Board approves Benedictine Schools' CUP amendment to raise combined occupancy to 1,500

The Goochland County Board of Supervisors approved an amendment Aug. 5 to a conditional use permit for the Benedictine Society of Virginia that raises the combined maximum occupancy on the campus to 1,500 people.

Deputy County Administrator Josh Gillespie told the board the change would remove the prior category caps (students, teachers, monks, etc.) and replace them with a single combined‑use limit of 1,500, subject to separate conditions that govern water usage, septic and parking capacity, fire safety measures (including an on‑site reservoir), design standards and reporting requirements. Staff emphasized that the occupancy increase is contingent on infrastructure capacity: conditions related to water and septic (conditions 5 and 6) and parking remain enforceable.

Applicant representatives said the schools have grown since moving to the campus and that the property has wastewater and water infrastructure that supports expanded use. Jesse Grapes, who identified himself as president of Benedictine Schools of Richmond and representative of the applicant, said the campus has invested roughly $90 million in capital improvements over the last five years and maintains on‑site wastewater treatment and water capacity well under the permitted limits.

Board members discussed parking, water and septic safeguards and asked staff to clarify triggers that would prevent occupancy increases if utilities cannot support them. Staff said parking and wastewater capacity would be monitored and that the permit would not allow occupancy increases beyond what the infrastructure can serve.

What’s next: The amended CUP includes monitoring and reporting requirements. No immediate construction or programmatic changes were announced.