To the Massanutten Community:
Two hot-button issues this time around: Bloomer Springs Road and MPSC and the water/sewer situation.
Let’s start with Bloomer Springs. As you may have heard, the Rockingham County Planning Commission has approved our request to change the zoning of a parcel we own on Bloomer Springs –– from high-density single-family homes to townhomes. So, we’re currently continuing to plan this important employee-focused initiative.
As I noted a couple of weeks ago, our intent with this development is to serve our employees-owners, many of whom currently drive long distances to get here. This is not “affordable housing,” as many people understand the term; rather, it’s aimed at young families who are climbing the ranks here at the resort. The price target is designed for median household incomes for Rockingham County, and that’s roughly $60,000 per year.
Massanutten and Great Eastern employees in that category include department supervisors, technicians, skilled construction, and other members of our team who we hope to keep with us for a long time. There are other families in Rockingham County with the same need for long-term rentals, but our employees will have first priority.
Many of our employees have been having a hard time finding long-term rentals on the mountain because so many of the single-family homes in the community have shifted from long-term to short-term vacation rentals. These employees are already using roadways in the resort community, including Bloomer Springs Road. There should be only minimal impact on roadways at Massanutten overall.
We understand the concerns – about traffic, water/sewer, etc. We’ve adapted accordingly; for example, we made several changes due to requests from VDOT. Our goal is to create a rental pool in keeping with the area, with attractive structures and landscaping. There will be reasonable setbacks to provide privacy for residents and nearby homeowners alike. We expect that residents will be responsible young professionals.
As for water and sewer, the existing MPSC infrastructure can easily absorb this development, and all costs of hooking in will be borne by Great Eastern. Simply put: this project will not have an adverse effect on the water and sewer rates of Massanutten homeowners. As a general rule, if any infrastructure beyond hooking into the system is necessitated by a new development (such as plant expansions or additional wells), the developer is obligated to pay for those additions. That will not be necessary here. And in a very real sense, adding rate payers with no infrastructure cost to other ratepayers helps spread the fixed costs of system operations among a broader pool.
Speaking of MPSC: we know that many folks in the community are concerned about the apparent status quo with regard to the proposed County takeover of the utility. Although we share the frustration, we also know that the County is working hard on this issue. MPSC has been highly resistant to the County’s efforts and is attempting to delay progress and generate enough burden and cost to obstruct the County in its efforts. However, we remain hopeful and confident that the County is committed to the process of acquiring MPSC, and encourage you to encourage the Board of Supervisors in a positive way.
Cordially,
Matthias Smith, VP/General Manager, Massanutten Resort
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