Blue Ridge Avenue West Village Development Meeting January 25

I am a resident of the neighborhood where west village is being constructed. I see no possible way that 72 units plus four individual residences can be built on little blue ridge ave. without major negative impact. The 4 acre tract is part of a larger 12+ acre tract that sits in the flood plain. Can someone actually build 72 residential rooftops and parking for those 72 plus residents and the four single houses without some flood occurrence? We know from this winter that there is weather and then again there is “WEATHER.”

This over indulgent amount of housing crammed on this small parcel comes through the graces of a non-profit called Piedmont Housing Alliance. I know people in this organization and thought highly of it till this project. I know they have salaries to pay just like any organization and are being hit by cutbacks just like most organizations whether it be the county schools or county government. The Piedmont Housing Alliance has the ability to build more densely just because of its non-profit status. I fail to see the correlation between the two. The two being that PHA is a non-profit and the other being that because of this status they can excede regulations that were set forth to protect the public.

Blue Ridge Avenue has existed for at least 50 plus years and now a developer who calls itself “Green Earth Development” is going to put up 72 units plus four individual houses. 23% of the houses are being called “work force houses” or affordable houses at $125.000. The county is fully supporting this development with their eyes on increased tax revenues. I live in a little cottage next to the railroad that the county raised the assessment to over $200.000.00 during the heyday of the housing bubble. Now, that assessment has been cut in half. I ask my neighbors and other county residents to look at the area where the development is slated to happen which is right on the corner of Blue Ridge and Jarmana Gap Road and backs up against another burgeoning development called Old Trail and tell me how are the storm waters and flooding going to be managed. right across the street from Blue Ridge and Jarmans is a field that has long been unbuildable due to it being in the flood plain. Let’s talk about sensible development and not something that is paying for budget shortfalls.

1 COMMENT

Cabell Coward March 2, 2010 at 10:47 am

I am a resident of the neighborhood where west village is being constructed. I see no possible way that 72 units plus four individual residences can be built on little blue ridge ave. without major negative impact. The 4 acre tract is part of a larger 12+ acre tract that sits in the flood plain. Can someone actually build 72 residential rooftops and parking for those 72 plus residents and the four single houses without some flood occurrence? We know from this winter that there is weather and then again there is “WEATHER.”

This over indulgent amount of housing crammed on this small parcel comes through the graces of a non-profit called Piedmont Housing Alliance. I know people in this organization and thought highly of it till this project. I know they have salaries to pay just like any organization and are being hit by cutbacks just like most organizations whether it be the county schools or county government. The Piedmont Housing Alliance has the ability to build more densely just because of its non-profit status. I fail to see the correlation between the two. The two being that PHA is a non-profit and the other being that because of this status they can excede regulations that were set forth to protect the public.

Blue Ridge Avenue has existed for at least 50 plus years and now a developer who calls itself “Green Earth Development” is going to put up 72 units plus four individual houses. 23% of the houses are being called “work force houses” or affordable houses at $125.000. The county is fully supporting this development with their eyes on increased tax revenues. I live in a little cottage next to the railroad that the county raised the assessment to over $200.000.00 during the heyday of the housing bubble. Now, that assessment has been cut in half. I ask my neighbors and other county residents to look at the area where the development is slated to happen which is right on the corner of Blue Ridge and Jarmana Gap Road and backs up against another burgeoning development called Old Trail and tell me how are the storm waters and flooding going to be managed. right across the street from Blue Ridge and Jarmans is a field that has long been unbuildable due to it being in the flood plain. Let’s talk about sensible development and not something that is paying for budget shortfalls.

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