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Auto salvage yard in Stafford tests neighbors and the zoning ordinance Date published: 12/5/2009
BY JONAS BEALS Tucked into a residential neighborhood off Norman Road in North Stafford, the Pick-A-Part auto salvage yard has gotten busier, louder and harder for adjacent property owners to ignore. But the salvage yard has been there for 31 years, long before most of the nearby homes on Norman Road and Aquia Harbour were built. Pick-A-Part has intensified the use of the property since 2005, but it is still operating within the county's zoning ordinance. Aerial photos show a stark contrast between the business today and the one run by a different owner 10 years ago. In 2000, most of the 18-acre parcel was covered with trees. In 2009, nearly every available square foot is occupied by a junked vehicle. A business success story is causing literal and figurative headaches for neighbors. "There were a few cars, but it was all trees and deer and animals, said Aquia Harbour resident Laura Zink, who has lived next to the salvage yard for 12 years. "It's just dirty, nasty and filthy now. The view is terrible." She claims the increase in activity--and the resulting fumes and dust--gave her asthma. The Stafford Board of Zoning Appeals recently voted 4-3 to require Pick-A-Part to put its car crusher in a building, citing a special regulation stating that all uses within 500 feet of a residentially zoned property be enclosed. Owner John Fields has appealed the decision to the Circuit Court, and the Board of Supervisors recently voted 4-3, mainly along party lines, for the county attorney to intervene in the appeal on behalf of the BZA. RECYCLER RECAP On Nov. 21, 1978, the Stafford Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning and a special use permit for Douglas O. Boswell Jr.'s agriculturally zoned property. The special use permit (now referred to as a conditional use permit) allowed an automobile salvage and recycling operation. The permit was an effort to get Boswell to consolidate his "junk car" yards in the county to a single location. Conditions included that consolidation, a 50-foot buffer of trees on the perimeter of the property and a clause stating the permit would apply only to Boswell himself and could not be transferred to a new owner. That final condition was later found to be unenforceable, and the permit has since conveyed with the property through four owners.
Read more stories about Stafford Date published: 12/5/2009
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The ordinance clearly states that the facility requires an enclosed structure..so whats the problem? Clark Lemings foreshadows what Stafford citizens can expect in the near future : "We remain optimistic that after the first of the year, it will get worked out." All those campaign contributions by DGF to Milde and Snellings will pay off handsomely..Quid Pro Quo.
about Summit Recycling in the City. They have been cleaning that place up and they refuse to take anything that has fluids in it or batteries and tires but I'm certain some people will still complain about how they are breaking the law. So what ARE the facts fedupmom? So what about the road, not the salvage yards job to fix a VDOT road. Have you or anyone else done a water table test to see what "toxic" chemicals are there? Your FACTS appear to be more whining, it's a state road so trucks can be on it.
There are not any toxic chemicals running into the ground when cars are being crushed. All fluids must be drained before vehicles are allowed to be crushed. Gas and antifreeze are recycled as well. It is a pretty green facility. Isn't this what we ae trying to achieve in the world. Recycle go green? C'mon people, you knew this was a possibility when you built your home. Afterall the business has been there far more longer then the homes around it. Sounds like he has complied enough.
Just another attempt to make the yard look bad? I worked at this salvage yard for awhile. The Tractor Trailers are escorted from Decauter Rd. all the way back to the yard & then back out to Decauter Rd. A small truck is a lil bit ahead & attempts to slow down oncoming traffic and get them off to the side of the road. Alot of drivers choose not to listen & then see the tractor & trailer & so oh crap & slam on the brakes? This area is getting more like N.Va just a bunch of impatient people bottom line.
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