One size does not fit all

Goochland County’s newly streamlined Planning Commission conducted its first meeting on Thursday, April 4. Tom Rockecharlie, who now represents District 5, and Joe Andrews, District 4, were unanimously elected and chair and vice chair respectively. Other members are: Matt Brewer, District 2, Derek Murray District, 3 and John Meyers, recently appointed to the District 1 seat.

A moment of silence followed in remembrance of architect John Lewis who represented District 5 on the Design Review Committee. He gave countless hours of his time and skills to advocating for controlled growth in the county. Lewis was also passionate about preservation of Goochland’s James River view shed, which he believed to be the sole surviving stretch of the waterway that remains relatively untouched by civilization.

The Commission then turned its attention to a zoning ordinance revision to implement rigorous design standards for the Centerville Village overlay district. This area runs along Broad Street Road from the Henrico County line to just west of Satterwhite's Restaurant. It extends up Ashland Road to Interstate 64 and dribbles south of Hockett and Manakin Roads. Most of the parcels along Plaza Drive are also included.

Ideally, these standards will ensure high quality development in one of the main entrance corridors for Goochland. The new standards seek to increase property values; encourage high quality development; and protect current land owners from the adverse impact of development on adjoining parcels.

One aspect of development that is not, and cannot, be addressed by any design standards is the issue of ugly. Codified standards are objective. While size, materials, setback, colors and so forth can be listed as acceptable or prohibited, how those elements are combined cannot.

The McDonald's soon to be built in front of the Goodwill is an example. It will be built of accepted materials, meet all setback, height, lighting and storm water management requirements. But, some people consider its appearance blight on the rural character of Centerville. Many others don't really seem to care and welcome the tax dollars it will bring to Goochland. Two years from now, most will not even notice that it is there.

Environmental Planner Leigh Dunn explained that the proposed standards are intentionally nonspecific to permit maximum flexibility. For instance, a large façade must be broken up by differing design elements to lessen its massiveness.

A good example of this is the John Rolfe Commons in Henrico. The main structure in this huge strip mall is curved and broken into smaller sections visually by changes in façade, materials, and design. There are more rows of parking in front of the Martins and fewer near smaller storefronts.

As usual, the devil is in the details. To their credit, the Commissioners conducted a thoughtful conversation about the matter rather than rejecting it out of hand or passing it by rote. They discussed the effect that application of the proposed standards, which included approved materials, setbacks, landscaping, and lighting would have in different scenarios.

The amount of parking to be allowed in front of a building generated many comments. While permitting no more than two rows of parking in front of a building seems reasonable for a small store like McDonald’s, it would not make sense for a larger concern. Possibilities mentioned here included Lowe’s, Target and other dreaded “big box” entities, something previous commissions regarded as unacceptable.

Rockecharlie wanted to know how the proposed standards would apply to an auto dealership. Myers questioned the exclusion of stucco as an approved siding material and terra cotta tile for roofing. Dunn explained that those materials are not traditionally used in the area.

Businesses wax and wane. Requiring relatively generic structures will help to prevent abandoned eyesores should a specific entity fail.

Because the Centerville Village is so large and comprised of many undeveloped parcels with a wide range of characteristics, creating uniform design standards will be tricky.

In the “village core,” roughly the area between Ashland and Manakin Roads and along Plaza Drive, new development will occur on relatively small infill parcels between and among existing buildings. A good portion of the land along Ashland Road and on the north side of Broad Street east of Ashland Road consists of large parcels of raw land facing fewer constraints.

Using a threshold based on parcel size to deal with issues like parking and storm water management could simplify things. The Commission favored encouraging contiguous small parcels to use mutual BMPs--the landscaped depressions that capture storm water and allow it to seep back into the ground instead of gushing into streams—instead of digging one on every lot. That may work well in theory, but if each parcel needs a BMP in place to obtain a certificate of occupancy, they cannot wait for development on the lot next door.

