GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. β The Goochland County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Thursday night to approve a controversial technology overlay district (TOD) ordinance, despite dozens of public speakers voicing opposition during the meeting.
Second District Supervisor Neil Spoonhower, who voted in favor of the ordinance, said Friday that he believes the TOD is beneficial for county residents because it establishes development guidelines rather than dictating which businesses can locate in Goochland County.
"We can offer these incentives for people coming here, but while we're doing that, we want to offer these people protections," Spoonhower said.
The approved ordinance includes several protective measures for residents, according to Spoonhower. These include limitations on generator operating times, restricted construction hours, building height restrictions, and sound abatement requirements.
"One of the amendments we made last night was to ensure that these are not intrusive on our neighbors at all," Spoonhower said.
Fifth District Supervisor Jonathan Lyle cast the lone dissenting vote, though he supports the concept of the TOD. Lyle said he voted against the measure because he believed it could be improved with additional time.
"We had a good product last night that could have been made better. And my no vote was a message. It was my position that I would have preferred that we had delayed it, continued the improvement process and then enacted it," Lyle said.
Spoonhower said the county will now wait to see how businesses respond to the newly approved technology overlay district. While the county wants to incentivize business development in Goochland, the actual impact will depend on which companies choose to locate there based on the new ordinance.
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