Acknowledging strong opposition from the public, the Goochland County Planning Commission deferred a decision regarding the rezoning of ten acres of land located behind Satterwhite’s Restaurant on Route 250. Developers submitted the request to clear the way for an 85,000 square foot shopping center with four out parcels on the site.

Despite holding one community meeting and two sessions described as staff meetings with concerned residents, many citizens took advantage of the public hearing earlier this week to express a feeling the process did not represent open communication or a desire on behalf of the developer to accommodate local concerns.

Paul Costello, a resident of Sycamore Creek, a subdivision adjacent to the proposed commercial center, presented a 15-page summary of citizens’ complaints and concerns and expressed a desire to meet with developers to comprise a plan more suitable to their concerns.

Since their initial meeting last December, Costello said he heard nothing until the notification for the public hearing.

“Since Dec. 14, no follow up conversations have occurred during the course of the past year,” Costello said.

Under normal conditions, applications not acted upon in a one-year period are summarily approved, but recent state regulations requiring traffic studies delayed a full application being presented. County attorney Andrew McRoberts advised the commission the time limitation would not apply in this case and the one-year began only when the application was completed in September of this year.

“I don’t think we have a time issue here,” McRoberts said.

But the overlying concern on the minds of most who spoke, including Costello, in opposition to the rezoning was safety and the already congested intersection at Broad Street and Manakin Road.

Jim Hale, a Centerville resident, said adding more cars to an already hazardous intersection just didn’t make sense to him.

“What we’re talking about is building a huge shopping center here without providing the infrastructure for public safety,” Hale told commission members.

“Turning left from Manakin Road on to Broad Street is already a death defying act,” Hale said.

He said the intersection is in urgent need of a signal light and added, “It’s insane to consider putting a shopping center here without having a traffic light.”

Darvin Satterwhite, representing developer Manakin Properties LLC, said his clients are willing to contribute to the cost of that signal, and proffered $24,000 for that purpose.

County planning director Bob Hammond said the county would prefer more money than the amount offered, and also expressed a desire to gain “a more firm commitment” to building the signal.

Earlier traffic studies indicated the light would be needed with the construction of The Grove at Manakin, a 60-acre development proposed across the street from the rezoning in question. Developers for that project proffered more than $60,000 for the signal, and agreed to fully fund the project if no one else developed near the intersection.

Satterwhite said the $24,000 figure was based on the number of trips associated with the proposed shopping center compared with the number of trips projected for the Grove project.

VDOT figures do not warrant construction of the signal, but local officials and local residents have argued otherwise.

“It’s hard for me to believe that VDOT does not believe a traffic light is warranted there,” Hale said.

After hearing more than an hour of public comment, commissioners were not anxious to act on the request. Many of the proffers were finalized shortly before the meeting began, and commissioners wanted more time to study the late arriving documents, including the summary of citizen concerns prepared by Costello.

Bob Rich, District 4 commissioner, recommended deferral of the application for 60 days, pending further review. “That will give us the opportunity to go over the submission of Mr. Costello,” Rich said.

Commissioner Bill Neal opposed the motion to defer.” What more can we ask the applicant to do,” he questioned. “He’s submitted these proffers and done everything he’s been asked,” Neal added.

“Personally, I need to look through the 15 pages I was given five minutes before this meeting started,” Rich answered.

Neal represented the only nay vote, and the Planning Commission will reconsider the matter in January 2009.