[00:00:01]
HELLO.I'M GONNA CALL THE MEETING THE TEMP FRONT WALL TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH TO ORDER.
[1. MOMENT OF SILENCE]
START WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE.WANTED ASK YOU GUYS TO KEEP SOME PEOPLE IN YOUR THOUGHTS.
THIS PAST WEEK OVER IN LOUDOUN COUNTY IN STERLING, THEY HAD A, UH, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER KILLED IN A HOUSE EXPLOSION, AND 11 OTHERS INJURED.
SO IF YOU KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS, WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
[2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ]
IS OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, AND THIS MONTH WE WELCOME BETTY PAYNE.BETTY, CAN YOU COME FORWARD? I'M GONNA, BETTY, IT'S ALICIA.
BETTY O ALICIA PAYNE IS THE ONLY DAUGHTER OF BILL PAYNE JR.
SHE'S THE LAST CHILD WITH FOUR OLDER BROTHERS.
SHE ATTENDED WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNTIL LAST YEAR.
UM, AND I AM BLESSED TO SAY THAT BETTY IS A FORMER FIFTH GRADE STUDENT OF MINE.
I'M TOLD SHE FINDS IT VERY FUNNY.
ACTUALLY, SHE JUST TOLD ME TONIGHT THAT SHE FINDS IT VERY FUNNY THAT HER FORMER TEACHER IS THE MAYOR AND HER MOM'S ON THE TOWN COUNCIL.
SO, AND I TOLD HER IT, IT FEELS JUST AS FUNNY TO ME.
SO BETTY IS IN HER LAST YEAR AT JAMES MADISON ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL AND IS DOING VERY WELL.
BETTY'S STORY HAS BEEN ONE ADVENTURE AFTER ANOTHER.
BEGINNING IN THE WOMB, HER MOTHER WAS EXPOSED TO HUMAN PARVOVIRUS AND HER FAMILY WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND ONE OF THE FEW DOCTORS WHO COULD PERFORM IN UTERO BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS RIGHT HERE IN VIRGINIA TO SAVE HER LIFE, NAMED IN PART AFTER HER GRANDMOTHER.
HER NAME MEANS CONSECRATED BY GOD AND DEFENDER OF MANKIND, AND HER FAMILY LIKES TO REMIND HER OF THAT TO TRY TO KEEP HER ON A GOOD PATH.
DURING THESE TEENAGE YEARS, BETTY IS KNOWN FOR BEING AN EMPATH FRIENDLY, A TALENTED SINGER, AND TALKATIVE I, SOME OF THOSE TRAITS BETTY I HAVE AS WELL.
UM, SHE LOVES DISCUSSING AND DEBATING ANY SUBJECT, ESPECIALLY HISTORY, THE PARANORMAL AND JUST RANDOM FACTS AND STORIES.
SHE'S NEVER AFRAID TO SPEAK HER MIND YET AGAIN.
SOMETHING WE SHARE IN COMMON OLD SCHOOL ROCK AND ROLL IS HER GO-TO MUSIC AND SHE DESCRIBES HERSELF AS A COUNTRY HIPPIE.
ON FLEETWOOD MAC, SHE HAS TRAVELED BY PLANE AND AND CRUISE SHIP WITH HER FAMILY.
TO MANY PLACES HER FAVORITE HAS BEEN MAUI.
BUT THESE DAYS SHE LIKES TO SPEND QUIET TIME AT HOME.
EVEN THOUGH WITH HER THREE DOGS, IT'S RARELY QUIET.
SHE HAS OVERCOME MANY CHALLENGES AND LOSSES IN RECENT YEARS, AND HER FAMILY IS PROUD OF HER COMMITMENT TO BEING TOUGH AND CONTINUALLY FINDING WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION.
IN THIS COMPLICATED WORLD, SHE HASN'T CONFIRMED YET WHAT HER NEXT STEPS WILL BE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, BUT HER FAMILY AND I AM CONFIDENT THAT WHATEVER SHE DOES, HER HEART AND SPIRIT WILL LEAD HER TO SOMETHING GREAT.
BETTY SELECTED HER GIFT CARD FROM CNC FROZEN TREATS AND IS RECEIVING A CERTIFICATE THANKING HER FOR HER PATRIOTISM AND PARTICIPATION IN THE FRONT ROYAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING ON FEBRUARY 26TH, 2024.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND THE VISIBLE LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[00:05:13]
ALWAYS BUBBLY AND FRIENDLY.[3. ROLL CALL ]
UP, MS. PRESLEY, CAN WE DO OUR ROLL CALL? MAYOR COCKRELL.[4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
IS ITEM NUMBER FOUR, OUR APPROVAL OF MINUTES.DO I HEAR A MOTION? MADAM MAYOR? I MOVE THAT COUNCIL APPROVE THE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 22ND, 2024 AND WORK SESSION MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 5TH AND FEBRUARY 12TH, 2024 AS PRESENTED SECOND WITH THE FIRST AND SECOND.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MR. PRESLEY? CAN WE DO A ROLL CALL? VICE MAYOR SELO? YES.
COUNCILMAN D DAMCO PAYNE? YES.
ARE THERE ANY THERE ANY ADDITION OR DELETION OF ITEMS FROM THE AGENDA? OKAY.
[6. RECOGNITIONS/AWARDS/REPORTS/PRESENTATIONS]
MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SIX AND THIS SECTION IS OUR RECOGNITION AND AWARDS, UH, REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS.AND I'M GONNA START FIRST, UM, TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA BE RECOGNIZING EMPLOYEE SCOTT CURRY.
SCOTT, DO YOU MIND COMING FORWARD? AND THEN I'M GONNA READ SOME STUFF ABOUT YOU.
ON THE EARLY MORNING OF NOVEMBER 24TH, 2023, SCOTT CURRY WAS DILIGENTLY WORKING ON INSTALLING NEW DARK SKY COMPLIANT LED FIXTURES ON MAIN STREET WHEN HE NOTICED SMOKE FILLING THE SKY CLOSE BY MR. CURRY.
PREVIOUSLY BEING A MEMBER OF THE WARREN COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, AC COMPANY, ONE FOR 18 YEARS DID NOT HESITATE TO INVESTIGATE WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM.
HE STARTED DRIVING TOWARDS THE SMOKE.
WHEN HE TURNED ONTO BLUE RIDGE AVENUE, HE SAW A HOUSE IN FLAMES AND GOLFING THE FRONT AND RIGHT SIDE.
MR. CURRY QUICKLY CALLED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND SWIFTLY WENT AROUND THE PROPERTY, CALLING OUT TO SEE IF ANYONE WAS STILL INSIDE.
MR. CURRY ATTEMPTED TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE HOUSE TO CONFIRM EVERYONE MADE IT OUT, BUT THE CONDITIONS WERE TOO DANGEROUS TO ENTER.
WHEN FIRE AND EMS ARRIVED, MR. CURRY SPR INTO ACTION AND IMMEDIATELY ASSISTED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BY ASSEMBLING THE HOSES AND CONNECTING THEM TO THE HYDRANTS.
MR. CURRY WAS ASKED TO DISCONNECT THE ELECTRIC SERVICE LINE TO THE HOUSE AND REMOVE THE SERVICE FROM THE POLE.
MR. CURRY REMAINED AT THE SCENE AND ASSISTED WHERE HE COULD UNTIL HE WAS NOT NEEDED.
MR. CURRY THEN RETURNED TO MAIN STREET TO CONTINUE HIS ASSIGNMENT OF REPLACING STREET LIGHTS.
I BELIEVE THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW COMMITTED OUR TOWN EMPLOYEES ARE TO THE CITIZENS AND OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SCOTT, WE'RE GONNA BE PRESENTING TO YOU TONIGHT, UM, A PLAQUE AND IT SAYS, PRESENTED TO GREGORY SCOTT CURRY IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR SELFLESSNESS, COURAGE AND HEROISM ON NOVEMBER 24TH, 2023, YOUR QUICK RESPONSE TO A HOUSE FIRE ON BLUE RIDGE AVENUE FRONT, ROYAL VIRGINIA, THE TOWN IS PROUD AND HUMBLE, HUMBLED BY YOUR EFFORTS AND INITIATIVE WITH HONOR AND APPRECIATION FROM THE TOWN MANAGER, MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL.
WE COMMEND YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE AND SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
IF YOU COULDN'T TELL FROM WHAT I READ, MR. CURRY WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST PERSON ON THE SCENE THAT MORNING.
[00:10:01]
RECOGNITION OF EMPLOYEE JOE ROBERTS, UM, AND OUR DIRECTOR OF ELECTRIC CARRIES IS GONNA DO THE, DO THE HONORS HERE THAT TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR TIME TO RECOGNIZE JOE ROBERTS.UM, HE PASSED HIS LINEMAN TRAINING CLASS, AND I'M GONNA PRESENT HIM WITH THIS, UH, CERTIFICATE.
JOE'S BEEN WITH US FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS, A LITTLE BIT OVER COMING FROM US.
UH, COME TO US FROM CITY OF MANASSAS AND HE WAS A TREE CLIMBER FOR, UH, LEWIS AND DAVEY TREE SERVICES BEFORE.
I REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST CAME 'CAUSE IT WAS, I WAS GONNA SAY, I WAS ALWAYS OUT ON LERA PARKWAY WALKING AND YOU GUYS WERE WORKING QUITE A BIT THERE AT THAT TIME.
WE'RE GONNA COME DOWN, YOU KNOW, EACH OTHER.
NO, I GOTTA READ THAT ONE FOREVER.
JOE HAS HIS OWN CHEERING SECTION BACK THERE.
I KNOW WE SAY THESE THINGS ALL THE TIME, BUT WE REALLY ARE SO VERY BLESSED, UH, TO HAVE THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE DO WORK IN FOR US IN THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
NEXT UP IS A PROCLAMATION FOR GLOBAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING, AND THERE'S ACTUALLY AN ARTICLE IN THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY TODAY ABOUT IT AS WELL.
SO I'M GONNA READ THIS, UM, PROCLAMATION.
IT IS LONG, BUT IT'S INFORMATIVE AND, UM, YEAH, I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING AFTERWARDS.
UH, WARREN COUNTY IN REAL LIFE, WHEREAS THE HEALTH AND CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF WARREN COUNTY IN FRONT RURAL VIRGINIA HAVE BEEN ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY THE OVERUSE OF TECHNOLOGY.
AND WHEREAS GLOBAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE MISSION TO PROMOTE DIGITAL WELLBEING AND HELP PEOPLE POWER DOWN DEVICES REDUCE SCREEN TIME AND POWER UP REAL CONNECTIONS WITH THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND TO TEACH PEOPLE OF ALL AGES THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING TIME FROM SCREENS AND EMBRACING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.
AND WHEREAS GLOBAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING IS A WORLDWIDE EVENT TO BE HELD SUNDOWN MARCH 1ST TO SUNDOWN MARCH 2ND, 2024.
AND WHEREAS THE US SURGEON GENERAL, DR.
VIVIC MURTHY RELEASED AN ADVISORY HIGHLIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION FOR AGES 15 TO 24.
TIME SPENT IN PERSON WITH FRIENDS HAS REDUCED BY NEARLY 70% OVER ALMOST TWO DECADES.
AND WHEREAS THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS 11 HOURS PER DAY LISTENING TO WATCHING, READING, OR INTERACTING WITH MEDIA AND CHECKS THEIR PHONE 96 TIMES PER DAY ONCE EVERY 10 TO 12 MINUTES.
AND WHEREAS ALTHOUGH AGE 13 IS COMMONLY THE REQUIRED MINIMUM AGE USED BY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS IN THE US NEARLY 40% OF CHILDREN AGES EIGHT TO 12 USE SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND WHEREAS ON AVERAGE, US TEENAGERS SPEND UP TO NINE HOURS ON SCREENS AND TWO OUTTA THREE DO NOT GET ENOUGH SLEEP.
AND WHEREAS A PEW RESEARCH CENTER STUDY FOUND THAT ABOUT THREE IN 10 ADULTS IN THE US SAY THEY ARE ALMOST CONSTANTLY ONLINE.
AND THE SHARE OF TEENS WHO REPORT BEING ONLINE ALMOST CONSTANTLY IN 2023 HAS REV ROUGHLY DOUBLED SINCE 2014 TO 2015, FROM 24% TO 46%.
AND WHEREAS EXCESSIVE SCREEN TIME DURING THE PANDEMIC COMBINED WITH ALGORITHMS AMPLIFYING HATE HAS MEANT TRUST IN THE MEDIA.
OUR NEIGHBORS AND THE WORLD AROUND US IS IN AN ALL TIME LOW.
WHILE POLARIZATION IS AN ALL TIME HIGH.
AND WHEREAS A RECENT STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY FOUND THAT REDUCTIONS IN SMARTPHONE USAGE, EVEN AS LITTLE AS ONE HOUR PER DAY, CAN MAKE A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SMARTPHONE USERS, ESPECIALLY
[00:15:01]
FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND OVERALL HEALTHIER LIVING.AND WHEREAS VARIOUS BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN WARREN COUNTY ARE JOINING TOGETHER WITH THE WARREN COALITION TO OFFER EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND PRIZES, SPREAD AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS TO TAKE A BREAK FROM TECHNOLOGY.
AND WHEREAS CONNECTION AND UNDERSTANDING HAPPEN WHEN PEOPLE PHYSICALLY SPEND TIME TOGETHER, AND THEREFORE THE FRONT WORLD TOWN COUNCIL DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM SUNDOWN MARCH 1ST, 2024 TO SUNDOWN MARCH 2ND, 2024, AS WARREN COUNTY IRL IN REAL LIFE, A GLOBAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING EVENT, AND CALLS UPON OUR RESIDENTS TO OBSERVE THIS OCCASION, DISCONNECT FROM THEIR PHONES AND PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES DURING THESE 24 HOURS.
AND I BELIEVE, LET'S GET RIGHT.
I I DID WANNA SAY TOO THAT, UM, UH, THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY DID AN ARTICLE ABOUT IT TODAY, BUT ALSO
I I WAS EXTREMELY, UH, IN AWE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, PLACES AND BUSINESSES AND OFFERING ACTIVITIES WITH CERTAIN TIMES.
IT MIGHT BE FROM 12 TO TWO OR ONE TO THREE, UH, ART ACTIVITIES.
AND, AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR KIDS, IT'S FOR KIDS, ADULTS.
AND SO IF YOU, UM, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, CHECK THAT OUT.
SO I CAN EMAIL THIS TO YOU TOO.
I KNOW I'LL HAVE TWO, TWO JOBS HE MIGHT HAVE PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTO CREDITS FOR.
DID YOU WANNA TAKE A PICTURE? DID YOU GET IT? YES.
SO, SO FOR THOSE OF YOU HERE, SHE HAS SOME SCHEDULES OVER ON TABLE.
CAN I GRAB ONE? I I MIGHT SNAP A PICTURE OF IT AND PUT IT, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT THIS OUT ON THE TOWN.
JUST LET EVERYBODY YES, ABSOLUTELY.
NEXT UP, UM, IS THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT.
I KNOW OUR AGENDA SAYS THAT IT WAS CHAIRMAN DANIEL WELLS, BUT MR. MICHAEL WOODS IS GONNA BE DOING THE HONORS TONIGHT.
I WOULD SAY GOT THE SHORT STRAW, BUT MAYBE
SO AS FAR AS OUR ANNUAL REPORT, I'M JUST GONNA SCROLL RIGHT THROUGH IT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO ASK.
SO I CAN GIVE YOU THE PROVERBIAL, I'LL GET BACK TO YOU LATER.
UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN READ THAT, BUT THERE'S A TABLE OF CONTENTS.
I BELIEVE YOU HAVE IT ON THE, I BELIEVE IT'S ON THE TOWN WEBSITE.
SO AGENDA AND YEAH, SO I DON'T WANNA TAKE A LOT OF TIME, BUT, BUT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK.
SPECIAL, SPECIAL THANKS TO LAUREN KAKI, OUR PLANNING DIRECTOR, OUR PLANNING AND ZONING DIRECTOR FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
DID I PRONOUNCE IT RIGHT? ALRIGHT.
UM, THEY'RE JUST THE TOWN, THE TOWN OF FRONT ROW PLANNING COMMISSION AND EXPLAINING WHO'S ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
UH, ALL OF US HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BRIAN, AND I BELIEVE HE'S, UM, GETTING CERTIFIED HERE IN A FEW MONTHS.
AND THIS JUST TALKS ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT SPECIAL USE PERMITS THAT WE REVIEWED.
UH, AND, AND I WILL JUST, I WILL JUST SAY THAT PEOPLE SOMETIMES WONDER WHY WE MAKE THE DECISIONS WE MAKE.
UM, THE DECISIONS WE MAKE ARE BASED UPON THE COMP PLAN, WHICH WE PRESENTED TO YOU GUYS AND WHICH YOU GUYS, UH, SUPPORTED.
AND, UM, WE TRY REALLY HARD TO STICK BY THAT.
THE PEOPLE INTERPRET IT DIFFERENTLY AND THAT'S, THAT'S THEIR BUSINESS.
BUT SCROLLING DOWN AND, UM, THERE WERE OBVIOUSLY SEVERAL NOW I, I CAN'T SEE THIS VERY WELL, BUT THE SPECIAL TOPIC, THE NUMBER OF SPECIAL USE PERMITS REVIEWED BY PLANNING COMMISSION FROM 2019 TO 2023.
AND IF WE COULD SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE BIT, AND AGAIN, THIS IS, AGAIN, THIS IS ON THE TOWN WEBSITE.
UM, AS YOU CAN TELL, IN 2023, WE HAD, UM, SLIGHTLY LESS THAN WE HAD IN 2022.
[00:20:01]
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN.AND, UM, THE SPECIAL EXCEPTION, SPECIAL EXCEPTION REQUEST REVIEWED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN, UM, TWO FROM 2019 TO 2023.
YOU CAN TELL IF WE SCROLL ON DOWN THAT THIS YEAR, WE ONLY HAD ONE OF THOSE.
THEN NEXT, IT JUST TALKS ABOUT THE REZONING APPLICATIONS REVIEW BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AND AGAIN, IT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE WE LOOK AT WHAT THE COMP PLAN SAYS AND WE LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE PRESENTED TO YOU GUYS, AND WE TRY REALLY HARD TO GO BY THAT.
AND THEN IT'S, WE'RE JUST AN ADVISORY AND THEN YOU ALL MAKE THE DECISION YOU FEEL IS BEST.
AND ON THIS ONE, IT, DWAYNE, GO.
I'M NOT ONE TO SAY GO BACK UP 'CAUSE I WANNA GO HOME, BUT GO ON BACK UP.
SO ON THIS ONE, THE REZONING APPLICATIONS REVIEW BY PLANNING COMMISSION, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT IF WE SCROLL DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT, THAT THERE WAS, UH, THERE WERE TWO MORE THIS YEAR THAN THERE WAS LAST YEAR.
SCROLLING DOWN AND THEN IF WE'LL JUST STOP THERE FOR A SECOND.
THE NUMBER OF ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS REVIEWED BY PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE STATUS THERE.
AGAIN, FOR ANYBODY THAT'S HERE TONIGHT THAT WANTS TO REVIEW THOSE, THAT IS, IT IS, UH, VISIBLE ON THE TOWN WEBSITE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO HELP YOURSELF AND TO SHOOT US AN EMAIL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
THE ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS REVIEWED BY PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, FROM 2019 TO 2023.
THIS YEAR WE HAD FOUR, WHICH IS, UH, ONE, JUST ONE MORE THAN LAST YEAR.
THE NEXT WE HAVE, WE'LL STOP RIGHT THERE.
THE SITE DEVELOPMENT PLANS REVIEWED BY PLANNING COMMISSION.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WHERE WE, WE LOOK AT THE, WE LOOK AT THE COMP PLAN, WE, WE MAKE A DECISION BASED UPON HOW, HOW WE LOOKED AT THAT.
AND THEN WE LEAVE A FOR YOU ALL TO DECIDE IF YOU AGREE WITH OUR INTERPRETATION OR NOT.
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN AND THEN IF WE'LL STOP RIGHT THERE.
UM, AND THEN, UM, THE SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS REVIEWED, UH, AND THOSE THAT WERE APPROVED.
UM, SCROLLING DOWN FOR 2023, THERE'S, UH, ONE THAT'S ONGOING, OF COURSE, AND THEN THE SUB SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS REVIEWED ADMINISTRATIVELY THIS YEAR WERE 20 COMPARED TO 16 FROM LAST YEAR.
SCROLLING DOWN, PLEASE CAN, IF WE'LL STOP RIGHT THERE IN 2023, THE ADDITIONAL ITEMS REVIEWED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AND, UM, UH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF JOHN MARLER'S ROTUNDA.
BOARD AND COMMISSION MEETINGS AND THE MEMBER ATTENDANCE, UM, YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT.
I MEAN, IT IS JUST TELL YOU WHO WAS THERE, WHO WASN'T FOR, UM, FOR BOTH BOARD OF ZONE BZA BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW PLANNING COMMISSION, OUR WORK SESSIONS, OUR REGULAR MEETINGS, AND, UM, JUST OUR ATTENDANCE REPORTS.
AND THEN RIGHT HERE, THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS.
AND, UM, THERE WERE, UH, SOME RESIGNATIONS.
I BELIEVE THERE ARE THREE OPENINGS RIGHT NOW ON THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS.
SO WE'LL JUST SCROLL ON DOWN AND WE'LL STOP THERE FOR A SECOND.
UM, WELL THAT'S JUST, THAT'S JUST THE DATA ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS.
WE CAN SCROLL ON DOWN FROM THAT.
THE NEXT BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND THE WONDERFUL WORK THEY DID WITH ANGELA, UH, DWAYNE, UH, GARY, OUR DEWEY, UM, CATHERINE, COLIN, HOLLY, AND ELLEN.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THEM FOR THEIR WONDERFUL WORK.
AND SCROLLING DOWN AND KEEP ON SCROLLING.
THEY OBVIOUSLY WERE VERY BUSY.
AND THERE'S THE, UM, NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS REVIEWED BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW.
UM, YOU'LL NOTICE IN 2023, THEY HAD SEVEN.
THEY HAD 12 COMPARED TO EIGHT FROM LAST YEAR AND 17 COMPARED TO 2020.
UM, IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE A LOT NUMBER WISE, BUT THEY PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO THAT.
SO IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE 'EM ON THE SIDE, PLEASE, PLEASE THANK THEM FOR THEIR WORK.
SCROLLING DOWN PLEASE, AND THEN STOP HERE PLEASE.
PLANNING, THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
UM, THE PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY FOR 2019, 2023.
IF YOU, IF YOU COULD MAKE THAT A LITTLE BIGGER, PLEASE.
UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE NUMBER OF ZONING PERMITS FROM 2020 22, WHICH WAS 280 TO THIS YEAR, WHICH WAS 393, UM, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE.
WHEREAS, UM, WE HAD A FEW LESS ZONE, UH, ENFORCEMENT CASES, 4 0 7 TO 4 24.
LAND USE APPLICATIONS WERE DOWN FROM 56 TO 36.
SHORT TERM RENTALS WERE DOWN FROM 13 TO FIVE.
WE EXPECT THAT TO GO UP A LITTLE BIT FOR, UM, 2024 CODE AMENDMENTS WENT FROM TWO TO FOUR BUSINESS, UH, SIGNED PERMITS WENT FROM 41 TO 62.
UM, THIS ONE I THINK IS A LITTLE INTERESTING.
THE BUSINESS LICENSES WENT FROM 1 72 TO 1 48.
WE DON'T, MY MY UNDERSTANDING IS CORRECT, WE DON'T CHARGE FOR BUSINESS LICENSES, WHEREAS THE, THE COUNTY DOES.
UM, THAT'S YOUR DECISION WHETHER TO CONSIDER
[00:25:01]
THAT OR NOT.UM, NEW DWELLINGS, UH, WENT FROM 27 TO 32.
AND THEN ADMINISTRATIVE VARIANCES FOUR, CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS, ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW, 39, CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS BOARD REVIEW, 11, SOLICITOR ITINERANT MERCHANT 10, URBAN AGRICULTURE, 18 ALLEY VACATION FIVE, AND RIGHT OF WAY UTILIZATION PERMITS 46.
UM, AGAIN, THE THING THAT I THOUGHT WAS FASCINATING WAS THE, THE NUMBER OF ZONING PERMITS THAT WENT UP FROM TWO 80 TO 3 93.
WE'VE GOT THAT DOWN TO FOUR TO 4 0 7 FROM 4 24 FROM LAST YEAR.
UM, IT'D BE NICE IF WE COULD GET THAT DOWN EVEN MORE.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENTS FOR KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT.
AND, UM, ESPECIALLY AS SOMEONE WHO HAS A HEART FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN IN OUR TOWN, UM, SOME OF THE PLACES THEY LIVE IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT.
AND THE WAY THAT THAT'S ENFORCED, THE WAY THAT THE CODES THERE ARE ENFORCED WITH SOME OF THEIR LIVING CONDITIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS? THAT IS, THANK YOU.
DOES ANYBODY, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? SORRY, MY, DOES ANYBODY, I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE, MELISSA, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? GLENN? DON'T ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS.
WELL, I THINK IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO, UM, EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC LIKE, UM, THE WHAT TYPES OF THINGS ARE JUST RECEIVE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW AND, AND WHY THEY JUST RECEIVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW VERSUS HAVING TO GO ALL THROUGH THE PROCESS.
IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE A SHORT ANSWER TO THAT
I'VE GOT AN IDEA, BUT SHE COULD SPEAK MORE COHERENTLY TO THAT THAN ME.
SO THE MAJORITY OF THOSE 393 ZONING PERMITS, THOSE ARE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEWS.
SO THAT IS MY STAFF REVIEWING EACH OF THOSE APPLICATIONS THAT COMES IN.
THE LAND USE APPLICATIONS ARE THE SPECIAL USE PERMITS, SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS, UH, THE REZONINGS, THOSE ARE THE ITEMS THAT GO TO PLANNING COMMISSION.
SO STATE CODE REQUIRES THAT WE FURNISH THIS REPORT EVERY YEAR, UM, AND, AND HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN OF WHAT WE DO ADMINISTRATIVELY AND THEN WHAT GOES TO THE BOARDS.
SOME OF THEM ARE, BUT UM, I MEAN, LIKE IF THERE'S A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, ONCE WE ISSUE THAT, UM, THERE ARE TIMES WHERE THEY MAY BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE AT THAT SAME SITE AND I'M STILL ISSUING ANOTHER ZONING PERMIT.
SO THERE'S, YOU CAN HAVE, UM, INSTANCES WHERE YOU, IT'S MULTIPLE PERMITS PER PARCEL.
IT'S VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND I THINK VERY GOOD FOR TRANSPARENCY, THE GOVERNMENT.
OH, I, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY, ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, BUT I, I WOULD AGREE THAT I FOUND IT VERY, I FOUND IT VERY ENLIGHTENING TO SEE, UM, JUST THE SHEER NUMBERS.
AND I KNOW AS MR. WILLIAMS SAID, LIKE MAYBE SOME OF THE NUMBERS DON'T LOOK HIGH TO YOU, BUT IT'S THE, IT'S THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WENT INTO THOSE, UM, EACH OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, APPLICATIONS OR THE REVIEWS AND THE TIME THAT TOWN STAFF PUTS INTO THAT AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, FOR PEOPLE'S KNOWLEDGE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETS EVERY MONTH.
THEY HAVE A WORK SESSION AS WELL AS A MEETING ALWAYS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND THE BAR MEETS.
DO THEY MEET, I I KNOW SOME OF LIKE BCA ONLY MEETS IF THERE'S A NEED FOR IT.
BUT BAR MEETS TYPICALLY, THEY, THEY ONLY MEET WHEN THERE'S AN APPLICATION, BUT THE WAY IT'S WORKED OUT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, THEY'VE MET ALMOST EVERY ONE.
AND THESE ARE, UM, THE PEOPLE THAT SERVE ON PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS.
THEY'RE ALL CITIZENS WHO LIVE IN THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL THAT ARE WILLING TO SERVE LIKE MR. WILLIAMS AND, AND OTHERS.
SO IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT APPEALS TO YOU, AS MR. WILLIAMS SAID EARLIER, I KNOW WE HAVE AN OPENING.
MR. PRESLEY, BBZA HAS AN OPENING NO.
AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE THAT IS THE LOCAL BOARD OF BUILDING CODE APPEALS THAT HAS TWO OF THEM.
SO IF THIS IS SOMETHING, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GET YOUR FEET WET IN, IN TOWN GOVERNMENT AND SEE IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU ENJOY.
SO ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
I I WOULD JUST, IF I COULD JUST ADD THAT, UM, ABSOLUTELY.
FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE THAT WE'RE ASKED TO REVIEW, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONERS GOES OUT AND DOES AN ONSITE VISIT BY THEMSELVES.
UM, WE DON'T GO OUT WITH ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO CLOUD EACH OTHER'S OPINIONS OF IT.
SO WHEN WE COME BACK, WE HAVE A COHERENT CONVERSATION.
[00:30:01]
THE PUBLIC HAS ENJOYED THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ABOUT THIS AND TO SEE THIS ON OUR, UM, ON OUR TOWN'S WEBSITE.IT'S, IT'S OUR GOAL TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION LIKE THIS.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK QUESTIONS LIKE, WELL, WHAT DO YOU ALL DO? AND THIS ISN'T A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SEE.
THESE ARE WHAT ALL THE BOARDS DO, WHAT THE TOWN STAFF DOES, UM, AND RELATED TO PLANNING AND ZONING.
[7.A. Magdalen Capital LLLC Rezoning Application to Rezone 311 Leach Street from R-S to PND and Adjoining Properties from R-1 to PND]
IS ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IS A PUBLIC HEARING.UM, AND I'M GOING TO, UM, FIRST HAVE MS. PRESLEY READ THE SUMMARY AS A DECEMBER 4TH WORK SESSION.
COUNSEL DISCUSSED AND REVIEWED AN ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT REQUEST AND A REZONING APPLICATION REQUEST, BOTH SUBMITTED BY MAGDALENE CAPITAL COUNSEL DIRECTED STAFF TO ADVERTISING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE TEXT AMENDMENT REQUEST IN JANUARY, 2024, AND A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE REZONING APPLICATION REQUEST IN FEBRUARY, 2024.
BECAUSE THE ZONING MAP AMENDMENT IS DEPENDENT ON THE ZONING ORDINANCE, TEXT AMENDMENT.
AND TO AVOID CONFUSING, THE PUBLIC COUNSEL HELD A PUBLIC HEARING ON JANUARY 22ND, 2024, AND VOTED TO DENY MAGDALENE CAPITAL'S LPS APPLICATION FOR A TEXT AMENDMENT.
THE REQUEST BEFORE COUNSEL TONIGHT IS TO AMEND HIS ZONING MAP OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL TO RECLASSIFY THREE 11 LEACH STREET, IDENTIFIED BY TAX MAP NUMBER 2 0 8 9 DASH ONE DASH THREE FROM RS SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT TO P AND D PLAN, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, AND ADJOINING PROPERTIES IDENTIFIED BY TAX MAP NUMBER TWO OH A NINE DASH 16 DASH D ONE TWO OH, A NINE DASH 16 D TWO, AND T TWO OH A NINE DASH 16 DASH D THREE FROM R ONE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT TO P AND D PLAN, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, THE P AND D ZONE ALLOWS THE CREATION OF A COMMUNITY, WHICH WILL PROVIDE FOR A VARIETY OF USES AS WELL AS HOUSING TYPES.
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST FLEXIBLE ZONES THE TOWN HAS FOR MIXED USE TYPE DEVELOPMENTS AND PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS WELL AS APPROPRIATE COMMERCIAL USES ON HAPPY CREEK ROAD.
THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES TO THE APPLICATION SINCE COUNCIL FIRST DISCUSSED AND REVIEWED IN DECEMBER, 2023.
DUE TO COUNSEL'S DENIAL OF THE TAX AMENDMENT IN JANUARY, STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL OF THIS REZONING APPLICATION DUE TO INSUFFICIENT PARTIAL SIZE.
THE APPLICANT'S PARCELS DO NOT MEET THE 20 ACRE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT OF THE P AND D ZONE.
BEFORE I OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, UM, UH, JUST SOME COMMENTS, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS OR AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNSEL TO LEARN OF INFORMATION OF WHICH THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY AWARE.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE RECOGNIZED, THEN COME FORWARD TO THE MICROPHONE AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND INDICATE IF YOU'RE A RESIDENT OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
IF THE COMMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE, YOU MAY SIMPLY STATE THAT YOU AGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER.
THERE IS A THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR SPEAKERS.
AFTER THREE MINUTES, THE MICROPHONE WILL CUT OFF.
PLEASE REMEMBER, YOU ARE TO ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND TO REFRAIN FROM WORDS OR STATEMENTS WHICH ARE DEFAMATORY TO SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS OR DISPLAY OTHER DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT INCLUDING OBSCENITY AND VULGARITY.
SO I'M NOW GONNA OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MS. PRESLEY, HAS ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? WE DO.
I LIVE AT 3 1 6 VIRGINIA AVENUE HERE IN TOWN.
UH, FIRSTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL VERY MUCH FOR HAVING SPLIT THIS VERY MAJOR ISSUE INTO CROSS TWO MEETINGS.
I THINK IT WAS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND DISCUSS THESE THINGS, YOU KNOW, ACROSS DIFFERENT TIMEFRAMES AND BEING ABLE TO TAKE THE TIME TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IMPACT THIS MAY HAVE ON ON OUR TOWN.
UH, AS FOR THE ISSUE CURRENTLY ON THE TABLE, THE REZONING APPLICATION VIA MAGDALENE CAPITAL, I ASKED THE COUNCIL TO DENY IT.
MANY PEOPLE THE LAST MEETING SPOKE OF USING VARIANCE AMENDMENTS.
AND TO BE CLEAR, IT WAS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TOWARDS A BETTER PROCESS IF THE TOWN CODE WAS A CHANGE TO ALLOW FOR IT.
AS THE CODE STANDS, THIS IS NOT ALLOWED AND WOULD BE ILLEGAL IS NONSENSICAL TO THEM TO SUGGEST THAT THOSE WHO SPOKE BEFORE WERE ASKING FOR THE TOWN TO DO SOMETHING AGAINST THEIR OWN CODE.
HAVING A LOCAL BUILDER INTERESTED IN IMPROVING THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY IS A WONDERFUL THING.
AND AS SUCH, I CAN COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHY THIS REZONING WAS REQUESTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
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I DO WISH FOR LOCAL DEVELOPERS AND FOR THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER A CODE CHANGE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR VARIANCES BECAUSE THEY OFFER PROTECTIONS TO THE TOWN AND TO THE RESIDENCE.THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A AVAILABLE, IT HAD THE PREVIOUS APPLICATION OR, UH, CODE CHANGE GONE THROUGH AS IT STOOD.
UM, WITH, UH, THIS, WITHOUT THIS HAVING ALREADY OCCURRED, IT MAKES NO SENSE AT THIS TIME TO ATTEMPT TO APPROVING THE REZONING APPLICATION.
UM, THOUGH I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THIS SPACE, BECAUSE I THINK IT CAN BE A VERY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE, FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I'M FROM, UH, MASS NUON FARMS ROAD IN WARREN COUNTY.
UM, AS MS. LEY NOTED AT THE JANUARY 2ND, 22ND, UM, TOWN COUNCIL MEETING, UM, MAGDALENE CAPITAL PROPOSED THE CHANGE TO OUR TOWN CODE FROM THE 20 TO 50 ACRES REQUIRED TO A MERE TWO ACRES, UM, FOR P AND D.
AND AS SHARED IN THAT REPORT THAT MR. WELLS JUST SHARED, UM, ON 11 15 20 23, PLANNING COMMISSION HAD RECOMMENDED THAT THEY, UM, ASK FOR FIVE ACRES.
SO THIS IS ALREADY A LOT LESS.
AND AS WE ALL KNOW, UM, MANY OF US SPOKE AGAINST THAT.
IN SPEAKING, WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT VARIANCES, WHICH WE KNOW ARE NOT CURRENTLY ALLOWED OR LEGAL IN OUR CODE, BUT WHAT WE WERE ASKING FOR IS THEM TO APPROACH A CHANGE WITHIN THE CODE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR VARIANCES THAT THEN OBVIOUSLY THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD TAKE TIME AND THEN THEY COULD APPLY FOR THAT VARIANCE.
AND THIS WOULD GIVE OUR COMMUNITY MORE CONTROL OVER WHAT HAPPENED IN THESE P AND DS.
RIGHT NOW, IF YOU SPOT REZONE THIS ACREAGE, IT'S ILLEGAL AS MS. PRESLEY NOTED IN IN HER, UM, IN WHAT SHE JUST SAID, BECAUSE WE STILL REQUIRE THOSE 20 TO 50 ACRES DEPENDING ON THE AREA, DEPENDING ON THE AREA.
SO I DON'T SEE HOW THIS COULD POSSIBLY WORK TO JUST REZONE THIS AREA, UM, FOR P AND D WHEN WE DON'T ALLOW THAT AMOUNT OF ACREAGE FOR P AND D.
AND THAT WAS UPHELD AT THE LAST MEETING.
UM, AGAIN, UM, IF THE CURRENT PROPOSAL IS ILLEGAL AND IT'S BEEN SHUT DOWN, UM, EVEN MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION COULDN'T EVEN VOTE ON THIS REZONING BECAUSE IT DOESN'T FOLLOW THE CORRECT GUIDELINES.
UM, SOMETHING TO NOTE IS THAT ZONING, AS EVERYONE HERE KNOWS, WILL FOLLOW THE PROPERTY.
SO IF THIS IS REZONED, MAGDALENE CAPITAL CAN SELL IT TOMORROW AND FLIP THE PROPERTY, WE HAVE VERY LITTLE CONTROL OVER WHO THEN HAS CONTROL OVER THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER WHO WOULD THEN CONTROL THAT PROPERTY.
UM, SO THAT COULD OPEN UP TO DEVELOPERS WHO HAVE NO TIES TO OUR COMMUNITY AND DON'T EVEN PAY LIP SERVICE TO OUR VISIONS AND GOALS WITH THE VARIANCES THAT WE WERE SUGGESTING.
UM, AGAIN, THAT WOULD TAKE TIME IN OUR CODE.
WE COULD HAVE THAT KIND OF INPUT.
WE COULD HAVE THOSE KIND OF PARAMETERS PUT IN, UM, REZONING.
IF, IF ANYONE HERE IS ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING REZONING, THAT ALSO COMES WITH CONCERN.
UM, I MEAN, IT'S BEEN HEARD BY THE VIRGINIA COURT, 1967, THEY HEARD AND THEY TALKED ABOUT REZONING AND IT'S DEFINED AS ZONING THAT IS AS ZONING SOLELY CONCERN INTEREST.
BUT HOW THIS SPOT REZONED BE SHOWN THE BENEFIT COMMON GOOD IF IT COMPLETELY AGAINST OUR CURRENT TOWN CODE.
UM, SO AGAIN, I WOULD VOTE NO TO THIS BECAUSE IT JUST SEEMS TO GO AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT LAST TIME OR THE, UM, ARY.
MS. PRESLEY, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK? OKAY, GOOD EVENING.
UH, BEN FERRY, 300 SKY MEADOW LANE, WARREN COUNTY.
UM, I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY CONCERNS, WHICH ARE ALSO HELD BY NUMEROUS OTHERS REGARDING THE MANNER IN WHICH TOWN COUNCIL HAS MANAGED THIS PARTICULAR ZONING APPLICATION.
