Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County lawmaker briefs Chincoteague council on natural gas expansion, rezoning and a contested injection-well permit
Summary
During public comment at the Dec. 1 Chincoteague meeting, a county lawmaker described a $6.5 million state match for a county natural-gas expansion project (part of a program likely to exceed $78 million), described a 368.98-acre rezoning for Virginia Space Authority, and warned of a contested Class V injection well application at Bayberry Landing that has been appealed to the county BZA.
A county lawmaker used the Chincoteague Town Council’s public-comment period on Dec. 1 to update the council on several regional items affecting the town.
He said a state-county agreement provides $6,500,000 to the county to be used for engineering, land acquisition, right-of-way permitting, planning and related costs to extend natural gas along Route 13; the county expects the total project to exceed $78,000,000 and is preparing an RFP for companies to build and operate the system.
On local economic incentives, the lawmaker described an enterprise-zone grant paid to a local business (transcribed as "Ameren coffee") and said disbursement is spread over three years; he cited a first-year payment described in the meeting as $808,101 to get renovations or operations going.
He also described a county appropriation of $225,000 for a childcare-incentive grant round in the northern county. Five applications were received but, he said, none scored highly enough to qualify; reviewers cited poor proposed locations relative to Route 1, applicants’ lack of childcare operating experience and failure to obtain facility licensing.
On land use, the lawmaker said the board approved rezoning a 368.98-acre portion of Darby Farm for industrial use with proffers to protect the Wallops Island launch area and enable compatible future uses by Virginia Space Authority.
Finally, he warned about an application at Bayberry Landing for an EPA Class V injection-well permit to manage processed poultry waste and chicken manure. "They seek to use these injection wells … to have it permanently stored," he said, noting the county issued a zoning determination that injection wells are not allowed under the county ordinance and that the applicant has appealed; he said the matter is likely to be heard by the county BZA in January.
He also said the county has secured a $1,500,000 nonfederal match for an Army Corps inlet study; he described the Corps’ study as a three-year, $3,000,000 effort that the Corps must perform itself.
Why it matters: The items cited — energy infrastructure, rezoning near a federal launch facility, proposed waste-injection wells, and coastal studies — could affect environmental risks, economic development and planning near Chincoteague.
What’s next: The county will draft the natural-gas RFP; the Bayberry Landing zoning appeal is expected before the county BZA in January, and the Army Corps inlet-study match has been pledged according to the lawmaker’s account.
