By Jenny Ratzel

Industries looking to jump-start Buena Vista’s failing economy and enrich the city’s industrial base face resistance from local residents.

MeadWestvaco, a packaging and distribution facility, has been courting the industrial center since April. The company chose Buena Vista’s Rockbridge Regional Industrial Park as home to its newest consolidated distribution center.

Most of the city’s industrial park is currently zoned Industrial-1, fit for MeadWestvaco’s uses. However, 10.25 acres of the land is zoned Residential and would require re-zoning for MeadWestvaco’s purposes. The re-zoning was denied, but the construction of the distribution center will still go forward.

“The bottom line,” said Dave Kleppinger, executive director of the Rockbridge Partnership, “is that the residents don’t want it. Period.”
The Regional Industrial Development Authority withdrew the application for re-zoning after residents complained. Now, MeadWestvaco will reconfigure its plans and may break ground by the end of this year, according to Kleppinger.

MeadWestvaco favors building in Buena Vista because it’s only 50 miles from its Covington site and would offer easy access to Interstates 81 and 64, railroads and port cities.

Buena Vista will profit from the distribution center as well.
The center would provide 65 to 70 jobs for Buena Vista residents. Currently, nearly 62 percent of all residents must leave the city to find employment.

The city would collect 30 percent of the taxes on the center’s real estate, personal property, machinery and tools. Annually, this revenue would total about $92,119. Rockbridge County and Lexington would also get a cut of the revenue because they helped finance the industrial park. Combined they would make more than $130,000, according to MeadWestvaco.
The company would be given the land for free. Buena Vista, Lexington and Rockbridge County bought the land and created the business park to entice businesses to build in Buena Vista.

Residents, however, are concerned about the impact the distribution center would have on air quality, the possible increase in truck traffic through the city and the proximity of the distribution center to residential areas, especially the Enderly Heights neighborhood.

Despite residents' concerns, Kleppinger maintains that the planning commission has covered its bases. “We’ve addressed all the issues, but it’s still not enough” to ease Buena Vista residents’ fears, he said.
Holly Clark of Home Realty in Lexington said that she’s heard no complaints from residents of Buena Vista looking to move into the Enderly Heights neighborhood. Home Realty recently sold a home in the neighborhood. Clark said she was unaware of the new construction that will take shape near the Enderly Heights subdivision.

Although studies indicate that a distribution center would have no noticeable difference on the environment, or the traffic in downtown Buena Vista, residents remain unconvinced. Truck traffic through the city would increase, with 100 to 120 more truck trips through the city.
Regardless of this setback, Kleppinger says that “the facility will be built.” Construction could begin by the end of this year if the planning commission approves a new site plan.

 

BV plans for the new MWV distribution center

Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.

Lead supervisor:      Prof. Claudette Artwick

Reporting supervisor: Prof. Doug Cumming

Editing supervisor:  Prof. Pamela Luecke

Technical supervisor:  Michael Todd