MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE STRASBURG TOWN COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2006, AT 7:15 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE TOWN HALL.

COUNCIL MEMBERS present:  Mayor Crisman, Vice Mayor Nicholson, and Council Members Himelright, Larrick, Nicholson, Rinker, Taylor, Wallace, and Wilson.

Mayor Crisman stated the purpose of a public hearing is to receive citizen comments on items before Council and that Council will not respond to comments made.  Mayor Crisman then opened the Public Hearings.

RZ2006-01 James R. Troxell, requesting that property identified as Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 025((A))133 be rezoned from 1.234 acres of X-Transitional to Residential (R-2).  The property is located at 105 Front Royal Pike.

The Public Hearing on this item was cancelled as there were no changes to the proffers since the last Public Hearing.

           RZ2006-04 Strasburg Green, LLC and The Holtzman Family LTD, requesting that property identified as Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 016((A))160, 161, 162, 162A, 163, 164, 164A, 165, and 167 be rezoned from 62.5 acres of X-Transitional and 1.94 acres of Commercial (C-2) to 59.85 acres of Planned Development (PD) and 4.584 acres of Commercial (C-2).  The property is located east and adjacent to U.S. Rt. 11, north and adjacent to Hite Lane, and west and adjacent to Cedar Creek.

Matt McHale, West King Street, Strasburg, VA:  Mr. McHale said he owns the bike shop in Town and many people have been coming to him asking that he work on local bike trails.  He has been made aware there is a two acre parcel between the Strasburg High School and the Town Park and many feel this would be a good location for such a trail.  He said he has been involved in mountain biking for quite awhile and with the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) which is willing to help write a grant for putting in a trail.  This organization has many sketches of trails and they have access to the equipment needed to put one in.  He attended a previous Town Council meeting when the lodging tax was discussed and he feels a trail would be a good use for the money generated from the hotel/motel taxes. Alternative transportation is a good thing to think about since there is so much new development and more traffic issues will be forthcoming. 

Caroline Stalnaker, 292 Hite Lane, Strasburg, VA:  “Happy Valentines Day to you all!”  I have been looking at this property for a long time, but at last month’s Worksession an issue raised was the size of the lots and whether they actually meet the requirements of a Planned Development.  She said one member of the Commission asked that a new scenario be made with the lots being made smaller or equal to that of a Planned Development requirement.  She said there were no changes to the lot size made before the Planning Commission voted on this project; there was just justification for making the larger lots.  She said she had also shared with the group portions of an article from the Christian Science Monitor concerning Loudoun County which concluded by saying you need to have a good plan in place for development.  She was told the Comprehensive Plan covered all of this and a plan was in place.  She said she does have some serious questions from this plan and most concerned the floodplain.  She said the floodplain does come up to the back of the lots in the lower section of this development and she has seen this area under water for “days at a time at least three times since I’ve lived there and I haven’t lived there 100 years and I don’t think we’ve had a 100 year flood in the 20 years I’ve lived there.”  She thinks it is an artistic rendition of the floodplain and she is concerned about this.  What she is suggesting is to go with the commercial as the Town does need this, but to hold off on the other portions of the development until some “really good geo-tech and geological reports” have been acquired as to sinkholes, the wetlands, and since Mr. Rosenfeld has said nothing will be built before 2008, there is really no hurry. 

Denny Dunlap, Triad Engineering, representing Strasburg Green LLC:  He wanted to review the changes to the proffers.  Added to the proffers is that residential building will not begin before 2008.  A concrete sidewalk will be included along Route 11, in front of all the commercial property.  Water service will be provided to the rear of the townhouse units.  In working with VDOT, language has been clarified and they have coordinated more on the traffic impact analysis.  A signalization agreement has been entered into at different intersections.  He also mentioned the issue of Fort Bowman Road and that it is within a certain distance of a federal highway and they proffered to acknowledge this during the site plan review.

Scott Marsh, Marsh and Legge Land Surveyors, representing Strasburg Green,LLC:  Just wanted to mention that as part of the site plan process, a 100 year flood analysis will be done, which is done for every project, which insures the floodplain is properly delineated during site plan.  He added the FEMA flood maps are being re-done for the entire state by Dewberry and Davis so the most up-to-date information will be available.

The Public Hearing closed at 7:22 p.m.