THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603190093
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: PUBLIC LIFE
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Jerry Porterfield, representing Daco Land Company, painted a pretty picture to the Planning Commission last week of yet another upscale subdivision on winding Battery Park Road.
Porterfield said his company's vision of a 275-home residential neighborhood comes complete with lakes and green space, large lots and homes in the $130,000-$150,000 range.
But nearby residents, who have watched the road grow from a county lane leading to the quiet fishing village of Battery Park to a major commuter route used as a shortcut from Smithfield to U.S. Route 17, said that another subdivision on the two-lane road would do nothing but increase traffic, accidents and confusion about utilities service.
``Down that road, it's congestion already,'' Clarence Batten said. ``I want more information on what it's going to be like. Cars come through there as fast as they like. We've had two fatal accidents in the last few months.''
Henry Bell, who owns property just across the road from the 134-acre site now owned by Union Camp Corp., agreed.
``I believe in keeping trees,'' Bell said. ``The land in there is so low you'd have to haul dirt in to put houses up. I can't get out there now early in the morning with people going to the shipyard. It's already as hazardous as it can be.''
Commission members agreed that studying the situation more before granting rezoning on the property along the road already beginning to be paved by residential growth was the best idea. The commission voted unanimously to table a decision until April, when the potential developer has promised to come back with more information.
In the past several years, what once was farmland along the road has developed into Gatling Pointe, Gatling Pointe South and, more recently, Moone Plantation.
Commissioners also agreed with Steve Lee, who represents other residents who live near the proposed subdivision. Lee said residents on Battery Park Road need to be able to take advantage of the Hampton Roads Sanitation District line due to come on line in Smithfield by late spring.
Lee asked the commissioners to consider requiring any new developers to construct a pump station large enough to accommodate existing residences now served by septic tanks.
Planning Commission member Lawrence Pitt said that the county needs to adopt guidelines for connection to the sewer line.
``This is something I've harped on long and hard, and it's time for the county to act,'' Pitt said. ``How can we tell anybody what to do when we don't even know ourselves?''
In other business last week, the commission:
Tabled until April the application of Sallie G. Benedetti and the Howard H. Gwaltney Jr. Estate for a change in zoning classification from agricultural limited to conditional business general 17.5 acres of land located on U.S. Route 10 near the Smithfield Shopping Center.
Approved an application for a change in zoning from conditional industrial limited to conditional industrial general by the Isle of Wight County Industrial Park, located on U.S. Route 10 in the Newport District, for a steel fabricating facility.
William Riddick, the attorney representing the company that will expand its facilities from Newport News, said that Richmond Steel specializes in welding, painting and shaping large pieces of steel for use in construction.
``It is a very clean operation with very limited use of water,'' Riddick said.
The company plans to bring about 15 employees from its existing Peninsula location and hopes to expand in the future. by CNB