Just waiting...
On December 18, Judge Bobby Turk heard our (and the town's) appeal of the BZA ruling. At the time, Judge Turk said he expected to render a decision within three or four weeks. We expect to hear any day whether he will overrule the BZA and enforce Ordinance 1450.
Regardless of Judge Turk's decision, we expect the case to be appealed by the losing side to the Virginia Supreme Court. This is because the BZA's ruling went into uncharted waters beyond existing law and legal precedent. If it stands, the ruling would change Virginia law, allowing developers to lock in vested rights based on vague and open-ended rezonings.
Stay tuned...
Mardi Gras with BURG!
A benefit for the BURG legal fund - have fun and help keep Blacksburg special!
Saturday, February 2, 2008 7:00-11:00 pm, at the University Club.
$15 advance, $20 at the door
Hors D' Oeuvres & desserts, cash bar
Live Cajun music with Billy Coteau
Cajun dance demonstration: Learn the 2-step!
Tickets are available at Homebody, Gillie's, and Vintage Cellar
Call 552-8880 for more details.
Anyone who joins our 100 from 100 campaign, by donating $100 (or more) to the BURG legal fund between now and Feb. 2, will receive a free ticket!
Click here for a printable invitation
Thanks to everyone who voiced their traffic concerns
In the end, working together with the town, we concluded that there was no clear evidence that the submitted study gave an underestimate of the traffic impacts of the development. But our added scrutiny forced numerous changes in the traffic study, and generated a new awareness of this issue. Thanks to our work, and yours, in bringing attention to this issue, Town Council is now discussing changes to the town code that would protect us from excessive traffic impacts.
Even granting that the developers fulfilled their legal obligations for traffic study and traffic improvements, it is clear that the S. Main project, if built as planned, will lead to a major deterioration in traffic conditions. The project is expected to generate 20,000 new car trips each day. Roughly 3000 of those will be travelling Country Club Road through the Airport and Country Club intersection by Margaret Beeks. That intersection will be reduced from a Level of Service of B, to D, the next-to lowest grade. Delays on Country Club Eastbound at S. Main Street will double. All of these projections are for the first year of the project, and will only get worse from there. Big box stores generate more traffic per square foot than other kinds of retail, and much more than residential uses.
See the final traffic study here (it's a big file).
Let's not forget that big box stores, such as Wal-mart, are a social justice issue. Despite their claims to be friends to struggling families, there is clear evidence that the main thing these stores do for such families is to create many more of them.
Read a brand-new U. of California study that measures Wal-mart's role in bringing down wages across the U.S.
