At precisely 6:00 PM, Thomas Hess of Boy Scout Troop 2950 led Town Council and yet another standing room crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance at the Thursday, March 12, Town Council Meeting.

They were there for the second session of a prolonged public hearing on rezoning necessary to accommodate the street plans for Salamander Development's new luxury housing development on the north side of Middleburg, between the old town and the new Salamander Inn and Spa.

Key points of contention, left unresolved after last month's hearings were: 1) whether or not the streets in the new development were to be privately owned or, like the vast majority of Middleburg's streets, the property (and responsibility) of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT); and 2) if, and where, two entrance roads connecting the new development to the town's existing street grid should be located.

According to Town Planner and Zoning Administrator Bill Moore, "... a lot of progress has been made ... in particular with regard to the issue of public versus private streets." With the help of Commonwealth Transportation Board Member Scott Kasprowicz, Moore reported, he was able to arrange an "expedited review" of the situation with VDOT.

After two face to face meetings and a telephone conference call follow up, he continued, it appeared that "... Salamander could accomplish what it wanted design wise, with a few minor alterations."

More important, Moore noted, it also appeared that Salamander would be able to conclude a private maintenance agreement with VDOT that would allow the new roads to be publicly owned, and yet still allow the Salamander Home Owners' Association to perform maintenance work, such as filling potholes and removing snow, key issues in Salamander's initial proposal to make the roads private.

As a result, Moore reported, the Town has received an updated proffer statement from Salamander, dated March 6th.

In it, only two driveways, both connecting the new development to the Salamander Inn and Spa itself, would be private connections.

The new proffer, Moore continued, addressed concerns about police enforcement of traffic violations and included a formal agreement that Salamander "would not gate or otherwise obstruct access into the residential area" from the town, though it could, if necessary, gate the connections between the new residential area and the Inn and Spa to "preclude cut-through traffic."

Though further refinement of the formal relationship with VDOT and the details of the Salamander proffer to the Town are required, Moore and the Town's Planning Commission appear to have given the new plans, in principle, in the words of the Town Planner, "a soft endorsement."

Council member Bundles Murdock noted that she particularly liked the four-way stops included in the new proffers, "particularly the one at Pendleton and Marshall Streets."

Stephen Plescow, on behalf of Salamander Development, reported that the organization "was comfortable dropping their request for private roads and would work closely with VDOT to achieve their goals, which were to have a great plan, to be responsive to the Town's ordinances and to have a good level of maintenance."

Salamander's Prem Devadas added that his group was "... delighted that they were able to do public roads and noted that although they had great concerns, they have been able to get to where they wanted to go."

Mark Thompson, who lives on Stonewall Avenue, expressed concern about the size of the buffer zones between new development and the town and suggested that gravel shoulders be considered for the new roads, rather than concrete curbs and gutters.

Patty Thomas, a resident of Chestnut Street, expressed concerns about street design and safety and asked that Council "... have an independent traffic impact analysis done before voting on the proffer amendments."

Philip Boyle, who lives on Stonewall Avenue, expressed concern about increased traffic and noise.

Julie Martin noted that, in her view, abandoning the town traditional grid structure for the new development should be questioned as well.

Steve Plescow pointed out that the new plans included thirty-five to fifty-foot noise buffers not included in older versions, and noted that VDOT standards now required concrete curb and gutter for publicly owned roads. Most of the roads in Middleburg, he noted "contained concrete curb and gutter."

A new traffic study, he continued, would also be done when Salamander formally submitted its preliminary plat for the new project, assuring Council that "... Salamander would be happy to run an analysis that showed the Chestnut and/or Reed Street connections as being used for emergency vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians only."

At Council member Mark Snyder's suggestion a formal Council vote on Salamander's new proffer was deferred pending Town Staff, Planning Commission and Council review of the new paperwork incorporating these changes.