King George County deputies, fire and rescue workers, teachers and county employees will get first crack at 14 new town houses that will be built in the Courthouse area.
Supervisors on Thursday approved rezoning land near the Presidential Village subdivision on State Route 3 from commercial to residential.
The board gave Catholics for Housing of Manassas permission to build affordable housing units, which will be made available first to specific county workers.
Cedell Brooks Jr. was the only supervisor to vote against the venture. From the group's first presentation in September, he hasn't liked the idea of offering homes to a select group of people.
"Affordable housing is affordable housing," he said, "and I think it should be for everybody who can afford it. People who work at the nursing home, people who work at Food Lion, would also like a chance to buy them."
Other aspects of the project that bothered the supervisors were clarified. Chairman Joe Grzeika understood that the homes would be offered to those who make the median income in King George, which is $76,900 for a two-income family. Then, if all the units weren't sold, he feared the agency would sell the remainder to the highest bidder and turn what was supposed to be an affordable-housing project into a money-maker.
Catholics for Housing revised its proffers to make it clear that all units will be offered to residents who meet income guidelines.
Then, there was the issue of lost revenue from rezoning commercial land into residential. Supervisors agreed on Thursday that the 1.7-acre parcel isn't practical as commercial property and would be more beneficial with the residential rezoning.
"Affordable housing is absolutely critical to some of these folks, and if this can do that, I certainly would support it," said Supervisor James Howard.
Howard was defeated by challenger John LoBuglio in Tuesday's election. At Thursday's meeting, he passed out baseball caps, embroidered with the county seal, that he had purchased for fellow supervisors.
Each member praised Howard's contribution, and Brooks spoke at length about Howard's legacy.
Howard probably will be honored again before his term expires in December. But Brooks, a funeral home director, wanted to give "kudos tonight because we don't know what tomorrow will bring for anybody."
In other matters, the supervisors:
Granted the sixth extension to Harris Teeter. The North Carolina grocer announced in January it was buying 100 acres next to the King George Industrial Park to build a $101 million, 500,000-square-foot distribution center. The facility would create 335 jobs.
The latest extension will expire on Dec. 31, said County Administrator Travis Quesenberry. That's the same date the agreement will expire between the county and the landowner who is selling property for the distribution center.
Harris Teeter officials have said the economy has slowed their plans and that they continue their "due diligence" studies on the project.
Directed the Planning Commission to look into outdoor wood-burning furnaces which are used year-round to heat water. Chairman Grzeika has had complaints from the neighbor of a homeowner with such a furnace. The neighbor said she can't sit outside on her deck in the summer because the furnace produces so much smoke, which blows into her yard.
Because the furnace is closer to the ground than a typical house chimney, the smoke is blown at eye level and not higher in the sky, said Jack Green, King George's director of community development.
Supervisors directed Green to work with the Planning Commission on possible regulations, such as requiring the furnace to be set back a particular distance from the property line.
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com