UH, THE COUNCIL'S RECENT DECISION TO DENY THE RECOMMENDED TEXT AMENDMENT IS CONCERNING, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE EXTENSIVE EFFORT AND COLLABORATION THAT PROCEEDED IT TOWN STAFF MEMBERS OF PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE DEVELOPER INVESTED LONG HOURS OF WORK INTO THIS PROCESS, EVEN MEETING WITH SEVERAL TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS TO DISCUSS AND ADDRESS ANY CONCERNS OF WHICH THEY WERE MINIMAL, IF ANY, FROM THE CONVERSATIONS THAT DECISION IGNORED NOT ONLY THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THE PLANNING DIRECTOR, BUT ALSO THE UNANIMOUS VOTE BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
IT RUNS CONTRARY TO THE TOWN'S COMPREHENSIVE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THIS DECISION, ASSUMING THE REZONING OF THE APPLICATION IS DENIED TONIGHT, ESSENTIALLY LEAVES THE DEVELOPER WITH LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO PROCEED WITH THE DEVELOPING OF THE PROPERTY BY RIGHT, WHICH WILL RESULT LIKELY IN 27 TO 30 SUBURBAN STYLE HOMES BEING BUILT INSTEAD OF A
[00:40:01]
TASTEFUL PLANNED NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT, UH, SCENARIO I THINK WE ALL WISH TO AVOID.MOREOVER, THE NARRATIVE THAT HAS EMERGED FROM WITHIN COUNSEL ITSELF ALLEGING HOSTILE BEHAVIOR, UH, AND PHYSICAL THREATS FROM SUPPORTERS OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT IS PROFOUNDLY CONCERNING.
UM, SUCH BASELESS ACCUSATIONS ARE WITHOUT MERIT AND SERVE ONLY TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM THE REAL ISSUES.
THE REAL HOSTILITY SEEMS TO STEM FROM A DECISION MAKING PROCESS THAT HAS DISREGARDED INFORMED ADVICE AND LOGICAL PLANNING IN FAVOR OF UNFOUNDED FEARS AND SENSATIONAL ALLEGATIONS.
THE PUSH FOR A VARIANCE OFFERED BY SOME SHOWCASES, A LACK OF COMPREHENSION IN OUR LEGAL AND PLANNING INFRASTRUCTURE, ENDANGERING DEVELOPMENT WITH A SHORTSIGHTED, UNINFORMED APPROACH THAT MISSES OUR COMMUNITY'S BROADER NEEDS.
YOU'VE PLACED YOURSELVES IN A DIFFICULT POSITION.
MANY OF YOU STATED YOU WANT TO EVALUATE SUCH DEVELOPMENTS ON A CASE BY CASE.
AND NOW FACED WITH THAT OPPORTUNITY, YOU'RE AT A CROSSROADS APPROVING.
IT GOES AGAINST OUR TOWN CODE SETTING A RISKY PRECEDENT DENYING IT, HOWEVER, CONTRADICTS YOUR EXPRESSED WISHES AND SHOWS A DISREGARD FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OUR TOWN NEEDS.
MAGDALENE CAPITAL'S PLANNED NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT PRESENTS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, ONE THAT COULD REALLY BEN BENEFIT FRONT.
ROYAL, I ASK YOU PLEASE DON'T ALLOW BASELESS ALLEGATIONS, MISCONCEPTIONS, AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS TO DERAIL A PROJECT THAT PROMISES TO BRING SO MUCH GOOD TO THIS TOWN.
UH, I HOPE YOU ALSO GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE APPLICANT TO PRESENT TONIGHT, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR CONSIDERING A PATH FORWARD THAT TRULY REFLECTS THE BEST INTERESTS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IS THERE, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK? I, UH, ALEX, STEVE, SO APPLICANT FOR THE, UH, REZONING.
UM, SO JUST A COUPLE POINTS THAT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IN PARTICULAR, UM, JUST RATHER DISAPPOINTED THAT, YOU KNOW, SPENT WHETHER PROBABLY CLOSE TO ABOUT TWO YEARS WORKING ON THIS.
AND IT WAS, UH, HASTILY DECIDED ON THE LAST MEETING, UH, BASED ON A WHOLE LOT OF WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER A SPAGHETTI THROWN AGAINST THE WALL.
UH, BUT IT WASN'T ACTUALLY BASED ON MERIT.
UH, I SENT YOU ALL A DECK AND I ALSO HAVE SOME PAMPHLETS OVER THERE JUST KIND OF OUTLINING A LOT OF THOSE THINGS AS FAR AS LIKE THE TALKING POINTS AND THE NARRATIVES THAT WERE SAID, UH, ABOUT WHAT WE PUT FORTH, UH, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC TO VARIANTS AND SPECIAL USE.
THOSE ARE EXISTING ON THE CODE TODAY.
UH, THOSE ARE MEANT FOR THINGS LIKE DECKS, FOR FLOOD ZONES, ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT THEY'RE NOT, UH, DESIGNED, UH, LIKE WE, LIKE WE HEARD AT THE LAST WORK SESSION, UH, FROM GEORGE, YOU KNOW, VERY WELL STATED, UH, THESE CANNOT BE USED FOR LAND USE CHANGES, RIGHT? SO LAND USE CHANGES RUNS THROUGH A CASE BY CASE EVERY SINGLE TIME, REGARDLESS IF IT WAS FROM RS TO C ONE OR RS TO C ONE OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS, UH, IT ALWAYS RUNS THROUGH THAT SAME CASE BY CASE LAND USE.
SO AS FAR AS PUSHING ANYTHING ELSE, THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION OTHER THAN PRESENTING A WHOLE NEW SET OF CODES FOR A WHOLE NEW DIFFERENT PURPOSE.
UM, I FULLY EXPECT THAT YOU ALL WILL PROBABLY DENY THIS, UH, BECAUSE IT ISN'T ILLEGAL.
UH, IT DOESN'T MEET THE, UH, CODE REQUIREMENTS.
SO THAT'S WHY I SAY IT'S VERY UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE, UH, WE'RE END UP GONNA JUST HAVE TO BUILD THIS BY, RIGHT? THIS IS DONE ADMINISTRATIVELY LIKE WE HEARD BEFORE.
UH, THESE ARE GONNA BE SUBURBAN HOUSES THAT ARE, UH, GONNA BE MORE FOR HIGHER END, WHICH IS NOT WHAT WE WANTED.
WE WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD COMMUNITY.
WE WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD DEVELOPMENT THAT ALSO BROUGHT NET, UH, POSITIVE WHEN IT CAME TO TAX REVENUE FOR THE TOWN, RIGHT? SO NOW WE'RE GONNA BUILD NET NEGATIVE STYLE BECAUSE THESE ARE JUST STRAIGHT, SIMPLE HOUSES, RIGHT? THERE'S NO TAX REVENUE THAT YOU CAN GENERATE FROM THIS.
WHEREAS THE P AND D, THE WAY THAT WE WERE PROPOSING, IT WOULD'VE BEEN NET POSITIVE.
UH, YOU WOULD'VE COMMERCIAL MENTS TO OFFSET THAT COST.
SO UNFORTUNATELY, I'M VERY SADDENED AND VERY DISHEARTENED, UH, WITH THE NESS AS WELL AS ALSO THE, UH, THE AMOUNT OF THINGS THAT WERE SAID ABOUT ME AND THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I PUT INTO IT.
SO HONESTLY, I DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH MORE TO SAY OTHER THAN THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTED.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK? ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY.
UM, I'M GONNA CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP TO COUNSEL.
DO I HEAR A MOTION MADAM MAYOR IN FOR FURTHERANCE OF THE PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES CONTAINED IN TOWN CODE SECTION 1 75 DASH ONE B, I MOVE THAT COUNSEL DENY A REZONING APPLICATION FROM MAGDALENE CAPITAL LLP TO ROOT ZONE 3 1 1 LEACH STREET FROM RFS TO P, P AND D AND ADJOINING PROPERTIES FROM R ONE TO P AND D.
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR FIRST AND A SECOND, AND NOW I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP TO COUNSEL FOR DISCUSSION.
AND THIS MIGHT ALSO BE A TIME WHERE IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF OR THE APPLICANT THAT THEY COULD ALSO ASK.
[00:45:05]
MADAM MAYOR.UM, THIS HAS NOT BEEN BEFORE COUNSEL FOR TWO YEARS.
I KNOW IT WAS MENTIONED THAT TWO YEARS OF WORK HAD BEEN PUT INTO THIS, AND AS IT WAS WRITTEN IN AN OP-ED THAT I DON'T BELIEVE GOT PUBLISHED, BUT GOT SHARED WITH ME BY SOME SPEAKERS HERE TONIGHT, AND AT THE LAST MEETING, UM, MY DECISION LAST TIME WAS BECAUSE I WAS AN UNEDUCATED REDNECK IN REGARDS TO GROWTH, UM, WHICH IS A FAR CRY FROM THE TRUTH.
HOWEVER, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, CIVIL DISCOURSE IS APPRECIATED IN CASES LIKE THIS, AND IT WAS WITNESSED IN ON CAMERA A BINDER BEING TOSSED AT SOMEONE'S FEET AT THE LAST PUBLIC HEARING.
WITH ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, I HAVE SAID FOR YEARS THAT GROWTH IS INEVITABLE.
HOWEVER, WHEN YOU CHANGE THE TEXT CODE AMENDMENT FROM 20 TO 50 ACRES TO TWO ACRES, THAT'S A FLOODGATE THAT YOU CAN'T JUST CLOSE BACK SIMPLY.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, WHEN I SPOKE TO THE DEVELOPERS, I MENTIONED THAT TWO ACRES SEEMED A LITTLE BIT UNREASONABLE, AND FIVE TO 10 SEEMED MORE REASONABLE.
ALSO, WITH THAT SAID, AS AN UNEDUCATED REDNECK, I MIGHT ADD, I WOULD NEVER BE IN FAVOR OF DEVELOPMENT OF THAT MAGNITUDE.
THAT INCLUDED ABSOLUTELY NO PROFFERS WHATSOEVER EXCEPT THE ANTICIPATED NET POSITIVE TAX REVENUE COMING FROM COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THAT SITE.
SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE CONDOS AND APARTMENTS, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MIXED USE P AND D.
ACTUALLY, ONE OF THE FORMER PARTNERS OF THAT DEVELOPMENT, SCOTT LLOYD AND I TALKED AT GREAT LENGTHS ABOUT HOW P AND D COULD BE IMPLEMENTED AND MAKE WHAT I CONSIDER ALREADY A GREAT COMMUNITY EVEN BETTER, UM, NOT TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY GREAT.
AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE DO HAVE A HOUSING SHORTAGE AND IT DOES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED, BUT NOT APPROVING THIS OR ALLOWING IT OR CHANGING IT FROM 20 ACRES TO TWO, UM, AND ALLOWING BUY RIGHT USE, WE'RE NOT LOSING ANY PROFFERS FROM THE LANDOWNERS OR DEVELOPERS EXCEPT FOR THE ANTICIPATED NET POSITIVE FROM THE COMMERCIAL TAX REVENUE ASPECT OF IT.
UM, SO I DO HOPE THAT THIS COUNCIL AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE ZONING DEPARTMENT CAN DISCUSS THIS GOING FORWARD.
UM, I KNOW THAT IT HAS SPARKED A LOT OF GREAT CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF AND SURROUNDING LOCALITIES.
I KNOW THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF COMPARABLES TO OTHER LOCALITIES WITHIN THE STATE AT THE LAST MEETING, AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR REAL ESTATE TAX RATE COMPARED TO SOME OF THOSE, IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT COMPARABLE BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT FRONT ROYAL THAT FORMER COUNCILMAN LLOYD AND I WERE EXTREMELY PROUD OF WAS HOW LOW THE FRONT ROYAL REAL ESTATE TAX RATE IS.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE TO MOVE HERE, STAY HERE, AND RAISE THEIR FAMILY HERE.
AND WITHOUT CONTROLLED GROWTH, THE REAL ESTATE, REAL ESTATE TAX RATE WILL STEADILY INCREASE PRICING.
THOSE WHO LIVE HERE OR BORN AND RAISED HERE OUT OF BEING ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE AND MAINTAIN THEIR PROPERTY.
ANYBODY ELSE ON COUNCIL WISH TO SPEAK TO THIS, THIS DISCUSSION, THIS MOTION? ANYBODY? YES, WE LET, LET HIM GO.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK FIRST OR NOT FOR A SECOND BEFORE THEM? UH, SURE.
SO IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT I VOTED FOR THIS LAST TIME BEING ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, STUDYING THIS FOR SOME TIME, UM, SEEING WHAT WAS AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
I WANNA SPEAK TO THE LAST MEETING WHERE, UM, EIGHT OR NINE PEOPLE, COUNTY RESIDENTS SPOKE OUT IN FAVOR AND AGAINST, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DON'T PAY TAXES TO THE TOWN.
AND I THINK THAT MAYBE WE SOMETIMES GIVE EVERYBODY THAT EQUAL THOUGHT PROCESS WHEN THEY HAVE AN OPINION WHERE I VALUE, UM, COUNTY RESIDENT'S OPINION, PROBABLY MORE SO THAN A COUNTY.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, ONE OF THE GOALS HAS BEEN, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
A COUNCILWOMAN MORRIS MENTIONED PROFFERS, UM, LAST WEEK OR LAST MONTH RATHER.
WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY AND MAYOR VICE MAYOR LOC MADE A MOTION TO CONTINUE THIS, WHERE WE COULD STUDY THIS AND INSTEAD HE GOT CUT OFF BY THE KNEES.
LET'S NOT CONSIDER IT ANYMORE, LET'S DENY IT.
BUT WHAT I HEARD ALL THE SPEAKERS SAY, THE VAST MAJORITY IS ASK COUNSEL TO CONSIDER, UH, VARIANCES.
LOOK AT THINGS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.
UH, REVIEW EACH ONE, REVIEW EACH PROJECT SEPARATELY.
I WENT BACK AND WATCHED THAT VIDEO AGAIN TODAY AND WATCHED ALL THE FOLKS WHO CAME FORTH, AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE OR TWO, THEY DID NOT SEEM TO BE AGAINST THIS DEVELOPMENT.
