The Orange County Planning Commission reversed itself last night, effectively voting to recommend denial of a plan for a Walmart Supercenter in the Wilderness Battlefield area.
The commission split 4-4 on a motion to recommend approval of JDC Ventures' application for a special-use permit. Because the motion did not pass, it is the same as a denial, County Attorney Sharon Pandak explained to the commissioners.
"It's unfortunate for it to go forward without a clear vote, because it doesn't send a clear message to the Board of Supervisors," she said.
Supervisors will hold their own public hearing on the matter Monday night. They are not bound by the commission's recommendation, and three of the five have said they will vote to approve the permit.
The hearing and vote were the Planning Commission's second this summer. On June 25, it voted 5-4 to recommend approval of the permit, with certain conditions.
Last night's vote means the conditions it wanted will not be sent to the supervisors for consideration after all.
On July 27, just hours before the scheduled Walmart public hearing before the supervisors, county officials were notified that the local weekly newspaper had failed to run one of the two legally required notices for the earlier Planning Commission hearing.
As a result, the Planning Commission public hearing had to be redone, and the hearing before the supervisors was rescheduled.
Last night, commissioners Donald Brooks, Dave Kovarik, Will Likins and Elliot Fox voted to recommend approval. Terry Apperson, Nigel Goodwin, Walter Smith and Tom Bundy voted against.
Commissioners Bill Speiden and Cory Redifer were not present. Speiden voted to recommend approval at the first meeting but was in the hospital last night.
"This will become a traffic-filled commercial city at our eastern gateway," Apperson said in arguing against the project.
Brooks said county residents "are overwhelmingly supportive of Walmart." Smith agreed that residents want a Walmart but said his constituents don't want it at the proposed location.
Almost two-thirds of the 32 speakers at last night's public hearing voiced concern about the proposed 138,000-square-foot store on a 51-acre site a quarter-mile north of the intersection of State Routes 3 and 20 and the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Historic preservationists have mounted a national campaign against the project, which also calls for 98,750 square feet of additional retail development. Opponents say the traffic and road improvements the retail center would bring would damage the Civil War battlefield.
"It could be a wonderful thing if it were two or three miles up the road," Debby Ware of Rapidan told the commission last night.
Supporters of the Walmart proposal say the store will bring needed jobs and tax revenue to the rural county.
"This is our county. We pay the taxes. We need the jobs," said Christine Jones of Unionville. "We need the shopping. Walmart gives good jobs with good benefits. It's a good place to shop and can only add to the tourist business in the county."
The breakdown of comments last night was the same as at the Planning Commission's first public hearing May 21. On that night, two-thirds of the 72 speakers voiced concern.
Most said that while they weren't opposed to a Walmart store, they didn't want it located so close to the Wilderness Battlefield.
Walmart officials have countered that no other commercially zoned and properly configured property with suitable traffic access is available in the area.
Robin Knepper: 540/972-5701
Email: rknepper@earthlink.net