Murray commented that he would not permit his young children to walk on the new sidewalk recently built at the edge of Broad Street Road because it is too close to traffic. The real question about walkability is just how many people will park once and hoof it to several different destinations. It seems quite unlikely that many people will choose to walk across Broad Street Road.

During the public hearing on the ordinance change, owners of property in the overlay district raised concerns that the standards would place an economic burden on existing businesses and act as a deterrent rather than incentive to new economic development.

Tom Kinter, who hopes to build a self-storage facility on Three Chopt Road against Rt. 288 pointed out that the requirement to screen all rooftop mechanical devices from view would require him to screen a roof visible only to traffic zipping by on 288. In that case, a single row of “bullet-proof” low maintenance shrubs, like the ones already growing there, would provide ample screening for anything on a rooftop below.

Existing buildings would not be affected by the new standards, but they would apply to renovations.

Instead of ignoring comments by property owners, the Commissioners took their concerns to heart and tried to look at the issue from a business, rather than government authority, point of view.

Following a good bit of discussion, the matter was turned back to staff to tweak the proposal to incorporate suggestions made during the discussion.

The Commission is expected to take up the next set of revisions at its May meeting for a possible vote on a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

 

 

 

 

 

In the loop

If the Goochland District 4 Town Hall meeting held on Monday, March 25 is any indication, folks in the county want to know what’s going on in local government.

Bob Minnick, District 4 supervisor and Beth Hardy, School Board Member for District 4 were ready, willing and eager to interact with their constituents, the presentations were made mostly by staff.

The Company 3 Fire-Rescue Station’s meeting room was filled with citizens who came to hear and update from county officials. Unlike last year, when folks in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District complained at length about proposed hikes in utility and ad valorem tax rates, they listened. Comments were generally supportive.

Attendees seemed to be mostly from the Parke at Centerville and Kinloch communities. These are the folks that worked very hard to elect Minnick and Ken Peterson in District 5 in 2011. Engagement of these new residents in county government is perhaps the clearest example of the unintended consequences of all that residential rezoning that went on about a decade ago.

County Treasurer Pam Johnson made a brief appearance to remind folks that this year personal property tax will be collected twice per year, beginning with the June 5 payment. That means half of the tax is due in June, the remainder in December. So, if you’re wondering where your personal property tax bill is, do not worry, it will be along in a month or so.

Dr. James Lane, Superintendent of Schools—he’s been here long enough to drop the ”new”—explained what is going on in our schools. Lane’s boundless enthusiasm for Goochland School is contagious.

Attendees told Lane that they are eager to support local education. Lane promised to send purveyors of band fruit and other fund raising items to their doors. (For those eager to lend financial support to our schools, contributions may be made to the Goochland Education Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization, today.  Mail your checks payable to the Goochland Education Foundation to: Tom Deweerd, Registered Agent, Goochland Education Foundation, 2938-I River Road West, Goochland, Virginia 23036.)

Lane gave a thumbnail sketch of what’s going on in our schools from the achievement of our sports and academic teams to new curriculum additions designed to provide marketable skills to students who are not college bound. He also said that the school system welcomes citizen volunteers. Please visit the excellent school website at www.glndk.12.va.us for more information and take a look at the “How to invest in our schools section.”

Lane also gave an overview of the proposed school budget. Details are on the school website and Lane and any or all school board members will be happy to respond to questions about it. The budget is online, in its entirety, another first in transparency for our schools.

One of the biggest challenges that Goochland schools need to overcome, said Lane, is the false perception that they are not excellent. In the next few months, the county and school system will launch a public relations campaign to raise awareness of just how good our schools are. This is intended to enhance economic development initiatives using a theme of “Goochland First.”

School Board Chair John Wright, District 5, explained that among metrics used throughout Virginia to evaluate and rank schools systems, Goochland schools consistently finish in the top tier. “What we are able to do with what we have is quite phenomenal,” said Wright.

