
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 23, 1995                   TAG: 9505230112
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

SHAWSVILLE TRAILERS FIND OPPOSITION, LITTLE SUPPORT

David McCrumb and his family moved to a 90-year-old Shawsville home a half-dozen years ago. He and his novelist wife, Sharon, became part of a group of people moving into and restoring older homes in the small community in eastern Montgomery County.

Now, David McCrumb worries proposals for more trailer developments will only detract from the older homes already there and make the space crunch in the local schools even worse.

The president of the Shawsville Ruritan Club is not alone. Monday night, eight other people expressed concern to the Montgomery Board of Supervisors about two trailer-related developments in Shawsville.

The board should decide on the proposals late next month. The county Planning Commission on Monday night delayed making a recommendation to the board until June 21.

One proposal is a 25-lot expansion of Smith Village Mobile Home Park, a 160-lot park at Dark Run Road. The second is a proposal by double-wide trailer dealer Ray Epperly to rezone 2.3 acres along Oldtown Road so he can split the land into six small lots, place trailers there and sell them with the lots. He has legally restricted himself from installing single-wide trailers.

For those opposed - at least 30 in a crowd of 55 at Monday's public hearings stood to show their opposition to Epperly's plan - the issues come down to trailers' influence on property values, aesthetics, school overcrowding and the quality of life.

"I don't think I'd want to live in a rural ghetto," said Karen Pappas, who lives in a historic 275-year-old former tavern. "If we want a diverse community, then let's build some decent, low-cost housing. Subsidized housing."

For Epperly and his lone public supporter, Shelby Cole, it comes down to providing quality housing that people can afford. "We need housing in Shawsville," Cole said. "There's a need in Shawsville for rental property that's in good condition." There's also a need, she said, for affordable starter homes for young families.

Epperly, who lost a similar rezoning battle in nearby Elliston in April, spoke after seven people had urged the county Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to reject his project.

McCrumb and Tom Dunkenberger Sr. called on the supervisors to recognize the link between adding more trailers to the community and overcrowded classrooms. Dunkenberger, a resident for 35 years, said if the board approved the developments, it should also be prepared to approve budget increases for law enforcement, fire protection and schools, particularly since trailers often attract younger people with more children than site-built homes.

McCrumb said his son, a second-grader, sees the overcrowding issue on a daily basis. McCrumb calculates his son moves between portable classrooms and the school building up to 20 times a week, including during the winter.

Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB