FAYETTEVILLE, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – Numerous concerned citizens met at the Fayetteville Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building Monday afternoon to share their opinions on the possible amendment and removal of the Route 19 Corridor Management Plan proposed by the Fayette County Commission.
The meeting began with a quick history of the plan and the planning commission from former planning commissioner Gene Kistler. In this overview, Kistler described the past struggles, successes and areas of interest in terms of county development.
According to Kistler, the Route 19 Corridor Management Plan was adopted to improve the economic aesthetic of the coordinator and is meant to enrich the quality of life and preserve the natural scenic beauty of the corridor. This is accomplished by enforcing that businesses outside of city limits cannot be within 1,000 feet of Route 19, Route 60 and Route 16.
On Monday, nearly 20 individuals stood in front of the Fayette County Planning Commission and expressed whether or not they agreed with the removal of the plan. These individuals ranged from old to young, male to female, native to nonnative residents, business owners to consumers, and everything in between. Notable members of the community such as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Superintendent Lizzie Watts and Fayette County Commission President John Brenneman also took the podium to share their thoughts.
Some members of the community advocated for the plan’s removal in fear that not doing so would limit Fayette County’s growth and economic prosperity. One speaker stated that the county needed the growth of development to offset the recent lack of funding. Another said that Fayette County couldn’t afford to keep turning away good businesses simply for the sake of beauty.
Others, however, disagreed, stating that people come to Fayette County because it has remained “wild and wonderful” and that they continue to come because of its natural beauty and unadulterated landscapes.
“Fayette County has the opportunity to forge a shining example for West Virginia,” said one advocator of the plan, while another referenced the recent national park designation calling the residents of the county “stewards of what is now a national treasure.”
The park’s designation was a topic that many speakers highlighted during their allotted time. Seeing as how the corridor runs directly through the park, many stated that the plan needed to remain in order to protect the land’s integrity.
Watts, who was one of the largest supporters of the national park designation, said that the surrounding area’s green space, which people drive through to get to the park, sets West Virginia apart.
“We have a unique environment that we are trustees us, and trustees for generations to come,” she said.
Brenneman was one of the last to speak and revealed that his opinion on the matter is not the same as his fellow county commissioner, Tom Louisos, who believes the Route 19 Corridor Management Plan should be eradicated.
“You have a task in front of you, and you need to make sure Route 19 stays as it is,” he said, addressing the planning commission. “The integrity of Route 19 is important for us. We have a National Park coming that is going to be bringing extra traffic and a lot of things coming in building-wise, so we need to be making sure we are keeping the integrity there.”
Dimitri Papazoglou, a Fayette County business owner, was one of the younger speakers to participate but says he is glad his voice was able to be heard.
“I moved to the area because of the natural beauty that it provided. I feel invested in this community and I felt it necessary for the planning commission to hear the voice of a young business owner in the area that is concerned for the area’s future…maintaining green space and the natural resources that we have is crucial in its future.”
Regardless of their support or lack thereof for the plan, nearly every participant agreed that the planning commission needs to take their time in making such a major decision.
“We don’t want to get distracted,” one said. “We need to focus on how we want this community to grow in a nice way.”
Another commonality between the participants was their dislike for the way Louisos has chosen to tackle this issue.
One speaker pulled a quote from Louisos- which stated that if the commission wanted something changed, they have the power “to do just about anything they want”- saying they felt threatened by his words. That same speaker said Louisos sounded like he had an agenda and “would do whatever he wanted, regardless of what the community says.”
After hearing the public’s comments, the planning commission agreed that they needed additional information in order to make a decision; however, they recommended that the county commission undertake a review and implement a study to see how the community felt and what changes they wanted to see in the plan, if any.
Following the meeting, Lootpress spoke with the head of the Fayette County Planning Commission, Rick Forren, who shared his thoughts on the discussion.
“The turnout was very good, and there were a lot of speakers, so it all went very well,” he said. “You really have to do these things through a process that supplies what the community wants, not just for two or three people or special groups. You have to focus the entire community in the direction that the people want it to go.
“We are kind of at a crossroads on making a decision that will affect us for the next 10 or 15 years.”
Forren continued, stating that he doesn’t understand this pressure from the commission to make a decision as the county’s comprehensive plan, which is to be reviewed every 10 years, will need to be reevaluated this fall, and will address the corridor plan.
Now that the planning commission has made an official recommendation, the county commission will hold a meeting on May 21 to either accept or deny said recommendation.
Follow Lootpress as this story develops.
