Louis Cable
Guest Columnist
Published: April 6, 2008

In January, the Madison County Board of Supervisors, at a workshop meeting, raised the topic of possible “industrial uses” on a portion of the county-owned 242-acre site that currently houses the transfer station and the animal shelter. This property is on Shelby Road (Route 662) about a half mile east of U.S. 29 North. The two potential building sites under consideration for possible Limited-M-1 and General-M-2 Industrial uses are, respectively, 44 acres and 90 acres in size. The property is currently zoned for agricultural use.

The Madison County Eagle did its part by reporting this story in its Feb. 7 issue.  For their part, the county supervisors are exploring new avenues of land use for “excess” county-owned land. According to Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman Eddie Dean, the county has been approached by some business/developers outside Madison to pursue an economic development concept that might fit this property.

My interest and questions regarding this proposition, which is currently only under discussion, are threefold since the public has only been provided a sketchy outline of this possible venture:

1) Should Madison County sell and/or lease off public property? This land was purchased in March 1985 from the Gattfelter PulpWood Company primarily for “the operation of a sanitary landfill for the County of Madison, Virginia, said use to be regulated by a permit issued to the Purchaser from the State Board of Health of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and …” as indicated in the contract of sale and purchase. The bargain price for this total acreage was $281,281.05. Then-Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Culton S. Goodall and his colleagues are to be commended for the visionary purchase of this property which, according to the commissioner of Revenue today is assessed at $1,649,400.

The current agreement with Waste Management Incorporated to operate and transport waste materials from the Madison County Transfer Site to a landfill location in Amelia County expires in about five years (2013), according to Chairman Dean. Should this property still be reserved for landfill/transfer station operations, as originally intended, or changed at this point in time?

2) Should the Madison County government lead the charge to initiate, and pave the way, to expand public sewer and water infrastructure to this area of the county, which under the county zoning ordinance may be required if the property were to be rezoned (a) Industrial, Limited M-1 and/or (b) Industrial, General M-2? To rezone these tracts of land for industrial uses would be a major shift in public policy by our elected officials, who to date have assiduously resisted expanding sewer and water to other parts of the county.  This will probably call for an amendment to the Madison County adopted Comprehensive Plan as well.

Considering the long-term consequences of such a change in county policy, much more input from county citizens residing both near and far from this public property should be sought and is critical to the decision-making process. What about other existing properties in the county that are already zoned for industrial use? There are existing industrial sites on the county zoning books, both north and south of the town of Madison close to U.S. 29. Also, should other public and/or private uses have a higher priority than proposals offered behind the scenes by marketplace forces for capital gains in the form of “industrial uses”?

In talking with Chairman Dean on this subject, he indicated to me that the people of Madison will “need to trust us on this subject.” I would agree; trust is essential to move such a dialogue forward; but a general “bill of particulars” concerning the nature of such business operations (without naming the prospective players/companies) is equally important to inform the citizens about this exploration process, earlier rather than later.  In other words, “trust but verify” so that most “unknowns” are on the table for all to see and evaluate together throughout the decision-making cycle over time.

3) To that end, should the Madison County professional staff, led by County Administrator Lisa Kelley, be tasked to prepare an “in-house” in-depth feasibility study reviewing a complete and thorough range of possible uses of this publicly owned property?  In other words, look well beyond just this one proposed concept for industrial uses.

Such a comprehensive feasibility study by county staff should address:

A.  Various other use categories provided for in the Madison County Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinances and other related land use guides.

B.  Traffic impact analysis requirements of Virginia Department of Transportion (chapter 527).

C. Reconnaissance-environmental study and impacts, on and off-site.

D.  Cost/benefit use analysis of the various alternatives.

E.  Operating and revenue stream projections.

F.  Capital funding sources.

G.  Timetables.

H.  Options/alternatives.

I.  Priorities and recommendations.

Such a study should become the basis for initial public information meetings on this topic of importance to all. It could even lead to a citizens committee such as those created to study the Hoover Ridge (Clore) property, county finances and a purchase of development rights program for example in the county.

I very much appreciated the opportunity to discuss this subject personally with Chairman Dean. He was most positive and illuminating, especially pertaining to ownership and utilities. Eddie indicated that the board of supervisors is focusing on leasing the ground and facilities, not a fee-simple sale of the property. In addition, while he could not divulge the business interests exploring this location, the expansion of public sewer and water to this site and area was not the focus of the board’s intentions. There are also considerable questions regarding acceptable road access issues to this property to pursue with the community and VDOT.

I also spoke with two previous members of the board of supervisors — former BOS Vice Chairman Jimmy Hale and former Chairman David Jones — regarding this proposition.  Both counseled cautious and conservative movement for such a venture. I hesitate to quote them, so if this land use change gathers momentum and more public debate, Jimmy and David may wish to weigh in with their own observations at that point in time with detailed comments.

The community of Madison awaits the next action(s) by the board of supervisors on this “policy sea change” at this particular location in the county.  As this matter evolves from closed sessions to open dialogue, I hope to add more sunshine to this topic.

If readers have comments to relay or positions to consider in the interest of furthering the discussion of this important matter, please e-mail me at or call me at (540) 923-4470.

Of course, you may also wish to submit your own ideas directly to the Madison County Board of Supervisors (sooner than later) by calling (540) 948-6700 or e-mail them at or send The Madison County Eagle a letter to the editor.

(Guest columnist Louis A. Cable is a Dulaney Hollow resident. He describes himself as “a retired consultant still in pursuit of a peaceful planet here on Earth.” Contact him via e-mail at .)