HOWEVER, THEY WERE AGAINST THE TAX AMENDMENT.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION SAID FIVE, IT WAS WITHIN THE COUNCIL'S
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PREVIEW TO MAKE THAT 10.SO LET'S, LET'S NOT BLAME THE APPLICANT ON THIS OR THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
THIS WAS SOMETHING SOLELY ON COUNCIL THAT WE COULD HAVE SAID, WELL, HOW ABOUT 10? ARE YOU AGREEABLE TO THAT? SO, AND WE TALK ABOUT PROFFERS AND THE APPLICANT'S ALREADY TOLD US WHAT HE INTENDS TO DO IS DEVELOP BY, RIGHT? AND IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT TERM MEANS, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEVELOP THEIR PROPERTY WITHOUT ANY, UH, SIGNIFICANT PROFFERS.
THERE WILL BE HOOKUPS, THERE WILL BE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, UH, WATER AND SEWER LINES RUN AT THEIR EXPENSES, BUT, UM, THEY WILL NOT ADD TO, UM, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHICH IS ALREADY OUT OF CAPACITY FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AND CONTINUES TO BE AND, AND SAYS TO THE TOWN, WELL, DON'T LET DEVELOPMENT COME IN.
WELL, WE'RE ALREADY OUTTA CAPACITY.
WELL, NO, THEY DON'T SAY THAT.
THEY BLAME US, BUT I'M NOT HERE TO PLAY THE BLAME GAME.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE OPPONENTS TO THE TEXT MEANT LAST WEEK.
WE COULD HAVE THIS TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT OPENING THE FLOODGATES OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE SEEN APARTMENTS OVER THE RETAIL SECTION, CONDOS, DUPLEXES, WHICH WOULD BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR OUR COMMUNITY, SOMETHING WE DON'T HAVE NOW, AND SOMETHING THERE IS NOTHING ON THE HORIZON FOR I AM AWARE TO BUILD ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
UM, NOTHING HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, BEEN COME FORTH NOW.
SO WE'RE GONNA END UP WITH 27 35 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
THESE ESTIMATES WOULD BE SOMEWHERE NORTH OF 400,000 EACH.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT HOW MANY OF YOU, I CAN'T AFFORD THAT, BUT I'M NOT ONE THAT NEEDS A HOUSE.
MANY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR AUDIENCE NEED HOUSING.
UM, THIS IS GOING TO DO EXACTLY WHAT MANY OF YOU DON'T WANT, AND THAT'S GOING TO DRAW PEOPLE FROM THE CITY WHO'S GONNA SELL A RANCHER IN THE TOWN OF VIENNA FOR 775,000.
THEY'RE GONNA COME OUT HERE AND BUY 1800, 2000, 2200 SQUARE FOOT NEW HOUSE IN A BEAUTIFUL SUBDIVISION AND HAVE MONEY LEFT OVER.
SO WHEN WE SAY WE'RE CREATING HOUSING, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE WANT THEM TO DO IT.
WHAT ARE WE REALLY SAYING? WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO MOVE HERE AND WE DON'T WANNA SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS. UH, AS A COUNCIL, I, I HAVE TO WONDER, ARE WE SO ANTI-GROWTH THAT WE DON'T WANT WHAT WE NEED? I MUST ASK HOW MUCH WEIGHT DO WE GIVE TO THOSE IN THE COUNTY WHO DON'T PAY THE TAXES, BUT WANT TO CONTROL WHAT THE COUNCIL DOES? WHEN YOU MOVE HERE, LIKE MANY OF THE SPEAKERS AND MOST OF THEM HAVE MOVED HERE, UM, THERE'S, YOU WANT TO CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND YOU.
THIS IS A TREASURE, THIS IS A WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT.
BUT ARE WE GOING TO SAY, PUT A SIGN OUT THERE AT LINEN AND SAY, NO NEW PEOPLE WANT IT, YOU KNOW, OUR HOUSES ARE FULL.
I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT THIS COUNCIL WANTS TO DO.
AND I DON'T THINK OVERALL THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SAY, WELL, I'M THE LAST ONE IN SHUT THE GATE.
THE COMMERCIAL ELEMENT OF THIS DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE A POSITIVE TAX REVENUE FOR THE TOWN AND THE COUNTY.
OUR $50,000 PER YEAR TEACHERS POLICE, WHICH WE'RE TRYING TO HIRE SIX RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DEPUTIES THEY'RE TRYING TO HIRE IN THE COUNTY, FIRE AND RESCUE PERSONNEL AND NURSES COULD AFFORD TO LIVE WHERE THEY WORK.
THINK ABOUT BEING A POLICE OFFICER IN FRONT ROW AND DRIVING IN FROM WINCHESTER, STEVEN CITY PAGE COUNTY.
IS THAT WHAT WE REALLY WANT? OR DO WE WANT THOSE PEOPLE TO LIVE IN A COMMUNITY WITH US? I SAY THAT WE NEED TO CREATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND, AND I'M THANKFUL BEYOND THANKFUL THAT WE HAVE A LOCAL DEVELOPER HERE.
AND I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND THE NAME CALLING AND ALL OF THAT.
I'M PERSONALLY VERY PROUD THAT WE HAVE SOMEBODY HERE WITH THE FORETHOUGHT AND THAT WANTS TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE THE COM UH, COMMUNITY BETTER.
UH, BUT I ASK YOU ALL, IF NOT NOW, WHEN, THANK YOU.
UH, MADAM MAYOR, I JUST MAY, UH, ADD BRIEFLY.
UH, MY STANCE ON THIS IS SIMPLY FROM A, FROM A LEGISLATIVE, UH, STANDPOINT.
I MEAN, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ACTIONS TO EVERY TIME THAT DECISION'S MADE BY THIS COUNCIL.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S, AND LOOK FOR ANY LAW FOR THAT MATTER, FOR ANYBODY WHO KNOWS, YOU KNOW, UM,
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HOW LAWS ARE PASSED TO FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL.THERE'S, THERE'S A LEGISLATIVE ACTION, THERE'S A JUDICIAL ACTION, AND THERE'S AN ENFORCEMENT ACTION.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES.
AND WITH THIS, UH, CODE, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS, UH, CODE AMENDMENT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT WE PREVIOUSLY DENIED BACK IN JANUARY, UH, I, I JUST, I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO USE ONE CASE AS A LITMUS TEST FOR SOMETHING.
AGAIN, THAT COULD AFFECT THE OUT, YOU KNOW, THE OUTCOME OF DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR TOWN, FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR, UH, FOR YEARS TO COME.
AND AGAIN, AS, AS BOTH COUNCILWOMAN MORRIS AND, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, WOOD HAD STATED, YOU KNOW, THERE, YEAH, I, I I THINK THERE ARE, I THINK THERE IS, UM, I THINK THERE'S A CHANCE FOR US IN THE FUTURE, IN NEAR FUTURE, HOPEFULLY TO, UH, TO DISCUSS THIS, UH, P AND D UH, YOU KNOW, THE P AND D UH, UH, ZONING, UH, RESTRICTION AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO DO IT WITH A CLEAR MIND AND NOT WITH JUST ONE, UH, CASE IN FRONT OF US AS A, AS A DETERMINING FACTOR.
IT HAS TO BE HOLISTICALLY, UH, REVIEWED.
AND AGAIN, IT HAS TO COME WITH A SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES IN MIND.
HAVING BEING A LEGISLATIVE ACTION BEING MADE, YOU KNOW, HOW'S THAT GONNA BE INTERPRETED AND HOW'S IT GONNA BE ENFORCED? AND I THINK FOR THE, YOU KNOW, FOR US, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION OF THAT AND HOW THAT'S GONNA, UH, HAVE AN IMPACT, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE NEXT, UH, SEVERAL YEARS OF OUR TOWN.
SO WITH THAT SAID, UH, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE MY THOUGHT PROCESS COMING FROM AND, UH, I HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS CAN UNDERSTAND THAT.
MADAM MAYOR, MAY I SPEAK? YES, YES.
CAN I, CAN I ADDRESS IT TO THE PLANNING DIRECTOR OR THE TOWN MANAGER? I HAVE A TECHNICAL QUESTION.
AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE TWO OF THEM CAN ANSWER ARE, ARE THE BUILDERS, IF SO, FOR EVERYONE'S KNOWLEDGE, I'M SURE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE HAVE SCHEDULED A JOINT PLANNING COMMISSION TOWN COUNCIL MEETING COMING UP IN THE NEXT MONTH TO SPEAK ABOUT CODE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'LL COME OUTTA THAT MEETING, BUT MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, IS THERE ANYTHING TO PROHIBIT, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE BUILDERS ARE SAYING IF WE DON'T GET THIS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BY.
RIGHT? IS THERE SOMETHING THAT RESTRICTS THEM FROM RETURNING TO THE PND PROPOSAL? SHOULD CODE CHANGE OR SHOULD VARIANCES BE ADDED OR SOME OTHER THING? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S, THAT'S RESTRICTING THEM NOW TO, THEY, THEY ONLY HAVE THIS OPTION OF IF IT GETS DROPPED TODAY, THEY CAN ONLY DO BUY.
RIGHT? OR CAN THEY, IF THE CODE IS AMENABLE TO IT RETURNED TO HAVING A P AND D AT A LATER DATE, WHICH I REALIZED NOBODY BUILDING WANTS A LATER DATE 'CAUSE OF MAKING MONEY AND BUILDING AND ALL THAT.
BUT SO TYPICALLY, UM, ONCE A REZONING APPLICATION IS DENIED, THEY CAN'T BRING IT BACK FOR A YEAR UNLESS THERE'S LIKE SOME TYPE OF CHANGE.
SO IF THEY WERE TO SUBMIT A NEW APPLICATION, THEY COULD GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AGAIN, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE FAIRLY SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT PROJECT THAN WHAT THEY'VE ALREADY PROPOSED.
SO RIGHT NOW, THEIR COURSE OF ACTION IS, THEY CAN, THEY CAN HOLD OR THEY CAN APPLY ADMINISTRATIVELY AT THE, THAT'S ON THEM HOW THEY CHOOSE TO MOVE FORWARD AT THIS POINT.
IF THE CODE CHANGES, WHY WOULD IT HAVE TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT PROJECT IF THE CODE CHANGED? IF THE CODE CHANGED, LET'S SAY TO GO UP TO 10 ACRES.
LET'S JUST HYPOTHETICAL FOR THE MOMENT, I KNOW WHERE'S PROBABLY GETTING NERVOUS, BUT, UM, I, IF IT GOES UP TO, LET'S SAY A HYPOTHETICAL 10 ACRES, THEN COULDN'T THEY RESUBMIT THE P AND D APPLICATION THAT THEY, AND THE PROPOSAL THAT THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW TO, BECAUSE IT NOW IT'S GONNA MEET CODE.
MR. SONNET, IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S GETTING READY TO ANSWER.
WERE YOU ABOUT TO JUMP IN, GEORGE? MR. SAUNA, DID YOU WANT PULL UP? OKAY.
I, I BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT IS DENIED THOUGH CAN BE BROUGHT BACK.
WELL, THAT'S RECONSIDERATION, RIGHT? SO THAT HAS TO BE AT THE NEXT MEETING, RIGHT? UM, STATE LAW ALLOWS, UM, FOR OUR ZONING ORDINANCE TO RESTRICT A REAPPLICATION, UH, TO, UM, THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FOR A REZONING.
MM-HMM,
IT DOES LIMIT, UH, REFILING OF SUP APPLICATIONS TO A YEAR.
UM, SO THAT SAID, UM, I, I THINK, I MEAN, WE'RE IN, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING THE TOWN ZONING ORDINANCE, UM, WITH A CONSULTANT.
MM-HMM,
[01:00:01]
THANK YOU, MR. SONNET.DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT APPEARS THAT I FEEL LIKE IT DID.
UH, ANYONE ELSE COUNCILMAN? I WAS, I WAS JUST GONNA, UH, COMMENT ON MAYBE TWO POINTS.
FIRST OF ALL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAP OF IT, THAT AREA IS R ONE AND EVERYTHING AROUND IT IS R ONE.
AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WILL CHANGE.
UH, NOW WE ALL, WE, WE ALL, WE ALL, UH, IN A SENSE, YOU KNOW, WANT, WANT TO HAVE VARIOUS TYPE TYPES OF HOUSING IN THE AREA SO THAT EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, CAN, CAN AFFORD TO BUY A HOME.
I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE WANNA BUY A HOME, FRANKLY, BECAUSE IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE.
UH, BUT, UH, THE, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT'S ONE POINT.
THE, THE OTHER ONE IS, IS WE GO BACK TO THE CODE.
THE CODE IS SORT OF THE, THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO DIFFICULT IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, PLANNED NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENTS.
UH, GENERALLY MY, IT'S HARD, HARD FOR ME TO FIND, UH, UH, GENERALLY, UH, 20, ANYTHING UNDER 20 ACRES, WHICH GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO BUILD ALL TYPES OF HOUSINGS, ALL AND, AND BUILD IN A, UH, LIKE A, A, A TOWN CENTER WITHIN ONE.
UH, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE, WHAT, WHAT MAKES IT SO DIFFICULT FOR ME THERE.
I KNOW THERE'S PROPERTIES AROUND THAT IN, IN, UH, IN THE TOWN THAT WOULD QUALIFY FOR THAT.
UH, AND, UH, I'M HAVING, I'M HAVING DIFFICULTY SUPPORTING, UH, SUPPORTING, UH, ANY APPROVAL TOWARD IT AT THIS POINT.
YOU KNOW, TIMING, TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
UH, IF, IF POSSIBLY HAD THIS BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD WHEN THE, WHEN, WHEN, UH, THE CODES ARE REEVALUATED, UH, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE COULD BE TALKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT SITUATION RIGHT NOW.
