Deadlocked vote stalls construction at Sunset Cay Marina

By Justin Faulconer
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: July 15, 2008

BEDFORD — Transportation issues in a developing resort community at Smith Mountain Lake hit a roadblock Monday, stalling construction progress.

The Bedford County Board of Supervisors voted 3-3 (one member was absent) to declare roads within the Marina at Sunset Cay private except for a connector road to Kasey Lakeview Drive near Virginia 122.

The tie vote means no action passed, but County Administrator Kathleen Guzi said the board would have to make a final decision to move the development forward.

“We cannot approve the (marina’s) master plan until there is a determination by the board,” on whether roads should be private or public, said Guzi.

Sunset Cay Partners, LLC made the request for private roads to allow public access for resort residents using golf carts and bicycles, said engineer Wayne Wilcox.

A road’s private status, he said, would also allow them to make repairs in their own time without relying on the Virginia Department of Transportation, he said.

“We want to control the maintenance of these roads as a business expense,” Wilcox said.

The roads would be built to VDOT standards, he said, but would have a “different feel.”

The developers’ private roads request initially included Kasey Lakeview Drive, but County Attorney Carl Boggess said Monday during review that they don’t have the right because it is located on residential land rather than commercial.

Last month, residents along the road said they didn’t want the road to be included in the development.

The Bedford County Planning Commission approved the road request in June.

Supervisor Dale Wheeler, who voted against allowing the roads to be private, said he considers such roads “a nightmare” because of lack of control over maintenance.

“I always hated private road subdivisions,” Wheeler said. “They should never have been allowed in Bedford County. My district is eat up with them.”

The marina development on 42 acres near Virginia 122 is set to include single-family homes, rental units and 24,000 square feet of shops and restaurant space.

An 18-hole golf course, more homes and future amenities are also planned for nearly 490 acres along Hendricks Store Road as part of the Sunset Cay project.