for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) which has an economic impact on the county’s ability to address citizen needs. In short, it’s complicated.

Croft said that Eagle is committed to transparency and will include information about the 32 cent per $100 of valuation ad valorem tax levied on property in the TCSD; that land on the opposite side of Rockville Road is designated for commercial development; and that there is an active quarry just over I64, in its marketing materials. She asked the anyone with additional comments or questions send them to highfield@eagleofva.com. Croft said that at least two people will read every email. A website for Highfield is under development to share information about the project as it moves forward.

A timeline presented by Croft indicated that the application will be submitted to the county in March, go before the planning commission after Labor Day, moving to final approval by the supervisors before Thanksgiving, with groundbreaking in early fall of 2025, and home construction starting in 2026.

Hopefully, Eagle will use the time between now and its presentation to the planning commission to refine its proposal to address concerns about density and traffic.