BUT, UH, AS IT IS, AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, UH, THIS WILL WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO APPROVE.
AND STAFF HAS PRETTY MUCH SAID THAT TONIGHT.
IS THERE ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WISH TO SPEAK, UH, WITH REGARDS TO THIS REZONING APPLICATION? MADAM MAYOR, FOR THE SAKE OF FACTS, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT I REVISITED THE PUBLIC HEARINGS FROM THAT MEETING ON JANUARY 22ND, 2024, WHERE I'VE ALWAYS KEPT TRACK OF EVERY PUBLIC COMMENT AND PUBLIC SPEAKER THAT HAS SPOKEN BEFORE THE COUNCIL SINCE I'VE SAT ON HERE, GOING BACK AND REVISITING THAT 14 PEOPLE SPOKE ON JANUARY 22ND, SIX OF WHICH LIVED IN THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL, AND SOME OF THEM WHO WERE IN FAVOR LIVED IN DIFFERENT COUNTIES.
SO FOR THE RECORD OF FACTS OVER FEELINGS, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT ADDED.
AS WELL AS THERE IS AN APPLICATION BEFORE US TONIGHT THAT WE ARE VOTING ON.
IT WAS MENTIONED THAT IF THERE WERE THINGS BUILT BY RIGHT, WE HAD NO SAY OVER PROFFERS.
THE APPLICATION SITTING ON THIS DAIS BEFORE US NOW FOR A P AND D OFFERS ZERO PROFFERS TO THE SCHOOLS, TO THE CAPACITY OF THE SCHOOLS, TO ANYTHING PERTAINING TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS OF FRONT ROYAL AND WARREN COUNTY.
ALSO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE COUNTY RESIDENTS PAY FOR THE COUNTY SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED IN TOWN LIMITS, SUCH AS FIRE AND RESCUE, UM, THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, ALSO TO MAKE IT A CASE BY CASE BASIS, IT WAS ASKED, IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN, UM, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE DISCUSSED AS A COUNCIL, NOW WE NEED TO REVIEW THE CODE, CHANGE THE CODE TO ALLOW FOR CASE BY CASE BASIS, BECAUSE AS SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS SETTING UP HERE, KNOW WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A LAWSUIT, AND IF, IF WE APPROVE THIS WITHOUT THE CODE ALLOWING FOR A CASE BY CASE BASIS, THE PRECEDENCE, WHICH WAS MENTIONED BY A SPEAKER IS SET THEN THAT WE CAN PICK AND CHOOSE.
[01:05:01]
ARGUMENT FOR ARBITRARY AND THE CASE OF A LAWSUIT, WHICH IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CURRENT COUNSEL DIDN'T WANNA TAKE ON THE, UH, LIABILITY OF EXPOSING THE TOWN INTENTIONALLY TO LAWSUITS.SO THEREFORE, WHILE I RESPECT THAT IT'S CURRENTLY WITH A LOCAL DEVELOPER, WHICH COULD BE SOLD AND TRANSFERRED TO SOMEBODY NATIONALLY, IF WE SAY YES TO ONE, AND THEN ANOTHER NATIONAL DEVELOPER COMES BEFORE US WITH TWO ACRES AND SAID, YOU DID IT FOR THEM, WHY NOT US? WE HAVE NO GROUNDS FOR DENIAL WITHOUT CHANGING THE CODE FIRST.
SO I THINK NOW IS THE TIME THAT WE ADDRESS IT AND WE DO IT THE RIGHT WAY WITHOUT PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE AND WE REWRITE THE TOWN CODE.
ANYBODY ELSE WISH TO SPEAK TO THE REZONING APPLICATION BEFORE US ON COUNCIL? I SHOULD THANK YOU.
SINCE THERE'S NO OTHER DISCUSSION, UH, MS. PRESLEY, CAN YOU, UM, WE'RE GONNA DO A ROLL CALL.
CAN I, CAN I ASK A FEW QUESTIONS AS THE APPLICANT FOR THIS, THE A, IT'S A LITTLE LIKE AS EVIDENCE, THE APPLICANT, CAN I ASK A FEW QUESTIONS? I HONESTLY AT THIS, AT THIS JUNCTURE, IT BECAUSE THE PUBLIC HEARING'S ALREADY BEEN CLOSED.
IF COUNSEL HAD QUESTIONS FOR YOU, FAIR ENOUGH.
BUT AS FAR AS, UM, AND THAT'S THE, THE PROPER PROCEDURE, GEORGE, GO AHEAD.
AM I WRONG? FEEL FREE IF THAT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE.
I THOUGHT SO, BUT I WANT, WANTED TO MAKE SURE.
MR. PRESLEY, ROLL CALL ON A MOTION TO DENY VICE MAYOR LOC.
COUNCILWOMAN DE DAMON PAYNE? YES.
[8. PUBLIC COMMENTS NOT RELATED TO PUBLIC HEARINGS]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS.UM, BEFORE I BOTHER READING THIS LENGTHY LIKE, UH, PROCEDURES FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS, MS. PRESLEY, HAS ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENTS? YES, WE HAVE TWO.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, HERE WE GO, THEN.
WE NOW COME TO THE PUBLIC COMMON PORTION OF THE AGENDA.
IT IS THE DUTY OF THE MAYOR TO CONDUCT THIS MEETING IN AN ORDERLY MANNER.
PERSONS ADDRESSING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ARE ASKED TO LI LIMIT THEIR REMARKS TO THOSE RELEVANT TO THE BUSINESS OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
NO PERSONS IN ATTENDANCE SHALL BE ALLOWED TO VOICE REMARKS EXCEPT AS RECOGNIZED BY THE MAYOR OR THE CLERK OF COUNCIL.
UPON RECOGNITION BY THE MAYOR OR THE CLERK OF COUNCIL, THE SPEAKER SHALL STATE THEIR NAME, ADDRESS, AND INDICATE IF THEY'RE A RESIDENT OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL DIRECT.
THEIR COMMENTS TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL SHALL NOT ADDRESS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF A PUBLIC HEARING BEING HELD DURING THE SAME MEETING.
STAY WITHIN THE ALLOTTED THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT.
AFTER THAT TIME IS EXPIRED, THE MICROPHONE WILL BE CUT OFF.
REFRAIN FROM WORDS OR STATEMENTS WHICH ARE DEFAMATORY TO SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS OR DISPLAY OTHER DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT, INCLUDING OBSCENITY AND VULGARITY GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS IN THE AUDIENCE CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE DETRIMENTAL TO OR DISTURBING.
THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THE MEETING WILL BE WORN TO REFRAIN FROM SUCH CONDUCT ANY ADDITIONAL DISTURBANCE AFTER THE WARNING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND THE MAYOR WILL HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO ASK THE REPRESENTATIVE, WHICH FOR TONIGHT IS THE CHIEF, UH, OF THE FRONT ROW POLICE DEPARTMENT TO REMOVE THE INDIVIDUAL GROUP OR CLEAR THE ROOM SO THAT COUNSEL CAN CONDUCT THE BUSINESS OF THE TOWN.
MRS. PRESLEY, WHO IS OUR FIRST PERSON WHO WISHES TO SPEAK? MICHAEL WILLIAMS. OKAY.
MY NAME IS MICHAEL WILLIAMS. I LIVE AT 1405 JEFFERSON AVENUE HERE IN TOWN.
I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO PLEASE CONSIDER OFFICIALLY NAMING THE AREA AROUND THE GAZEBO AND VISITOR CENTER, THE JOHN MARLOWE MEMORIAL PLAZA.
AS YOU ALL WELL KNOW, JOHN PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS MAYOR OF FRONT ROYAL AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE OLD TRAIN DEPOT BECOMING OUR VISITOR CENTER, AS WELL AS THE GAZEBO, WHICH I CALL THE ROTUNDA.
AND BEING CONSTRUCTED, IT IS NOW THE CENTERPIECE OF OUR TOWN, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
JOHN WAS A TRUE PIONEER IN HELPING MAIN STREET FRONT ROW BECOME THE TOURIST ATTRACTION THAT IT IS TODAY.
AND EVERYTHING THAT JOHN DID, HIS PRIMARY CONCERN AND HIS FREQUENT QUESTION TO HIMSELF WAS, IS IT GOOD FOR FRONT ROYAL? JOHN MARLOW WAS MORE THAN GOOD FOR FRONT ROLL.
THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THIS REQUEST FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL MAN SO THAT HIS LEGACY COULD BE REMEMBERED AND RESPECTED IN PERPETUITY.
THANK YOU, MR. PRE TOM SAYER, MR. SAYER, MADAM MAYOR, TOWN COUNCIL THOMAS SARAH, 8 35 CHAND SHORES ROAD.
I'M JUST HERE TO SPEAK WITHIN THE THREE MINUTES THAT SOMETHING THAT THERE'S
[01:10:01]
GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN LIFE, AND ONE OF WHICH IS I'VE HAD TIME TO REFLECT ON A FEW THINGS IN MY LIFE AND WHICH IS I'M GOING INTO THE THIRD ORDER OF FRANCISCAN, AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ST.AND TODAY I JUST WENT OVER TO A PERSON WHO HAD DIED, ROSALIE UPDYKE AND HER DAUGHTER ANN UPDYKE, WHO IS A GRADUATE OF WARREN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL IN 1977, IS A POOR CLAIRE IN ALEXANDRIA IN THE MONASTERY.
AND SHE'S CURRENTLY MOTHER BY CARIS, WHICH IS SECOND.
SHE USED TO BE MOTHER ABBY THERE.
FRANCIS OF ASSISI, HE PRAYED BEFORE CRUCIFIX AT SAND AMANO AND HE PRAYED THIS PRAYER.
AND THIS IS IN ASI NEAR CC MOST HIGH GLORIOUS GOD, ENLIGHTEN THE DARKNESS OF MY HEART AND GIVE ME TRUE FAITH, CERTAIN HOPE, AND PERFECT CHARITY SENSE IN KNOWLEDGE, LORD, THAT I MAY CARRY OUT YOUR HOLY AND TRUE COMMAND.
AND I'M SURE TO HIS SURPRISE, FRANCIS HEARD JESUS SPEAK TO HIM FROM THE CRUCIFIX IN THESE WORDS, AND I'VE SEEN DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF THESE WORDS ARE FRANCIS, GO AND REBUILD MY CHURCH, WHICH AS YOU CAN SEE IS FALLING DOWN.
AND SO THE REASON I'M BRINGING THIS UP, I SAW KIND OF WAYNE MAY BE ASKING WHAT YOU KNOW IS THAT FRANCIS WAS VERY GOOD, HE IS VERY POPULAR.
HE IS PROBABLY THE MOST PERFECT PERSON THAT I CAN SEE THAT LIVED ON THIS EARTH OTHER THAN JESUS, BLESSED MOTHER, UM, MAYBE ST.
JOHN THE BAPTIST, AND A FEW OTHERS.
BUT HE LIVED A VERY GOOD, A GOOD LIFE.
AND HE WAS VERY GOOD AT DIALOGUE AND HOSPITALITY, GETTING PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER.
ONE TIME HE WENT ACROSS THE ENEMY LINES DURING CRUSADES AND HE SPOKE TO THE HEAD OF THE MUSLIMS AND HE WAS VERY BRAVE AND SPOKE ABOUT CHRISTIANITY TO, TO THE, TO THE HEAD OF THE, I THINK IT WAS CALLED ASSAULTER.
AND HE COULD HAVE BEEN BE JUST KILLED, MARTYRED, RIGHT THEN ON THE SPOT.
BASAL WAS PRETTY IMPRESSED WITH HIS BRAVERY.
AND SO HE HAD A, A LETTER THAT HE WROTE TO ALL THE FAITHFUL BACK IN 1215.
AND I WAS GONNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF THIS WITH YOU, AND WHEN MY TIME COMES UP, I'LL JUST STOP.
BUT MIND YOU, BACK IN 1215, THERE WASN'T A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS.
THERE WAS JUST CATHOLICS AND THERE WAS NON-CATHOLICS, THERE WERE JEWS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, MUSLIMS, BUT THERE, THERE WAS JUST, UH, CATHOLICS AND NON-CATHOLICS.
SO IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER SON, THE HOLY SPIRIT BROTHER FRANCIS, THEIR SERVANT AND SUBJECT SENDS ESTEEM, THEIR REVERENCE, TRUE PEACE FROM HEAVEN AND SEARED LOVE IN THE LORD TO ALL CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS PEOPLE, CLERGY AND LAITY, MEN AND WOMEN.
DID ANYBODY EVER INTERESTED OS ORDER? UM, CONTACT ME AND THANK YOU, MR. SARAH.
JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, PART OF THIS WAS ASKED TO LIMIT THE REMARKS TO THOSE RELEVANT TO THE BUSINESS OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
AND I AM GOING TO GIVE A LOT OF, UM, UH, LEEWAY.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, HIS ABILITY TO WORK AND DIALOGUE AND GETTING PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER, AND I'M GONNA, THAT'S HOW, THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA TAKE FROM YOUR COMMENTS IS THAT THAT'S HOW YOU FELT THAT THIS RELATED TO THE BUSINESS OF FRONT ROW.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK? MS. O'BRIEN? SORRY, I REMEMBER YOUR NAME FROM FLOORS,
I'M FROM, UM, MOUNTAIN FARMS ROAD OUT IN WARREN COUNTY, VIRGINIA.
UM, I JUST WANNA SPEAK REALLY QUICKLY ABOUT THE TOPIC OF PUBLIC COMMENT FOR OF TOWN VERSUS COUNTY.
