Landowners protest zoning action
Supervisors call for 90-day study period

The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to send the zoning issue back to the Planning Commission at its meeting Monday night. The action followed defeat of a motion to adopt the recommended rezoning plan and time-release method of lot division.  Mack Smith and Carroll Comstock voted to support the motion, Monty Fix and Harvey Hotinger voted against it, and Maynard Reynolds abstained. 

Citizens wearing red bandanas filled the County Administration building court room in a last-minute show of solidarity against the recommended rezoning and land-use ordinances. Group spokesman, John Bare, said people had concerns about the plan.  "We took some papers around, made people aware of it," said Bare.  "And of the 24 signatures I’ve got, 17 of the people didn’t understand the mailing they got, or what was being voted on this evening.”

Others wanted action and expressed disappointment in the Board. "I think it's grossly unfair to kick this back to the Planning Commission," said Marilyn Shaner Buerkens. "They've already done their work," she said. 

Jim Tichenor, who served on the original Land Use Committee, said there's not much that can happen in 90 days.  "We've already studied this for about eight years," said Tichenor.  "This, by the way, to me, is the most important thing to happen to Rockbridge County, the most important vote, since the Civil War."

Watch video of citizens commenting on the vote

Rockbridge rezoning hearing draws hundreds of seniors
Overall mood cooperative, at times contentious

More than 400 people came out to learn about and comment on the proposed Rockbridge County rezoning map and zoning ordinance amendments. Concerns about overdevelopment, maintaining farmers' rights over their land, and the process of planning for the county's future echoed through the Rockbridge County High School auditorium during the three-hour meeting July 31, 2007.

Video:  Watch citizens' comments
Audio:  Listen to supervisors' reactions
Official rezoning summary

Land use in Rockbridge focus of interview

Local columnist David Reynolds tackles the Rockbridge County rezoning issue in this interview with Alexia Smith, co-president of the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council, RACC. Watch Reynolds on Cable Channel 18 beginning September 10.  His new interview program, "Seniors Sounding Off," will air Mondays at 3 p.m.

Audio:  Listen to "Seniors Sounding Off." Alexia Smith of RACC discusses land use with David Reynolds (total time:  36 minutes).

Research rezoning on the Rockbridge County Web site

See the proposed zoning map