Letters

Letters

Continued from page A-4

tory list of historic properties.

Could it be that the landmark status is more than honorific? Does it carry with it some control over the properties that are listed? It does influence the building of roads by the Virginia Department of Transportation. For example, improving Route 3 in Culpeper County will now cost $11 million instead of $5 million for a two-mile stretch of road because the property it will go through “may” be historic. When a property is designated a state landmark it is automatically nominated to the National Park Service (NPS) for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

U.S. Rep. George Allen, R-Va., has introduced a bill at the federal level that alllow local governing bodies to take part in land use decisions of properties in their district. At this time, the National Park Service determines the use of privately owned property through the “106 review process.” In essence, the NPS controls privately owned land. This violates the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which states that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.

Rep. Allen’s bill brings some control back to local government? If the NPS feels a property is so significant to the country, why not buy the property? Could it be that by using the “eligibility clause,” the NPS can control a property without spending a dime?

I will caution preservation groups that by these unfair laws that they may cause some historic properties to be destroyed an<^ thereby lost forever. U.S. Alien should be applauded for supporting the Constitution and trying to resolve an issue that undermines the rights of property owners and that could destroy the public trust in the National Park Service.

SUE D. HANSOHN

v Culpeper

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