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Grayson halts project pending permit issuance
Developers try to reassure group that plans won't hurt New River
Journal Graphic by Nicholas Weir
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Published: January 20, 2009
MOUTH OF WILSON, Va. - Two developers were moving ahead with plans to build a recreational mobile-home park along the New River until residents complained that work had begun without zoning or planning permission.
Earlier this month, Grayson County officials shut down the project until the county's planning commission can hear more about the plans and decide whether to issue a special-use permit.
"We did receive an anonymous tip that there was some activity going on out there. There has been some land-disturbing activity that has taken place," said Bill Ring, the county administrator. "They were taking out stumps and did have a little bit of grading in some areas. Whether or not they were building roads is yet to be determined."
Joe Weddington Jr. of Crumpler, N.C., and Richard London of Laurel Springs, N.C., have requested a special-use permit to put as many as 240 mobile homes on the property, which includes 148 acres in Mouth of Wilson. The current zoning is rural farm.
The Grayson County Planning Commission will have a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. today in the board room of the county courthouse. If the commission recommends the request, it would go to the county board of supervisors, which has the final authority.
The tract is at 1045 Foxwood Lane, near where N.C. 93 and U.S. 58 intersect. Weddington and London want to turn it into Spirit Harbor Recreation Park, which would be marketed to Christian seniors. Spirit Harbor would sell sites and mini log cabins, similar to mobile homes.
There was some work completed on old logging roads in October, Weddington said, but there hasn't been any construction.
"All we have begun is we have cleaned up some existing problems," he said. "There were some old logging roads and they were washing downhill. I just cleaned them up. We were making sure there was no erosion."
But others say they are concerned that work began without any approvals.
"That disregard for attaining the required permits or inspections for issues such as sediment retention, debris removal and other health, safety and environmental safeguards required by local, state and federal agencies is what places the integrity of his entire project into question," said Mike Horn of Winston-Salem, who owns property near the river.
In 2006, Horn's political media-consulting company in Winston-Salem was hired by opponents of a prison along the New River and successfully fought the development from coming to a bluff overlooking the river. Last month that land was placed under a conservation easement held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the National Committee for the New River that will protect it from development.
Horn and other residents formed a citizens group and say they will continue to monitor the river.
"Folks should be able to develop their property. That's what property rights are all about. But counties and states have guidelines to ensure orderly development," he said. "The goal is to protect a vital resource."
Weddington said he lives on the New River in Ashe County and would not do anything that would be detrimental to the river.
He has no plans to build next to the river, he said. The mobile-home park would have green spaces, four large common spaces, four wildlife habitat areas and trails. Spirit Harbor would lease 0.15- to 0.25-acre lots for each home.
"We're developing less than half the property," Weddington said.
If the special-use permit is approved, some of the first units could be set up by June or July. The park would be built in phases and would take five years to complete.
A Warrensville couple sold the property in October to Weddington and London for $1.15 million, according to a deed filed with the Grayson County clerk's office.
Weddington and London have named E.F. "Butch" Reeves IV as the general manager of the day-to-day operations at the mobile-home park, according to the site plans. Reeves is also the mayor of Independence, Va.
■ Sherry Youngquist can be reached in Mount Airy at 336-789-9338 or at syoungquist@wsjournal.com.
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