Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Short Term Rental Cup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Goochland planning commission recommends short‑term rental permit with new limits after neighbors complain about private road and noise
Summary
The Goochland County Planning Commission voted 5–0 on Nov. 20 to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for an unhosted short‑term rental at 4700 Fleming Road, subject to amended conditions including a 10 p.m. outdoor‑music curfew, a one‑year expiration (Jan. 2027), a ban on guests bringing unlicensed motor vehicles, and a 12‑bookings‑per‑year limit. The Board of Supervisors will hear the case Jan. 6, 2026.
The Goochland County Planning Commission on Nov. 20 recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve a conditional use permit for an unhosted short‑term rental at 4700 Fleming Road, filing a 5–0 vote in favor of the application by Bridal and Marta Vinson with several new conditions added by the commission.
Planner Ben Ellis told commissioners the 30‑acre property sits on Fleming Road, is currently occupied by a single‑family dwelling and accessory structures, and had operated as an unpermitted short‑term rental. Staff recommended the county’s standard conditions for such uses, including occupancy limits tied to septic capacity or a 10‑person maximum and a typical five‑year permit term. Ellis said the applicant held an on‑site community meeting Aug. 11; four people attended, and two opposed the proposal.
Neighbors at the hearing described repeated problems on the private road serving the property. Marvin Beard, who said he lives at 5293 Long Lane in Louisa, presented a signed petition opposing the permit and detailed concerns about potholes and road maintenance costs, underage drinking, loud gatherings and ATVs. "The road is a private road — we're having trouble keeping the potholes out of it," Beard said, noting the homeowners association collects roughly $300 per year for maintenance.
Applicant Rogel Vincent, who identified himself as the resident at 375 Sunburn Lane, told the commission he has rented the house since about 2020 and said rentals are infrequent. "I wanna be a good neighbor," Vincent said. He agreed to limit overnight guests to six and said he was "more than willing to work with" neighbors on road upkeep and to add stones to improve the surface.
Commissioners responded by crafting tighter conditions than staff proposed. During deliberations they voted to amend staff language so there would be no outdoor music after 10:00 p.m.; to change the permit expiration to January 2027 (the commission called for the earlier expiration to allow quicker review); to add a condition that "guests shall not bring or operate unlicensed motor vehicles on the property"; and to limit unhosted short‑term rental bookings to no more than 12 reservations per year (the commission discussed 10, 12 and monthly limits before settling on 12).
A motion recommending approval with those amended conditions passed on a 5–0 roll call. The Planning Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors, which is tentatively scheduled to hear the case on Jan. 6, 2026.
The commission also acknowledged a separate withdrawal earlier in the meeting: the applicant for District 2 CU2025‑8 (2640 Fairground Road LLC) asked to withdraw its short‑term rental application and the commission accepted that request.
Next steps: the Board of Supervisors will consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation at the Jan. 6, 2026 meeting and may adopt, modify or reject the proposed permit and conditions.
