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Changes likely in
annexation rules
RICHMOND — Legislation that would significantly alter the relationship between Virginia localities is heading for the 1990 General Assembly.
Almost 20 years after the city of Richmond annexed 23 square miles from Chesterfield County, the territory is still referred to as the “annexed area.” That, to Chesterfield Del. John Watkins, R65th District, is just a sample of the after-effects of the hard-fought Virginia annexation battles.
The heated tugs-of-war for land leave many local residents bitter and the bad taste lingers for years to come. But even more detrimental is the dent the state’s annexation process puts in the budgets of the competing localities.
In Prince George County, the city of Petersburg and the city of Hopewell, the battle rages on. After a three-judge court ruled that neither Petersburg nor the Hopewell had proved its need ior more land, an appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court is expected. Thus far, the three local governments have spent more than $4 million in legal fees and four-and-one-half years in disarray to resolve a land dispute that remains unresolved in the eyes of the unsuccessful litigant.
The strained local relations that exist in boundary battles also hinder economic development. In annexation attempts, often the disputed territory takes on the characteristics of a battlefield — too filled with tension and lingering resentment for any new businesses to want to venture there.
Speaking of those involved in the Prince George-Hopewell-Petersburg dispute, Watkins said, “Those people down there hate each other. No business in its right mind is going to invest in that area. It’s too insecure.”
The Commission on Local Government StrucBy
MARY ICBLEWITT
Arundel Newspapers State Writer
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