Mauzy residents thrilled after Board of Supervisors denies truck stop proposal - WHSV

paksijenong.blogspot.com

MAUZY, Va. (WHSV) - A number of people in Mauzy were celebrating on Thursday after the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors shot down a proposed truck stop on Wednesday night.

During the packed public hearing, supervisors voted unanimously to deny a truck stop proposal that a developer was hoping to build on 31 acres of land just off Exit 257 of Interstate 81 in Mauzy.

Over the last few months, people in Mauzy have been banding together to urge supervisors to deny the project and on Wednesday they got their wish.

“There was a lot of local people who worked on this to try to just make sure that everyone was appraised of the situation, so we’re very happy with the teamwork that came out of this neighborhood,” said Watt Bradshaw a Mauzy resident who lives near the property.

Bradshaw was thrilled to see the efforts of he and his neighbors were not in vain.

“Members of the community and other Rockingham County residents expressed their concerns to all of the supervisors and there was a sort of coming together of everybody in the neighborhood,” he said. “We are glad that inappropriate land use wasn’t put in the middle of our neighborhood that posed the risks and threats that it did.”

District 1 Supervisor Dewey Ritchie, who represents Mauzy, made the motion to deny the proposal. Like many of the concerned residents, he cited the lack of public water and sewer on the property as his primary concern.

“It’s the only interchange in Rockingham County that doesn’t have public water and sewer and more the size of this project. I just did not feel that that was a suitable fit there,” said Ritchie.

Ritchie said he considered both sides of the argument and acknowledges that there is a need for more truck stops on I-81 but that this property was not the place for one.

“There is an issue with places for truckers to get off the road but the fact that the stormwater there, the runoff, given where it was going to run into Smith Creek, even though it was treated I just wasn’t comfortable with that,” he said.

Ritchie said that many of his constituents contacted him over the last month asking him to vote no on the proposal. There were around 100 people in attendance at the hearing the vast majority of whom opposed the project.

“We absolutely hope that the protection of the water resource is something that goes beyond this particular project and Smith Creek. We feel like this has raised the awareness of people as to what the threats are and the supervisors seem to agree,” said Bradshaw.

Theresa Kehm who lives across from the property sent out the following statement in a thank you letter following the supervisors’ decision:

“My husband John and I are elated for ourselves, our neighbors, Mauzy, Rockingham County, The Shenandoah Valley, Smith Creek, and the Chesapeake Bay. All of which would have been negatively affected. We are so grateful for all the support and involvement from the community and multiple organizations, especially to DeeDee Sellers for rallying the troops and spearheading this battle. We also give a huge thank you to Planning Commission members Kevin Flint and Michael Harvey, and to Dewey Ritchie and the entire Board of Supervisors for seeing the little picture and the big picture and doing what is in the best interest of all of us. We are so grateful!”

The developer proposing the project, Gas City LLC in Leesburg still owns the property.

WHSV spoke briefly with owner Gurcharan Leil on Thursday. He said he is examining legal options to see if there is a way to move forward with the project. If that is not possible Leil said he would be open to selling the property to the County.

Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.

Adblock test (Why?)

"Stop" - Google News
August 26, 2022 at 05:24AM
https://ift.tt/5Ft6SRw

Mauzy residents thrilled after Board of Supervisors denies truck stop proposal - WHSV
"Stop" - Google News
https://ift.tt/YExQAfV
https://ift.tt/j4KcnrM

Bagikan Berita Ini