~ PVN staff report
LURAY, Aug. 15 — Earlier this week, the Page County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to set a public hearing for Monday, Sept. 19 on a proposed boundary line adjustment that would bring about 6 acres into the Town of Luray’s corporate limits to allow for Phase II construction at Fairview Estates.
Ramsey Inc. initially submitted the application in October 2021 to allow duplexes to be constructed on about 15 lots. Page County’s Planning and Community Development Department has reviewed the survey plat and has resolved some issues with the applicant, according to a report by Luray Town Manager Steve Burke. A public hearing will be scheduled before the Luray Council upon concurrence from the Page County Board of Supervisors.
According to the proposed resolution drafted by Luray, “the parties wish to voluntarily relocate and change the boundary line between them, by agreement for the purposes of incorporating within the Town’s existing municipal boundaries 6.01 acres of land, lying and being situate in the Luray Magisterial District of Page County, and located adjacent to and just west of the Town’s existing corporate boundaries.”
Ramsey Inc. owns the parcels involved and is the developer of Fairview Estates. The Phase II construction will be supported by Town infrastructure and utilities, including water, sewer and trash service.
“The incorporation of this property within the Town’s corporate boundaries will enable the Town and County to develop additional residential housing at an increased density in a consistent and efficient manner,” the resolution continues.
Under the proposal, the 6 acres would be incorporated into the Town’s boundaries with a zoning designation of Low Density Residential (R1), and the new boundaries between the County and the Town would become effective retroactively on Jan. 1, 2022. The property is currently zoned for agriculture.
The county would continue to collect real estate taxes on the property. If the boundary adjustment is approved, the owner would then be required to also pay real estate taxes to the Town of Luray, as well as utility connection fees for future construction.
On Monday night, District 5 supervisor Jeff Vaughan asked county staff to talk with the property owner to see if more property might be considered in the boundary line adjustment to avoid the appearance of spot zoning, in which the land use for a parcel (or parcels) does not match or mix with surrounding land uses.
Following public hearings before both the board of supervisors and the Luray Council, each body will decide if they want to then petition the Page County Circuit Court to approve the agreement for a “friendly” boundary line adjustment.
“I think this goes along with our plans to have development and growth around the three towns,” District 2 supervisor Allen Louderback said. “I think more will be coming forward in the future.”
In other business at its Aug. 15 meeting, the Page County Board of Supervisors took the following actions:
• Unanimously approved a resolution endorsing a safety project for the intersection of Route 340 and Route 648 (Good Mill Road) just north of Luray. The intersection has experienced eight crashes over a six-year period (2016 to 2021), including one fatal crash in 2020, according to the resolution. The Board is seeking funding for the project through VDOT’s SMART SCALE program, the state’s data-driven prioritization process to fund transportation projects.
• Unanimously approved appropriation requests totaling $53,245 in state funds — including $4,500 from the Creative Communities Partnership Grant awarded to the Page County Office of Economic Development for local arts organizations; $7,500 from the State Compensation Board to the Clerk of the Page County Circuit Court earmarked for board-mandated salary increases for employees; and $41,245 from the Library of Virginia to the Clerk of the Page County Circuit Court for the digitization of the court’s records. Supervisors additionally approved the appropriation of $3,000 in local funds following a $3,000 award from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation to the Page County Recreation Department for a volleyball program.
• Unanimously approved a real estate tax refund request totaling $4,522.64 to a Page County taxpayer who qualified for the Veterans Relief Program. Through the program, armed forces veterans who are 100 percent service connected are eligible to apply for real estate tax exemption on their primary residence.
• Unanimously voted to set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19 for a request by Page County Commissioner of the Revenue Becky Smith to increase the refund amount to $10,000 for erroneous assessments that the Commissioner’s office can refund without Board approval. The change would require amending County Code.
• Unanimously approved a special entertainment permit submitted by the Luray VFW for the group’s annual
Pickin’ at the Post bluegrass event scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 4 at the Comer-Jones VFW Post 621 along Route 211 just east of Luray.
• Unanimously approved a special entertainment permit for Pioneer Bank’s “Family Fun Day” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Hawksbill Recreation Park in Stanley for Pioneer Bank employees and their families.
• Considered appointments to the Page County Social Services Board. The terms of Irma Housden (Dist. 1) and Jennifer Foltz (Dist. 5) expired on June 30, 2022. Neither are eligible for reappointment after serving two consecutive terms. Supervisors took no action.
• Heard a report from Page County Administrator Amity Moler that local law enforcement and EMS staff are working over the next two weeks to travel all Page County roads in order to test the County’s new emergency radio infrastructure. An official 30-day testing period is then set to commence.
• Heard a report from the county administrator that the Page County Recreation Department is exploring funding options to construct a community or recreation center, likely in Stanley; and that the Page County Office of Economic Development and Tourism is considering funding options to construct a stopover for visitors along Route 211 that could potentially feature Page Valley-made products, restaurants and an incubator space for local entrepreneurs and businesses.
• Heard a report from the county administrator that the County is considering options for inmate housing at one nearby location rather than transporting inmates to various jails across the state. Details were not provided.
County briefs taken from notes provided by
Page County’s Communications and Marketing Coordinator Rebecca Armstrong
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