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Vote No on the Fletcher Conference Center
As residents of Rappahannock County we are urging the Board of Supervisors to deny The Fletcher Conference Center/Resort application for a special exception for the reasons outlined below. Approval of this application will diminish property values and adversely affect the peace and enjoyment of neighbors for miles around. It also stands to set a precedent which would allow similar commercial operations county-wide.
The conference center/resort is a commercial enterprise that has no place in the FT Valley, one of the most historic and beautiful areas of Rappahannock County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This is a special exception application - not a use permitted by right. As such, our elected Board of Supervisors must consider the precedent that will be set should this application be approved. Rappahannock County has carefully crafted and preserved zoning laws – our bulwark against inappropriate development such as the proposed Conference Center.
This application fails to satisfy the following general standards required in the Zoning Code that are the minimum level required as a test for consideration and approval.
This application, if granted will:
·Adversely affect the use of neighboring properties.The zoning ordinance requires that the Supervisors must consider the use and enjoyment of the surrounding landowners' property. A conference center/resort will have a significantly adverse impact on surrounding homeowners due to noise, traffic, and potential unsightly improvements like lighting, parking (up to 10 acres), restroom facilities, etc.
·Result in potentially unsafe conditions as it relates to adequate police, and fire protection and emergency rescue services.All the traffic, emergency services and waste disposal will be an additional cost to the County with no offsetting revenue from the applicant.
·Have permanent adverse and detrimental affects to the County's Comp Plan and goals for the FT Valley and County overall -- the FT Valley is now up for consideration as a State Rural Historic District, and
·Will cause a serious and undue impact on the historic Montpelier - a national historic landmark, and the scenic qualities of the adjacent area which are recognized by the County in its Comp Plan and its recent acceptance of scenic easements across the street.
Granting this petition will create an irreversible precedent for Rappahannock County. Other landowners with similarly zoned land and parcels, possibly as small as 96 acres, will then feel entitled to petition and obtain from the County permission for commercial uses in agricultural zones.
The Board's action on this petition does not involve just the applicant and his supporters (most of whom appear to live outside the Valley) but, more significantly, all of the adjacent area landowners who oppose it. It also involves all Rappahannock County residents, current and future, who will be affected by the precedent this decision will set.
The precedent setting effect of this decision is underscored by the fact that once one petition for commercialization/development like this one is granted, it becomes much more difficult to limit others in the future.
For all of the above reasons, and others stated by our F.T. Valley neighbors and other County residents,we urge The Board to deny this application.
We understand that as a County we must look for ways, consistent with its Comprehensive Plan, for landowners to realize value from preservation, rather than sub-dividing their land. Examples include conservation easements, bed-and-breakfast facilities, and niche farming, which others in the County are pursuing successfully.
Five, ten, twenty years from now when residents of Rappahannock County look back to see how successful they were in preserving their scenic and rural vision for the County, this decision will appear as a critical event.
The Board has an historic opportunity, and we would say an obligation, to draw a line in the sand here. Current and future generations will be forever in their debt for holding firm now against commercialization of our county.
Paul Larner and Rosita McKee
Lucia Kilby
Fran Krebser
Dennis and Barbara King
K.M. Kristie
Cheri and Martin Woodard
Clare Lindsay and Dave Kennell
Brian Murphy
Kevin J. McCloskey
Jane and Jeff Smith
Buddy Darden
Franklin and Esther Schmidt
Alexis and Alaire Rieffel
Richard Leff, MD and Debra Kantorowitz-Leff
Bill Landis and Sara Schneidman
Dennis Kelly
Mary Graham
Beverly Jones
Delma and Jack Bagley
Evelyn Miller Willis
Stewart Willis
Steve Kornblatt and Anne Gray
Joe Svatos
Patty Delaney
Nazli and Jeff Weiss
Barbara Adolphi and Ray Boc
David J. Salwen
L.G. Zindel, III
Proctor Jones
Chris Quarles and Deb Garza
Joyce Abell
Megan Smith
Richard Judd
Susan M. van den Toorn
John D. Lesinksi
Susan and John Dienalt
Lawrence Meyer
Anne Robertson
Kim Bealle
Jim Offutt
Nancy Reeve
Holly Probst
Patty Lane
David M. Fitzhugh and Jenny L. Fitzhugh
Pat Choate
Linda and Bill Dietel
Philip Irwin
Rick and Kaye Kohler
Gail and Justin Swift
Mitzi Young
Heida Morf
Vinnie Deluise
Fawn Evenson
Joan Herrema
Peggy and Arthur Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Dyke Halle
Donna and Steve Marquisee
Lois and Steve Kerchner
Denise and Donald Chandler
Carroll and Charles Kevis
Wendy Murdock
Brad Schneider
Kelly Estes
Mrs. (Carol) Newbill Miller
Lynn Sullivan
David Salven
Richard and Judy Reidinger
Paul R. Farmer
Cynthia Loretti
Alice Laimbeer
Eva Marie Carney
Alan L. Cohen
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