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Campbell County begins property reassessment process

According to the Altavista Journal, "Campbell County property owners will not receive their reassessment notices until 2011, but the county real estate office is already gathering the information necessary for the setting of new property values.

According to information provided by Alan Lane, director of management services for the county, Virginia law requires all real property, residential and commercial, to be assessed for taxation purposes at 100 percent of market value, and the assessments must be fair and equitable. Campbell County is required by state law to conduct a property reassessment every four years. The last reassessment was done in 2007." Homeowners should brace for significant drops in their assessments given the state of the housing market.

 

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Posted on Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 10:52am

Public Meeting Set for Altavista Historic District

According to the Altavista Journal, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will hold a public information hearing Tuesday, Feb. 16, at town hall at 6 p.m. The community is invited to hear the presentations, ask questions and offer input. Comments from the February meeting will be presented to two Virginia Department of Historic Resources boards on March 18. The proposed district takes in about 50 buildings in the heart of downtown, including commercial properties, government and churches, but no single-family residences.  Buildings have to be 50 years old and retain some historical character. A major benefit of the designations would be that contributing properties in the district would be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits from the state and federal governments. The designations would not impose restrictions on property owners.

 

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Posted on Thursday, February 4, 2010 - 12:16pm

Liberty University Alters Development Plans for Campbell County Tract

According to the Lynchburg News and Advance, Liberty University has revised its plans for developing a 200-acre land parcel at the intersection of Route 29 and U.S. 460. There have been several different versions, but the current one plans for an academic building and open space that may later be used for future retail development. For homeowners, it is important to remain informed about land use decisions in your region, as future development - whether it be commercial or residential - does indeed impact property values.

 

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Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 1:36pm

MBC Announces Grants for Last-mile Broadband Projects in Southside

The Virginia Tobacco Commission awarded grants to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Copperative (MBC) to help provide broadband access to rural areas in Southside Virginia, according to WPCVA.com.

This is a huge need in these rural markets. Broadband access allows these localities to be competitive for attracting businesses. It also brings great educational opportunities to the area. These features are valuable to protecting and increasing property values.

"The Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC), a successful open-access fiber optic backbone provider in rural markets, is pleased to announce that $1,514,143 was awarded to MBC Members as part of a last-mile matching grant program, funded by the Virginia Tobacco Commission.

These awards will enable deployment of broadband services for residential and business customers in unserved communities in Southern Virginia.

The 50/50 matching grants were awarded to:

CenturyLink, for an ADSL deployment in 14 digital loop carrier serving areas currently served by dial-up Internet access, located in Campbell, Prince Edward, Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry and Patrick Counties;

DigitalBridge Communications, for expansion of its existing WiMAX deployment in Appomattox County;

Jet Broadband, for high-speed wireless deployment in two targeted areas in Charlotte County and Mecklenburg County; and

Telpage, for a broadband wireless deployment in Greensville County."

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Posted on Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 12:30am

Homes Sales in Southside VA Are on the Rise

Area homes sales have increased, according to the South Boston Virginia News, which has been aided by low interest rates and the new tax-credit for first time home buyers.

Last week local real estate agents learned how the Virginia Association of Realtors is working towards an extension of the tax credit. This would help continue to bring the housing market into recovery, which will help boost the local economy and increase property values.

"Home sales in the area have risen by more than a third in the past year as the recovery in the national housing market takes root, aided by low interest rates and a new tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers.

Local real estate agents associated with the Southern Piedmont Land & Lake Board of Realtors, a trade group for Halifax and western Mecklenburg counties, listened yesterday as Lisa Noon, vice-president with the Virginia Association of Realtors, discussed market trends during a luncheon at Italian Delight.

Noon said the VAR is working with its national association to lobby for the extension of the home buyer’s credit, which is good for 10 percent of housing purchases up to $80,000. The credit has brought out more first-time purchasers and spurred sales in the low- to mid-range of the market, said Noon yesterday.

'Overall, it’s been well received,' she said.

The program, part of President Obama’s stimulus package, not only has boosted home sales, but created or saved jobs in construction, furniture and other housing-dependent sectors of the economy, Noon said.

Noon said a healthy housing market is essential to economic recovery, making the tax credit worthwhile. 'Our overall goal is to ensure a continuing strong housing market, and anything we see that will improve housing will improve the economy as well,' she said.

VAR data show that home sales in the Southern Piedmont region — Halifax and the portion of Mecklenburg west of Route 4 — jumped 35.5 percent from the third quarter of 2008 to the same period in 2009. The realty group reported 84 home sales in 2009, compared to 62 for the same three-month period in 2008."

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Posted on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 - 12:57pm

Going 'Green" Could Help Farming Communities in Southside

Going green could help farmers in rural areas like Soutside, according to GoDanRiver.com.

