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Commission recommends denial of Serenity Trail rezoning after resident complaints about wells and safety
Summary
After hours of testimony, the Planning Commission recommended denial of a rezoning that would have created 24 lots on a 109‑acre tract known as Serenity Trail, citing extensive resident concerns about water wells, road safety on Maidens Road and enforceability of conservation proffers. The item is scheduled for Board of Supervisors review Sept. 4, 2025.
The Goochland County Planning Commission on July 17 heard extended public comment and subsequently moved the rezoning case for the Serenity Trail property forward with a recommendation of denial to the Board of Supervisors, according to the meeting record.
Staff planning manager Carrie Ragland described the request as a rezoning of approximately 109.22 acres from Agricultural Limited (A2) to Residential Preservation (RP) to allow 24 single‑family lots (23 new lots) with a preservation tract covering roughly 50% of the acreage. Proffered conditions included limited clearing around house sites, a homeowners association to manage the preservation tract, a dry hydrant at the pond for fire protection, a 10‑foot right‑of‑way dedication on Maidens Road and a waiver request for a left‑turn lane at the entrance. Ragland said staff finds the proposal consistent with the comprehensive plan but noted community concerns raised at an earlier community meeting.
The applicant’s team—Scott Courtney of ARM Group and traffic consultant Carl Holtgren—argued the plan minimizes grading, targets deeper fractured‑rock wells to avoid shallow aquifers and submitted a turn‑lane analysis that staff said VDOT reviewed. Holtgren said traffic counts in the study are well below VDOT turn‑lane warrant thresholds and that the plan has been updated to include a right‑turn lane into the site.
Residents urged denial or more study. Carolyn Elliott asked for a comprehensive water study rather than relying on proffered deep wells. Multiple residents described repeated power outages, shallow wells going dry, frequent unreported collisions and narrow, shoulderless stretches of Maidens Road where visibility is limited. Ben Sloan and others asked the commission to require a county‑sponsored hydrological study and to address safety at nearby intersections including Fairground Road and the Oilville/Route 64 exit.
Commissioners questioned whether the left‑turn‑lane waiver and the proposed mitigation would produce unsafe road conditions, whether sight‑distance and taper requirements would force pavement onto adjacent properties, and whether the preservation tract should be protected by a third‑party conservation easement rather than rely solely on an HOA. The applicant said the ordinance does not require a third‑party holder and that the proffered deep wells are intended to draw from a separate fractured‑rock aquifer.
After rebuttal and discussion, the commission moved the case forward with a recommendation of denial to the Board of Supervisors; the clerk recorded that the Board hearing is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 4, 2025. The transcript shows residents’ requests for independent hydrological study and additional traffic mitigation remain unresolved and will be matters for the Board and staff to consider.
