Shorekeeper Condemns Move to Begin Oil Exploration
July 21, 2014: In response to the Obama Administration’s announcement to move forward with oil exploration along the East Coast, Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper Executive Director Jay Ford released the following statement:
“We are deeply troubled and disappointed by the administration’s decision to move forward with oil exploration along the East Coast. By the administration’s own admission this move will lead to the loss of thousands of marine creatures through the use of seismic cannons. Furthermore, this move represents a step backwards for America’s energy future. [Read more…]
EXTRA: Town Manager Resigning in September
HEATHER ARCOS
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
July 17, 2014
(Updated to include statement by Mayor Proto)
Cape Charles Town Manager Heather Arcos has revealed that she is resigning from her position effective in September. Arcos reportedly plans to work with her father, Steve McCready, one of the owners of Northampton Growers in Cheriton. She is a single mother, and has told friends that she wants to spend more time with her 12-year-old son.
Arcos was a protégé of former Mayor Dora Sullivan, who stepped down June 30 after eight years in office. Both Sullivan and Arcos earlier worked as office clerks at Town Hall, with Sullivan becoming a member of Town Council and then mayor, while Arcos worked her way up to become town manager. [Read more…]
Developer Devalues Old School; County Agrees
After the Town of Cape Charles sold its only basketball court to a developer, it also removed the hoops and backboards for “safekeeping.” The purchaser, J. David McCormack, then argued to the county that he should not have to pay property tax on the court because it no longer had any value. (Wave photo)
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
July 14, 2014
The Old School in Central Park was valued on the tax rolls at $921,000 when the Town of Cape Charles sold it for $10 in December 2012 to a developer. J. David McCormack promised to invest over $2 million to convert the school into a 17-unit apartment building, and town officials saw dollar signs in increased property tax.
But after taking ownership of the building, McCormack informed County officials that while he still plans to spend $2 million, he nevertheless estimates the ultimate value of the school and property to be as low as $750,000. McCormack made that statement in an appeal to Northampton County to lower his tax assessment, and the county complied.
The 2013 county-wide reassessment dropped the school property from $921,000 to $510,900. But McCormack argued that the value should be much less. He noted that the basketball court was valued at $8,000, but pointed out that “the basketball hoops have been dismantled by the Town of Cape Charles, and the courts are no longer in use.” (The Wave reported in December 2012 that after the town sold the school property, it removed the basketball hoops at town expense, even though the hoops no longer belonged to the town.)
McCormack claimed that due to the removal of the hoops the court should have a value of zero, but the county would not go that far. It did, however, drop the assessed court value from $8,000 down to $2,500. [Read more…]
County Rezoning Postponed 90 Days
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 16, 2014
At its June 10 regular meeting the Northampton County Board of Supervisors agreed to wait 90 days before taking any further steps toward rezoning the county to make it more “business friendly.” The 90 days are for residents to provide ideas on how to revitalize the county’s economy and increase revenues without destroying its fragile habitat.
The June 10 Board of Supervisors meeting came after the Planning Commission informed the Supervisors that it was only halfway through its review of the massive proposed zoning changes. The Supervisors have not yet acted to allow the Planning Commission additional time to complete its review.
“Citizens for Open Government” spokesperson Ken Dufty said, “The 90 days will give us a chance to further our outreach through letters to the editor, flyers, and talking to our neighbors. It will also give us a chance to prepare for a legal challenge to the BOS if they move forward with revising the zoning ordinance in stark contrast to our current Comp Plan.”
Many speakers at the meeting raised their concerns about the draft zoning ordinance for failing to follow the County Comprehensive Plan. Although the plan is currently under review for its five-year update, it remains the legal basis for county decisions about development.
Several speakers questioned why some of the Supervisors want to change the direction of the county so radically.
Planning Commission Sends Half-Finished
Zoning Recommendations to Board of Supervisors
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
June 9, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, is the big meeting of Northampton County Board of Supervisors on next steps to rezone the county. The Supervisors will consider zoning recommendations submitted by the Planning Commission, which state in a cover letter that there was not “adequate time” to properly review the draft zoning proposal. Planning Commissioner Mike Ward said the best the Planning Commission can do is submit its recommendations and offer to finish the job if the Supervisors give them more time.
County Administrator Katie Nunez has advised the Supervisors that Virginia law stipulates a 100-day time limit for Planning Commission consideration of a zoning application. But opponents of the rezoning, led by Exmore activist Ken Dufty, maintain that the 100-day limit was never meant to apply to zoning changes proposed by the county itself. Instead, it is meant to be a protection to resident applicants to assure timely consideration of their requests.
“This section of code, as well as the time limitation, was obviously written by the Virginia Legislature to give a private developer or resident seeking a zoning amendment the certainty that their request would not be hanging out in regulatory nowhere land for an extended length of time,” Dufty said. “It was seemingly never intended to give a governing body the right to impose a strict time limit on their own Planning Commission.” Dufty has requested a ruling from County Attorney Bruce Jones on the use of the code by the Supervisors.
