Warren County Report

Sitting next to Mayor James Eastham during his final meeting after choosing not to seek reelection after four-and-a-half years on council, Pond cautioned against too hard a line being taken by either pro or anti-growth public officials.

Noting that by-right development will always lead to a certain amount of residential expansion in a municipality, Pond cited the need for the town to acquire proffers in exchange for some concessions to developers in order to pay for infrastructure improvements including roads, schools and other services that will eventually be strained, even through by-right development.

Pond said, “Everyone is a loser, except possibly for the developer,” when cash or infrastructure proffers are totally lost by drawing an inflexible line against any increased residential buildouts.
Perhaps the vice mayor was recalling a potential hard lesson learned by his vote with a 4-2 council majority that rejected extended discussion with developer Centex on a proposed 300-unit cluster housing, rezoning proposal that resulted in the national developer’s withdrawal of its $2.4 million on the table, and a potentially doubled, proffer proposal. Since council rejected the developer’s request for an additional month to negotiate terms on that development proposal, Centex has indicated it will build 100 by-right homes of a higher value as a means for acquiring its profit margin.

However, Pond also cautioned against blind acceptance of developer requests for increased build-outs made by dangling insufficient cash proffers to compensate for the total social impacts of their proposals.

“If you allow developers to maximize the amount of housing that is developed on their parcels, then the magnitude of those developments will alter the character and charm of Front Royal that we who live here love.

“You guys only have one chance to get it right,” Pond cautioned in suggesting compromise toward a middle ground that achieves a balance between the interests of developers and the existing community.

“You, the new council are mandated by the people who put you in office to find out [the] answers . . . If you don’t make [developers] pay their fare share, then you do nothing more than give away existing citizen’s assets and put a terrible strain on the residents of Front Royal who entrusted you to look out for their interests. 

“Be open minded . . . please for the sake of this community don’t limit yourself,” Pond said. His audience included not only to incoming and incumbent councilmen, but also several planning commissioners. With three recent appointments the town planners have taken an increasingly hard line against developer requests for increased buildouts.

 “There may be alternatives, where land is preserved, density is reduced, but the developer pays for the projects’ impact,” Pond said.

The outgoing vice mayor also took a parting shot at the current town administration’s track record on maintaining key staff positions.

 “I am confident that you will find a good fit for town manager and planning director . . . if you can fit those last pieces in the [staffing] puzzle and leave them alone and let them manage, the town will flourish.”

This council majority swept into office in 2004 in the midst of the Wal-Mart location controversy has been through four town managers, including two interim appointments in two years and appointed a fifth, and third interim, town manager, Robert S. Noe Jr., on June 26. The town was also without a planning director until the appointment of William Shelly on June 5, to a three-month term, following the firing of Brevetta Jordan in late 2005. The town has since hired Nimet Soliman, from Prince William County (see related story) to take over the planning director’s role on Sept. 15.

Pond cited increased family responsibilities surrounding the birth of he and his wife’s two children during his council tenure as the primary reason for his decision not to seek reelection.