Goochland Planning Commission defers several land‑use applications to Feb. 20, 2025; forms nominating committee

The Goochland County Planning Commission on Jan. 16, 2025, voted to defer consideration of multiple land‑use applications to the commission's Feb. 20, 2025 meeting, approved minutes from its previous meeting and established a two‑person nominating committee to recommend candidates for chair and vice chair.

The deferrals included an exception to the minor‑subdivision standard (SOE 2024‑002) for an additional access road onto River Road West and multiple conditional‑use permit amendments, all postponed to Feb. 20, 2025. Each deferral passed on a 5‑0 roll call vote.

The decisions move contested items to a meeting that will include public hearings, keeping them on the formal public‑notice schedule and giving staff and applicants additional time to prepare materials and public notice. Deferred items cited in the meeting include applications by Trek Properties LLC (SOE 2024‑002) and requests from Strickland Manufacturing LLC and Columbia Gas Transmission LLC to amend existing conditional‑use permits.

Minutes and roll calls The commission first approved minutes from the Dec. 19, 2024 meeting. A motion to approve the minutes was made and seconded; the roll call recorded votes of “Aye” from Mister Kimberly, Miss Kowalski, Mister Patak (chairman), Mister Cosby and Mister McLaughlin. The motion carried on a recorded vote.

Deferrals and votes Planning staff presented SOE 2024‑002, an application by Trek Properties LLC seeking an exception under Article 6 (minor subdivision) to create an additional access road onto River Road West; staff recommended deferral to Feb. 20, 2025. A motion to defer SOE 2024‑002 to the Feb. 20, 2025 Planning Commission meeting passed on a 5‑0 roll call.

The commission also heard two conditional‑use permit amendment requests. In District 3, Strickland Manufacturing LLC requested an amendment to an existing CUP to add a building on a 4.03‑acre parcel at 1090 Merchants Lane; the county cited zoning‑ordinance section 15262 as applicable. The commission voted to defer that conditional‑use amendment (listed in the meeting as CU 2024‑024) to Feb. 20, 2025 on a 5‑0 vote.

In Districts 4–5, Columbia Gas Transmission LLC applied to amend a conditional‑use permit to add an office building on a 29.6‑acre parcel at 1436 Hermitage Road; the county cited zoning‑ordinance section 15112. That application was likewise deferred to the Feb. 20, 2025 meeting by a 5‑0 vote.

Director's update and community meetings Jamie Sherry, director of community development, gave the director’s report, outlining items headed to the Board of Supervisors and upcoming public meetings. Sherry said the Jan. 7 Board of Supervisors meeting had been rescheduled to Jan. 21 because of weather and described three hearings to appear before the board: a countywide industrial sign ordinance amendment affecting industrial parks; a District 2 rezoning, including a request for a waiver of turn‑lane and road standards; and a District 1 conditional‑use permit request for a detached accessory family housing unit.

Sherry also previewed items expected at the Feb. 20 Planning Commission meeting, including the Strickland Manufacturing amendment, the Columbia Gas amendment, a rezoning application for a Rockville Road parcel (Markel Eagle) in District 4, and a petition in District 5 to rezone property on Patterson Avenue to RO (residential‑office). She said staff anticipates scheduling a Planning Commission work session in mid‑March to review the capital improvement plan; that work session would be followed by a regular meeting and could lead to a commission vote to forward the plan to the Board of Supervisors as part of the budget process.

Sherry notified commissioners of two community meetings tied to parks and planning work: one for Parks & Recreation related to an update of the parks master plan (the meeting time was listed as 6 p.m. at the Goochland Sports Complex; the transcript’s date wording is unclear) and a community meeting on the Markel Eagle rezoning for Rockville Road set for the 28th of the month at 6 p.m. at Chinese Baptist Church on Broad Street Road.

Nominating committee and adjournment Under other business the commission established a two‑person nominating committee to recommend a chair and vice chair for the April election of officers; one commissioner volunteered to serve. With no further business, the chairman adjourned the meeting.

The commission’s next regular meeting with the public‑hearing items listed in this session is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2025.