The big news out of Virginia today is the primary election of Creigh Deeds (and defeat of Terry McAuliffe!) for the Democratic primary for governor. I'm thrilled (mostly because T-Mac lost) but even that thought can't console my disappointment about an even more important vote that was lost tonight. Our county Board of Supervisors voted to ignore the recommendation of their own planning commission against putting a truck stop next to our largest elementary school. More after the fold.
I live in Washington County, VA. It's one of the more populous counties in this rural area of Virginia (50,000 or so residents). Cutting right through the heart of the county is Interstate 81, which runs up the Great Valley, forming the backbone of the state.
In the eastern part of the county is the small unincorporated community of Meadowview (exit 24). It's just like it sounds, beautiful rolling hills set between the Appalachian plateau and the Blue Ridge. Meadowview isn't unknown by any means. If you read the bestseller, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, you've already been introduced to the community. It's also the home of the American Chestnut Foundation's research station where world-class research is being done to breed a blight-resistant version of the American Chestnut for reintroduction to its native range.
But this area of southwest Virginia is in need of jobs and the county is in need of tax revenue. And a nine acre parcel of land adjacent to the interstate has been offered for sale for some time without a buyer. Until about three years ago when Love's Truck Stops (based in Oklahoma City) offered to buy it to develop one of their businesses to cater to the significant truck traffic on I-81.
Love's offer of development is to service 1500 vehicles a day with fuel, a Subway, and a McDonalds. They promise real estate and sales tax revenues of $100K and 30 or so jobs. So what's the problem?
It just so happens that the proposed site is located 1000 feet from the biggest elementary school in the county.
Concerned parents and local businesses began taking names on a petition against a truck stop at that location over a year ago. It's now over 800 signatures. Local residents organized to oppose the rezoning that would be required for a commercial development of this magnitude. The school board voted unanimously to recommend against placement of the truck stop by the school. The planning commission also voted the same way. Tonight was the big night, the final battle before the Board of Supervisors. All the organizing that had been done led up to tonight.
We filled the room with supporters. Forty people spoke in opposition (twenty in favor). We cited studies. We had pediatricians and academics. Concerned parents of asthmatic children made impassioned pleas. One group had even put up a weather monitoring station to chart the wind direction of diesel fumes blowing from the truck stop to the school.
And we lost.
Or at least we didn't win. The board actually voted down a motion to accept the planning commission's recommendation to reject the truck stop at that location outright. Then they voted, not for approval, but to delay a decision for another month until they could review an environmental impact study. Sounds good right? Except that the study was done by Love's and will not take into account the concerns of diesel air pollution voiced by the parents at tonight's meeting. It's a greenwash just waiting to happen.
I'm posting this after the meeting, which lasted about six hours, so I'm not only disappointed but tired as well. Tomorrow means getting up and trying to decide how to move forward. Whether to go forward with a legal challenge (we have a strong precedent) that will be costly and last months, maybe years. My bigger frustration is living in a community where you can do everything right, have the facts on your side, organize a strong opposition, and still be defeated by incumbent good-ol'-boys. My own supervisor never asked one question or made a comment. He just voted in favor of the truck stop. I love it here and want to stay but I need to believe that things will one day get better. If you can't win with the logic and the numbers on your side, when can you win?