Campbell County supervisors and rec advisers split on rezoning, seek more study before land use changes

The Campbell County Board of Supervisors and the Recreation Advisory Council met to discuss a pending rezoning request for land at the Seneca site that has been earmarked for a long-planned Countywide Park and a competing industrial development plan.

The advisory council told supervisors it wants the county to retain the park acreage and begin phased development of a multipurpose sports complex. Maurice Pearman, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, closed the presentation by saying, “As the Campbell County Park Advisory Council, we would like to see ... retain the property that’s earmarked for the Countywide Park” and to “begin finding budget opportunities to build it.”

Why it matters: county staff says several state and regional economic-development grant programs require at least 50 contiguous acres to qualify; county economic-development staff has submitted a rezoning request and said grant deadlines and the need for water and sewer access are driving the timing. If the county rezones the parcel for industrial use to pursue grants, speakers warned, the county risks losing the acreage that recent master plans set aside for a regional park.

What the advisory council presented: The…