ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 1996 TAG: 9610160053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
Rezoning for Smith Mountain Lake's first waterfront motel was approved by the Franklin County Board of Supervisors Tuesday over the objections of local homeowners.
The motel will have 26 rooms and will be built on a 1.7-acre site on Virginia 616 next to Indian Point Marina.
But the small size and scope of the project mean nothing to those who oppose it, mainly year-round residents of the lake.
Supervisor Don Riddle, who represents the magisterial district where the motel will be built, and Board Chairman Wayne Angell voted against the project Tuesday. But the other five supervisors voted to approve the request, which changes the zoning classification from agricultural to general business.
Two of the supervisors who voted for the rezoning represent magisterial districts that have no zoning. Some motel opponents said those board members shouldn't vote on rezoning issues because their constituents aren't affected by the ordinance.
"It's not ethical," said Jerry Crandall, who owns land across the cove from where the motel will be built.
"I want to assure you that there are no members of this board who don't look at Franklin County as our community as a whole. We don't make the artificial boundaries that seem to be so prevalent in the minds of so many," Angell shot back.
However, there's always been a division between many lake residents - including retirees from the North, who account for a large portion of the county's tax revenue - and some Franklin County natives.
Several lake residents said they're well aware of the situation.
Crandall's wife, Katherine, said supervisors who represent unzoned districts voted the way their constituents wanted them to vote.
"They'd be ostracized if they voted against a rezoning request" at the lake, she said.
Other homeowners argued that the board would be allowing "spot zoning" - putting a commercial venture in the midst of residential homes - by approving the request.
However, the board heard from a few people who said a motel is needed on the lake. And, with a marina already in business next to the site, the rezoning does not fit the definition of spot zoning, said county Attorney Jim Jefferson.
Dirk Ratliff, who owns the motel property, said he knew his project would be opposed by homeowners, but he was a little surprised by their vehemence.
"I'm glad that they got to express their point of view," he said. "But I really feel that I, as a property owner, should be able to do what I want with my land if I meet the county code and do things the right way."
The motel will be built by Mod-U-Kraf Homes Inc. of Rocky Mount. Rooms are expected to rent for $50 to $65 a night, and there will be parking for trailers and docks to accommodate boats, said Ratliff's attorney, Clyde Perdue.
Hotly contested lake zoning issues are nothing new to the supervisors. The board turned down a campground project last year that would have been developed by Ratliff's family near Indian Point Marina.
Another rezoning hearing was scheduled Tuesday after Ratliff's.
Lake residents packed another room in the county courthouse to speak out against a rezoning request by Robert Glenn to build a row of townhouses on Virginia 957 in Union Hall.
Glenn withdrew his request before the hearing. Several supervisors said he did so because of the opposition.
Asked if there's a simple solution to calm the emotions over lake rezonings, Angell said:
"No, I think that's just part of what we do."
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