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Resident urges Goochland supervisors to oppose proposed ValleyLink (Joshua Falls) 765 kV line
Summary
At the March 19 meeting, a resident read a drafted resolution asking the county to formally oppose the Joshua Falls/ValleyLink 765‑kV transmission line, citing threats to rural character, farmland, scenic byways and proximity to homes.
Kathy Crockett of Community House Road read a drafted resolution into the record at the March 19 Goochland County Planning Commission meeting urging the Board of Supervisors to oppose the proposed Joshua Falls (ValleyLink) 765‑kilovolt transmission line where alternate routes cross parts of Goochland County.
Crockett told commissioners she had mirrored language from a Louisa County resolution and asked the planning commission to forward the draft to the Board of Supervisors. In her reading she described alternate routes that would cut new corridors across farmland, require tall lattice towers (she cited dimensions comparable to 10‑ to 16‑story buildings), involve permanent vegetation clearing and chemical use in right‑of‑way, and place lines within a few hundred feet of homes and designated scenic byways such as Route 6.
Her draft calls on the State Corporation Commission and utilities to examine alternatives that minimize impacts to farms and forestland and to prioritize routing that follows existing infrastructure corridors or considers underground placement where feasible. Crockett said Louisa County had already adopted a similar resolution and that Goochland should "follow suit." Commissioners acknowledged receipt of the draft; staff noted it had been provided to the commission for the record. No formal action was taken by the commission on the resolution during the March meeting; Crockett asked commissioners to forward the language to the Board of Supervisors.