All members of the Planning Commission agree that they only made it halfway through the review of the massive proposed changes. Commissioner Ward noted that just deliberating the proposed elimination of the Chesapeake Bay Protection Act on the seaside could take two years. [Read more…]
Library Rededication Is Memorial Day Highlight
By NANCY DANIEL VEST
June 9, 2014
The spirit of cooperation filled the streets of Cape Charles on Memorial Day. The American Legion, the Town of Cape Charles, the Library Board, the Friends of the Cape Charles Memorial Library, and the Cape Charles Band worked together to create a beautiful service to honor those who serve their country and to remember those who have given all.
The American Legion began the day at the War Memorial with a solemn and reflective remembrance. The crowd stood in respectful silence to show appreciation for all who lost their lives fighting for freedom and those who still unselfishly serve their country. Attention then turned across the street and went from solemnity to celebration with the rededication of the Cape Charles Memorial Library.
The music of the Cape Charles Band filled the air and heightened the spirit of gratitude and patriotism. Senator Lynwood Lewis offered his respect for American soldiers and veterans and spoke of the opportunities the new library facility offers to the citizens of Lower Northampton County.
The Cape Charles Memorial Library has an interesting history. In June of 1919, 32 women gathered to take the first steps in their quest to create a library for the Town. Each woman brought a book to donate to the cause. The small collection grew slowly and was housed in private homes, a department store, and a bank before it found its first true home in the vacated Presbyterian Church building on Tazewell Avenue. On May 27, 1927, that building became the first Memorial Library in Virginia. Governor Harry F. Byrd formally dedicated the Cape Charles Memorial Library to the 21 men from Northampton County who perished in World War I. [Read more…]
Best of Virginia Names Five Cape Charles Businesses
Breezes Day Spa owner Marian van Geijn with ‘Best of Virginia’ plaque (Wave photo)
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 4, 2014
What’s the best golf course in Eastern Virginia? The best outdoor dining? The best pub? The best ice cream? The best day spa? According to Virginia Living magazine, Cape Charles businesses rank among the best in all those categories. The third annual Best of Virginia Readers Survey tallied 32,000 readers’ votes in 91 categories, and local businesses placed among the best in five categories:
Best Golf Course — Bay Creek (2nd place)
Best Outdoor Dining — The Shanty (3rd place)
Best Overall Bar — Kelly’s Gingernut Pub (3rd place)
Best Local Ice Cream — Brown Dog (3rd place)
Best Day Spa — Breezes (3rd place)
Breezes Day Spa owner Marian van Geijn said she had not even been aware of the contest before learning that Breezes had taken third place. “We did not try to influence the voting at all,” she said. “It’s quite a big deal that so many Cape Charles businesses placed in the contest. Cape Charles is really making a name for itself.” [Read more…]
County Supervisors Get Earful on Zoning Ordinance
Local Realtor David Kabler addresses Northampton Board of Supervisors May 13, calling the proposed zoning ordinance “a perversion” of the existing ordinance that so many worked so hard to enact. (Wave photo)
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
May 15, 2014
Close to 150 residents turned out May 13 for the Northampton County Board of Supervisors meeting, most of them concerned over a “business-friendly” rezoning plan that would remove existing environmental, density, and industrial restrictions. The audience had been advised to come at 7 p.m., but the meeting agenda was front-loaded with eight public hearings before the time for general comments, which did not begin until 9:30 p.m. Supervisors and staff had it even worse, having begun at 4 p.m. with a closed session, followed by various reports and a supper break. The meeting did not end until 10:45 p.m.
Chairman Larry LeMond opened the public comments section with a warning that he “would not tolerate any threats . . . we’ve heard enough of them” – an apparent reference to discussion on the Internet about possibly petitioning the Circuit Court to have the Supervisors removed from office if they fail to honor the vision statement in the County Comprehensive Plan. Only newly elected supervisor Granville Hogg (1st District – Cape Charles) has been exempt from removal threats, and only Hogg has indicated some sympathy with opponents of the draft zoning ordinance.
Fifteen residents came to the podium to speak their mind.
Robert Richardson of Seaview said experts agree that there is “no pollution on the seaside – so there’s no justification for the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act in the Capeville district.”
CBES board member John Ordeman of Nassawadox said that Northampton citizens have been speaking “loudly and clearly against the proposed zoning changes. They have presented scientific facts, the opinions of experts, the sound reasoning of landowners concerned about their right to protect the value of their property. You know these people – you know them to be intelligent and knowledgeable, honorable, and genuinely concerned for the well-being of this county. . . . Listen to the many who truly represent the will of the people.” [Read more…]
