Hundreds turn out as Goochland considers technology overlay district, meeting to continue next week

GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Hundreds of residents attended the Goochland County Planning Commission Meeting on Thursday night to weigh in on a controversial proposal to create a technology overlay district (TOD). After more than four hours of public comment, the planning commission delayed a decision and will reconvene next week to continue the discussion.

The proposal would make way for high-technology uses, including data centers, utility-generating stations, and even the potential for a small nuclear reactor. County officials say the TOD is meant to attract technology businesses and increase tax revenues.

"The technology overlay district is designed to find a sweet spot so Goochland remains attractive to investors while ensuring residents are protected," said Sara Worley, Deputy County Administrator for Economic and Community Development.

At least 80 residents had signed up to speak, with more expected to attend the continued hearing. The majority of the speakers expressed similar concerns and asked for changes to be made to the proposal. The key requested changes include lowering maximum building heights, expanding buffer zones, and stricter noise restrictions.

"The proposal has not been written correctly. It needs modifications," one resident said. "The county’s insistence on not changing the proposal has caused so much fear."

The proposal would restrict noise levels to 65 decibels during the day and 60 at night. However, residents are calling for those levels to be reduced to 45dB during the day and 40 dB at night. During the meeting, one resident demonstrated the noise concerns by turning up a speaker to highlight how intense the allowed noise would be.

"You’ll be shocked at how loud 65 decibels is if you haven’t been shocked already," another resident added.

Others raised questions about the nuclear reactor, asking what the process would be for waste disposal if such a facility were built in the TOD.

The planning commission plans to hear from all residents who signed up before voting on whether to recommend the proposal to the Board of Supervisors. The meeting will continue on Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Goochland High School. Following their decision, the Board of Supervisors will make a final vote on Nov. 6.