Wednesday May 13, 1998 Board of County Supervisors Workshop on the Long Range Land Use Plan

Last Night (Tuesday May 12) the BOCS Workshop held its first workshop on the long range land use plan. Four of the Supervisors (Wilbourn, Thompson, Seefeldt and Rutherford) were highly critical of the plan. None of the other supervisors spoke in favor of it.

A few of the objections were:

- The Staff's assumptions are faulty (Wilbourn and Thompson),
- The Plan is short-sighted, infringes on property rights (W & T)
- Won't preserve or enhance property values (T)
- Caddigan demured and supported Citizens regarding townhouses (Caddigan)
- Deprives Gainesville & Brentsville of schools (W & T)
- Would do more harm than good (W)
- One acre lots would have same benefit as 10 acre lots (W & T) - Plan will cause problems for Service Authority (W)
- Out of sync with needs of the population (seefeldt)
- Plan could fail in face of market forces (S)
- Plan goes too far (Rutherford)

There is very little substance to these arguments which lack any factual basis. But this attack signals us that the battle is being joined and that we have a real fight on our hands.

We have the facts and justice on our side, and they have ad hominem arguments. This could well be a turning point for the County. If this plan fails, rural areas of much of Gainesville and Brentsville will disappear to higher density developments. More roads and greater congestion will follow inevitably, and (absent a major boom in demand for houses which results in a sharp increase in values and hence taxes) schools and other services will fall further behind. Those with children can then expect to experience shorter bus rides (maybe) to even more overcrowded schools with curtailed curriculums and afterschool activities.

Please join us on Monday May 18 at 7:30 PM at the VFW Hall Post 7589, 9304 Centerville, Road, Manassas (Next to Manassas City Fire House.)

We will need all our efforts and determination to achieve our goals, goals that have the potential of making a substantial positive impact on the well-being of the county for many years to come.

Robert B. Mohler

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