County administrator Rebecca Dickson explained that, unlike its neighbors, Goochland faced the economic realities of the “great recession” a few years back by reducing the county workforce by about ten percent, combining some functions and being very careful with money. The supervisors have also approved new revenue streams, especially the EMS cost recovery program that went into effect on January 1. This applies funds collected from billing for hospital transport services to offset fire-rescue expenses including paid EMS crews.

Leadership attitudes also play a key part in the county’s lack of fiscal drama. “You can get a lot of things done with two boards that work well together and a cooperative school superintendent,” she observed.

Dickson reported that bills passed during this year’s General Assembly session will simplify some issues facing the county. Perhaps the most significant of these will now permit the county to add parcels to the Tuckahoe Creek Service District in a far less cumbersome manner that was previous possible.

The proposed county budget is also available in all its glory at www.co.goochland.va.us. The budget public hearing will be held on Monday, April 8 at 7 p.m. A vote on the 2013 tax and utility rates will take place on April 16.

Questions about development in Centerville were raised. One citizen objected to the hodgepodge of existing architectural styles including the “Russian nesting doll” house that grew to include an indoor tennis court. He suggested that the supervisors defer addressing the CUP for McDonalds until the new overlay standards are in place.

Dickson said that the county is getting a lot of calls about development in Centerville. She explained that the new, improved design standards will ensure quality construction while providing enough flexibility to attract new business.

Minnick made it pretty clear that the McDonalds’ will be approved.

New, improved design guidelines for the expanded Centerville Village overlay will be addressed, and probably voted on, at this Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting. (Note: this is a change. Going forward, the Goochland Planning Commission will meet on the first Thursday of the month.)These standards will be similar to those that apply to the Oilville Village. Although created to encourage a walkable community, new construction there, though of high quality, produced a cookie cutter subdivision and strip shopping center, with no walkable articulation between the two.

The supervisors are expected to vote on these standards before approving the conditional use permit for McDonalds. GOMM predicts all will be unanimously approved with little discussion among the supervisors.

 

 

 

 

 

Routine matters

Though free of the drama laden public hearings that have marked recent meetings of the Goochland Planning Commission, the March 21 session was a good illustration of the purpose of this body.
Items on the agenda, the packet is available on the county website, www.co.goochland.va.us, were routine. These included renewal of two conditional use permits and a zoning reclassification.

All seven commissioners were in attendance, prepared, and offered thoughtful and constructive comments on all matters before them.

The application filed by Alvin E. Smith to renew a CUP for his gunsmith business on Fairground Road provided an opportunity to reign in over zealous application of zoning ordinances to impose what could have been onerous and unnecessary expense on an existing small business.

First granted in 1997, Smith's CUP was last renewed in 2003.
This time around, he asked that the term of the CUP be extended to 15 years, hours of operation be extended one hour to 8 p.m., he be allowed to install a larger sign, and he no longer be required to maintain a derelict fence between land he owns and county property.

During discussion, Smith explained that the original CUP required that he maintain the fence on the boundary between his land and county property. He questioned the reason for the county to require him to maintain a fence ostensibly to keep people off of public property. In any event, the fence, described as a single strand of barbed wire in poor condition, is an ineffective barrier. He contended that improvement of the fence would be a burdensome expense for his business.

The Commissioners agreed and removed the fence as a condition. They also recommended that the term of the CUP be extended to 15 years. As the CUP process is expensive and time consuming, this is another way to ease burdens on small businesses.

An application to divide a 20 acre lot in the Granite Trace subdivision,  which is located off os Sheppardtown Road, proved more tricky. A zoning change from the existing A-2 classification to RR was required to conform to county zoning law. Neither applicant wanted the change, they just wanted to divide their land in half to comply with their divorce decree.

Unfortunately, that proposed lot division triggered a threshold that required the zoning of the land be changed from A2, agricultural to RR, rural residential. Included in the application is the intention to enter the existing road into the state system.

