Residents decry noise and health risks as Goochland Planning Commission defers Virginia Sports Park hearing

The Goochland County Planning Commission voted unanimously to defer the public hearing on a conditional‑use permit application by Virginia Sports Park and Training Center for a proposed shooting range to the Aug. 20, 2026 meeting, after an extended citizen comment period in which neighbors described loud, concussive noise from a recent demonstration and warned of health and property impacts.

The commission’s deferral, moved by a commissioner and passed on a 5‑0 roll call, lets the applicant continue community meetings and staff review before the matter returns to the commission. The clerk announced the deferral and provided instructions that people who wished to speak on the matter could either wait for the August public hearing or use the evening’s citizen comment period.

Why it matters: Neighbors said the demonstration and the scale of activity proposed would be incompatible with nearby residential areas, particularly senior communities. Several speakers said the noise was not occasional but continuous and penetrating, and asked the county to reject the proposal or require much stronger mitigation.

During the citizen comment period, Arnold Rosenberg, a Mosaic at West Creek resident, told commissioners the project being discussed “is not a park, but a large scale industrial development” and warned that a planned campus of 13 data‑center buildings and industrial infrastructure adjacent to a 55+ community would cause continuous low‑frequency noise and other impacts that distance and landscaping would not mitigate. “This is about Goochland homes,” Rosenberg said, urging more meaningful setbacks and stricter noise limits.

Other neighbors described hearing blasts from a shooting demonstration across large distances. Robin Larson said she heard shotgun blasts penetrate home walls more than a mile away and warned of falling property values. Becky Sturter, who said her son is paralyzed, said the noise from the demonstration had been “overwhelming” and would destroy the quiet her family relies on for recovery and daily life.

County staff told the commission the applicant had requested deferral to continue the community engagement process and complete necessary reviews. The clerk read the public comment rules and noted the commission’s policy for ceded time and time limits.

What’s next: Because the commission voted to defer, the Virginia Sports Park conditional‑use application will be carried forward for the Aug. 20, 2026 Planning Commission meeting. Members of the public were told they could reserve their comments for that hearing or speak during the citizen comment period at future meetings.

The meeting transcript shows widespread public concern about noise, health and property‑value impacts. The commission did not take final action on the application tonight other than to grant the deferral.