Virginia Sports Park, a nonprofit group, on an informational community meeting hosted by Goochland County planning staff presented plans to develop a 75‑acre sporting‑clays and archery park off the Haydenville exit and said it will seek a conditional use permit. Ben Ellis, the county planner and case planner for the project, said the meeting was required by county code and that the application will next go to internal development review before formal hearings by the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.

The park would include a course of about 14–16 shooting stations on a trail, a 5‑stand layout, field and 3‑D archery ranges, a lodge and pavilion for community and event use, gravel parking, and a phased buildout that initially would rely on well and septic and temporary administrative facilities. Organizers said the parcel is leased from Luckstone and is currently permitted as a quarry; they described design features intended to preserve vegetation and use tree lines and screening to reduce noise.

"Safety first, safety last, and safety always," Adnan Hamidi, a VSP board director, told attendees as he outlined mandatory safety briefings, certified instructors, staff inspection of firearms and ammunition controls, liability insurance and coordination with Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Organizers said there would be extensive learn‑to‑shoot programs for youth and adults and that the facility would not include rifle or handgun ranges or hunting.

Supporters at the meeting included local nonprofits and businesses. Representatives from Ducks Unlimited, Goochland 4‑H, the Heart of Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America and local chambers and shops said the facility could host tournaments and fundraisers that bring visitors, create part‑time and full‑time positions, and keep spending in Goochland. "I hate spending my money elsewhere," Mike Colon of Goochland Gun Works said, urging locals to use an in‑county venue rather than travel to neighboring localities.

Neighbors raised repeated concerns during a question‑and‑answer period, submitting dozens of comment cards. Common issues included noise from shotgun fire, light pollution, traffic and road wear, potential lead contamination and declines in property values. Organizers cited a privately prepared traffic impact analysis that, they said, did not recommend road modifications, and they told residents operations would be limited to daytime hours — in practice, organizers said, from morning until dusk — and that only modest downward‑directed security lighting is planned for parking and circulation.

Organizers and their engineer said they are working on a site‑specific lead stewardship and mitigation plan that will include soil sampling; they described ranges where lead left undisturbed typically remains stable but said they intend to disclose a formal mitigation program as design advances. The project team also said a preliminary wetlands assessment has been done and that further survey, full wetland delineation and geotechnical work remain to be completed as part of design and permitting.

Tom Winfrey, identified as VSP board president and the chair of the Board of Supervisors, said he has recused himself from voting on the project and that he had received a legal opinion allowing him to advocate but not vote: "I'm gonna recuse myself from voting on this." County staff confirmed the formal process: after the applicant files the conditional use permit application staff will route the proposal for departmental review, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and issue a recommendation, and the Board of Supervisors will hold a final public hearing and vote.

Ben Ellis said the county and the applicant will follow up with additional outreach to address outstanding questions and that the applicant will consider expanding the radius for public notice beyond the minimum adjacent‑owner mailings. No formal application had been filed or voted on at the meeting.

Next steps: organizers will complete required surveys and technical studies, file a conditional use permit application, and the county will schedule the Planning Commission hearing and, later, a Board of Supervisors hearing. County staff and the applicant indicated they will schedule additional public meetings to respond to community questions.