Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 12, 1991 TAG: 9102120372
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN
SOURCE: MONICA DAVEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
The supervisors Monday voted unanimously to give the city until March 1 to decide whether it wants to go ahead with a joint city-county application for industrial certification.
"Let's just call their hands to see for once and for all if they will answer," Supervisor T.D. Thornton told other board members. "If not, let's go our own way."
Nearly a year ago, county and city officials agreed to go in on the economic development effort together. But their joint plan was recently stalled by an issue that has repeatedly raised trouble for city-county relations in the past few years: utility extensions.
One of 31 criteria the city and county must meet to get certified is a requirement that the area have 100 acres available for new industry.
That kind of space does exist in the county - right near the city. The Little Otter Business Park sits along U.S. 221 just outside the city. But to be usable for industry, the land must also have utilities available. Right now, waterlines extend to the site, but sewer lines do not.
The city could extend its sewer lines to the site. To do that, though, city officials say they need some financial benefit to the city.
Taxes from new industries there would go to the county and a revenue-sharing agreement probably would not pass the required countywide referendum, city officials say.
That same issue has sparked an annexation fight and an ongoing court battle between the city and county even before the certification question came up.
From the county's perspective, though, "This is such a logical site for a joint effort," Thornton said. "We have the land, the city has the utilities."
Still, if they don't hear from city officials by March, the supervisors say they will seek certification on their own.
With a utility-stocked industrial area in Forest, the supervisors would probably have enough land to meet the state's site requirement.
City officials, too, have discussed going after industrial certification by themselves. However, they have made no firm plans yet.
by CNB