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Commission recommends denial of Serenity Trail rezoning after public concerns over water, traffic and preservation
Summary
The planning commission voted to recommend denial of a rezoning that would create 24 lots (23 new) on 109.22 acres known as Serenity Trail, citing concerns raised by residents about traffic safety, well impacts and preservation enforcement; the case is scheduled for the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 4, 2025.
The Goochland County Planning Commission voted July 17 to recommend denial of a rezoning application by Serenity Trail LLC that would rezone about 109.22 acres from Agricultural Limited (A-2) to Residential Preservation (RP) and allow 24 single-family lots (23 new lots) with proffered conditions.
Staff planning manager Carrie Ragland summarized the application and proffers, noting the RP district requires 50% open space, minimum two-acre lots, and formation of a homeowners association to manage the preservation tract. Ragland said the applicant proffered 50% of the acreage as preservation, 12 voluntary proffers, a 10-foot right-of-way dedication along Maidens Road, a proposed waiver of the left-turn-lane requirement (the right-turn waiver in the staff report had been removed), and a plan to install a dry hydrant at an existing pond for fire protection.
Applicant representatives, including civil engineer Scott Courtney of ARM Group and traffic consultant Carl Holtgren of Grove Slate Associates, presented the project and defended a turn-lane analysis that concluded VDOT concurrence was reached and that turn-lane warrants were not met. Courtney said the developer proposes deep wells “into fractured rock” to minimize impacts on nearby shallow wells; he told the commission the team is prepared to drill greater than 100 feet to reach the deeper aquifer.
Traffic consultant Carl Holtgren said his turn-lane warrant analysis showed volumes on Maidens Road were well below VDOT thresholds: “If you took the traffic volumes that are out there today and multiply them by 10 in both directions, you still would not warrant a turn lane in either direction,” he said, and noted VDOT had concurred with the analysis. The plan was updated to include a right-turn lane into the site.
During the public hearing dozens of neighbors spoke. Concerns clustered around three topics: traffic safety on Maidens Road and at nearby intersections, groundwater and wells, and long-term protection of the proffered preservation tract. Multiple residents said Maidens Road is narrow, twisting and already sees unreported collisions and run-off-the-road crashes; some asked that the commission require a county hydrological study before recommending approval. Several residents reported wells that have run dry in recent years and said a developer-funded hydrogeologic study is needed.
Adjacent residents and landowners also asked the commission to require a third-party conservation easement for the proposed 54.6-acre preservation tract rather than relying on an HOA. At least one speaker, Andrew Blake (speaking for his wife Ellen Blake), explicitly requested that the preservation acreage be subject to an easement held by an accredited land trust such as Capital Region Land Conservancy so terms would be enforced in perpetuity.
After discussion the commission considered a motion to recommend approval with proffers. The motion failed in roll-call votes that resulted in a planning-commission recommendation of denial. Commissioner Jess McLaughlin had recused himself from the matter before the hearing, citing a personal interest as a Long & Foster broker representing a potential buyer.
The commission’s denial is a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors; the case is tentatively scheduled for the Board’s Sept. 4, 2025 meeting. If the Board takes up the case it may approve, deny, or modify the proffers and zoning as allowed under county and state law.
What the record shows: the applicant proffered 24 lots total (one existing lot to remain), 50% preservation with at least 2-acre minimum lots, an HOA to manage the preservation tract and a proposed waiver for the left-turn lane requirement; VDOT had concurred with the applicant’s turn-lane analysis but several neighbors and the applicant differed on whether the study and VDOT conclusion fully capture local safety concerns. Neighbors asked for a hydrologic study, and several urged use of a third-party conservation easement to ensure long-term protection of preserved acreage.
