|
For
Immediate Release
February 21, 2003
DEVELOPER RAY SMITH RESORTS TO LAST MINUTE DESPERATION TACTICS
(Chancellorsville,
Va.) - The Coalition to Save Chancellorsville Battlefield
released the following statement today in response to a telemarketing
campaign conducted by proponents of the controversial rezoning
of the Mullins Farm. On May 1, 1863, the Union and Confederate
armies collided on the Mullins Farm in the opening clash of
the historic battle of Chancellorsville.
"Dogwood Development
Group President Ray F. Smith is running scared. He knows the
tide is turning against his effort to develop the 790-acre
Mullins Farm. Smith is now resorting to 11th hour desperation
tactics to save his development plan —
a plan jeopardized by his own misleading statements, accounting
gimmicks, and clumsy political maneuvers.
"Smith and
his backers have launched a slick telemarketing campaign to
confuse the public and save his plan. The campaign includes
several false and misleading questions written to elicit a
favorable response disguised as a survey.
"For instance,
Smith continues to claim that his development scheme will
generate millions in revenue for the county. However, a fiscal
analysis commissioned by the Coalition to Save Chancellorsville
Battlefield has proven otherwise. The analysis, released in
December, explains how Smith is juggling the numbers to create
grossly inaccurate revenue generation numbers. Moreover, county
planners are continuing to question Smith about the true value
of his inflated proffers.
"A recent
review by the Virginia Department of Transportation further
bolsters this view. The report questions Smith's claims that
the development will not contribute to congestion on Route
3. Further, the review states that Smith's housing proposal
includes more than a thousand town homes and apartments. These
types of housing units typically exacerbate traffic problems
while costing municipal governments far more than they produce
in tax revenue.
"The telemarketing
campaign comes at a time when Smith's own financial stability
has been called into question. He recently had to abandon
his Idlewild project because of strained resources. In addition,
recent press reports disclosed that Smith filed for Chapter
7 bankruptcy in 1995 after his then development company, the
Sequoia Building Corporation, went belly up. According to
the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star, his bankruptcy filing
'discharged debts of about $80 million.'
"Those concerned
about Smith's inability to make good on his promises need
look no further than his Shenandoah project, a 2,130 unit
development in Frederick County, Va. As he is doing in Spotsylvania
County, Smith has pledged to build a beautiful village center
development that one engineer claims would 'improve nature.'
However, since the county board of supervisors approved Smith's
plan in August 2000, little has visibly been accomplished
at Shenandoah. The property remains undeveloped, allegedly
because of financial uncertainties —
a silent testament to Smith's inability to fulfill his promises.
"In August,
the Coalition to Save Chancellorsville Battlefield commissioned
a legitimate survey to determine voters' attitudes about the
Smith proposal. The poll, conducted by Mason Dixon Research
and using professional polling techniques, revealed 66 percent
of Spotsylvania County voters indicated their opposition to
the development of the Mullins Farm. In addition, 80 percent
of county voters indicated that Dogwood's plans will put a
strain on county finances. New web-based polls echo those
sentiments."
The Coalition to
Save Chancellorsville Battlefield is an informal group of
12 national and local preservation, conservation and civic
groups representing more than 600,000 members nationwide.
The coalition is dedicated to preserving and protecting Chancellorsville
battlefield. Its website is located at www.chancellorsville.org.
###
Contact:
Jim Campi of the Civil War Preservation Trust at 202-367-1861
or Beth Newburger of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
at 202-588-6141.
|
