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| Goochland Board of Supervisors' Chair Tom Winfree welcomes Amazon to Goochland |
The worst kept secret in Goochland was officially let out of the bag this morning, May 14, when Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin joined county officials and representatives of Amazon at the Central High School Educational and Cultural Center in Sandy Hook. Youngkin announced that Amazon will build a 3.1 million square foot state-of-the art robotics fulfillment center on the west side of Ashland Road, north of I64. According to information released by the Governor’s office, Amazon employees will pick, pack, and ship small items to customers such as books, electronics and toys. The facility, dubbed RIC6, is expected to create 1,000 jobs and be in operation in 2027, and will be the largest in the region. There was no mention of how much the operation will add to local tax revenue. Most truck traffic is expected to occur at night.
Among those joining Governor Youngkin at the simulated groundbreaking were 10th District Virgnia Seantor Luther Cifers; 57th District Delegate David Owen; and Goochland Supervisors Tom Winfree, District 3 and Neil Spoonhower, District 2.
As the Goochland High School Junkyard Dogs Robotics Team
just had its best year ever, RIC6 is a natural partner to help our students prepare
for these jobs of the future.
The Virginia Economic Partnership worked with Goochland to bring
the project to the county.
The 107-acre parcel was rezoned from agricultural to
industrial use on August 3, 2022, following contentious public hearings before
both the planning commission and board of supervisors, who had the final say.
At the time, the user was identified only as “Project Rocky, a middle mile E
commerce distribution center” whose owner was not publicly disclosed but widely
believed to be Amazon.
Opponents raised concerns about adding even more trucks to a
road they contended was already overburdened and heavily traveled by large vehicles
and that traffic snarls would increase EMS response times, endangering the
lives of residents in the northeast corner of the county. For reasons that are
still vague, construction never began, and the property remained in the hands
of the original owners until late last year. It seemed like Project Rocky was dead.
In the meantime, Goochland County, working with various state
and federal agencies, secured approval and funding for significant improvements
to Ashland Road north of I-64. These include a dedicated turn lane for the westbound
I64 ramp, a second bridge over the interstate with a diverging diamond, and a
temporary traffic signal at the eastbound I64 ramp. In 2022 one supervisor contended
that, without Project Rocky, conditions on Ashland Road would only get worse with
little hope of improvement. Goochland is dependent on VDOT for roads. We
compete with most other jurisdictions in the state for scarce transportation dollars
to fix the roads we’ve got or build new ones.
Last year rumblings that “Rocky was back” began to circulate,
but there was no formal confirmation until today, even though Amazon closed on the
property in December, followed shortly by site preparation that continues.
The stretch of Ashland Road north of I64 was recently dubbed
the Rockville Opportunity Corridor, go to https://www.goochlandva.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1256
for details. A large office/warehouse project is also under construction nearby.
This area has been designated for commercial and industrial use for at least 40
years and is home to quarries, a landfill, and an asphalt plant.
The recently approved county budget for FY26, which begins
on July 1, clearly illustrates that Goochland needs significant economic development
to fund county services and keep real estate tax rates low. RIC6 is part of the
county’s goal to keep 85 percent of the county rural by concentrating growth, especially
economic development, in the remaining 15 percent. This is the “designated
growth area,” of which the Rockville Opportunity Corridor is a big part. Until
very recently, this was a pipe dream. It also will help move the county closer
to another goal of 70/30 percent ratio of real estate to commercial tax revenue.
The event ended with a faux groundbreaking with attendees
holding shovels on stage.
1 comment:
The zoning case advertised the facility as a “middle mile” distributions center. The governors office is seemingly describing a “last-mile” facility. What gives?
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