Goochland officials present draft Technology Overlay District, collect resident feedback; no decisions made

Goochland County staff presented details of a proposed Technology Overlay District (TOD) and a companion Technology Zone at a public meeting at Goochland High School and collected resident feedback; no vote or formal decision was taken.

County Administrator Jeremy Raley opened the meeting and said, "there's no vote. There's no recommendation," emphasizing the meeting's informational and consultative purpose. Deputy County Administrator for Economic and Community Development Sarah Worley led the presentation of the draft ordinances and supporting maps.

The draft TOD would overlay existing zoning in selected areas of the county to permit targeted technology uses—examples cited by staff included data centers and advanced manufacturing—and would add development standards the county says are intended to protect adjacent residential properties. Worley said the proposed TOD boundary covers about 2% of the county and roughly 21% of the county's East End designated growth area.

Why it matters: County leaders said they are pursuing the overlay and incentives to diversify the commercial tax base, reduce the share of county services funded by residential property taxes, and concentrate growth in areas with existing infrastructure. Raley said Goochland currently receives about 18.65% of its revenue from commercial sources and the county has a multi-year goal to raise that to roughly 30%.

Key elements explained by staff

- Allowed uses: The TOD would identify three classes of uses (by-right, conditional and accessory). By-right technology uses described include data centers and advanced manufacturing. Utility generating stations and energy storage were retained in the draft but limited to specified locations and conditions.

- Energy generation limits: Staff said potential utility-generating uses would be restricted to two narrow northern areas (shown on the county map) and would be limited to either a small modular reactor (SMR) or a gas peaking…