Plan for asphalt companies meets resistance

The plans to hear a special use permit matter involving an asphalt company has been put on hold thanks, in part, to an overwhelmingly negative response from area residents.

Earlier this month, the Prince William County Planning Commission recommended approval for Finley Asphalt & Sealing Inc.’s permit request for its business — which would be located at 9514 Hornbaker Road in Manassas.

The area is zoned for heavy industrial use and the matter was scheduled to be heard at a Board of County Supervisors public hearing Tuesday. But residents of nearby Victory Lakes subdivision recently caught wind of the plans, writing the board and creating a petition for residents to sign in protest.

Their main beef was environmental health concerns, potential drops in property value and heavy truck traffic. After learning of the community’s protests, the board tabled the issue May 19 for further discussion with area homeowners.

“The community needs more time to have input, ask questions and get answers,” stated board chairman Corey A. Stewart, R-at large, in an e-mail to Bristow resident Katherine Gotthardt on Monday.

Stewart also favors deferring a scheduled June 23 hearing to change proffers in the nearby Broad Run Industrial Park to allow for a second asphalt plant to be run by GRR Land of Virginia, LLC.

A spokesperson for Finley said they are coming up with a educational package that will clear up and information or misinformation that is being spread about their facility.

“A lot of stuff that’s been thrown out there has been completely false,” said the spokesperson.

He also said he was unclear whether the June 2 BOCS meeting would’ve touched on the subject of the new asphalt plant.

“They were talking about the June 2 date but [I didn’t think] it was concrete,” said the spokesperson.

Victory Lakes resident Alexander Kot helped organize a small rally in his neighborhood Tuesday and according to co-organizer Christine Rosenfeld, an information meeting at the neighborhood clubhouse will take place Thursday at 7 p.m.

Residents are mainly concerned about potential health effects on them and their children. According to the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, the plants could produce toxins like formaldehyde, benzene and styreme, the latter which could negatively impact an individual’s nervous system.

Burt Paukei said he just found out about the scenario Monday but is interested in attending Thursday’s meeting. A welder at Capital Boiler Works in Springfield, Paukei said his business works with asphalt companies and joked that another plant in the area would give him more work.

Yet, he’s concerned that having an asphalt plant near where his children attend school could affect them negatively, especially his 13-year-old son with asthma.

Finley’s spokesperson said their educational package will address these issues and the company will adhere to any local, state or federal guidelines placed upon it.

If allowed to operate, the asphalt companies would be located within a mile of several subdivisions including Victory Lakes, Braemar, Saybrooke, Bridlewood Manor and Sheffield Manor.

The planning commission voted 7-1 to recommend the approval of the special use permit for Finley and last week, voted 5-3 to approve the proffer change for the Land of Virginia site.

The Land of Virginia site permits heavy industrial uses but was proffered in 1989 to not allow asphalt plants.

According to county documents, notice of Land of Virginia’s application was given to adjacent property owners within 200 feet per county standards. Early in the process, county staff received several calls regarding this application, especially from the Saybrooke subdivision.

The document also stated the applicant communicated their proposal with these citizens and no responses were received by staff in the last several months.

The Finley spokesperson said there was adequate notice via newspapers for the planning commission’s May 6 public hearing, and that he never received any invitation to speak with any homeowner association to address any of their concerns regarding the plant.

Still, neighbors said they felt blindsided by the news that the county would allow such industry in such close proximity close to their homes. Kot said having an asphalt company down the street from his house wasn’t what he expected when he moved into Victory Lakes just three years ago.

“You can bike, there are two lakes, there are playgrounds,” said Kot, who has two young children. “This is an ideal community to raise kids.”

Even some of the industrial park residents — like Blue Isle Granite & Tile —  don’t want this type of business moving next door.

Blue Isle Granite & Tile co-owner Tamara Denigris, who also lives nearby, said the plant “could cause a lot of health problems.”

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.