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The owners of this lot on the Potomac offered |
BY FRANK DELANO
An offer to give the town of Colonial Beach a 1.2-acre waterfront lot to use as a park has been rejected by town officials.
Elizabeth Safley said she and her husband, Allen Griffey Sr., offered to give the property and its 300 feet of beach to the town in exchange for a conservation easement limiting the property's future development.
But Town Manager Val Foulds said she and other town officials could not come up with "a valid, compelling argument" to recommend the offer to Town Council.
"We're struggling to get our arms around the whole public space issue right now," Foulds said this week.
This summer, large numbers of visitors led the town to close a popular park near the Potomac River and institute fees for weekend parking. The surge of beachgoers also brought complaints from nearby residents about trash, behavior and the lack of public restrooms.
Now the town is considering new restrictions on beaches and parking.
Safley said reports of the town's problems prompted the offer to give the town a new beach for fishing, sun-bathing and boating away from residential areas.
"The public beaches are approaching capacity. One would think the town would have an interest in such a valuable gift on behalf of the residents," Safley said.
The spurned 1.2-acre property is currently valued by Westmoreland County at $225,000. It sits beside State Route 205 at the town's west end. The parcel was the site of The Happy Clam from 1979 until 2003, when the popular restaurant was blown away by Hurricane Isabel.
In 2005, restaurateurs Richard and Malley Moncure partnered with Safley and Griffey of Stafford County to rebuild the restaurant, with Moncure continuing to operate it.
Safley said the partnership has town approval to build a new 4,700-square-foot eatery with 45 parking spaces on the site, but the economic downturn delayed construction.
During the delay, Richard Moncure opened The Happy Clam in 2006 at a new location on Monroe Bay Avenue. Moncure has now left the restaurant to teach business and marketing at Colonial Beach High School.
This year, Moncure and his wife sold their interest in the old Happy Clam location to Safley and Griffey.
"While [we] may well move forward with the new building plan, the task will be more challenging without benefit of the restaurateur," said Safley.
Giving the property to the town with a conservation easement could have resulted in federal tax deductions and a Virginia tax credit for Safley and Griffey.
A new comprehensive plan for the town, not yet adopted, recommends additional parks or open spaces in the area of the town where the lot is located.
The plan also recommends the establishment of a Recreational Commission to develop priorities for park improvements.
The town manager said she reviewed Safley and Griffey's offer with the town attorney, the building and zoning director, the public works director and members of Town Council.
Foulds said concerns about the property included its low-lying location in the river's flood plain, the additional work of maintaining the property and the possible future reduction of its area by improvements to the busy highway.
Foulds said her staff discussed but decided against trying to add amenities such as a boat ramp, fishing pier or restrooms to the property.
"The money just isn't there right now to do anything," she said.
Meanwhile, she said, proposed new ordinances tightening restrictions on parking and beach activities will likely be the topic of a Town Council public hearing next month.
Frank Delano: 804/761-4300
Email: fpdelano@gmail.com
