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| The GHS auditorium was packed for the planning commission meeting |
After more than six hours of public hearing, the Goochland
Planning Commission recommended approval of the TOD/TZ amendments on September
25. This was a continuation of a meeting that began on September 18 held in the
high school auditorium to accommodate a large crowd.
The recommendation included suggestions to require that
primary and secondary energy generation facilities, especially small modular
nuclear reactors (SMRs), obtain conditional use permits. (The CUP process requires
at least one community meeting and public hearings before both the planning
commission and board of supervisors.) Other suggestions were imposition of a 500-foot
setback for data centers on land currently zoned A-2, limiting building height
to 80 feet next to residential areas, and a noise less than the proposed 65 decibels
in the daytime, 60 at night.
The vote was 3-2 with Guy Kemmerly, District 1, and Amanda
Kowalski, District 2, in dissent. Kemmerly made the motion to approve, which
under procedural rules, opened discussion.
The planning commission is an advisory board charged with
making recommendations to the supervisors about land use matters. Attendees did
not seem to understand commission protocols and that public hearings are not interactive.
After the hearing is closed, a motion must be made and seconded to begin discussion
among the commissioners preceding a vote. When attendees screamed that the
commissioners were not doing what the “public” wanted (of the 28,000 people in
Goochland, approximately 1,000 have weighed in on this topic) Curt Pituck,
District 4, said “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
County Attorney Tara McGee explained, though the audience
was not paying attention, under state law, the commission may only address the
proposal as advertised. She said that recommendations from the planning
commission, further studies, and “other activities” will be used to craft the
final version brought before the supervisors. The matter is currently scheduled
to go before the supervisors, who will hold another public hearing, on November
6. The final version of a land use change proposal is often tweaked between the
planning commission and supervisors’ final vote.
Residents of eastern Goochland, especially Readers Branch
and Mosaic, made it very clear during several community and focus group meetings,
a District 5 town hall held on September 22, and the planning commission public
hearing that they do not want a SMR anywhere near them, and reject data centers
outright, especially as a by-right use in West Creek. Ironically, there was significant
opposition to the rezoning that created both communities contending that high
density neighborhoods would destroy the rural character of the area.
Several comments were thoughtful and constructive. There were
also many rants, some bordering on the hysterical, about the horrors of reactor
meltdown, nuclear waste disposal, fantastical estimates of water usage, and health
hazards of the data centers that will be a blight on Goochland if the TOD/TZ is
approved.
Opponents believe that data center construction is imminent
even though county officials have repeatedly stated that there are no, zip,
zero, nada pending data center applications in Goochland. (They may have confused
it with a proposal recently filed in Hanover County by HHHunt, developer of
Mosaic, for a 10-building data center campus on 410 acres near the Hunting Hawk
golf course on Ashland Road east of Pouncy Tract Road. Building height would be
limited to 62 feet, according to a recent story on Richmondbizsense.com.)
A few speakers lauded
and welcomed the Eli Lilly plant coming to West Creek and suggested that the
county forget data centers and concentrate on attracting companies that support
the Lilly plant. We hope that happens. However, the county tried the “putting
all your eggs in one basket” when a Motorola plant was proposed decades ago.
The plant never materialized, and the county scrambled for tax revenue.
After congratulating the group on the general civility of
the hearing, Delegate David Owen, who lives in Manakin Sabot, urged the
commission to defer a vote until county staff and community stakeholders have
an opportunity to work through the proposal and find a way to move forward both
preserving the quality of life in Goochland and advancing economic development.
“Those two have to go hand in hand and I think right now we don’t have that,”
he said.
Opponents do not seem to understand that existing by-right
uses for property currently zoned M-1, including West Creek, remain unchanged regardless
of what happens with the TOD/TZ. The M-1 data center zoning in place lacks any
noise mitigation mandates and has setbacks of just 50 feet from property lines.
Creating the TOD/TZ sooner rather than later could fix that. As a practical
matter, if favorable conditions for a data center existed in West Creek one would
have been built by now.
The version of the TOD/TZ taken up by the supervisors,
perhaps in November unless they defer, which they have done in the past, will undoubtedly
be revised to address concerns articulated by the planning commission and citizens.
It seems very likely that SMRs, if not stricken entirely,
will require a CUP, whose related public input could effectively kill them. These
devices are still in the conceptual stage. The 120-foot height included in the initial
draft of TOD/TZ document seems to have been aimed at the Lilly factory. Carving
out greater heights for advanced manufacturing more than a distance certain away
from homes could address that.
Land not currently designated M-1 should not be magically
rezoned by joining the TOD/TZ but rather go through the usual process. This
includes parcels north of Broad Street Road in the Centerville Village, which
was not mentioned in the discussion. A-2
property that opts out of the TOD/TZ would need to be rezoned for higher use
anyway. Switching from A-2 to M-1 is a big change and needs input from
neighboring landowners. Rezoning parcels for a specific use often includes proffers
to address issues in a particular location, providing more protection for
neighbors.
Complete recordings and transcripts of all of these
meetings, including the marathon planning commission public hearing, are
available under the “watch county meetings” tab on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/
There will be a county wide town hall meeting on Monday October
6 in the Goochland High School auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m.
So, what kind of economic development is acceptable to the
folks who live in Readers Branch and Mosaic? Land in the designated growth
area, especially West Creek, will be developed.
