Town tension

The Stanardsville Area Revitalization project, or *STAR*, forges ahead with efforts to revitalize the county seat’s downtown, but an area critical to any hopes of attracting new businesses continues to be troubled.
Last year, there were 15 calls “of disturbance and or of a serious nature” to the area that encompasses parts of Main Street and Ford Avenue, says Chief Deputy Major Randall Snead. To date this year, there have been more than 30 such calls, and the sheriff’s office continues to send extra patrols into the area.
In a Record article last July, Main Street shop owners Lillian Baird and Linda Morris complained of questionable activities negatively affecting their businesses. That included rowdy behavior, obscenities, loitering, and public intoxication on Main Street.
At the time, Stanardsville’s town council spoke about establishing a possible nuisance code for the town. A focus group was formed soon after to discuss concerns and alleviate tension between shop owners and residents.
Stanardsville Mayor Gary Lowe says the group “met for a few months but have not met for six months.“
He added: “We did accomplish a few things such as the lights on town hall, parking bumpers in the lot, and, most importantly, it did open a dialogue between the individual parties.“
Asked about the situation between neighbors and business on that part of Main Street, Lowe said, “I would say it is less tense but some tension does still exist.“
Morris agrees that some of the tension still exists. 
Just a few months ago, she says, children residing in a building across the street from her florist business threw firecrackers at the shop’s front porch.
“By then I’d been here almost two years and my customers had gotten used to the loitering, but the firecrackers scared them,“ Morris says.
William Lucy, professor of urban and environmental planning in the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, describes a key element to any revitalization effort.
“People want (to feel) safe … living or shopping, going to offices, coming and going,“ he says.
Asked whether he felt safe in that pocket of Main Street, resident Terry Sims—who rents housing across the street from Morris’ shop—replied: “Not really.“
Recently, he said, “Somebody vandalized my truck.“ And, Sims adds, “We’re moving from here in January, (partly) because of all the noise.“
Four entities own residential real estate on the Main Street block occupied by Baird’s and Morris’ businesses, which, according to Greene County Zoning Administrator Bart Svoboda, is zoned residential-commercial.
Those entities are: the Branch Corporation; George Foley; Roy Heflin; and Vesta Enterprises, and, says Snead, “It is the responsibility of the landlord to make sure they are renting to responsible and law abiding tenants.“
Both Larry Lamb of the Branch Corporation and Foley say they screen their tenants, and with good reason.
“We’ve put a lot of money into our buildings,“ says Lamb. “Tenants should be selected for their suitability. Units should be kept vacant until a tenant is found that is compatible with commercial … if they are not, it won’t work.“
And Sims says, owners “should get rid of some of these people who don’t work all day long. There’s too much noise-during the day, and all night long.“
Sims lives in a building owned by Heflin. He used to live across the street, in a building owned by Vesta Enterprises, according to county records. But back in the spring, Sims reported unsanitary conditions that he said had asked his landlord at the time repeatedly to fix, without response. They included small white worms visible from a leaking ceiling, cracks in the apartment floors, a duck-taped heater, taped-up cracks in the windows, and dilapidated stairs.
There is now a small flower garden visible at the foot of Sims’ former dwelling.
Sims says where he lives now is “100 percent better.“
Section 8 Rental Assistance Program vouchers are available through the Skyline Community Action Program for two of the buildings on Main Street and the agency has placed “six or eight families on and just off Ford Avenue,“ says Skyline CAP’s Jack Naylor.
Naylor says federal regulations require that applicants be screened for income and criminal background checks. Those who have been convicted of drug violations can receive the vouchers as long as they have a certificate stating that they have completed a court-approved rehabilitation program.
Otherwise, only those convicted of adult or child abuse or some other felonies are denied vouchers,“ says Naylor.
Foley says he has also made improvements to his buildings, and he accepts Section 8 vouchers for two of his three apartments. But, he says, administrators of the Section 8 Program “do not dictate who goes in there.“
Baird and Morris say that Heflin, who could not be reached for comment, has made improvements to his property, but that Vesta Enterprises has not. Calls made to David Blair and Ken Moyers were not returned for this article.
Foley claims that with the support of the county and financial assistance from *STAR* he would turn his buildings into commercial properties - but funding that *STAR*—along with Lamb and Foley—had hoped for fell through early this year.
*STAR* has secured $843,000 in grants and the required matches, according to a statement published by president Don Pamenter early last month. But it did not receive an $875,000 Virginia Community Development Block Grant that would have provided property owners with financial assistance for improvements.
In the meantime, Main Street business people are behind the revitalization effort.
Baird is reopening her restaurant on Main Street Oct. 6, and will be serving lunch and dinner. “I’ve gotten multiple calls … people want the downtown revitalized,“ she says.
Lafayette Inn and Town Centre building owner Alan Pyles says he is positive that “eventually we will see our town return to being a robust quaint county seat.“