IF WE MOVE TO WARREN COUNTY, WHICH ISN'T A CRIME
UM, I GUESS MY POINT IS THAT WE LIVE, WORK, UM, OUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL.
SO I HAVE CHILDREN, ALL OF MY CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL IN WARREN COUNTY.
MY ADULT CHILDREN, I'M SORRY, IN THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL, MY ADULT CHILDREN AND MY HUSBAND WORK IN FRONT ROYAL.
HE RENTS A PROPERTY IN FRONT ROYAL, HE PAYS FRONT ROYAL BUSINESS TAXES.
SO, UM, TO SAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE A VOICE AT TOWN COUNCIL, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PICTURE HERE.
BECAUSE WHEN WE SAID THAT I WANNA MOVE TO FRONT ROYAL, I WANNA STAY IN FRONT ROYAL 'CAUSE I ACTUALLY MOVED HERE, BUT BEFORE I WAS AN ADULT.
SO WHEN I SAID I WANNA STAY IN FRONT ROYAL, YOU KNOW, THAT DISTINCTION BETWEEN, WELL, WHAT'S COUNTING WHAT TOWN THAT'S NOT
[01:15:01]
AS APPARENT.BUT REGARDLESS, UM, YOU KNOW, EATING OUT MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK IN TOWN, UM, BUYING GAS IN TOWN, SHOPPING AT STORES IN TOWN, SUPPORTING LOCAL TOWN BUSINESSES, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MOST COUNTY RESIDENTS DO SOME MORE THAN OTHERS.
AND, UM, AGAIN, I I JUST THINK THAT ANYONE LIVING IN THE, IN THE COUNT OF COUNTY OF WARREN, OUR TOWN IS FRONT ROYAL, THERE'S NOT MULTIPLE TOWNS HERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT PERSONALLY DRIVING TO THE CITY.
SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOU ALLOWING US TO SPEAK AT TOWN COUNCIL AND HAVING A VOICE HERE AS WELL.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK? OKAY, WE'RE MOVING ON TO OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UM, AND SO WE'LL START OFF WITH
[9.A. Report of Town Manager]
THE REPORT OF THE TOWN MANAGER.UH, AS WE MOVE INTO FEBRUARY, I'D LIKE TO GIVE THE CITIZENS AN UPDATE, UM, ON OUR FINANCIAL, UH, SITUATION HERE IN TOWN.
RIGHT NOW, THE FINANCIAL SHAPE OF THE GOVERNMENT IS IN GOOD SHAPE WITH TAX PROJECTIONS AND REVENUES RIGHT ON BUDGET TARGET.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT GENERAL FUND BUDGET, UH, AS OF FEBRUARY WAS SEVEN MONTHS INTO OUR PHYSICAL YEAR, WE SHOULD BE ABOUT 58% OF REVENUE.
AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT SALES TAX IS AT 61%, LODGING TAXES AT 65%, AND MEALS TAX IS 61%, WHICH TELLS US THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND SPENDING MONEY.
ALSO WANTED TO JUST KIND OF GIVE A QUICK UPDATE OF OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
OUR ELECTRIC FUND, UH, ELECTRIC SALES ARE SLIGHTLY ABOVE, UH, BUDGET, BUT OUR PURCHASE POWER IS SLIGHTLY BELOW, BUT WE'RE RIGHT ON TARGET RIGHT NOW FOR OUR ELECTORAL, UH, WATER.
WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING A REVENUE REDUCTION IN WATER, UH, OF ABOUT, UH, LESS THAN ABOUT 5%.
UH, BUT WE THINK THAT EXPENSES WILL BALANCE OUT WELL ENOUGH FOR THE YEAR.
UH, SEWER IS NOT AS IN GREAT SHAPE.
IT'S ABOUT FIVE 10% LOWER THAN PROJECTED REVENUES, AND WE POTENTIALLY MAY HAVE A SHORTFALL IN THAT THIS YEAR.
UH, AND THEN THE LAST, UH, SOLID WASTE, UH, WE ARE TRACKING 8% BELOW BUDGET, UH, IN REVENUE.
AND THEN THAT'S WHY WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR A RATE INCREASE, WHICH WE'LL BE DISCUSSING AT BUDGET TIME.
OVERALL, THE TOWN IS IN GREAT SHAPE AS WE MOVE INTO SPRING.
[9.B. Report of Councilmembers]
MEMBERS.UM, HOW ABOUT, I'M GONNA START HERE ON THIS END.
AS I WAS DIGGING FOR MY PHONE, TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT I DID THIS MONTH.
NO, I KNOW I DIDN'T, THE, I DID ATTEND THE, UM, THERE WAS RECENTLY AN ART EXHIBIT AT, UM, MELISSA, IT, SHE'S AND I CONTINUED TO BE REALLY EXCITED AT WHAT I SEE DOWNTOWN, BUT ALSO ALL AROUND TOWN.
AND, UM, I DID WANNA OFFER THOUGH TO FOLKS, UH, THIS IDEA CAME AS I WAS OUT SHOPPING THE OTHER DAY.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF PLACES TO CLEAN UP AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT BUILDINGS, I'M TALKING ABOUT JUST IN GENERAL.
THERE'S JUST A LOT OF TRASH AND LITTER AROUND.
UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN IT GETS WARMER FOR THE ANTI LITTER COUNCIL TO BE OUT, BUT IF WE COULD ALL JUST DO OUR OWN PART TO REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE TRASH RECEPTACLES OUT THERE, AND I'M REALLY NOT THAT BIG OF AN ENVIRONMENTALIST, BUT I DO THINK, I DO TRULY BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE SEE EVERY DAY IS HOW WE ALSO FEEL ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE DON'T WANNA BE LIVING AMONGST TRASH.
SO, YOU KNOW, DO YOUR PART, CLEAN UP WHAT YOU CAN, UM, AND GET INVOLVED WITH A GROUP WHO DOES A LITTLE CLEANUP THIS SPRING.
DID YOU MR. VICE LOT? SORRY, MR. OTHER, UM, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO I BEING INVOLVED, BUT, UH, OH, SORRY.
UM, I JUST WANNA SAY I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF PARTICIPATE AND SEE ALONG WITH THE GENTLEMAN FROM ROYAL EXAMINER, UH, WE OBSERVED THE, UH, THE FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA, UH, WITH THEIR, I THINK IT'S THEIR FIRST ONE, WASN'T IT? YES, IT WAS WITH THEIR FIRST TRACTOR RIDE FROM THE LIVESTOCK MARKET INTO THIS COL LAND HOSPITAL.
UH, SHERIFF'S OFFICE DID A WONDERFUL JOB, UH, GETTING 'EM IN IT, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE, THAT WE'RE STILL GONNA HAVE YOUNG FARMERS AROUND, BUT THAT WAS REALLY, IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THAT.
I WAS LIKE 10 OR 12, MAYBE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, ROUGHLY, UM, OF, AND THEY WERE ALL, OF COURSE, THEY HAD TO BE HIGH SCHOOLS TO ONLY THE LOCAL FFF, THE LOCAL F FFA.
AND I THINK IT WAS REALLY, REALLY GREAT TO SEE THAT THEY, I THINK THEY'RE DO IT IF, IF YOU, IT'S ON FACEBOOK WHEN THEY DO IT.
YOU REALLY NEED TO, IF YOU CAN GET THE OPPORTUNITY JUST TO GO WATCH THOSE YOUNG GUYS AND WHAT WAS A COUPLE GIRLS GO BY ON THEIR TRACTORS.
THEY'RE REALLY PROUD OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
[01:20:01]
MS. BORIS, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING? I HAVE NOTHING TO REPORT OTHER THAN I CONTINUE TO LOVE FRONT ROYAL, AND I'M HUMBLED AND PROUD TO SERVE THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL MR. INGRAM.AND I JUST WANNA SAY BEFORE YOU SPEAK THAT MR. INGRAM'S FATHER IS VISITING US TONIGHT.
I'M SO GLAD HE'S HERE WITH US.
GO AHEAD, MR. COUNCILMAN INGRAM.
YEAH, THIS IS, UH, HIS FIRST, UH, TIME SEEING ME IN ACTION, SO TO SPEAK.
UM, NO, I, I HAVE NOTHING TO ADD AS FAR AS REPORTS.
UH, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HATS OFF TO OUR, UH, TO ROBBIE AND CARRIE'S TEAM.
I KNOW, UH, THIS PAST, UH, COUPLE MONTHS THERE, THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME WATER LINES BREAK, SOME POWER OUTAGES HERE AND THERE.
AND, UH, AGAIN, HATS OFF TO THOSE GUYS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN JOHNNY ON THE SPOT EVERY TIME WE'RE GETTING THESE, UH, ISSUES TAKEN CARE OF AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO, JOE, UH, HATS OFF TO THOSE GUYS.
COUNCILMAN RAPPAPORT? YEAH, I HAVE A FEW THINGS.
MAYOR MADAM MAYOR, LET'S HEAR IF I MAY, LET'S HEAR.
UH, THIS WAS, UH, THE ATTENDING ARTIST WAS, UH, DAG MARA WEINBERG.
AND SHE WAS DOING A FOLDED UNIVERSE EXHIBITION, OF WHICH IT WAS FOR NATURE, UM, PHOTOGRAPHIC, UH, SOME OF THE PRICES ARE A LITTLE BIT OUTTA MY RANGE, BUT I GOT COASTERS
THEY WERE, THEY WERE WITHIN MY RANGE.
UH, AND, UH, I, I ENCOURAGE, UH, OUR RESIDENTS, UH, TO MAYBE, UH, TAKE IT IN ON MAYBE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.
I THINK IT'S 11:00 AM TO FIVE IS WHEN SHE'S OPEN.
AND, UH, GO IN THERE AND SEE SOME YING AND YANG.
SO, UM, YOU DIDN'T KNOW I WAS AN ART.
I, I JUST WAS GONNA, I, I CAN SAY IT DURING MINE, BUT IT, SHE, IT'S AS YOU SAID, NATURE.
SO SHE HAS LIKE CHERRY TREE PICTURES, RIGHT? LITERALLY.
UM, THERE'S A, A PORTRAIT OF A LEAF ON SKYLINE DRIVE THAT SHE TOOK.
AND THEN, AND WHAT SHE DOES IS SHE TAKES, AND THEN SHE COPIES IT.
AND THEN THERE WAS ALSO, UM, FROM A FIRE, LIKE, LIKE, UH, LIKE THE EMBERS FROM A FIRE.
AND THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS TREE BARK.
ANYWAY, IT MAY SOUND, IT MAY SOUND VERY PLAIN, BUT THEY WERE PRETTY PRETTY, IT WAS REALLY COOL TO LOOK AT.
IT'S ALL IN THE EYES OF THE HOLE.
SHE HAS SEA, SEA SHELLS AS WELL.
SO, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE OPEN THROUGH APRIL 6TH.
UH, SO YOU HAVE TIME TO TAKE IT IN IF YOU'D LIKE TO.
UH, I ATTENDED THE, UH, THE, THE RETREAT THAT WE DID FOR AS A COUNCIL, AND I THINK WE MADE SOME HEADWAY THERE AND, AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE MORE GOING FORWARD.
UH, THE OTHER THING IS I'M GLAD THAT, THAT, UH, MR. WILLIAMS, UH, BROUGHT UP, UH, THE JOHN MARLOW, UH, SUGGESTION.
UH, YOU KNOW, JOHN, WHEN I THINK OF JOHN, THE BEING THE PHILANTHROPIC, UH, PERSON, THAT HE WAS A VISIONARY AND COMMUNITY LEADER AND DID MY EYES A BEACON OF LIGHT FOR THE COMMUNITY, I, UH, WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THAT IDEA.
UH, AND THE LAST THING I'D LIKE TO THROW OUT IS, UH, AS WE MOVE INTO SPRING, UH, AND THIS'LL BE SOMETHING THAT, UH, CHIEF WILL, UH, LIKE TO HEAR, I WANT EVERYONE OUT THERE TO BE CONSCIOUS OF AGGRESSIVE DRIVING.
UH, IT'S REALLY GONNA START PICKING UP AGAIN AND KEEP YOUR, KEEP YOUR COOL, UH, DON'T TRY TO COMPETE WITH THE PERSON BECAUSE, UH, IT ALWAYS DOES, IT DOESN'T END WELL.
UH, IT REALLY DOES NOT END WELL.
SO, UH, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT.
AND ANOTHER COMEDY HOUR WAS, THANK YOU,
UM, SO NEXT UP IS THE REPORT OF THE MAYOR, BUT BEFORE I DO, UH, START, I, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY WITH CHIEF, JUST 'CAUSE THIS IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS TO KNOW THIS.
WE ARE STILL IN THE WARNING PERIOD FOR THE, UM, UH, SPEED CAMERAS IN
[01:25:01]
THE SCHOOL ZONES.WHAT IS THE ACTUAL DATE WHERE WE WILL NO LONGER BE IN THE WARNING
I'M LIKE, YOU KNOW, SO IS IT MARCH, MARCH 18TH, 18, MONDAY, MARCH 18TH, MONDAY, MARCH 18TH, AND, AND STARTING MONDAY, MARCH 18TH.
IF YOU ARE GOING 10 OR MORE MILES PER HOUR IN THE FOUR SPEED, THE FOUR SCHOOL ZONES THAT ARE, UM, WHERE THERE ARE SPEED CAMERAS, YOU MAY VERY WELL GET A LETTER IN THE MAIL WITH A $100 CIVIL PENALTY, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
ONLY DURING THE HOURS OF DISMISSAL AND ROBBERY.
AND I'M, I'M SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE CLARIFIED THAT.
