Hearing to discuss road name
Published 1:12 pm Thursday, February 8, 2018
- Construction on a shell building located at the Cumberland Business Park on Poorhouse Road was completed last year. A public hearing Feb. 13 will look to potentially rename Poorhouse Road to avoid negative connotations associated with the business park.
A public hearing has been set during the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors meeting Feb. 13 to discuss a potential renaming of a road in the county.
Parker Wheeler
The public hearing will focus on Poorhouse Road, located on Virginia State Road 728, and a potential decision to rename the road Commerce Road.
Discussions to potentially change the road name had been recorded in both the February 2017 and July 2017 board of supervisors board packets.
Fifth District Supervisor Parker Wheeler was cited in February 2017 as suggesting a name change for Poorhouse Road, as the Cumberland County Business Park is located along the road, “to avoid any negative impact on the Business Park.”
In July, board members participated in a discussion concerning the renaming on Poorhouse Road.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was determined during that discussion as not having a role in the renaming of the road or actions that members of the board took on this issue.
“Everyone will discuss possibilities and come up with names for the next meeting, where the (Economic Development Authority) EDA board will make the decision of the road name,” the July board packet cited.
A 30,000 square foot building measuring 300 feet long and 100 feet wide shell was established within the business park at the beginning of 2017.
The county contributed more than $157,000 for using part of a $375,000 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission for the building on the 67-acre lot, an earlier Herald report and the Cumberland County website cited.
“With this building, Cumberland County is in the unique position of having a locality-owned property that is available for prospective businesses with a minimum amount of effort to customize the facility and begin operations,” County Administrator and Attorney Vivian Seay Giles said in the February 2017 Herald report. “That gives Cumberland the opportunity to maximize incentives and minimize barriers during negotiations.”
The hearing will take place during the board meeting at 7 p.m. at the Cumberland County Courthouse.
