HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – There was standing room only at the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday.
There was a long list of items to address, but one item in particular, drew the crowd.
An application from Gas City, LLC to create a travel center in Mauzy, off Exit 257 was discussed.
Jeff Robb with Lee & Associates argued that adding this travel center would help take better care of truckers passing through the Valley, while also tackling the need for parking in the area.
“The Staunton district is 143 miles long,” Robb said. “In those 143 miles, we’re short 653 parking spots and that will grow almost 3 times by the year 2045 to almost 1,900 spaces.”
Robb also mentioned that illegally parked trucks face fines of around $200, forcing truckers to park on the shoulders of the interstate to rest, which poses potential safety threats for those driving.
“[Travel centers] give truckers a place to rest and eat a meal before heading back on the road,” he said.
Robb argued that the addition would bring jobs to the town, as well as revenue from people passing through.
“It just helps to serve truckers and people passing through with what they need,” he said.
No one in the audience spoke out in approval of the proposal, but many spoke against it. 35 people were signed up to share their perspectives or the thoughts of those who could not attend.
Drawing major concern from several Mauzy residents, was a lack of public water.
One shared how the overuse of water could directly impact her livelihood and her property.
”My biggest fear is that we will lose our well and if we do, we have no way to get water to our property,” she said. “Our property will be completely worthless. We’ve put our lives into that property to make it our retirement home.”
Others were concerned that the travel center would destroy the beauty and the farm land that the town’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan vowed to preserve.
“All of our drinking water is sourced from underground aquaphors in the immediate vicinity. That’s how we live there. The beauty of the farmland around our homes is why we live there,” she expressed.
Other concerns brought to attention were safety, traffic, and pollution in the air and in Smith’s Creek.
WHSV has not received official word on how the board plans to proceed with this item.
Other actions were taken at the meeting as well.
The board approved an amendment to the Rockingham County Code to enable the use of land for industrial purposes. The motion passed 4-1. Chairman Dewey Ritchie stood alone in opposition.
A motion to rezone land for the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Department received unanimous approval.
The board also approved a motion to rezone land to the west of Bear Crossing, and south of Spotswood Trail. The plan is to build townhomes there to match the east side of Bear Crossing.
Supervisors voted in favor of rezoning land in Linville for a machinery and equipment Center.
The board decided to table an item that would give more land to Amy Sheppard with the Paws of Hope, a dog daycare and boarding facility. They said the ordinances on dog breeding need to be sorted out first.
WHSV has also not received official word on the American Rescue Plan Funds for next year’s budget decision.
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