I have an itch and I aim to scratch it right here and now. 

    Most towns and counties have comprehensive plans devised to protect owners of residential properties and to direct growth in a timely manner. Cities which do not have these plan, like Topsy, just growed.

    Usually areas are designated as residential, commercial, agricultural or industrial. When I moved to the Northern Neck the county where I reside did not have a comprehensive plan. This was little scary particularly when I invested a lot of money to build my house.

    Where to place my home was of concern, as I did not want to see the value of my home decline, and be unable to recover my investment. For that reason, I chose to build in a subdivision, which had covenants and restrictions. I felt that offered some measure of protection.

    Not long ago the county fathers began to realize that our town and county needed a long term plan. Growth is inevitable. Many citizens did not turn out for public hearings to voice opinions about the plan. Presumably they trusted the elected and appointed officials to do the planning job properly.

    To their credit, the comprehensive plan appears to be be well thought out, logical and it has merit. So what’s my complaint—my point? Residents of another county purchased property in our county, across a narrow creek from our residential neighborhood. The land is zoned agriculture. They buyer knew that when he bought the land.

    He put in a business which transports about 100 truckloads of wood out of the area on a single barge. It can be quite noisy. Recently the owner decided it would be a good idea to create a little West Point in our neighborhood, across the creek. To do this he had to request a change in zoning, from agricultural to industrial.

    Now he wants to add a wood chipping operation, an asphalt plant, a fertilizer plant, grain storage and ready-mix concrete plant. Thankfully when this kind of dramatic change is proposed the business is required to give information to the property owners nearby.

    Who knows what he thought about our reactions. In less than a week, local property owners up and down the creek educated themselves about the proposed project, gathered petition signatures to oppose the plan and turned out in a standing room only crowd to let their voices be heard.

    But we were not heard. Suddenly the property owner was not prepared. He wanted to offer more proffers—cosmetic changes like landscaping, and adding a fruity aroma to the asphalt plant’s 60 foot stack. Directly across the creek from the business, currently zoned agriculture, is a home under construction. The asking price is $270,000. Three miles up the road is an industrial park. Where do you think the proposed operations should be?

© 2001 Janet Abbott Fast All Rights Reserved