Deny Fletcher special exception application

Opinion
Source: Rappahannock News
THURSDAY, MAY 1 2008

As residents of Amissville, we urge the Board of Supervisors to deny the Fletcher special exception application for a conference center/resort.

A vaguely defined, poorly conceived conference center/resort, held by an absentee landowner and operated by a third party with no abiding interest in the welfare of Rappahannock County may seem like a good idea elsewhere in the Commonwealth, but it has no place in Rappahannock—certainly not in F.T. Valley, surely one of the most breathtaking, historic and beautiful areas of our county.

While the Board of Supervisors and residents of the county must be sensitive to the need for local economic opportunities and the rights of property owners to recognize the economic value of their property, this nebulous venture appears to be a recipe for long-term disaster.

By definition, an event-driven enterprise places intense and unpredictable peak-load demands on local infrastructure—roadways, water and sewer, police, fire and EMS services, as well as countless other intangible and unanticipated avenues of impact. At the same time, the enterprise offers little to the county in terms of the jobs or revenue necessary to even begin to offset its impact.

The special exception is based on the argument that the land in question cannot be farmed economically. However, there are countless examples countywide and region-wide proving otherwise—barring some unique and otherwise undisclosed impairment of this acreage. Simply putting the land in easement could be enough to make a financial success from a purported failure.

This proposal, so out of character with its setting and clearly out of line with the county’s long term plan and current zoning, is not a “by right” use. The applicant has requested a special exception. At the very least, the proposal should be tabled until the applicant meets his burden and addresses the issues he has raised:

· The vagueness of the proposal. We are entitled to specific information as to the intended size, scope and scale of this proposed venture. Are we looking at a B&B? An ‘Airlie’? A ‘Greenbriar’? ‘Epcot Center’?

· The concerns of the neighbors, specifically the adjoining properties and the historical properties in the F.T. Valley. Has the applicant made any effort to meet with neighbors and address their concerns?

· Why is this property so uniquely unsuitable for farming that it must be converted when so many neighboring properties succeed? What analysis has been done to show that a conference center/resort would succeed where farming has failed?

· What impact do conference centers/resorts have on the adjacent communities? (Note, for example, that Coolfont, near Berkeley Springs, WV, ended its resort and conference center business recently after many years and reverted to a straight real estate model with a change in ownership.)

· What stake would a third party operator have in our community? How would they reconcile the unique needs of our community with their imperative to make a profit?

· What does the applicant offer the county to offset the impact of event-driven peak demand for services? Does the proposal include money for additional deputies—not simply rented for event day, but year round—and so on?

· With gasoline approaching $4.00 a gallon, what guarantee of success is there for a fledgling enterprise of this nature at least an hour and a half from the nearest metropolitan area? Aren’t there enough tourism-related businesses suffering in the county already? Wouldn’t it be better if the next business to plant a flag here was less dependent on the outside dollar and more based on adding value with local talent?

We expect due diligence on the part of the Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors and the applicant in providing sound, documented answers to these questions. The burden is on the applicant to show what impact can be reasonably expected—not simply make vague, unsubstantiated pronouncements.

Our county’s zoning and land-use laws have been carefully drafted with input from countless concerned and dedicated residents over decades to better maintain the unique qualities of Rappahannock County. Without their efforts, the senseless growth and squalor we see on display in our neighboring counties to the north and east would wash over and drown us as well. Together, we in Rappahannock have chosen a wiser, more sustainable, more conservative path—a path of stewardship and appreciation for what we have. What the Board does here and now is irrevocable, and will leave an indelible mark on Rappahannock.

Neighbors and other local landowners (representing almost five square miles of adjoining property) have expressed serious concern at the Planning Commission hearing about the impact on their land and property values. How will the county refuse permission to other landowners who feel they are entitled to a special exception as well? Creating precedent from the slender reed of this current proposal flies in the face of everything the county has done to rein in haphazard and poorly-planned development. The Board's action involves not just the applicant and his neighbors; it involves all Rappahannock County residents—current and future—for whom this choice will resonate.

For all these reasons, we urge the Board to deny this application. Draw the bright line here.

Dennis Kelly

Mary Graham

Amissville