The Supreme Court Soirée - This Sunday, November 9!
Come celebrate the progress on our case, to have a great time, and raise a little more for our legal fund!
At Gillie's, November 9, 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
With music by special guest, Kat Mills!
Appetizers and cash bar
Admission is $10
Let's get 150 donors, whatever you can swing!
Our legal fund total stands at $15,768! This includes $7000 since our last appeal. This shows how much members of our community understand what is at stake in this case.
But only 41 donors are responsible for that amount. Many of them gave considerable amounts, that might not be realistic for most who would like to contribute.
It is very important that we can be together as a community on this, and that more members and supporters join in. Even small donations add up!
For this reason, we are setting a new goal: can we get 150 donors? Let's not just show how much we can pitch in, but how many of us are pitching in.
We will keep a counter on our website, so you can see the numbers go up. It takes just a few clicks and a minute or two to donate through the Paypal link on our site.
Supreme Court Progress
On Monday, October 20, we filed our brief with the Supreme Court. It's a powerful document, showing the court that Fairmount Properties is asking for nothing less than a major change in state law, allowing developers to obtain vested rights while retaining the flexibility to do whatever they want. This would throw land use policy in Virginia into chaos, making localities very reluctant to approve any rezoning without a detailed and binding plan.
Amicus brief filed in favor of the Town of Blacksburg and BURG
The Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, The Virginia Association of Counties, and the Virginia Municipal League, have filed an Amicus Curiae ("friend of the court") brief in support of The Town of Blacksburg and BURG, in our appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court. The Virginia Association of Counties (VaCo) and the Virginia Municipal League (VML) together account for all local governments in the state. This shows that local governments throughout Virginia are concerned about this case and the major change in Virginia land-use law that would result if the court does not reverse the decision of the Circuit Court and the Blacksburg Board of Zoning Appeals. At stake is nothing less than the ability of cities, towns, and counties to make effective changes in their zoning laws when called for by the public interest.