4 comments:
What the people of Readers Branch and Mosaic want is what they were lured her under, M-1 zoning. This is taken directly from Goochland’s Article 18 Sec. 15-261 “this district is intended to permit certain industries, ones which do not in any way detract from residential desirability”. As shown by opposition all over Virginia, modern data centers don’t fit that.
Despite the author mocking us in prior posts, we are not the enemy. These are new neighborhoods and they were approved by the board. We didn’t petition the board to allow them, or sell the land to the developers, or make the final approval decision. We simply moved in. Goochland needed quick cash to cover their bonds and 55+ neighborhoods appeared to be the easy answer. No impact on schools or other major programs and best of all, our property taxes are 60% higher than the average Goochland resident. So I’d say we’re doing our part to keep taxes low.
When both neighborhoods were basically complete the board announced plans to completely change the land around us to allow heavy industry. We’ll be the ones living with the 24/7 noise and our property values will be the ones to decline. Who would move next to a data center especially when they’re told they have to pay 60% more for the privilege.
I would like to add a few words to the above accurate and thoughtful response. To the best of my knowledge, the residents of Mosaic and Readers Branch want two things. The first thing is a TOD/TZ without a data center and without a nuclear reactor. It’s that simple. Of course this includes all the attendant infrastructure and support facilities, but basically, just take those two things completely out of the proposal and many of us would be satisfied with that.
The second thing is to be treated with respect. As the previous writer said, we are not the enemy. We are your neighbors. We all want to have a good quality of life and enjoy what Goochland County is known for which is its beauty and peacefulness. I think the previous writer did a fine job to dispel the notion that we are a group of naïve and hapless senior citizens who bumbled our way into a zoning situation when we clearly should have known better. In other words, had we done our homework, it would have been crystal clear that data centers and nuclear reactors were permitted behind our neighborhoods. We just didn’t do the work to figure it out. That is a complete mischaracterization of who we are and what has happened to us. The previous author made the point that we were aware of what M1 zoning entails, and we were OK with that. If a mistake was made, it was trusting the Goochland County powers-that-be to not pull the zoning rug out from underneath us once the tax coffers were filled up again, thanks in part to our contributions. I think it’s safe to say that we feel betrayed, and now we are being cast as villains because we are trying to protect our investments and our quality of life.
The behavior of Mr.Pituck, our representative from district 4, when he told us that he did not have to explain his vote to us, was so contemptuous and so defensive one wonders what he was defending. I don’t think it was the best interests of those of us in district 4, so what could it be?
This question brings to mind a comment made by Delegate David Owen in a letter that he sent to those of us who contacted him, and also in his remarks at the meeting. He made the point that one of his major concerns centers on the fact that Goochland County government is acting as a developer by presenting a zoning case to be approved or denied by the Goochland County government. The government is not a developer so why is it so interested in quickly pushing these changes through, especially when it’s abundantly clear that the very serious issues brought up by experts in various fields have not been thoroughly examined. Nor has an independent study been approved, which would potentially eliminate any conflict of interest, should one exist.
Mr. Owen said it best when he wrote in his letter that “The TOD as currently proposed is not in the best interest of the citizens of Eastern Goochland County and should be deferred until the Goochland County staff can work with the citizens to achieve the needed balance between quality of life and economic growth in Eastern Goochland County.” He seems to be the voice of reason in this unfortunately contentious situation and I hope he will be respected and taken seriously.
We are not against economic development. But we don’t want to be victimized by it either.
Mocking is the correct characterization of the blog owner’s posts. In contrast to her interpretation that folks at the planning commission meeting didn’t understand what was happening, I believe they did. What I do think is the commissioners were a bit confused about how to process the matter and requiring the attorney to sort it out. It is also my opinion that the issue was and is the most significant land use proposal in the county since the establishment of West Creek Business Park. Therefore, once the motion was made and seconded, the commission should have clearly stated the amendments Mr. Kimmerly made and shared their thinking on the proposal with citizens publicly. After all, the commission isn’t appointed by the board to be a rubber stamp for the administration, but to serve as a deliberative body that considers carefully whether to recommend approval, amendment of or denial of land use proposals to the board of supervisors. Mr. Kimmerly was the sole commissioner who sought to share his thoughts with his colleagues and have a discussion.
Additionally, as to what residents of Readers Branch and Mosaic want is simply to have the quiet enjoyment of their homes without daily, round-the-clock intrusive hums, vibrations and inescapable low frequency sound waves emitted by data centers. If future developments of the vacant land adjoining their neighborhoods meets this simple test they will be welcome.
Finally, I suspect that when it is announced that data centers will be built on property along Hockett Rd. across from Kinloch that its residents will wish they had joined the movement.
Finally, the blogger should remember that the board approved the Mosaic and Readers Branch communities not only hoping, but indeed wanting people to purchase the homes. Why? Because there hadn’t been any measurable business development in the county for years leaving it in a precarious financial condition. Right now its CIP budget is so constrained by revenue limitations it can’t afford to build a needed fire station on Hockett Rd., a new courthouse complex or a new school. Until just recently all it has had is new residential construction to grow revenue.
To the above poster, there is plenty of money in fund balance to handle some of the County's CIP needs. That's our money after all that they are just sitting on.
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