Town-Center Plan Deferred
By: Jim Lawrence
A development that has been in the spotlight for more than a year was tabled for further discussion during Tuesday’s Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting.
By a vote of 5-2, the board decided to defer the rezoning request for Aquia Towne Center. Supervisors Paul Milde, R-Aquia, and Jack Cavalier, I-Griffis-Widewater, cast the dissenting votes.
The applicant, Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust – the Michigan based company that owns the property – is requesting to rezone the property under the new Planned-Traditional Neighborhood Development ordinance. The company received the go-ahead from the planning commission on Nov. 28, however, must get approval from the board before it can move forward.
The plan ran into trouble Tuesday night when it became apparent that Clark Leming, Ramco-Gershenson’s attorney, had delivered a list of proffers less than 24 hours before the meeting that did not coincide with proffers there were approved by the planning commission.
Proffers called for sums less than originally proposed and a commuter parking deck to be financed with tax incremental financing.
The TIF, especially, was controversial, as it would create a debt that some say would impact the revenues collected from the project.
Plus, $5.1 million of it would be for a deck that several residents consider an eyesore. Pamela Haines of Aquia Harbour, stated that the deck would have an adverse effect on the environment and residents’ sleep habits.
Supervisor Pete Fields, D-George Washington, said he felt that a commuter parking deck was in opposition to the concept of a TND.
Milde stated that the majority of the proffer revenues would benefit school-age children and that forecasting showed the residential element of the TND would not produce a glut of student population.
Leming stated that Aquia Towne Center would be a “money maker” for the county and felt that paying the amount of money in proffers was an investment. He stated that the TIF could be sorted out at a later date and voting to rezone the property would not include the provision.
Also at the meeting, supervisors Robert Gibbons, R-Rock Hill, and George Schwartz, D-Falmouth, were appointed to form a committee and make recommendations to the board regarding the issue of tax relief for the elderly.
The board voted, 6-1 to send the tax relief issue to a public hearing.
Students Nick Larsen and Nicholas Sharp of Stafford County High School’s DECA were lauded for their work on a system where first responders can access a victim’s health information through their cell phone.
And, three departing members of the board gave their farewells. Cavalier, who lost his seat by a margin of 29 votes, expressed his appreciation to board members and citizens alike for their diligence and hard work.
He stated he came into office in 1999, a period of “great change” at the time.
Gibbons leaves with a total of 30 years public service. He finished his statements with, “I just simply want to say goodbye.”
Fields paid a heartfelt tribute to board members and especially “the people of the George Washington District.”