Location, location, location

 

This is rural (Google Earth image)

At their October 7 meeting, Goochland supervisors voted 3-2 to deny a rezoning application for 109.22 acres on Maidens Road, south of its intersection with Poorhouse Road from A-2 to Residential Preservation R-P. Board Chair Tom Winfree, District 3, and Charlie Vaughters, District 4, were in dissent.

The applicant, Serenity Trail, LLC, Christina and David Jinnette, requested a second deferral on the afternoon of the scheduled hearing, after one was granted last month. As the public hearing had been advertised and several citizens were in attendance to speak about the application, the supervisors decided to hold the public hearing.

RP zoning is intended to provide well-planned residential enclaves that preserve the rural areas of the county. It requires at least 50 percent of the land be declared undeveloped open space in a “preservation tract,” which may be used for agricultural purposes under an approved management plan. It encourages clustering of residential lots away from roadways to protect the rural viewshed. Breeze Hill on Fairground Road is an example.

Serenity Trail is in a rural enhancement area, the 85 percent of the county to be kept rural. People who live here depend on wells for their water, use septic systems, live on acreage. Many farm and have horses and other livestock. This time of year, when the Fall Festival of Firearms is in full swing, the sounds of gunshot can be heard as people hone their shooting skills to prepare for hunting season. The “vibe” is very different from that in the designated growth area (DGA).

The rezoning application proposed no more than 24 single family detached homes on minimum two acre lots on the subject parcel, which is currently occupied by a single 4,172 square foot home with a saltwater pool and other amenities, marketed for $2.6 million, according to realtor.com. The application stated that home would be part of community amenites managed by the HOA, in addition to the preservation tract.

According to the staff presentation made by Ray Cash, Assistant Director of Community Development, approximately 40 acres of the property is open, currently used for harvesting hay, the remainder forested.

Scott Courtney, speaking for the applicant, explained that Serenity Trail placed most of the houses in open space to leave most of the forested part undisturbed for passive recreation uses like hiking and fishing in the pond. A proffer that all wells drilled into bedrock at least 100 feet deep would not have an impact on surrounding wells, contended Courtney, because they would access a different aquifer than neighboring properties. He said that the last-minute referral was requested to allow more time to address adding left and right turn lanes and expanding lane width along the parcel frontage on Maidens Road that would also address drainage issues.

Jinette said that the “bells and whistles” of Serenity Trail, while not as flashy as other neighborhoods, provide amenities to preserve the natural beauty of the site and would attract quality families who will be an asset to Goochland County.

The Planning Commission recommended denial of the rezoning application.

Traffic was a significant concern. Opponents characterized the narrow, winding nature of Maidens Road, noting that “trucks bump mirrors when passing” to avoid slipping into a ditch. Its treacherous intersections with Fairground, Poorhouse, and Broad Street Roads were cited during public hearing by nearby residents.

One resident of Maidens Road said that drivers going 55 mph past her home are terrifying. Because development, and associated traffic, is “exploding” in the area, she urged the supervisors to pause and take a breath before approving more homes there.

A roundabout is “on the books” for the Maidens/Fairground intersection at some undetermined date. Given the glacial speed at which VDOT moves, it could be a decade before this is built, in the meantime, traffic, and wrecks will increase. 

Drainage issues on Maidens Road near the subject parcel, frequent area power outages, the impact of 24 more wells on ground water, and more stringent oversight of the preservation tract were other concerns raised by opponents.

Placing a conservation easement on the preservation tract would limit development in perpetuity while HOA oversight and uses of the tract could change.

Rose Retreat and another subdivision in the general vicinity, zoned in 2007 but never developed, could add more than 100 homes in the Poorhouse/Sandy Hook Road corridor soon. They will use well and septic systems, whose impact on groundwater is unknown and add more traffic to the roads.

Water is an important consideration in rural areas. Consecutive dry years in the early part of the century caused so many local wells to fail that drillers had long waiting lists. A few wet years eased the situation somewhat, but wells are still going dry. The county has long needed an impartial hydrologic study in areas where public utilities are not available to gauge availability of ground water when approving homes dependent on wells.

One speaker urged the supervisors to concentrate on commercial development before approving more homes without the infrastructure including roads and electric service to support them. No mention was made of cell service or broadband access by the applicant or residents.

Jonathan Christy, District 1, said that water issue was most important to him. Lack of water for people with livestock causes panic, he said. “We’re not talking about days; we’re talking about hours.” He supported the concept of aquifer study.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said that there are more than 1,000 zoned home sites in the county “ready to go vertical” many in the rural enhancement area. Serenity Trail, he said, would be a great subdivision in the DGA, but not on Maidens Road. He also contended that RP zoning should protect the rural viewshed. Putting houses in an open field, as proposed by Serenity Trail, does not do that, he said.

Others pointed out that developers improving roads along the frontage of their projects is the only way county roads get improved, even if these upgrades do not address dangerous intersection choke points.

County Attorney Tara McGee said that under county code, the applicant is not entitled to bring back a similar application for 12 months after a denial motion is passed.