Goochland planners weigh rural rental and biosolids expansion requests

Two rural land-use renewals put neighborhood impacts back in front of Goochland County planners: a 524-acre unhosted short-term rental at 3940 Old Stage Road and a biosolids storage site on 110.3 acres off Chapel Hill Road that seeks to double its storage area. Both requests came before the Goochland County Planning Commission on June 18 as renewals, not first-time permits, which means the county is managing long-running uses that already sit within the rural landscape.

LaVallee Farm, LLC asked to renew conditional use permit CU-2020-00010 for an unhosted short-term rental on land zoned Agricultural, General, or A-1, at 3940 Old Stage Road, Tax Map No. 29-1-0-21-0. The county says a conditional use permit is required under Sec. 15-102 of the zoning ordinance, and the Comprehensive Plan designates the area as a Rural Enhancement Area. County records show the application follows a community meeting held Feb. 24, 2026, at 1800 Sandy Hook Road.

For nearby landowners, the issue is not abstract zoning language. A renewed rental permit on a tract of this size can mean guests coming and going on rural roads, more vehicle traffic near private driveways, and continued use of a large farm parcel in a way neighbors may want watched closely by county staff. Because the request renews an existing permit, the commission was considering whether the use should continue under the county’s current conditions rather than opening the door to a new use.

Four-L Corporation’s request was more sensitive still. The company sought to renew CUP CU-2014-00003A for biosolids, routine storage, and to expand the storage area from 10,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet on 110.3 acres at 2801 Chapel Hill Road, Tax Map No. 28-1-0-122-0. County materials describe the property as being in the vicinity of, and accessible through, 2801 Chapel Hill Road, which is about 1.3 miles northwest of the site. The applicant held a community meeting on Feb. 12, 2026, at Central High Cultural and Educational Complex on Dogtown Road.

That request raises the kinds of questions rural residents tend to watch most closely: whether more storage means more odor, more truck traffic, or greater runoff risk, and how much of the site will be set aside for the use. Goochland County’s biosolids program says the county Community Development Department serves as the local monitor for land application. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality says local monitors are trained and certified to inspect biosolids activity, and that permits include conditions on treatment, quality, transport, storage, setbacks to residences, property lines and environmental features. DEQ also says Class B biosolids require nutrient management plans and unannounced inspections. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says field storage can raise air-quality, water-quality and sanitation concerns.

The Planning Commission’s role is advisory. Final action moves to the Goochland County Board of Supervisors, where the renewable rural rental and the biosolids expansion will face the county’s last local vote.