I had the privilege to attend my first Fauquier County Board of Supervisors (FCBOS) Meeting last night, 12 April 2012. For those interested, the meeting is typically held at the Warren Green building in Warrenton (10 Hotel Street) at 6:30 PM on the second Thursday of the month. Many things were discussed--the meeting let out at about 10 PM. The two major items which drew the public hearing were the forthcoming Mintbrook development in Bealeton and the Mountainside Montessori school in Marshall.
I may discuss Mintbrook in the future, but in summary, their requests for special exception were permitted, by a 3-2 vote, despite most people speaking against the matters of the flood plane issues and the lacking proffers from the developers. I wish to focus on the Mountainside Montessori school, which kept me up for several hours last night and hasn't been successfully chased out of my mind.
What is Mountainside Montessori? Well, from what I gathered from the public hearing last night, it is a private preschool which is growing into a primary/elementary school. The problem? It is a commercial business located in land zoned for Residential/Agricultural (RA) development/use. How the school got started there back in 2003 I'm a bit fuzzy on, but the fact of the matter is that some special exceptions were granted to the school to bring in students for preschool, then for the primary school. I do not wish to go into the many complicated details of which I do not fully understand.
The neighbors of the property came out in force, requesting that an extension to their special exception be denied--after all the school IS a private commercial business in the middle of a rural, residential neighborhood.
The parents and others associated with the small school came out in force as well, pleading for the exception to be granted so their children, students, and business could continue the work of education. All the while, the school leadership were promising that they only needed one more year to solidify and close out financing which would propel the school's desire to move to a commercially zoned area where they could experience unhindered growth. Side note on the funding: The USDA had promised the school 100% financing on their selected site, but then backed down to 80%. This means the school needs to scrounge to find the rest of the funds--and brings us to the claimed need for the extension of the recently expired special exception for continuing the work of private education in the location.
Now my position on this. I stood last night in front of the FCBOS and stated I had no knowledge of the previous happenings--only what I had heard there--and that my only interest was that of a resident of Fauquier County. I stated that to pull away the special exception (allow to expire) would be to break the trust of the businesses and residents of Fauquier County. Who can we trust, if we cannot trust our elected government officials? To pull away the previously promised support in such funding circumstances would be no better than reneging on the USDA's 100% financing promise. At the time I meant it in support of the school's desire to simply gather more time so they can move to a more proper location--and I still do.
Last night, my mind came back to the fact that the FCBOS has already reneged on promises. Which promises? The promises to the residents of Fauquier County that the property they were purchasing was zoned for Residential and Agricultural development. I sided with the school in my comments last night, but they need to leave. The county cannot attract or allow businesses under a certain premise and then when that premise changes--just kick them out. But along the same line, the county cannot go on breaking the promises made to generations past, present, and future by allowing special exceptions to the rules all willy-nilly. The FCBOS (albeit a previous board) had indeed created their own problems here.
Quite the situation, if you ask me. Both parties are in the right, in my opinion--although the school doesn't belong there. The FCBOS members each spoke at length of the school and their reluctance to approve the special exception. But they approved it--extending the exception for the primary school until June 30, 2013 allowing the school to finish out this and the next school year before being required to attempt another permit----or move.
My hope? That the school takes this extra life-line and gathers the funding they need and works on getting out the door at the current site at the same time. I'm not sure I have any confidence that the school well be able to gather their funding in the coming year AND complete construction on a new facility in time to be opened for the 2013-2014 school year. The FCBOS (and this resident as well) have made it clear that the next special permit which comes up is being shot down 0-5.
-TFCR
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