INSIDE State wildlife experts offer new guidance on feeding birds > page 2
Volume 66 Number 29 • July 29, 2021
BOS defers decision on Songbird to September Residents living near the site are concerned about development’s density By Roslyn Ryan Editor
A planned development project in Goochland’s eastern end remains on hold after county supervisors voted to defer a decision on whether to approve a rezoning request for the property. Approval of the request, made by Towne & Country Realty Partners, LLC and Joy-Scott, LLC, would pave the way for a 130-lot subdivision at the southwest corner of Hockett Rd and Songbird Lane. The project was approved with a 5-0 vote by the county Planning Commission in June, and developers have proposed cash proffers of $9,810 per lot to offset the impact of the development on local infrastructure. But while developers have noted that they have the support of many nearby property owners — some of whom spoke during the July 6 Board of Supervisors meeting or submitted letters of support prior to the meeting — several other residents living near the site of the planned development said they saw it as a poor fit for the area. Citing the county’s current Comprehensive Plan, which designates the property be used for see Songbird > 2
Photo: Josh Kondakor
HAULING HISTORY: It took a team of 30 people — not to mention the efforts of the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office, VDOT and numerous other organizations — to transport the historic Short Pump Grocery and Short Pump Garage 28 miles from the former Field Day of the Past site in Rockville to their new home at Rassawek in Columbia, where they will remain part of the property’s collection of historic structures. The buildings will be on full display during Rassawek’s planned Autumn Festival on Oct. 23 and 24, 2021. For more on Field Day’s new home, see page 5.
School division earns honors for Heavy Equipment Operator program
Contributed report
With construction booming in our community, the demand for skilled workers created an opportunity for Goochland County Public Schools (GCPS) to develop a program that met a need and opened doors for students. And now those efforts are receiving statewide recognition. The Virginia School Boards Association
(VSBA) recently recognized the school division’s efforts in their annual Awards for Excellence in Workforce Readiness awards program. Goochland’s entry, Utility and Heavy Equipment Operators: Building the Foundation for a Career, was one of only nine programs throughout the Commonwealth to be honored by VSBA, see Schools > 2
