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Goochland approves short-term rentals at Mount Bernard Farm but denies public assembly (outdoor event venue)
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing with neighbors raising noise, traffic and compatibility concerns, the Board of Supervisors approved two short-term unhosted rentals at Mount Bernard Farm but removed/denied the requested place-of-public-assembly (outdoor event venue) use from Conditional Use Permit CU-202400019.
The Goochland County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4 decided a contested conditional-use application for Mount Bernard Farm (CU-202400019), approving two short-term unhosted rental units but denying the applicant's request to operate a place of public assembly (an outdoor event venue).
Jamie Sherry, Director of Community Development, led a detailed staff presentation describing the site at 2371 River Road West, the requested uses and a staff-recommended package of conditions intended to limit community impacts. Key proposed conditions included a March—November operating season for events, a maximum of 12 events per year, caps on attendees (150 maximum at a single event), limits on weekly scheduling, requirements for emergency access and parking (38 spaces plus overflow), amplified-sound orientation toward the river with no subwoofers, security requirements for events of 100 or more guests, and differing expiration periods (three years for the venue use, five years for the short-term rentals).
More than a dozen neighbors and area stakeholders spoke during the public hearing. Opponents said the proposed outdoor venue would be incompatible with neighboring properties and existing venues (notably River Run), raise noise and traffic concerns and threaten the rural character of Route 6. Supporters, including the applicants, said Mount Bernard is a working farm and that carefully limited events and professional event management would preserve rural character while helping the family sustain the property.
Board members debated whether staff conditions sufficiently protected neighbors. Several supervisors called attention to the difficulty of enforcing noise and event caps and expressed concern about proximity to existing venues. After extended discussion, the board revised the approach: members moved to approve the CUP only for the short-term rental component and to eliminate the venue-related conditions, effectively denying the public-assembly use while preserving short-term rental approval under the conditions that apply to those rentals. The motion was reconsidered and passed after roll-call votes.
The final action allows the two short-term, unhosted rentals (with occupancy limits tied to septic capacity) and keeps the detailed short-term-rental conditions in place, but the board declined to permit the place-of-public-assembly at Mount Bernard Farm at this time. The applicants and several neighbors were encouraged to continue dialogue.
Why it matters: the decision preserves a potential revenue stream for a local working farm through short-term rentals while declining to add a new outdoor event venue that neighbors and nearby commercial venues argued could create incompatible noise and traffic impacts.
