Letter to Supervisor Lusk on Highland Drive Redevelopment

Dear Supervisor Lusk:

I am writing this letter on behalf of myself, my neighbors, and the Rose Hill Civic
Association to make sure you and the County staff are fully aware of the history of this
application, which relates to a vacant property that is in my backyard. The previous owner
of my property was heavily involved in an effort to develop it under the current C-5 zoning.
As you will see, that attempt was denied because of the poor soil conditions on the site.
So far, it does not appear that the applicant seeking the zoning change is fully aware of
the problems.
   
Comments in e-mails to our Association also quote the County Planning Staff as
thinking the development should be attractive to the neighbors because it will "beautify" the site. If accurate, that quote shows a lack of knowledge of the property, which was
used as a lumber yard long before Rose Hill was built. The property has also been long
neglected by its current owners, especially the vacant side of the property, which is
overgrown with invasive plant species (kudzu) and contains tires, toilets, and a wide
variety of dangerous trash that has been dumped there over the years. The other side
isn't much better, and other than the few storefronts, it appears to serve mostly as an
industrial zone overflowing with junk vehicles. A bare-minimum level of maintenance on
the site would be nice but filling it with townhomes or retail is hardly beautifying it.
Other than admitting they represented the owner, the lawyer and real estate salesman
who represented the developer at the February 25 RHCA meeting presented no plan or
information. It feels like they are being deliberately cagey and dishonest. When asked if
they knew the history of the soil and other problems with the site, they said they were
aware and were working on them. I have observed exactly zero people working on these
problems in the 7 years I have lived here. The answer left many questions for a
community that has a long history with soil problems caused by marine clay.

To that point, the area is basically a swamp pocked with marine clay deposits, a small
stagnant pond, and multiple springs. The property is on a steep hill and development
efforts in the 1960s involved removal of large amounts of soil that led to cave-ins,
slippage, and foundation damage to structures uphill from the site on Maryview Street.
Further, another developer paid a worker to clear the land a few years ago and, in the
process of doing so, the worker’s backhoe became stuck in the marine clay soil and had
to be towed out.

Although the comment about beautification was second-hand, we want to make sure
the Planning Staff is aware of the previous actions by the Department of Public Works
and Environmental Science involving this site.
   
We are appalled at the cavalier approach by a yet-unidentified developer for this
proposed zoning in our midst. We question their commitment to providing information to
our community and the County Staff. We are writing to make sure you and the staff are
aware of our concerns at this early stage of the process.

First, we wonder why the County has accepted an application for development that
already has been turned down for reasons that obviously have not changed. We would
also like to know why the owners of the land have been allowed to let it fall into disrepair
for decades and are now going to be potentially rewarded by selling it and developing it.
Furthermore, we are deeply concerned about the potential height of townhomes or other
structures that might be built in our backyards.