Letter to Editor about Gas and Convenience store N of Buchanan

Dear Editor,

Ok folks. Reaching out once again to everyone in and around Buchanan, especially the Greyledge and Arcadia areas. The proposal to build a gas station/convenience store disappointingly has been passed on from the Planning Commission to the Board of Supervisors for hearing on July 26th. We need to redouble our efforts. Send emails, make phone calls, go visit your Board of Supervisors members and tell them NO!!

Some interesting info…it was brought up in the Planning Commision meeting that there is a portion of a cemetery with African American slaves, settlers from the 1700’s and Indians possibly located on a portion of the proposed building site. What happens to those??? They’re looking at having to blast thru rock to try and put in a commercial well and septic…and their answer to any damage to surrounding springs, creeks, etc? Oh we’ll just have to “mitigate it later”. Once a natural spring is destroyed there is no “mitigating”. Their line of sight numbers provided were based on an assumed 35mph speed limit, not the actual 55. So now we may be facing a turn lane having to be installed on Frontage Rd.

VDOT closed exit 167 because of the short exit ramp and the accidents caused by traffic attempting to slow down and exit. Do we really want to recreate that same problem at exit 168 (which is also a really short ramp southbound)??

Please continue to make your voice heard and spread the word. They had 35 NO’s and 1 sorta YES at the PC meeting…let’s double those NO’s for the 26th!!! Rendering are not showing gas pumps, etc.

Thank you,

Robin Watts Wells, property owner Buchanan VA

Robin Watts