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McAuliffe Team Gets Creative to Open a New Park

Piedmont Environmental Council

Governor Terry McAuliffe was in Charlottesville Thursday to announce the opening of a new park.  The land for that property has been in state hands for more than eight years, but a Republican legislature refused to fund its development. That prompted McAuliffe to cut an unusual deal.

The 1,200-acre property, south of Charlotteville, is known as Biscuit Run. In 2008 it was owned by several wealthy Democrats in Albemarle County.  They had hoped to develop it, but then the great recession hit, cutting demand for new housing. The owners decided to cut their losses – selling the land to the state for nearly ten million dollars and a tax credit worth $12.5 million. Then governor Tim Kaine signed off, but his Republican successor, Bob McDonnell, offered no money for roads, parking lots and a visitors center, so the property sat.  When McAuliffe came into office, he planned to fix that.

“I put $42 million in the bond package to make this a state park,” McAuliffe told a crowd in Charlottesville. “Unfortunately, the General Assembly did not see the wisdom that we had and did not fund the project.”

Several state officials wondered if Virginia might partner with Albemarle County to make it happen – chief among them, the director of Conservation and Recreation.

“I find it to be a travesty whenever I go to that park and see a sign that says, ‘No Trespassing,’” Clyde Cristman recalls.

Senator Creigh Deeds asked Cristman – to push that plan.  He, in turn, called the Director of Natural Resources.

“And I said, ‘Molly, Senator Deeds wants me to draft some legislation to make it possible for Albemarle County and the state to partner on a park, and she said, ‘Why do we need to do that?  Why can’t the governor just do it?’ And of course, right there in the code of Virginia, the governor has the authority to lease property!” he says.

Under the 99-year lease the county, working with VDOT, will develop and maintain the park but will pay no rent to the state.  Board of Supervisors President Ann Mallek said the area could be open to hikers in less than two years.  

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief