A plan to protect the outlying areas of Manassas Battlefield from development is set for public hearing in January, but at least one supervisor wondered if these new viewshed regulations might halt construction on an electrical generating plant.
Viewshed preservation is concerned with protecting the property that can be seen from a historical site. Viewshed supporters see construction of a transmission line, for example, or erection of a traffic sign, in those areas that can be seen from historical sites like Manassas National Battlefield Park as a degradation of the area's history.
"A few miles away from the park, we have a proposal to build an electrical generating plant" that will emit steam, said Supervisor Martin Nohe, R-Coles, following a recent presentation to the board about viewshed findings. "There will be steam that goes into the air a mile from the battlefield, and that will be seen."
The point: Since soldiers fighting the Civil War didn't see such steam, will any new viewshed regulations upset plans for the plant?
"There's always a balancing act," said Justin Patton, county archeologist, who said viewsheds are somewhat nebulous in nature. "You're not preserving land. You're preserving across land and things that intrude into the view."
The county has yet to adopt any viewshed ordinance. Park and staff presented the results of a study to supervisors a couple weeks ago that identified certain areas of the county as top priority for viewshed protection.
Proposed ways of saving the viewshed include creating a purchase-of-development-rights program, amending the county Comprehensive Plan to include viewsheds, or outright establishing the two Manassas battlefields as official viewshed areas. The last would bring with it new land-use regulations and restrictions.
"It's premature to establish that … without further study," Patton said of the creation of a viewshed zoning label.
Staff writer Cheryl Chumley can be reached at 703-670-1907.
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