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| Latest proposed layout of Highfield |
Developer Markel Eagle held yet another community meeting on January 28 to share its latest version of the proposed Highfield subdivision on 138 acres on Rockville Road just south of I64. The meeting drew a good crowd, including Supervisors Charlie Vaughters, District 4, Tom Winfree, District 3, Jonathan Lyle, District 5, and Curt Pituck, District 4 planning commissioner.
Eagle has been working to rezone the subject property from
agricultural to residential planned unit development (RPUD) for almost three
years, meeting with robust community opposition from the outset. The number of
proposed single family detached dwelling units decreased from the initially proposed
200, per county records, to 138, which, on a gross basis, is a density of one
unit per acre. Eagle contends that this number of homes adheres to guidelines
of the Goochland County comprehensive land use plan. (https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan).
Highfield opponents raise many concerns about the proposed community, the two most prominent and significant being hazardous traffic conditions on Rockville Road, where crosses memorialize fatalities, and density.
Nathalie Croft, Director of Land Planning for Eagle,
explained the latest proposal. Changes made since the last go round included
two entrances on Rockville Road, up from the first single Rockville Road access
point that piggybacked onto the stub road connecting Highfield to Tuckahoe
Bridge North, the adjoining 49 lot subdivision. Thanks to VDOT mandates, the
stub road will still connect Highfield with TBN, but a reworking of the Highfield
internal roads will make using the stub less convenient. A stamped concrete threshold
would delineate the boundary between the two subdivisions. Eagle would block connection
via the stub road with concrete barriers until VDOT or Goochland County mandates
removal.
Go to https://www.eagleofva.com/highfield/ for details.
Eagle also proffered to disclose the ad valorem tax levied
on all properties in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, which is a sore point
with newcomers; inform buyers that land on the opposite side of Rockville Road
is designated for economic development and that the site is in the county’s
designated growth area.
Eagle will proffer—promise— that homes in Highfield will be
“sprinklered” for fire suppression to mitigate concerns about the ability of
fire apparatus to reach Highfield quickly should Rockville Road be blocked.
This would force fire engines to use Echo Meadows Drive to access Rockville
Road from the north.
Eagle also significantly increased the improvements to the Rockville
Road frontage of the subject property, about a half mile, to transform the
current roller coaster effect to a “smooth, gentle hill”. This would include
widening its side of Rockville Road, filling and cutting the exiting grade and removing
many trees to mitigate dangerous line of site issues. Should this go forward, it
would require closure of lanes on Rockville Road for an estimated three to four
months during construction.
As Croft pointed out, Eagle can only improve the road that
adjoins Highfield. A more serious concern is the east end of Rockville Road at
Ashland Road, a busy highway that will only get busier. There are no plans to
improve this intersection. Both are state roads so improvements are governed by
VDOT. For reference, the realignment of Hockett and Ashland Roads, which is
moving towards final stages, and expected to be complete in 2029, was first put
on the county transportation radar screen in 2013. Should the county decide to make
the Rockville/Ashland intersection a priority, it might be years before the
project even gets on the “to do” list, and decades before construction begins.
Croft said that Eagle would not apply for any Highfield building
permits before 2027, hopefully after the road improvements along its frontage
are complete.
Then there is the fiscal impact on the county. Croft said
that Highfield would generate $9,810 per home in cash proffers, one-time
payments to mitigate capital costs associated with new homes. Of that, $5,080
goes to schools. Goochland just built a new elementary school on land already owned
by the school division for approximately $60 million, so the cash proffers from
Highfield, which Croft said is expected to generate 38 school aged children,
have little impact.
Attendees of the meeting were skeptical about that number.
Predicting how many students will be generated by new dwelling units is tricky.
Developers, however, seem to contend that their new residential projects will
be populated by “active adults” sort of empty nesters too young to put much
strain on the EMS system.
At full build out, based on the current tax rate, Croft estimated
that Highfield would generate $603,405 annual real estate revenue. In previous meetings,
Croft declined to mention price points for homes in Highfield, contending that
it would be hard to accurately predict given inflation and other factors.
Highfield would offer a variety of lot sizes, some as large
as three acres, and smaller ones, like those in Readers Branch. The minimum lot
width would be 85 feet.
The rezoning application will not be heard by the planning
commission before April, which could be followed by a final decision by the
Board of Supervisors no earlier than June.
As proposed, Highfield is a very attractive community. Unfortunately,
it’s in the wrong place. Until there are firm plans to fix the
Ashland/Rockville Road intersection with either a roundabout or traffic signal,
and the Company 7 Fire-Rescue station is under construction, building Highfield
on Rockville Road does not seem to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Goodland
citizens.
