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William E. Wickens
Mr. Wickens has been a member of the Town Council since 1984, and a member of the Planning Commission since it was formed in 1985. He has served as its chairman since 1986.
“The principal issue is whether we are going to preserve Washington as a town with a delightful balance between business and residential; with scale and open space which we treasure so much — or whether its character will change so much tha the quality of life which attracted us to the town will no longer be here.
“We have,” he continued, “what many parts of Virginia have lost — and I hope we can retain it.”
The key, Mr. Wickens said, is the balance between residential and commercial uses within the town. “Middleburg and New Market, Maryland have been eaten up by commercial sprawl — with everybody selling antiques from their front porches.” Washington, however, continues to be “a living, breathing town; a neighborhood where people actually live.
“Everything I have done,” he said, “helping to draft the zoning ordinance and Comprehensive Plan the meals and lodging tax, have helped contribute to this.”
Some people, Mr. Wickens continued, “say I don’t want progress. But to me Sterling Park is not progress. There is a fight to keep towns like The Plains and Waterford. We are part of that — and we are ahead of the curve.
“There is something about a small community. You sometimes put the good of the community above your own interests. Most of us do that. It’s dying out in America. I hope we can save it — I think we can.”
As for the Inn, Mr. Wickens said, “it is a major issue, but it is not a matter of pro- or anti-inn. That is not the question.”
The council, he said, now has up to one year to act on the rezoning application. “It shouldn’t be hustled through.”
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