Town limits

From staff reports
Published: June 5, 2008

After four years of ongoing discussions, Town of Gordonsville plans to take in areas adjoining the town are slowly edging closer to becoming reality.
The town is seeking a boundary adjustment, which is an agreement between a county and a municipality, not an annexation, which is a process of filing suits between localities.
The town wants to adjust 264 parcels of land, or approximately 741 acres. Gordonsville currently takes up about one square mile and has an estimated population of 1,500.
Town officials had hoped to receive approval from the county by December 2008, but continuing negotiations make that date seem unlikely.
Boundary adjustment benefits to the town would include added personal property, real estate and meals tax revenue.
Meals tax revenue from Inwood Restaurant on Route 15 alone would be a big boost to the town’s economy.
Potential benefits to residents would include the expansion of town services such as regular police patrols, trash collection and a voice in the community.
Residents outside town boundaries who are on the town’s water system currently pay more for water. Their rates would come down to match town resident rates.
Gordonsville’s town manager Sabrina “Sam” Martyn said most of the land in question has been developed or is in the development process.
Martyn also pointed out the town has very little land available for growth within current town limits.
The town is awaiting response from the County of Orange on several technical and legal points, according to mayor Bob Coiner.
At the May 27 board of supervisors meeting, the board asked county administrator Bill Rolfe to relay several points of discussion to the Gordonsville Town Council.
The points include leaving Browntown Road out of the boundary adjustment plans altogether, keeping certain property from a zoning change from agricultural to high-density residential and some guarantee that the county would get some proffer dollars when and if rezoning was on the table.
“I think all rezoning in the boundary adjustment area would be left in the county’s jurisdiction. With that our planning department could be used by the Town of Gordonsville. To protect the citizens of the county and the town, the zoning should be left with us,” District 4 Supervisor Teri Pace said.
“I don’t think that’s unacceptable to the town,” said District 1 Supervisor and board chairman Mark Johnson.
“We have a lot a lot of land we have rezoned there with some sizeable proffers outstanding. For those we want to make sure the town can’t alter that agreement,” said District 2 Supervisor Zack Burkett.
Martyn said the town council is still awaiting word from the county on these points of discussion.
“We are still negotiating terms of the volunteer settlement agreement,” Martyn said.
“The ball’s in their court,” she said.