The county also wants the applicant either to proffer that the land in question will not be further subdivided--theoretically it could be cut into as many as four five acre lots--or agree to pay cash proffers of $14,292 for each lot if that occurs. Also, if the zoning change is granted, the applicants would need to turn around and file an application to have Granite Trace declared a major subdivision, which are not generally permitted in rural enhancement areas.

Understandably, the applicants were bewildered by all of these regulations. Staff's job is to enforce laws on the books.

These thresholds were put in place to provide county oversight on division of large "parent" tracts of land. There was concern that, over generations, repeated "cuts" of large parcels for family members could result in residential lots too small to safely supply well and septic.

To their credit, the Commissioners voted to recommend that the extra lot be permitted without requirng the applicants to promise not to further subdivide the land or pony up the cash proffer. It will be up to the supervisors to make final disposition.

Another CUP extension was granted to the wonderful group that operates Field Day of the Past. As this event is the essence of the rural heritage we all want to preserve, it was quite appropriate.

Next month's Planning Commission meeting will be held on Thursday, April 4. The agenda includes the  design standard ordinance for Centerville.

Planning for tomorrow

 

At its March 5 meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors finally reduced the size of the County Planning Commission to five members. This change has been contemplated for at least a decade, but the previous regime could never get three votes together for the change.

The current board hoped to make the change upon taking office, but three Commissioners appointed by the former board refused to comply when asked to submit their resignations by the incoming supervisors at the beginning of 2012.

Last year, the supervisors changed the composition of the Planning Commission to seven members, one from each district and two at-large. As the term of appointment for the bitter clingers expired this month, the supervisors voted to reduce the size of the commission to five members and appointed John Myers to represent District 1.

This is a good start. The next step is to encourage all Planning Commissioners to take advantage of training programs provided by the state so they understand their task.

For the past few years, the Planning Commission has been something of an embarrassment. Appointees often came to meetings unprepared to discuss the matters at hand. That, however, did not stop some of them from illustrating their ignorance. Some seemed quite unaware of the location of the land under discussion. In the not so distant past, Planning Commissioners took the time to not only visit, but walk, parcels of land on their agenda so they would be able to comment wisely on zoning changes.

As an advisory body, the Planning Commission has only the power to make recommendations about land use matters to the Board of Supervisors, who make all final decisions. The Commission does, however, perform the important function of taking a close look at proposed changes in land use including rezoning and conditional use permits.

Public hearings before the Planning Commission provide an excellent opportunity for the community to express its opinions on land use matters in more detail than is generally possible before the supervisors who have oversight on a wide range of issues. As county staff is now largely comprised of people who live outside of Goochland and are relative newcomers, citizen input on a high level is vital to ensure that Goochland develops in an orderly manner.

Ideally, the Planning Commissioners tweak zoning change applications to accommodate public sentiment and common sense to ensure a positive result for all concerned.

For the past few years, the Commission pretty much wandered in the wilderness searching in vain for its purpose. A good example of this was its public hearing on a zoning ordinance change application to allow apartments on a morsel of land in West Creek.

The Commission’s task was to make recommendations on the suitability of the proposed change. As the apartments would be the catalyst for construction of the first internal road in West Creek off of Broad Street Road, approval seemed like a no brainer. In addition to many stringent design and other conditions included in the application, the project may also bring a traffic signal at its entrance.

However, the Commission veered from its task of addressing the suitability of the proposed land use to worrying that the county would be unable to bear the fiscal burden of several hundred apartments that might swell the school population. That’s not the job of the Planning Commission. It’s up to the supervisors to deal with the consequences of development.

In February, the Commission took up a CUP application about a McDonald’s on an out parcel of the Broadview Shopping Center on the corner of St. Matthew’s Lane and Broad Street Road.

