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Businessman John Mullins gets Corps of Engineers permit for development on Chancellorsville Civil War site Date published: 10/22/2003 By RUSTY DENNEN In a rebuff of a national historic-preservation organization, the Army Corps of Engineers has given the green light to a commercial and residential development on a Civil War site in Spotsylvania County. Yesterday, the corps gave final approval--with some conditions--for Spotsylvania businessman John Mullins to begin work on the Ashley-Orrock tract, which played a role in the 1863 Chancellorsville Campaign. The corps' decision is the latest chapter in a pitched battle over how, and whether, Mullins' farm should be developed. Mullins, owner of Covenant Funeral Service in Fredericksburg, wants to build a subdivision, offices and stores on 273 of about 800 acres he owns along State Route 3 at Chancellorsville. The federal permission is the final obstacle in the way of development of the tract. Efforts to reach Mullins yesterday were unsuccessful. The corps is involved because Mullins' plan calls for six stream crossings. As part of its review required by the federal Clean Water Act, the corps may also consider any impact on historic sites under the National Historic Preservation Act. In May, the agency took the unusual step of ending consultations among interested groups on Mullins' permit application after determining that there was no consensus on how the project should proceed. That decision triggered a review by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. In July, the council responded with a letter saying that the corps should have taken a more critical look at the historical significance of the Ashley-Orrock tract as part of its permit review. The council was critical of the development plan and the corps' handling of the proposal, claiming that the project will harm the Chancellorsville Battlefield Historic District. The council is a heavy hitter on the national preservation scene: Members include several governors, heads of several national preservation groups, and Donald H. Rumsfeld, secretary of defense. The Corps of Engineers had the option of granting Mullins' permit, requiring a more stringent review, or reopening consultations among the parties. More than a dozen groups have weighed in on Mullins' plans. In a letter to the advisory council, R.L. Brownlee, acting secretary of the Army, said the corps acted correctly in defining the project review area and its decision to allow Mullins to proceed.
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