'CAUSE THERE IS LOTS OF CONFUSION ABOUT THAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT IT'S NOT ALL DAY LONG.
IT'S DURING, UH, ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TIMES AND NOT WHEN THERE IS NOT ON THE WEEKENDS, NOT ON WEEKEND, AND NOT EVEN IF THERE'S A SPORTING EVENT.
AND THEY'RE GONNA HAVE FLASHING LIGHTS, RIGHT? BE LIGHTS WILL BE FLASHING DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, CORRECT? YES.
AND VICE, I CAN SAY, CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DID ON THESE CAMERAS, BUT, UM, I PICK UP A GRANDSON AT SKYLINE MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND I PARK OUT ON THE STREET UP THERE, AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM WHEN THE, JUST THE, THE SIGNS WENT UP WITH THE LED LIGHTS FOR YOUR SPEED, PEOPLE HAVE REALLY SLOWED DOWN ALREADY.
SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A GREAT THING.
I I, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE OTHERS, BUT I KNOW AT THAT'S AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ON LURAY AVENUE, THEY WOULD FLY UP AND DOWN THE STREET AND THEY'RE REALLY SLOWING DOWN NOW.
COUNCIL WOODS SAID IT IS HAVING THE SAME EFFECT AT AS ROADS.
SO I SPOKE WITH THE CROSSING GUARD ON ROAD TODAY AS I WAS GOING THROUGH, AND SHE HAD NOTICED, UH, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN, IN THE SPEED OF THE, OF THE, UH, UH, TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD THERE.
AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THAT REALLY IS, THAT IS, THAT IS OUR INTENT.
UM, AND THAT IS OUR PURPOSE, IS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE DRIVE SAFELY IN OUR SCHOOL ZONES.
[9.C. Report of the Mayor]
OF THE MAYOR.JANUARY 29TH AND 30TH, WE HELD OUR COUNCIL RETREAT AND WE SPENT TWO EVENINGS TOGETHER WITH FACILITATOR DR. MIKE CHANDLER, WORKING THROUGH WHAT WE BELIEVE OUR MISSION, VISION, AND CORE VALUES ARE FOR THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
WE ALSO DISCUSSED INITIATIVES AND GOALS.
OUR NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC GOALS FOR THE TOWN THROUGH 2026.
WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION, IF NOT BY THE NEXT REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, THEN FOR CERTAIN, BY THE APRIL MEETING, FEBRUARY 2ND, I, ALONG WITH COUNCILMAN RAPPAPORT, ATTENDED THE RUBEN CUTTING FOR LLOYD LEMON AND HALE, WHO HAVE LOCATED IN A, WE MANY REMEMBERS THE GARRISON HOUSE ON CHESTER STREET.
UH, THAT BUILDING HAS SUCH UNIQUE CHARACTER, AND I JUST WANNA WELCOME THIS LAW PRACTICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
FEBRUARY 10TH, I ALSO ATTENDED, UM, THE ART EXHIBIT.
AND MELISSA, IT'S, UH, ARTS, UM, IT'S A GALLERY.
UM, MELISSA HAD ACTUALLY INVITED, UH, A CLASSMATE OF HERS FROM CORCORAN.
UH, THEY BOTH ATTENDED, UH, COLLEGE AT CORCORAN.
AND, UM, THIS WAS A FELLOW CLASSMATE OF HERS, THIS EXHIBIT THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, ABOUT, UM, ABOUT NATURE.
SO ENCOURAGE YOU TO, UH, TO STOP BY THERE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO OTHER EXHIBITS.
I THINK THAT, UM, I DISCUSSED WITH HER HUSBAND, DOUG, THAT THEY MAY BE DOING LIKE LOCAL ARTISTS AND, AND, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO SHOWCASE THEIR TALENTS.
F FEBRUARY 18TH, UM, I HAD THE PLEASURE TO WELCOME SOME CHERISH FRIENDS BACK TO FRONT ROYAL.
MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS THAT WERE ALSO OUR NEIGHBORS GROWING UP.
THE HISSING MOVED AWAY YEARS AGO, AND NOW THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT STATES.
BUT THAT SUNDAY, MARY AND HER HUSBAND MIKE, ALONG WITH ROB'S WIFE, LYNN, AND HIS AMAZING DAUGHTER, KATIE, JOINED ME FOR DINNER AT BARA.
KATIE AND LYNN, WHO LIVE IN RENO, WERE ON THE EAST COAST, REPRESENTING THE NORTHERN NEVADA CHILDREN'S CANCER FOUNDATION IN DC WHERE KATIE WAS SPEAKING TO AS MANY CONGRESSMEN AS POSSIBLE, SEEKING MORE FUNDING FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER RESEARCH.
KATIE, WHO HAS BA BATTLED EWING SARCOMA FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAS HAD, AND SHE CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW MANY, BUT I WILL JUST SAY TOO MANY ROUNDS OF CHEMO AND RADIATION.
BUT SHE RECENTLY HAD A STEM CELL TRANSPLANT AND IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE OUTCOME.
KATIE HAS MADE IT A GOAL TO VISIT AS MANY NATIONAL PARKS AS POSSIBLE.
AND, UH, SHE WANTED TO, WHILE ON THE EAST COAST, COME TO FRONT ROYAL TO VISIT HER GRANDMOTHER'S GRAVE, BUT ALSO TO GO TO THE SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK.
AND AS OF, AND I WAS VERY CONCERNED, UH, ON SATURDAY I WAS AT THE VISITOR CENTER AND FOUND OUT THE PARK
[01:30:01]
WAS ACTUALLY CLOSED.THE ONLY WAY TO VISIT WAS TO GO DOWN TO GREAT MEADOWS.
AND, UM, HER MOTHER MADE SURE SHE GOT TO DO THAT.
SO AS OF THAT, SUNDAY AFTER VISITING SHINDO NATIONAL PARK, UM, SHE HAD VISITED 19 NATIONAL PARKS.
UM, SHE HAS THIS, UH, WATER BOTTLE WITH THE STICKERS OF THE DIFFERENT PARKS.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT HER ZEST AND ENTHUSIASM FOR LIFE IS REALLY CONTAGIOUS.
AND I'M SO GLAD I GOT TO SPEND THE EVENING WITH HER AND HER FAMILY.
SHE THOUGHT THIS AREA WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND WANTS TO COME BACK.
AND PLEASE KEEP KATIE AND HER FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS.
FEBRUARY 21ST, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SPEAKING TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF WARREN COUNTY, OF WHICH COUNCILMAN WOOD IS A MEMBER.
AND ACTUALLY, UH, MR. WILLIAMS, WHO WAS HERE EARLIER TONIGHT, AS, AS THE PRESIDENT OF THAT CHAPTER, PREPARE, PREPARING FOR THAT EVENT, ALLOWED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY REVIEW ALL THAT THE TOWN HAS ACCOMPLISHED OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND THINK ABOUT WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON.
UM, AND THAT, THAT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING AND IT WAS ENLIGHTENING TO MEMBERS OF, UM, THAT CLUB.
UH, WHILE I WAS THERE, I GOT TO HEAR ABOUT SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT THE CLUB DOES TO TRULY SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY LIKE THOSE IN ROTARY, WHO WANT TO SERVE AND MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
FEBRUARY ALSO BROUGHT SOME CELEBRATIONS AND A GOODBYE.
THIS PAST MONTH, I ATTENDED TWO MILESTONE BIRTHDAYS FOR CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
LORRAINE WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE, BUT THEN MOVED AWAY.
SHE RETURNED TO THIS COMMUNITY IN HER LATER YEARS AND HAS BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED EVER SINCE, DONATING HER TIME, TALENTS, AND MONEY TO SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS AND PROJECTS.
I'M NOT REALLY, IF, IF, IF YOU WOULD'VE HEARD ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT GOT UP AND SPOKE AT HER BIRTHDAY.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW SHE HAS TIME TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT SHE DOES, BUT SHE STAYS ACTIVE.
BUT SO MUCH OF IT IS ABOUT GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
ALSO ATTENDED DEWEY VAUGHN'S 60TH BIRTHDAY THIS PAST WEEKEND.
DEWEY IS A WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN AND HISTORIAN AND OUR COMMUNITY.
AND HE ALSO SERVES ON THE TOWN'S BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW, AND HE IS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN BY HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY AS THE KING.
SO, UM, I ALSO SADLY ATTENDED THE FUNERAL FOR FORMER MAYOR JOHN MARLOWE.
MR. MARLOWE WAS A TRUE STATESMAN SERVING THE TOWN AND COUNTY AND ELECTED OFFICE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, ON SO MANY DIFFERENT COMMITTEES AND BOARDS, ALL OF WHICH WERE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING LIFE IN THIS COMMUNITY, SUCH AS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, HIS CHURCH, OR EVEN SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY, THE NAME OF JUST A FEW.
I COULD SIT HERE AND DISCUSS SO MANY OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS, BUT ONE THAT HAS MADE AND WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION IS HIS REVIT REVITALIZATION OF THE TOWN'S MAIN STREET, WHICH ALSO INCLUDED THE GAZEBO.
THE GAZEBO HAS AND CONTINUES TO BE A GATHERING SPOT AND IS A VISUAL ASSOCIATED BY SO MANY WITH OUR LITTLE TOWN.
THANK YOU, MR. MARLOW, FOR GIVING OF YOURSELF YOUR WISDOM AND PASSION FOR THIS TOWN.
I WANNA POINT OUT THAT ALL THREE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, LORRAINE DEWEY, AND MR. MARLOWE, HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH MANY OF US THAT ARE SITTING UP HERE ON THIS DICE.
AND THAT IS THAT WE ALL LOVE THIS TOWN, AND THAT'S ALL.
[10. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER 10, WHICH IS THE CONSENT AGENDA.DO I HEAR A MOTION, MAYOR? SECOND.
IS THERE ANY, UH, DISCUSSION? NO.
I, I DID WANT TO JUST MENTION ONE, UH, ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, JUST 'CAUSE IT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY THAT IN THE CONSENT AGENDA TONIGHT, COUNSEL, UH, WILL BE TAKING ACTION TO RECOMMEND TO THE JUDGE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT THAT LOUIS ALLEN DID.
WAS IT LEWIS? IT WAS LOUIS, NOT LOUIS.
REMEMBER WE ASKED THIS CONVERSATION? MM-HMM.
I KNEW THERE, I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING HAVING TO DO WITH YOUR NAME, BUT ALAN NEAL, UM, FOR THE APPOINTMENT TO THE, TO THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS, AND THAT'S GONNA BE AN UNEXPIRED TERM ENDING AUGUST 31ST, 2025.
SO WE'LL HAVE YOU FOR A WHILE THERE.
SO I DID JUST WANNA POINT OUT, I KNOW I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES BEFORE, BUT WE COULD NOT DO THE BUSINESS OF THE TOWN WITHOUT OUR CITIZENS VOLUNTEERING TO BE ON OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE OPENINGS.
FEEL FREE TO CHECK THE DOWN WEBSITE IF YOU WANNA GET INVOLVED.
SO WE HAVE A, A, A MOTION A SECOND.
NO DISCUSSION OTHER THAN MINE.
ARE WE READY FOR ROLL CALL? MM-HMM.
[01:35:01]
WOOD? YES.SO OUR CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS ARE ALL PASSED.
THERE IS NO BUSINESS ITEMS TONIGHT ON THE AGENDA.
AND SO THAT LEADS US TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER
[12. CLOSED MEETING]
12, WHICH IS OUR CLOSED MEETING.DO I HEAR A MOTION, MADAM MAYOR? I MOVE THAT TOWN COUNCIL CONVENE A CLOSED MEETING PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.2 DASH 37 11 AND 2.2 DASH 37 12, THE CODE OF VIRGINIA FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES, ONE, PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.2 DASH 37 11 A EIGHT, THE CODE OF VIRGINIA FOR A CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EMPLOYED OR RETAINED BY A PUBLIC BODY REGARDING SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS REQUIRING THE PROVISION OF LEGAL ADVICE BY SUCH COUNSEL.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, A FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS TO THE FRONT ROW OF WARREN COUNTY, EDA, AND B, THE VACATION OF A PORTION OF NORTH ROYAL AVENUE AND UNIMPROVED ALLEYWAY BETWEEN NORTH ROYAL AVENUE AND VIRGINIA AVENUE.
AND TWO, PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.2 37 11, A SEVEN OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND BRIEFING BY STAFF MEMBERS OR CONSULTANTS PERTAINING TO ACTUAL OR PROBABLE LITIGATION OR SUCH CON CONSULTATION OR BRIEFING AND THE OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE NEGOTIATING OR LITIGATING POSTURE OF THE PUBLIC BODY.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL VERSUS FRONT, ROYAL WARREN COUNTY, EDA, AND FRONT ROYAL WARREN COUNTY, EDA VERSUS TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
AND THREE, PURSUANT TO TWO DASH TWO TWO DASH 37 11 A.
ONE OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA FOR THE DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION, ASSIGNMENT, APPOINTMENT, PROMOT PERFORMANCE DEMO, DEMOTIONS, SALARIES, DISCIPLINING, OR RESIGNATION OF SPECIFIC PUBLIC OFFICERS, APPOINTEES OR EMPLOYEES OF ANY PUBLIC BODY.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE TOWN ATTORNEY.
DO WE NEED A ROLL CALL? VICE MAYOR SEA? YES.
COUNCILMAN DE MONICA PAYNE? YES.
SO WE ARE MOVING INTO CLOSE, UM, AND I DO NOT ANTICIPATE COMING OUT WITH ANY ACTION, SO, YES.