The Commission spent way too much time discussing the design of the proposed restaurant and its placement on the lot. The Commission did recommend that McDonald’s toss $10,000 into the pot for a badly needed traffic signal at Hockett/St. Matthew’s Lane and Broad Street Road. Unfortunately VDOT—the state agency whose motto is “Oops!”—still does not support the traffic signal.

There was a great deal of discussion about wanting a building with something other than a flat roof. A glance at the aerial photograph included in the packet, makes it quite clear that many buildings in Centerville have flat roofs. Be that as it may, the Design Review Committee is charged with addressing aesthetic concerns of construction in overlay districts like Centerville, not the Planning Commission.

Hopefully, the streamlined Planning Commission will avoid the practice of its predecessors in advancing personal agendas, as was quite obvious during the Orapax and Benedictine hearings.

The new Commissioners are a fine group of intelligent, engaged citizens.  To do the best job, they need more familiarity with land use concepts and applicable laws. They also need to be mindful that the most important part of their task is to find the delicate balance between property rights and public good.

It is important that every district be represented in land use discussions.  Past Planning Commissions strove for perfect attendance. That has fallen off in the past few years to the detriment of the community and the process.

Change is in the air for Goochland in the coming years. A competent, committed Planning Commission is vital to ensure that those changes are positive and not haphazard.

 

 

 

Nurturing a champion

Raw talent is but one ingredient needed to make a champion. Discipline, hard work, and personal integrity are vital components of a successful athlete.

Richard and Kathy Verlander, parents of Justin Verlander, ace pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, will discuss their experiences as baseball parents and their 2012 book "Rocks across the pond, lessons learned, stories told" on Sunday March 3, 2013, at the Goochland Branch Library, 3075 River Road West in Courthouse Village. The event, sponsored by Friends of the Goochland Branch Library, will begin at 3 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Justin, who graduated from Goochland High School and Old Dominion University, won the American League pitching crown in 2011 and the Cy Young Award. He has an impressive record in his professional baseball career and just turned 30.

Justin's success was no happy accident. Come learn about what it't like to raise a champion.

All politics are local

Remember how things were under the old regime? About this time of year, the school board would be predicting dire consequences if the supervisors failed to fully fund the proposed budget. If this did not happen, popular and important programs like football, slots at the governors' schools, teaching positions and so forth would go away. A former superintendent even predicted that a flat budget for the upcoming fiscal year would plunge the schools into a death spiral. Parents panicked and bombarded the supervisors with demands to raise taxes to pay for schools. It was quite ugly. One former school board member even proposed closing Goochland Elementary School to save money.

Since taking office last year, both boar checked their egos at the door and got to work figuring out how to make do without raising taxes. The school budget includes new initiatives like career and technical education, a bit of money for band uniforms and science equipment.

The county budget includes a raise for all employees, new deputies, and keeping the library open for a full schedule.

By putting their heads together instead of butting heads, both boards have managed to find a new bus garage and are investigating possibilities for additional elementary school space in the east end of the county.

In short, collaboration rather than confrontation is finding solutions to problems without raising taxes.
Ronald Regan one said "it's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."

If it works here, why can't it work in Washington? Once again, Goochland takes the lead.

Sounds of silence part deux

An application for a conditional use permit to create a commercial event venue at the 30,000 square foot Dover Hall estate on Manakin Road drew a good bit of neighborhood comment during the February 21 planning commission meeting.

Dennis and Cynthia Pryor, owners of the 55 acre site of Dover Hall, which was built in 1999, have come to the realization that the structure is not suitable as a private residence and its best use is hosting large events. The Pryors currently live in modest home nearby.

Pryor explained that Dover Hall has been the site of many large events including fund raisers for political and philanthropic causes. Some of those galas have drawn more than 600 guests. The CUP limits the head count of attendees to 299 inside the home and 400 for the entire site. Under no circumstances will fireworks be allowed.