Last week officials from the VA Commission on Energy & Environment met in Gretna to learn about the area's green and energy initiatives. One key point addressed in the meeting is how these initiatives can help farming communities.

This is an important topic for all homeowners in farming communities because there are key legislative changes that would have to be made to make these efforts able to have a positive impact on the state's energy consumption and economy. It's important because it could lead to more affordable, renewable energy sources, but could also help farmers who support many of the state's rural communities.

"Generating renewable energy from local sources could help rural areas like Southside, business leaders told policymakers Thursday.

The Renewable Energy Subcommittee of the Virginia Commission on Energy and Environment met in Gretna on Thursday to learn about the area’s 'green' and energy initiatives, said subcommittee chairman and Delegate Charles Poindexter, R-9th District. The subcommittee will report back to the commission, which will later make recommendations on legislation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly.

Ken Moss of Piedmont BioProducts in Gretna told the subcommittee that second-generation biofuels, those using biomass like wood or grass, would bring prosperity to farming communities in Southern Virginia."

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Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 10:11am

Leesville Lake, An Undiscovered Gem

Leesville business owners are hopeful about the area's economic development, according to GoDanRiver.com.

Those who love Leesville Lake, think that others will, too. A quieter lake than its neighbor, Smith Mountain Lake, there are many available homes and lots at more affordable prices.

Many in the area hope to see some commercial development at Leesville in the future, which might make the lake more well-known.

"Though a bad economy has stalled development at quiet Leesville Lake, commercial growth is inevitable for the Dan River Region’s well-kept secret.

'The economy … has slowed it down, but it’s coming,' said Fred Tannehill, owner of Tri-County Marina at the lake and vice president of the Leesville Lake Association’s board of directors.

County officials and Tannehill say 17-mile-long Leesville Lake — which is connected to Smith Mountain Lake — has great economic potential.

'Right now, Leesville is pretty much an undiscovered lake,' said Tannehill, who has lived at the lake and owned Tri-County Marina since 1976. Most of its 100-plus-mile shoreline is natural, with about a third of it developed, Tannehill said. Leesville Lake covers 3,270 acres, with water levels fluctuating between 600 and 613 feet above sea level."

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Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 6:46pm

Plans Scratched for Development on Johnson Mountain

After many difficulties with zoning, serious erosion and sediment violations, the owner of roughly 1,200 acres on Johnson Mountain in Bedford and Campbell counties has given up on plans for a high-end development, according to the Lynchburg News Advance.

The owner is Stacy Compton, NASCAR Crafstman truck driver, who has invested in other properites in the area, including a strip-mall in Altavista where he plans to open a restaurant.

The land will be sold, and will hopefully have potenial to impact the local economy under the hands of other developers. Area homeowners should be aware of these opportunities and encourage the Board of Supervisors to support plans that will help increase property values.

"Plans for an expansive luxury housing development on Johnson Mountain have been scrapped and the owner, NASCAR Craftsman truck driver Stacy Compton, said he will sell off the land.

The roughly 1,200 acres that straddles Bedford and Campbell counties now makes up eight lots, ranging from 65 acres to 333 acres. Planning commissioners approved the new preliminary layout during Monday’s meeting.

'We tried several times to do something up there and it just hasn’t seemed to work out like we wanted it to,' Compton said. 'After thinking about it and looking at what we’re trying to do without being very successful, we just elected to concentrate our efforts in another area other than developing a mountain.'

Compton unveiled plans for the project in November 2006, outlining a high-end residential project that spanned almost seven miles of Johnson Mountain. Plans called for numerous outdoor amenities and about 600 homes. When Campbell supervisors denied a request to rezone the land from agriculture to residential single-family, Compton said he would proceed with plans “by right” and set to develop about 400 homes."

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Posted on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 9:20pm

Timberlake Community Complex Project Closer to Fruition

Image from w.marshAccording to the News & Advance, Campbell County residents might be one step closer to seeing the completion a new community facility that will include a library.

"Organizers for the Timberlake Community Complex say the project could be a few steps closer to fruition if $350,000 in federal money comes through as proposed.

The money was included in a transportation and housing appropriations bill that passed the house Thursday, Rep. Tom Perriello D-5th District, said in a news release. A similar measure still needs to pass the Senate and reconcile in committee.

The federal money would be the second-largest single funding source for the project, which is estimated to cost around $3 million for the first phase that will house the Timbrook Library.

It’s in addition to the more than $400,000 promised in corporate donations, and Campbell County already has pledged around $700,000 to go toward loan payments, said Charles Falwell, chairman of the Board of Supervisors."

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Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 7:35pm

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Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 12:00am