Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Monday, July 13, 2020
Rockingham County will likely purchase the 27-ish acre parcel on Taylor Spring Lane between Barrington and Lakewood to use for managing stormwater in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.
The purchase has not been finalized, but the County is in discussions with the land owner regarding the purchase.
The County does not have a design for how the property will be used, but according to Lisa Perry, (Environmental and Land Use Manager for Rockingham County) it is safe to say that the low lying areas of the parcel will be used for stormwater storage capacity.
My understanding is that only half of the property will be needed for stormwater management and that the County intends to use the other half of the land for a future County park once funding is available to build the park.
Here's a reminder of some of the details of the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Authority...
If you live in (or own property in) the area shown above, you'll have a new tax to pay come December 2020 - a fee that will go towards funding upgrades in the stormwater infrastructure in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.
- The annual fee is $0.08 per square foot of rooftop.
- The fee will be included in your real estate tax bill, but as a separate item.
- Property owners will pay $0.04 per square foot of rooftop area starting in December 2020 and ending in 2030.
These fees should bring in approximately $2.8 million over the next ten years - though the total estimated costs for the needed infrastructure improvements are between $3.15 million and $4.75 million.
Also in their June meeting, the Lake Shenandoah Storm water Control Authority Board (made up of the same members as the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors)
- Authorized staff to borrow up to $2,850,000.
- Authorized staff to proceed with purchasing a property for constructing a stormwater detention facility.
- Directed that $925K from the General Fund be applied towards the purchase of the property.
If you live in this area, hopefully the news of this new tax isn't a surprise to you -- as it has been discussed for about a year now. The County held the first public hearing on this matter back in July 2019.
Learn more about the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority here.