Goochland supervisors approve 138-home Highfield project despite planning commission denial

Markel | Eagle Highfield project has been approved by Goochland supervisors. (Images courtesy Goochland County)

After a planning commission recommendation of denial and some public pushback, a 138-home project in Goochland County will move forward, thanks to approval from county supervisors last week. 

In a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, the board approved Markel | Eagle Partners’ rezoning for Highfield, a project that will take shape at 2106 and 2114 Rockville Road.

The company, which is one of the busiest homebuilders in the region, is asking to rezone the 138-acre site southwest of Rockville Road and Interstate 64 from agricultural use to a “residential, planned unit development” designation. The land is currently undeveloped.

Highfield would consist of single-family detached homes, with a density of around one house per acre. Project costs are not reflected in the proposal. The project is consistent with Goochland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan, according to county staff reports, and is part of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.

At their May 15 meeting, the Goochland County Planning Commission voted 5-0 to recommend denial of Highfield, citing the concerns of many citizens regarding the project and its proximity to an intersection at Rockville and Ashland Roads that raised safety concerns from the public and officials. 

Markel | Eagle has proffered several improvements to Rockville Road, including ​a 100-foot buffer adjacent to the ultimate right-of-way of Rockville Road, and a 150-foot buffer along the existing right of way on I-64, along with improvements to the road such as a regrading and completion of improvements recommended in VDOT’s safety and sight distance study of the road. 

Nathalie Croft, who represented Markel | Eagle at the meeting Tuesday, noted that outside of the firm’s proffers there is no other planning or funding for changes or improvements to Rockville Road.

“Staff report emphasizes the need for improvements to Rockville (Road), yet there currently is no VDOT or county plan or funding in place for any changes or improvements,” Croft said. “The only plan for real, tangible, effective improvements to Rockville Road is the plan we are proposing this evening through private development and private investment.” 

An aerial shot of the Highfield site, outlined in red.

After the planning commission’s recommendation for denial, Markel | Eagle amended some of its proffers, including a provision that no construction will commence on the project before 2028 and that no more than 36 building permit applications will be sought per year. 

A previous iteration of the proffers had the firm not seeking construction before 2027 and limited to no more than 40 building permit applications sought per year.

Despite the proffers to make road improvements in the area of the development, multiple residents again came out Tuesday to urge county supervisors to say no to the project, mostly because of the road conditions.

“This is not ‘no growth,’ this is ‘not now.’ Not until we can guarantee the safety of every family, student and commuter who uses Rockville and Ashland Road,” said one county resident. “We are not here to oppose growth, we’re here to insist on responsible growth.” 

Multiple residents cited a previous letter from Goochland Fire-Rescue Chief Dillard Ferguson to county Assistant Director of Community Development Ray Cash on March 6, stating that he did not support the Highfield development, nor any development of its size, at the location.

“I think it’s also hard to ignore Chief Ferguson’s letter of record where he strongly opposes a development of that size, in that location, on that road, and it’s hard to ignore the planning commission unanimous vote to recommend denying the application as it sits right now,” said one resident at the Tuesday meeting. 

Yet despite pushback, county supervisors ultimately voted to approve the project. 

Board chair Tom Winfree and Supervisors Jonathan Christy and Neil Spoonhower voted in favor of the project, while Supervisors Charlie Vaughters and Jonathan Lyle voted against it. 

In explaining his dissent, Lyle said his foremost consideration is safety, raising the question of whether it is appropriate to turn over Rockville Road improvements to a private developer.

“I believe it’s Goochland and VDOT who have the responsibility to improve Rockville Road’s safety,” he said. “I’m not really able to support this application for approval tonight, but I do think there’s opportunity down the road.” 

Other supervisors did not agree. 

“This is how we get economic development … while it may be inconvenient right now, this will eventually solve a lot of the problems through the county,” Christy said.  

“My feeling is, if we’re not growing, we’re dying,” Winfree said. “Goochland County is maturing and becoming more significant every day as a regional player. We must keep up.” 

The Highfield project follows a 20-year effort to encourage development in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, which provides sewer and water service to an eastern section of the county.

Markel | Eagle previously had a pre-application review with county staff for the rezoning in August 2022. After several development review sessions and community meetings, the rezoning application was submitted last December. 

The group has held three community meetings regarding the project, the first of which was in January 2024. At that time, the proposed number of units for the project was 199. 

As the county’s comprehensive land plan indicates, the Highfield land is intended for medium residential density, with an average of one unit per acre. The number of units was later lowered to a maximum of 138 units.

The proposed Highfield site is near other development projects, including Amazon’s “Project Rocky” site that broke ground in May, and the expansion of the Luck Stone quarry, which was approved last year despite opposition from area homeowners.

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