Boundary line adjustments have been approved by the Town of Farmville and Prince Edward County for three properties.

Blue Sky Development LLC, Cedar Level LLC and Barry Dowdy — the owners of the properties — filed separate requests for the land to be included in town limits.

“The board (of supervisors) approved it, we’ve approved it and now they have to draw up the papers,” Farmville Town Manager Gerald Spates said.

“It’s rare that the Commission on Local Government would have any problem with something like this,” said Prince Edward County Administrator Wade Bartlett.

The initial request was filed by Robert J. Martin III, manager for Cedar Level LLC, on Dec. 2, 2014, for 48.52 acres, located on Milnwood Road, to be moved into the town limits.

On May 21, 2014, Russell Harper, manager of Blue Sky Development and Acquisition Co. LLC, requested that 231 acres on Germantown Road be included in the line adjustment. Dowdy’s application for his two acres on Germantown was filed on April 19.

“I don’t see any issue with it since it’s a citizen-initiated boundary adjustment,” Spates said. “It’s a voluntary one. It usually doesn’t take that long. It’s usually a quick process because it’s not contested, so it usually moves pretty quick. This one, (for) no particular reason, it just took longer than normal, I think.”

According to county records, public hearings were held by the town council and the board of supervisors on the matter.

Supervisors voted unanimously during their regular meeting in July to approve the adjustments, but made slight changes to the boundary lines for the Germantown Road property.

The slight alterations came at the recommendation of County Attorney James R. Ennis. The board approved moving the boundary line for the Germantown Road property so that it is 25 feet east from the Route 628.

This won’t impact the properties or the owners, but does affect the town. If the road is outside of town limits, then it is managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

“I think you’re doing the town of Farmville a favor,” Farmville District 701 Supervisor Jim Wilck said during the meeting.

“This way, VDOT will still maintain the road. I won’t have to maintain it,” said Spates.

According to Spates, Farmville residents pay more taxes because they have to pay taxes to both the town and the county.

However, “a lot people like the services the county doesn’t provide, like trash collection (and) cheaper water and sewer rates if you live in town, plus additional police protection,” said Spates.

According to Spates, the boundary line adjustment will be positive for both the property owners and the town.

“We get the tax base. The added tax base helps us,” said Spates. “None of these properties, except for one house, are really developed, so anything that is done, the person who owns the properties has to pay (for) the improvements, so that’s not an expense on the town, like to build roads or do things like that.”

Spates said that all properties brought into the town as a result of the adjustment are zoned residential, R1. The Blue Sky Development and Cedar Level property owners would have to submit rezoning requests for uses not allowed in the residential R1 zone.