Requested Conditions to the Permit

What actions are we requesting from Goochland County?

Because Goochland's conditional use ordinance states that an application must not be detrimental to comfort or injurious to the use and enjoyment of neighboring properties, we contend that the VSP application does not meet this threshold and as such, should be summarily denied. A public-use shotgun range operating upwards of 10 hours a day, 361 days a year, with up to 50 stations constructed on their course(s) will be noisy and detract from the use and enjoyment of our backyards -- all 120+ of us within a mile and 400+ residences within two miles.

​

The following conditions could mitigate some concerns but would not eliminate all negative impact on neighboring properties. Our request for inclusion of these conditions should not be construed as support for, or acquiescence to, the proposed project, nor does it diminish our continued objection that the project will cause significant harm. These conditions are offered solely as necessary mitigation measures to limit the extent of those harms should the project move forward. Without these protections, the anticipated adverse impacts would be substantially greater.

1. Hours of Operation (Range Only, Not Archery)

The County should condition the following hours:

• Wednesday - Saturday: 9am to 5pm, with shooting to cease no later than 4:30pm, year-round

• Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

• Closed Good Friday, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day.

​

No other range in Virginia operates seven days a week and for as many hours per day as VSP is requesting.  Other clay shooting courses in Virginia are operating successfully with significantly less hours and operational days. If VSP contends that 361 business days are necessary for their business model, then their business model is flawed.

​​

2. Sound Mitigation

VSP is currently proposing no sound mitigation measures in any form. Sound mitigation measures should incorporate redundant features to minimize the noise impact, such as:

• Earthen berms, continuous and at a minimum height of 8 feet above shooting stand height.

• QBO Blankets or Outdoor Acoustic Blankets, suspended from fences or berm walls to block directional gunfire noise. 

• Acoustiblok 3mm, a high-density, weatherproof sound barrier that can be pinned to fences or buried behind berms.

• Quiet Barrier® HD composite panels or blankets, providing modular, cost-effective noise reduction.

• Singer Safety Outdoor Acoustic Blankets, vinyl-coated fiberglass panels that survive wind and weather.

• Additional vegetation (Note: additional vegetation cannot be used alone, only in tangent with other mitigation measures, as it is insufficient in mitigating noise.)

​

3. Ammunition Conditions

VSP has made conflicting statements about ammunition loads permitted on site. The County should condition the following:

• All ammunition to be purchased and used onsite.

• A dram equivalent no greater than 2 1/2.

• Shot load no larger than 7/8 ounce.

​

4. Number of Shooting Stations and Max Number of Shooters on the Course

The County should condition that only the number and type of shooting stations on the Conceptual Site Plan as of the date of the County vote should be permitted, and that the number of active shooters on the course and using the stations cannot exceed twenty (20) at any given time.

​

5. Events

If the County will not condition that shooting be prohibited on Sundays or condition a limit on the number of active shooters at any given time, it is even more imperative that the number of events be limited. Events will draw significantly higher attendance than typical weekend business hours, and the generated noise would be markedly higher. As such, it should be limited to no more than one (1) event per calendar month and includes fun shoots, tournaments (sanctioned or informal), private events, VSP-sponsored events, or any event that would result in more than twenty (20) shooters at any given time.