Goochland residents voice concerns about county plans for data center, nuclear power
GOOCHLAND, Va. (WWBT) -There is a push to bring extra tax dollars to Goochland County by establishing a Technology Overlay District (TOD).
The goal is to attract data centers and similar tech businesses.
In a recent amendment to the resolution, Goochland’s Board of Supervisors added the inclusion of a “small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) facility, natural gas peaking plant, and utility generating station” to meet the high-power demands that a data center would require.
Many nearby residents are not happy about it.
The TOD will include West Creek Business Park and the surrounding areas.
Residents in Readers Branch, a 55+ community located off Hockett Road, said they bought into the area to enjoy their golden years surrounded by nature, in peace and quiet.
“You can see what a lovely neighborhood this is, both in terms of the folks who live here and the natural setting, and we’re very proud of that. And we want to make sure it stays the way it is,” Readers Branch resident Rev. Lisa Sykes said. “But now we’re faced with the challenges that the county wants to do rapid development. And some of it is development that would take away from not only the setting here, but also the property values.”
Many gathered on Wednesday, expressing concerns about the county’s plans to create a TOD.
“If a data center is 50 feet, 100 feet, 500 feet immediately behind my property, I think that’s going to adversely affect the resident,” Readers Branch resident Steve Lane said.
Goochland County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley said the nuclear reactor would likely go in an area north of I-64, where the county already has a landfill and rock quarry.
“And so in addition to a data center or advanced manufacturing, energy generation could be a way for Goochland to have greater resiliency and greater diversification, potentially in the economy, and again, locating those areas by-right, in an area that is more industrialized in nature,” Raley said.
Raley added that the nuclear reactor would be 1500 feet from Henrico’s border and a group of Short Pump residents.
“The aspect that scares me the most is the by-right access,” Readers Branch resident Pixie Hamilton said.
Several Goochland residents said they are worried this proposal was not well thought out or researched.
“They really are not interested in citizen input,” Parkside Village resident Margaret Levet said. “My thought process on this is once the Goochland Board of Supervisors, the county, realized that it would take Dominion [Energy] 4-7 years to be able to bring power into West Creek Business Park to handle the vast amount of power that a data center needs, they decided to go nuclear. Literally.”
Cynthia Haas, a Readers Branch resident, said she took it upon herself to make the call to Dominion Energy and do research since she was not getting answers from the county.
“I immediately went to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) website to look up and see exactly what an SMR was. An SMR is treated by the NRC just like a regular nuclear reactor. It needs the same amount of water for coolant. It needs a nuclear disaster plan. There are so many things that are required by the NRC to be in place before a nuclear reactor can come. They also want nuclear reactors in very low population density areas,” Haas said.
“The original TOD proposal from Goochland County did not say anything about a nuclear reactor. There’s no nuclear disaster program. Goochland county doesn’t have the resources for that,” Haas added.
Goochland County leaders are planning to hold a community meeting on Monday, Sept 8th at 6 p.m. in the Goochland High School Auditorium to explain the plans further and hear from residents.
“[It’s] a grab for tax money. And I understand that because, you know, you have to have a nice balance, but you don’t want to destroy what people have moved here for either,” Readers Branch resident Craig Pritchard said.
You can read the full resolution here.
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