Speaking of Special Use Permits, local citizen watchdog C.Wayne Taylor has been just as concerned about the latest flurry of riverfront planning as Oregon Hill neighbors.
He has started asking some very pertinent questions and has come to the conclusion that, despite what local officials may or may not say, Dominion Resources’ riverfront SUP has legally expired:
In 2001, City Council approved a special use permit for the Dominion Resources headquarters on Tredegar Street. The permit increased the maximum allowed building heights within a sloping “envelope” that extended from 60 feet above ground level to 160 feet above ground level.
Under the terms of the permit, it would automatically expire if certain conditions were not met. The city maintains that the conditions were met and that the permit is “still valid.”
The facts indicate that the permit expired. The property owner failed to meet the deadline for using the special use permit. The development that occurred on the property complied with the zoning regulations and did not require the special use permit.
Look for Dominion to try to quietly go behind the scenes and change things to their advantage. After all, this is what they do. And continue to do.
And don’t look for the local corporate media to cover it, after all, this is what they they won’t do. Why is it up to this little neighborhood community news site to mention the local connection to the MF Global story, where a former United States Congressperson and Governor “doesn’t know” where over a billion dollars went?
Citizens, remain vigilant!
I read the link to Virginia Pilot story written in May. One thing the author fails to mention is how the EPA’s Lisa Jackson is driving energy costs higher. Yesterday’s announcement by the EPA to cut emmissions from coal fired power plants is essentially forcing power companies to close their plants. From what I’ve read online, some plants can be retrofitted to meet the new standards. But this comes at an extremely steep cost and that cost gets pushed down to the consumer.
In regards to Dominion needing a high rise building, I think a 16 – 20 story building on Cary St. between 8th and 9th Street would be better suited. After all, that is where the other tall buildings are. Currently it is being used as surface parking lot.
@Denny. Right, because building a new 16-20 story building in downtown coupled with retrofitting all of their coal plant to meet mercury standard would be cheap. And then we can hear everyone complain about why their electricity bill has doubled. The way our system is structured…you can not have it both ways……which do you prefer?
Brad,
I prefer the market place figure it out instead of the White House and the EPA picking the winners and losers. When the cost of producing electricity from coal exceeds the cost producing electricity from solar or wind, I will be all for those alternative forms of generation.
I don’t know what Dominion’s office space needs are. They probably are not dire, however, because they never acted on the permit to build something right in front of Oregon Hill. If they need more office space, it’d be easy for them to find space around town or construct their own building elsewhere. Building new office space is most likely an insignificant piece of their whole budget because Dominion is not in the business of building office space.
When the EPA forces cuts in power supply while demand is increasing, costs will only go up. That’s basic economics. The ideologues in the White House and EPA have zilch for business experience and they can’t understand that direct correlation. So they are forcing regulations upon businesses and consumers and expect glorious outcomes. Meanwhile, the United States has over 200 years of coal reserves.
If the government cuts the coal and fossil fuel subsidies, renewables would be cheaper than coal.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/nov/11/bill-clinton/bill-clinton-says-wind-solar-are-already-cheaper-n/
Dominion knows that, which is why they are now trying to add extra fees for Virginians who go solar.
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/11/dominion-charge-fee-heavy-users-solar-power
Its time that Americans pay the true cost of energy. We need an energy AND political revolution.
Hey Scott,
Any solar panels on your roof yet?
I think Scott put Solar panels up before he moved the refrigerator in. First home system I ever saw. Also a nice and smart awning out back that retracts for solar warmth. Burger is committed to smarter energy use- I will give him props for that.
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/12/wind-energy-setback
Dominion Power’s wind and solar facade
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dominion-powers-wind-and-solar-facade/2011/12/29/gIQAB1d8QP_allComments.html?ctab=all_&#comments
When Dominion was issued the special use permit, we were told the permit would expire after the usual time frame for such a permit–2 years. After the 2 years had passed, OH residents and everyone who had fought for limits on construction assumed that Dominion’s permit had expired, as the law was written for it to do. When I asked a city official to confirm this, he said that not only would Dominion’s permit not expire (because they had begun construction on one piece of the project, as mentioned above), but even more outrageously, that such a permit would not expire for any future owners of the land. So theoretically, the permit for one use is allegedly good forever for any owner. Such shenanigans shouldn’t go unchallenged.
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