Commission recommends approval of HHHunt proffer amendment after residents push to block new roads through Mosaic

The Goochland County Planning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 21 to recommend approval of a proffer amendment by HHHunt Mosaic LLC that would add three lots to the Mosaic at West Creek development and formally prohibit additional rights‑of‑way or road construction through the subject parcel.

Assistant Director Ray Cash presented the staff review and said the 7.513‑acre parcel is part of a larger RPUD (residential planned unit development) previously approved with proffers. Cash said the amendment would replace the parcel’s previously approved conceptual plan with a three‑lot configuration and that staff had received a large number of public comments, most in support of restricting future road connections. He also noted that the parcel lies in an area the county’s comprehensive plan designates as prime economic development and that the amendment would alter how future access could be provided to neighboring properties.

Hans Klinger, speaking for HHHunt, described the application as the final buildout of a long‑standing plan: “What we’re asking for now is these last three lots to be approved,” he said, adding the company’s intent to leave remaining open space to the homeowners association and to avoid further road construction through the parcel. Klinger acknowledged topographic and environmental constraints where a direct connection to Broad Branch Drive would be difficult and possibly expensive.

Arnold Rosenberg, president of the Mosaic at West Creek Homeowners Association, told the commission he represented more than 400 homeowners and urged the panel to support the proffer amendment. “To our residents … this proposal is about finalizing the development plans for our community and protecting its nature and character now and in the future,” Rosenberg said, later warning that additional off‑site traffic “would detrimentally impact our community and its award‑winning nature and character.”

Opposing property owners’ attorney Gifford Hampshire said the plan he presented would provide access to Broad Branch Drive rather than through Mosaic Creek Boulevard and argued that a proffer that permanently bars road construction could preempt ongoing planning processes and the county’s long‑range transportation work. “The planning commission should not be in a position where it makes a decision which recommends a de facto change to the comprehensive plan that has not been legislated by the board of supervisors,” Hampshire said.

Commission discussion touched on whether the proffer would restrict future planning studies and whether VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) would permit the kinds of connections proposed by opponents. Klinger and staff said any required VDOT approvals and stormwater permits would be addressed at the plan‑of‑development stage.

The commission moved to recommend approval of rezoning case RZ‑2024‑0009 with the applicant’s proffers and voted 5‑0 to forward the case to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing on Dec. 3, 2024.

Why it matters: The amendment trims the Mosaic buildout from previously discussed numbers and adds language intended by the applicant and many residents to prevent future off‑site traffic through Mosaic Creek Boulevard. Opponents warned the restriction could limit the county’s ability to plan regional access in an area designated for prime economic development.

Next step: The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Dec. 3, 2024 to decide whether to approve the rezoning and proffer amendment.