Since taking office in 2024, Goochland’s Board of Supervisors
has focused on expanding the county tax base by attracting private sector investment.
The board held a joint workshop with the Economic Development Authority in August
2024 to discuss goals and strategies. Another took place on February 25.
Goochland has long sought to attract commercial and industrial
development to achieve a residential/commercial tax base ratio of 70/30, which
currently is about 82/18. The “how” of achieving this has been somewhat hit or
miss. Each year during its budget process, the county wrestles with balancing
needs versus tax revenue to fund core local government services.
Deputy County Administrator Sara Worley and Deputy Director
of Economic Development Chance Robinson presented a brief update on new, in the
pipeline, or expanding local businesses. In 2025, based on building permits,
new investment was $488 million, a record for Goochland.
These include the Amazon distribution Center and the
speculative warehouse Axial Rockville facility both in the Ashland Road corridor,
which has long been designated as a site for industrial uses.
Virginia Urology, which opened last year on Broad Street
Road just west of Rt. 288, commended the county for its support and guidance
through its expansion with efficiency that helped them become operational in
about six months.
The supervisors gave the EDA $60k to incentivize expansion
of existing local companies in 2024. Three, Seven Lady Vineyards at Dover Hall;
R Tech Services for its new facility; and Strickland Manufacturing for a new
office and warehouse in the Goochland Industrial Park, were awarded $20k each.
R-Tech Services, which repairs quarry vehicles, is moving from
leased space in the Lanier Industrial Park to an owed site in the new I-64
industrial park on Pony Farm Road in Oilville.
Seven Lady Vineyard has broken ground on a tasting room to
complement a vineyard that will open later this year.
In addition to repairing heavy equipment, Strickland has
begun to manufacture items. After the recent snowcrete deluge Strickland
quickly built 350 sets of snowplow teeth that were sold to area localities to aid
in challenging cleanup operations.
All of these businesses are on track to realize a robust
return on the county’s investment by adding jobs as the success of their
companies enriches our tax base.
Tourism revenue generated $59.2 million in direct spending,
a 15.1 percent increase from 2023 to 2024. Statistics for 2025 will be released
in September. This added $3.3 million to the local tax base.
A program to help local businesses attract customers with
VDOT signage made awards to Bandit’s Ridge Winery and Rockville Dunkin Donuts.
Unlike its regional competitors in economic development game,
Goochland has few sites considered “tier 4,” most desirable, in its developable
land inventory. To remedy that, last year the supervisors appropriated $500k to
the EDA to pay for due diligence and data collection on select sites targeted
for economic development. Some supervisors had reservations about spending tax
dollars to help market private property. However, when only a part of this money was
instrumental in landing the $5 billion—with a B—Eli Lilly investment in West
Creek in a matter of months, the robust and rapid return on investment
justified the expenditure.
The $500k was used for:
·
Due diligence studies for site inspection,
boundary surveys, wetland assessments, historical, cultural, and endangered
species evaluation in West Creek, whose owners paid half of the cost.
·
A terrcaon vibration monitoring study, completed
in 2025, quantified the geological vibration impact from quarry blasting sites
on Ashland Road to better understand blasting impacts on various industries
with current data to help business prospects determine if a site meets their
criteria.
·
Evaluate the feasibility of supplying public
utilities to land around the Oilville/I64 interchange to enable economic
development. The county already has state wastewater permits there.
·
Provide match funding for the “Virginia Ready Business
Sites” program to evaluate land at the intersection of Ashland and Three Chopt
Roads south of I-64.
Availability of detailed site-specific data allows prospects
to effectively and efficiently evaluate a location, because time is money in development.
Going forward, EDA goals and initiatives include a revolving
loan program to help small businesses; façade grants; pitch competitions to
assist micro businesses; expand medical provider services; tech business
incubator; and tourism initiatives.
Having these funds—$241,000 remains unspent— available, said
Worley, enables economic development to move quickly to provide specific data, making
sites more attractive to prospects.
These studies and other initiatives are being used to upgrade
some parcels and create a tiered site inventory to entice investment.
Charlie Vaughers, District 4 supervisor, impressed with the short-term
ROI, urged economic development to put money out at a faster pace to move Goochland
closer to the 70/30 split.
Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said he was initially skeptical
about using tax dollars to improve the marketability of private property like the
Markel Corporation West Creek parcel used as a soccer field, where Eli Lilly
will be located. “It didn’t feel comfortable stroking that $500k check. We
thought the returns would be worth is and they’re paying off huge.”
Spoonhower also admitted skepticism about the statement that
Jonathan Lyle, District 5 made in 2024 that he wanted to see $2 billion in new
investment in Goochland. “It’s already hit and it’s probably going to double or
triple. I’m thankful to be on a team like this.”
Many thoughtful comments about economic development and how
Goochland can take advantage of looming opportunities created by onshoring manufacturing
and other macroeconomic trends followed.
To listen to the entire conversation go to the county website
https://www.goochlandva.us/ click on
watch county meetings. Under BoS select February 25. Go to https://www.goochlandforbusiness.com/
to explore more about Goochland economic development.
Goochland competes with other jurisdictions in Virginia for
investment. We do not have the deep pockets to fund membership in the big
regional development organizations like the Greater Richmond Partnership whose
annual “pay to play” fee is about $350k. While we are on the edge of the Richmond
region, our goal of keeping rural character is at odds with our neighbors to
the east.
To get a more visible seat at the development table,
Goochland is exploring the value of creating a rural economic development
organization (REDO) with neighboring counties to our south.
REDO
Principals of Rural Resilience Advisors, (https://rural-advisors.com/) David Denny
and Liz Povar, with decades of hands on economic development experience at the
local and state level, described how they could help Goochland partner with jurisdictions
to our south to get a more visible seat at the development table.
REDOs, they explained, allow counties with similar and complementary
resources and goals, work together.
While Goochland has had good success with landing Eli Lilly,
attracting more big fish does not happen by chance.
RRA contended that Goochland, Powhatan, and Amelia counties
sit at the edge of the Richmond region and are seeking the sweet spot to grow
their commercial and industrial tax base while remaining rural.
Economic development, which they characterized at a “contact
sport” is all about relationships. Povar displayed a map of existing REDOs in
Virginia. Goochland, Powhatan, and Amelia sit alone, just outside the Richmond
region surrounded by other REDOs.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (https://vedp.org/) markets Virginia, all 133 counties and cities,
as a whole. As a practical matter, contended Povar, it is easier for the small VDEP
staff to work with REDOs, which are better able to promote their areas and guide
prospects to areas that best fit their criteria.
Partnering with counties to create a regional brand, share
resources, and present a unified profile will improve visibility and credibility
among state, national, and international prospects, contended RRA. Small
jurisdictions like Goochland who have modest economic development staff do not
have the bandwidth to provide these things on their own.
Goochland could use some branding to overcome the tendency
of new businesses in the Broad Street Road corridor to label themselves as “Short
Pump”.
RRA deliverables seemed to include research, feasibility
studies, marketing activities that include “fam”tours—hands on in person visits—for
a location; crafting strategies to connect with emerging technologies; and amplify
economic development resources. Their “ask” for two-year trial period was $10k
per year, total $20k. (The county is currently recruiting an economic
development coordinator for tourism with a starting salary of up to $82k not
counting benefits.)
Other research could explore what companies that want to be
near Lilly will need and look at areas with development profiles like Goochland’s
to see what works.
Director of Economic Development Nora Amos said that during
her eight weeks in Goochland, she has not seen the same kind of interaction
between VDEP and the county as she was accustomed to at her previous post in
Hanover County, a member of the Greater Richmond Partnership. “They (VDEP) will
help us if we call, but we aren’t at the big boy table.” She said that the RRA
proposal would give Goochland a seat at that table and supported adding its
resources to the economic development tool kit.
Povar explained that while RRA would act as a contractor, it
would be subject to FOIA, a memorandum of understanding (MOU), and financial
disclosure rules.
Some supervisors questioned the selection of Powhatan and
Amelia and wondered if it would make more sense of Goochland to join with
Louisa and Albemarle. Worley said joining neighboring REDO had been explored.
The Central Virginia Partnership, while less expensive, has goals and target
industries that do not align with the Goochland’s. The two-year trial with RRA
could act as an “on ramp” for Goochland to join an existing REDO.
The board voted 4-1 with Lyle in dissent, to appropriate
$20k and authorize staff to work out operational details in an MOU that would
need approval by the supervisors before the money can be spent. Lyle said that
while he found the RRA proposal intriguing, he did not believe that it is
warranted at this time.
