Statistics about the veterans on the Village waitlist
Read the full September newsletter.
Thank you to everyone who attended our first public hearing last week.
With this complex project, it is easy to concentrate on stormwater management, sidewalks, and architectural details; however, we must remain focused on the veterans who will benefit from the Village.
I was deeply moved by each speaker who shared their real-world stories of how our nation’s heroes are living. The infographic below shares some interesting facts about the 26 veterans waiting for the safe, affordable, and supportive housing the Village will provide.
I want to take a moment to clarify an important point made during the Public Hearing and provide some background information.
During the complexities of this rezoning process, in August Town staff asked that we guarantee (proffer) that the Village housing would be for veterans over the age of 65 and we immediately added that proffer.
Then, shortly after, Town staff questioned the legalities of this proffer and its potential discrimination against people, who are not veterans, and asked that we remove the veteran-specific proffer added at their behest, which we also did.
Misinformation is now spreading that Hero’s Bridge changed the Village vision, making it available to people who are not veterans.
This could not be further from the truth.
To be certain, our legal team performed two well-researched legal opinions, one on Disparate Impact and the other on Fair Housing, and asserts that we can give preference to veterans without risk of discrimination.
We have also conferred with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development which agreed that it is acceptable, and common practice, in the nonprofit sector to target services to the specific groups an organization serves.
Women’s shelters for victims of domestic violence and homes for young mothers are two examples of housing for a specific audience.
Please also see Falcon’s Landing, Vinson Hall, and the several Virginia Veteran’s Care Homes that have all given preference to veterans for years.
Another important clarification is the removal of Phase 2 from the project.
Phase 2 was constructing a large multi-purpose building with a full gymnasium. This part of the project was always a vision of the Church to support the important work they do in the community. The Church planned to design, construct, and finance this building independently of Hero’s Bridge, but due to the state of the economy and uncertain interest rates, the ability to complete this project is in question.
Removing this aspirational part of the project alleviated some neighborhood concerns about parking, traffic, and stormwater management. We continue to seek ways to make this project better and minimize its impact on the surrounding area.
We look forward to continuing this important dialogue with the Town staff, the Planning Commission, and Village neighbors as we move through this vital rezoning process.
We expect the second full public hearing in front of the Planning Commission on October 15th at 7:00 p.m. at the Warrenton Town Hall, 21 Main Street, Warrenton.
I hope to see you all again at that time.