He contended that Dover Hall is an asset to the entire Central Virginia region and is an excellent way to showcase the finest that Goochland has to offer. In the past decade, said Pryor, approximately 70 eventsb took place at Dover Hall with no problem--except maybe those unfortunate fireworks--in the past decade. The only difference is that a fee would be charged for the venue, he said. Pryor has retained a professional event planner to ensure the quality and integrity of operations.

"It is expensive to run a house of this size,"Pryor said. Proceeds from commercializing Dover Hall will fund its upkeep and enable him to complete the formal gardens. The site must be brought into compliance with fire and other building codes for a commercial use before it can go into operation.

Although Pryor contended that he is sensitive to his neighbors, they were quite skeptical.

Dover Hall is about one third of a mile from the Deep Run Hunt Club, one of the nation's most prestigious equestrian organizations. It is surrounded by horse farms and expensive homes. Manakin Road is narrow, winding and heavily traveled.

Several neighbors objected to what they characterized as the spot zoning of plunking a commercial establishment, whose use is intended to attract hundreds of people, to. A rural residential area. These people will drive to Dover Hall, exacerbating an already dicey traffic situation, and they will probably hoist a glass or two at Dover Hall before getting behind the wheel to leave.
Then, there is the noise.

Ross Mackenzie, whose editorial contributions are sorely missed, and his wife Jennie live a few miles from Dover Hall. They are terrified of the havoc that noise from loud music, which is an integral part of the contemporary upscale wedding, will wreak on the area.

Mackenzie told the commissioners that, until the county has a solid, enforceable noise ordinance on the books, uses like that hoped for at Dover Hall should be prohibited.
The high cost of decibel meters, the only reliable and defensible measuring noise, has kept the county from enacting a noise ordinance.

Mrs. Mackenzie said that a neighbor with a penchant for horribly loud music destroyed the quality of life in her home. She fears that commercial use of Dover Hall will bring those bad old days back

We all know how sound carries in Goochland. Everyone can hear train whistles from time to time regardless of how close they live to the railroad tracks. Peace and quiet is a foundation of rural character too. Perhaps it's time to hold a bake sale--maybe at Dover Hall-- to buy decibel meters for the Sheriff.

Pryor said that music played inside the ballroom could hardly be heard in other parts of the house and said that adding sides to tents erected outside would contain noise.

Commission chair Courtney Hyers, District 5, said that the intrusion of a commercial use in this area represents a radical change in "the heart of horse country." She acknowledged the generous support of many organizations by the Pryors but wished Dover Hall were located elsewhere.

Darvin Satterwhite, acting as counsel for a Dover Hall neighbor, stated that Goochland has no zoning law that allows what Dover Hall wants to do. The A2 zoning category makes no provision for establishment of a place of public assembly.

Now that the supervisors have dealt with the TCSD debt, it's time to craft zoning for bed and breakfasts, country inns and event venues. Cramming cramming square pegs into round holes zoning wise only causes heartburn down the road.

The application also asks to operate a bed and breakfast without serving food. Pryor explained that provision would allow members of a wedding party, for instance, to spend the night in one of Dover Hall 's magnificent bedroom suites.

Steve Hughes, who lives across the street from Dover Hall, echoed many of his neighbors in asking that no turn lanes be required on the property. He contended that Pryor's proposal is the least impactful scenario for the property and raised the specter of a field filled with houses.

Dover Hall had been listed with a prestigious real estate firm for many years, with, apparently, no takers. There is some speculation that a CUP to operate an event venue would make the property more attractive to buyers.

Objections to the CUP included difficulty of enforcement of some provisions and many variations on noise and traffic issues.

However, issuance of a CUP enhances the county's ability to regulate activities at Dover Hall.Currently, it has no say, beyond issuance of large crowd permits.

The commissioners voted 3-2 ( commissioners Matt Brewer At large and Derek Murray District 3 were absent) to recommend approval of a CUP that allows no more than five outside music events--all other music must be indoors--for a duration of five years that terminates at sale of the property. The Board of Supervisors will have the final word on this matter following another public hearing.