An Action Alert from the West Virginia
Highlands Conservancy, please pass it along.
Take Action to protect the New River Gorge
from Massive Development
A real estate development firm based in
Atlanta, GA, Land Resource Companies (LRC),
is proposing a 2,200-home development along
ten miles on the rim of the New River
Gorge in Fayette County. The 4,300-acre
property is currently owned by Rush Creek
Land Co. but LRC hopes to complete purchase
by the end of February. Located north and
south of the Cunard community, 613 acres of
the proposal actually lies within the
boundary of New River Gorge National River,
the remainder is immediately adjacent to the
National Park Service (NPS) boundary, which
follows the rim of the Gorge.
The area of proposed development is zoned by
Fayette County for "land conservation."
However, LRC filed an application on January
21 requesting that the area be re-zoned for
"planned development." The NPS supports the
county commissioners and zoning board
members' continued protection of the area as
a conservation zone, particularly those
areas within the park boundary, and that are
along the canyon rim. In fact, the original
Environmental Impact Assessment recommended
no development within 500 feet of the rim.
This development could be visible from
several popular overlooks on the east side
of the Gorge such as Diamond Point on the
Endless Wall and Babcock State Park. In
1978, Congress charged the NPS with
protecting the natural, scenic and historic
values of the New River Gorge. Congress also
directed the NPS to work with local
governments to establish zoning laws or
ordinances which would assist in achieving
the protection of those values. Fayette
County has been a leader in this arena and a
valued partner of the NPS. This is an
opportunity for Fayette County to continue
that tradition by maintaining the existing
zoning classification for this area.
A public hearing has been scheduled by the
Fayette Co. Planning and Zoning Commission
for February 22 at 3:00 pm in the Fayette
County Courthouse, followed by another
public hearing before the Fayette Co.
Commission on Friday, February 25 at 9:30
a.m.
TAKE ACTION
1. Attend the public hearing
on Feb.22, 2005 at 3:00pm, held by the
Fayette County Planning Commission, in the
Fayette County courthouse in downtown
Fayetteville, WV. Persons wishing to speak
at the hearing must sign-in before the
hearing starts. The Planning Commission
will then forward a recommendation on the
re-zoning request to the Fayette County
Commissioners, who will meet at 10:00am on
Feb. 25, 2005 in the Fayette County
Courthouse to rule on the re-zoning request.
2. Submit written comments to:
Fayette County Planning Commission
Fayette County Courthouse
PO Box 307
Fayetteville, WV 25840.
3. Send a polite e-mail message to
Matthew Wender, Fayette County Commissioner,
expressing how important protecting the New
River Gorge is to you. mwender@cwv.net
4. The NPS would appreciate being copied on
any correspondence:
Superintendent, National Park Service
P.O. Box 246
Glen Jean, WV 25846
Lorrie_Sprague@nps.gov
"May your trails be crooked, winding,
lonesome, dangerous,
leading to the most amazing view." -- Edward
Abbey
Dave Saville
Administrator
West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
PO Box 306
Charleston, WV 25321
304-284-9548
www.wvhighlands.org
