Images from Markel | Eagle Partners’ proposal for the ‘Highfield’ development it’s proposing in Goochland. (County documents)
A Henrico-based real estate development group is eyeing almost 140 acres in Goochland for about as many new homes.
Markel | Eagle Partners is proposing a 138-home subdivision at 2106 and 2114 Rockville Road. It’s scheduled to appear before the Goochland County Planning Commission on May 15 to request a rezoning for the project.
The company is asking the county to rezone the 138.5-acre site southwest of Rockville Road and Interstate 64 from agricultural use to a “residential, planned unit development” designation. The land is currently undeveloped.
Called “Highfield,” the development would consist of single-family detached homes, with a density coming out to 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. The site is part of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, and is located in a “designated major growth area.” The Highfield project follows a 20-year-long effort to encourage development in the service district, which provides sewer and water service to an eastern section of the county.
Per staff reports, the 138-acre site is bordered to the north, east and west by agricultural-zoned land, while the Tuckahoe Bridge residential neighborhood is adjacent to the south. Tuckahoe Bridge is located between Rockville Road and Manakin Road, near the Sycamore Creek Golf Course.
Markel | Eagle included 19 proffers in its most current public rezoning application, including requirements related to entry lighting, fire suppression and for lots adjacent to the Tuckahoe Bridge neighborhood to have a minimum width of 85 feet.
Per Goochland’s adopted capital impact model, Markel | Eagle or its assignees must pay the county $9,810 per residential unit for public facility improvements. Total cash proffers for 138 homes would be around $1.35 million.
Several of the proffers relate to the site’s proximity to Rockville Road, which would provide two access points to the Highfield property. Another access connection would be provided via an existing stub road. The southernmost entrance to the property from Rockville Road would be constructed as a right-in, right-out access point.
Markel | Eagle has also proffered improvements to Rockville Road along the property frontage, including widening the road there and regrading to cut down knolls.
An aerial shot of the proposed Highfield site, outlined in red. (Courtesy Goochland County)
No building permit for the homes would be sought until 2027, Markel | Eagle said in the rezoning application.
The land is currently owned by Richard I. Pruitt of Rockville and Richard I. Pruitt Family Property VI LLC. It is assessed at around $14.2 million, according to county records.
Markel | Eagle did not respond to a request for comment in recent weeks.
The firm previously had a pre-application review with county staff for the rezoning in August of 2022. After several development review sessions and community meetings, the rezoning application was submitted last December.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the Highfield proposal at its May 15 meeting, where it will decide whether to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors.
Markel | Eagle was previously scheduled to present the rezoning request to the planning commission on Mar. 20. It requested a 30-day deferral for the rezoning request due to some outstanding questions in the county staff report, and county staff requested another 30-day deferral to look over any changes made to the application prior to the rezoning request.
Markel | Eagle has held three community meetings regarding the project, the first of which was in January of 2024. At that time, the proposed number of units for the project was 199. As the county’s comprehensive land plan indicates the land is intended for medium residential density, with an average of one unit per acre, the number was later lowered to a maximum of 138 units before a second community engagement session last April.
Goochland residents have previously raised concerns about the project, in part due to the site’s location along the busy Rockville Road.
The proposed Highfield site is near other development projects, including the “Project Rocky” site that is now in development for Amazon, and the expansion of the Luck Stone quarry, which was recently approved despite opposition from area homeowners.
Markel | Eagle was founded in 2009 by Markel Group and executives at Eagle Construction of Virginia. The firm, which is mainly funded by raising private equity funds, has over time become one of the more active mixed-use and for-sale residential developers in central Virginia. Its other projects in Goochland include Readers Branch, a 300-unit development aimed at 55-and-older residents.
The company also has several large projects in the works elsewhere in the region, including a grocery-anchored development on 200 acres at the intersection of Hull Street and Otterdale roads in western Chesterfield, the $400 million residential portion of Henrico’s GreenCity project, and the 1,600-home Avenlea project in Short Pump.
I really hope Goochland takes sidewalks and pedestrians and bikes into this place in that it seems very car centered that will produce tons of traffic.
I doubt it will have sidewalks. I think I am reading the site plan but min lot width is 65 ft. So it the minimum lot width was all road frontage you are talking 65 ft x 139 lots would be mean over 9,000 linear feet of sidewalk. I do not think most large (1-acre of more) lot neighborhood has sidewalks.
Sidewalks would be for exercise only to walk around the neighborhood or adjacent subdivision. You are not walking to any destination from this location and you certainly have no business walking down Rockville Road which is a narrow 2 lane road with small shoulders.
From Pouncy Track to I64 W, Rockville Rd .is narrow and several hills that can take your vehicle airborne if you’ve got a good speed going along.Within a 3 mile stretch you are able to count at least 5 or 6 vehicle fatality memorials on trees and fence posts.For now the county or state needs to lower the speed limit especially there at the golf course and the other side of I64.