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It's no secret that the relationship between the Fredericksburg City Council and the city's most prominent developer has been strained since three of Mayor Bill Beck's allies took office in July.
But the council and the developer, the Silver Cos., will try to turn over a new leaf in a get-together Tuesday night at City Hall.
They are planning to discuss the company's plans for the Celebrate Virginia tourism development and the concern of some council members that the city doesn't have enough control over the project.
Silver Cos. Chief Executive Officer Larry Silver also may announce the names of two hotels to be built there and the name of a company that will build a convention center on the site, according to some council members.
Silver could not be reached for comment this week. Silver Cos. Vice President Jud Honaker would say only that Silver plans to announce some Celebrate Virginia tenants.
Silver Cos. representatives also will make a detailed presentation updating the council on the project's progress, Honaker said.
But the point of the meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m. in City Hall's second-floor conference room, is not merely to make presentations and announcements. Council members and the Silver Cos. say they hope the session will help heal some old wounds.
Councilman Matt Kelly, a member of the Silver-wary council majority, said it's important to develop a good working relationship with the company.
"The bottom line is, I'm never going to get a Christmas card from Larry and Jud," he said. "But they are the biggest developer; they've got the biggest chunk of land. We need to be able to work with them."
Honaker agreed that it's time to find some common ground.
"I think we've got to forget about the past, start fresh and move forward. I think a lot of times when there are emotions involved, that can be difficult," he said.
The Silver Cos.' planned Celebrate Virginia project and nearly-complete Central Park retail center are the only properties in the city zoned Planned Development Commercial (PDC).
The rezoning of Celebrate Virginia property in 1998 stirred controversy and was a key issue in subsequent city elections. The council at that time approved the PDC zoning immediately after a lengthy public hearing in which many residents spoke against the move or urged the city to take more time to study the matter.
Of that council, only Scott Howson remains in office, and he cast the sole vote against the rezoning.
The PDC classification allows more than 30 uses by-right and is the only one that requires site plans to be approved by the city staff instead of the Planning Commission. The council is considering doing away with the expedited approval process and requiring PDC site plans to be approved by the commission.
The proposed change--and council members' expressed desire to exercise more control over the development of Celebrate Virginia--prompted the Silver Cos. to start sending prominent land-use attorneys to City Council meetings.
Grayson Hanes, a Falls Church attorney known statewide for representing developers in land-use disputes, has warned the council not to try to slow the project's progress.
"I want them to know that we are not going to stand idly by and allow millions and millions of dollars to be jeopardized by their change in politics," he said in October.
The Silver Cos. also ran a large advertisement in The Free Lance-Star Dec. 8 with a letter from Larry Silver opposing the change in the site-plan approval process and recommending that all zoning categories receive only administrative site-plan review.
And, in a letter to Fredericksburg Public Works Director Doug Fawcett last month, Honaker wrote that his firm was having second thoughts about allowing sediment from the planned Embrey Dam removal to be deposited on Celebrate Virginia property free of charge.
The developer proposed the agreement to save the city money, Honaker said. He said this week that the letter was in response to what he interpreted as some council members' desire to "damage and interfere with our business."
"You just sit back and you say, 'Do you do something to help somebody who's trying to hurt you?'" he said.
But Honaker said the Silver Cos. remains willing to negotiate the Embrey Dam agreement if the council exhibits a spirit of cooperation. He said the firm also is willing to incorporate the council's input into its plans for Celebrate Virginia.
"We're prepared to make compromises," he said. "Certainly I think there are [land] uses we can restrict."
Councilman Joe Wilson said he's eager to learn more about the Silver Cos.' vision for the development, which includes hotels, attractions, restaurants and the National Slavery Museum on the Fredericksburg side of the Rappahannock River.
"I would hope that we'll come out with some common understanding as to what the final Celebrate Virginia project will be so that there are no surprises," Wilson said. "I think that's probably everybody's fear."