Personal recreation field? Loudoun's rural advocates pushing back against Hamilton dumping site

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Personal recreation field? Loudoun's rural advocates pushing back against Hamilton dumping site
By Nathaniel Cline, [e-mail] Feb 22, 2019 Updated Feb 22, 2019

Loudoun County officials say they will be more closely monitoring how they handle future land use projects after a landowner just east of Hamilton violated county regulations at Gable Farm “personal recreation field.”

In 2015, county administration approved a rural economy plan for a “personal recreational field” near the site off Gable Farm Lane. The proposal did not require Board of Supervisors approval.

Project managers for the 18-acre Gable Farm site said it would be used as a polo field, according to county officials. ... Instead, the property has become a stockpile for top dirt and asphalt millings—considered for commercial use and a violation of the approved plan.

“The regulations with respect to this kind of activity are deeply flawed. They need to be changed,” said Henry Harris, managing partner at Cattail LC, a law firm representing nearby Digges Valley Farm.
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[happybird]

1. Good god. This is horrifying.

Thanks for posting, I haven't checked the Times Mirror in a couple weeks. Hamilton is my hometown.

The photos and video are shocking. It's flippin' huge. I wonder how many more of these types of operations are hidden away in that end of the county? It's scary.

And as a born and raised Western Loudouner, I must say: fuck the BoS. They surely would have approved it if consulted. They have a long, long history of destroying our county for profit.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Department of Environmental Quality says no contamination at Gable Farm site in Hamilton

Department of Environmental Quality says no contamination at Gable Farm site in Hamilton
By Nathaniel Cline, [e-mail] Mar 7, 2019 Updated 1 hr ago

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has ruled that there is no evidence of material contamination at the Gable Farm “personal recreation field” east of Hamilton in Loudoun County. ... In the meantime, the county is seeking a corrective plan from the property owner to address the stockpile for top dirt and asphalt millings, which are considered for commercial use and violate the approved plan.

The inquiry comes after the 18-acre property originally approved as “personal recreation field," or a polo field, turned into a stockpile, according to the county officials. ... Yet, DEQ Land Protection and Revitalization Program Manager Richard Doucette said, “Based on what we saw, we didn’t see anything that would be considered a violation.”

DEQ officials said the fill at the property contains soil, bricks, asphalt, concrete and rocks. Additionally, a nominal amount of woody vegetation, silt fence fabric and a lightweight plastic called polyvinyl chloride was found. Staff did not observe any evidence of contamination such as an oily sheen or chemical odor.

DEQ’s assessment follows a video published at LoudounRuralLandfills.com that was released in late February. The video describes the site as "intrusive, potentially harmful and potentially very lucrative." The creators questioned the land use approval and whether there could be similar issues at other sites if the county doesn't adopt stronger regulations.
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