Park Rally tonight at 6:30 pm at Stafford Government Center.
Rally article link.
https://www.potomaclocal.com/2024/11/19/residents-rally-to-support-recreation-and-new-traffic-plans/
The article could use corrections.
The 113 residential units in Celebrate are approved to go in another section. I'm not disputing that.
In 1999 Celebrate Virginia was rezoned for a Recreational Business Campus. Three golf courses and to build hi-tech office building was promised. 55% of the 1170 acres was designated by ordinance as open space for recreational use. After 25 years there is no public recreation or businesses on the 1170, only residential and a training building on 10 acres rented by the Federal government.
In 2003 Silver proffered by Stafford ordinance not to build residential on the golf course land.
The golf course was closed in 2018, about one month before a residential rezoning application was submitted. Testimony at the public hearing stated that the golf course was making a profit before it closed.
The Planning commission unanimously voted the residential rezoning application of the golf course down in July 2019. No other official act at Celebrate Virginia was approved in the public eye after the Planning Commision vote.
Staff doesn't have the authority to rezone land, but the Board of Supervisors do only after Public Notifications and Public Hearings and proffers to mitigate the impacts.
Silver alleges that he can build on the open space designated golf course by-right, without public notification, public hearings or proffers to mitigate the impact of the residential rezoning. He wants the residential rezoning approved out of the public eye.
Ordinance O15-03 says Preliminary Concept Plans for the Celebrate Virginia RBC District must be approved by the Planning Commission.
"Ordinance O15-03 Preliminary concept plan. A basic sketch or plan that depicts zones or pods of individual land use types, general street location, open space areas, pedestrian access, and generalized stormwater management approaches for proposed development, together with a traffic impact study, submitted to the county and approved by the planning commission prior to the issuance of a building permit within the RBC zoning district. Engineering or construction drawings may be submitted, but are not required as part of a preliminary concept plan."
Clarifying the assessments on the golf course. I want to bring your attention to the Open Space designation of the Golf Course on the County Tax records. Picture attached. Unfortunately, the picture of the assessment is cut off or you could see the open space designation at the bottom. Email me at jsbrito@aol.com if you want to see it.
1,170 acres at Celebrate Virginia was rezoned in 1999 to "Recreational Business Campus" (RBC).
The RBC ordinance requires 55% of the land to remain as open space for recreational use according to the RBC ordinance.
The 193 Golf Course is designated as open space as you can see on the circled area on the left bottom of the assessment records. Cut off on picture.
In 2010 the Silver Company challenged the $9.9 M Golf Course Assessment on grounds that the land was designated as Open Space and couldn't be built on. The assessment was lowered to $2.7 M and today it's assessed at $1.7 M. The taxes paid on the parcel have been reduced by about $1,000,000 over 14 years based on the Open Space designation.
Staff doesn't have the authority to change the Open Space designation and the RBC Ordinance. The Board of Supervisors is the only one that has that authority, but only after Public Notifications, Public Hearings and Proffers to mitigate the Impacts.
There are many other grounds why the By-right application to develop the land should be rejected.
Approving development plans on the Golf Course without Public Notifications, Public Hearings and Proffers would be a violation of the Public Trust!
Sincerely,
Joe Brito