The superintendent of New River Gorge National Park said Friday he and a housing developer agreed in principle that park officials can buy 100 acres of land within the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The superintendent of New River Gorge National Park said Friday he and a housing developer agreed in principle that park officials can buy 100 acres of land within the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River.
Don Striker said the acreage lies under the shadow of the New River Gorge Bridge on "river left."
"Bad economic times for housing developers are good times for land conservation," Striker said. "The timing is right."
Striker also is interested in acquiring an additional 600 acres from landowner Gary Driggs whenever the details and the finances can be worked out.
Driggs bought 1,400 acres of land with hopes of building expensive houses on the property. A downturn in the housing market has made Driggs' development, called BridgeView Estates, hard to sell to individual buyers.
Striker had not visited Driggs' property until Friday, when Driggs gave the superintendent a tour. Driggs' property lies between W.Va. 16 and U.S. 19 in Fayetteville. Drivers might have noticed a sign with balloons attached at the entrance to the property on W.Va. 16, inviting buyers to come see a model house.
Sight unseen, Striker and other superintendents before him were always interested in buying all of the land within the park's boundaries. When Congress created the park in 1978, they drew lines on a map, but not all of the land within the marks belonged to the government. Over the years, federal officials have been acquiring land, but they still do not own all the land within the park's boundaries.
"We are definitely interested in buying it," Striker said of the 100 acres. "It has so much potential for park visitors."
Among other possible uses, Striker said, he could see developing more hiking paths.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The superintendent of New River Gorge National Park said Friday he and a housing developer agreed in principle that park officials can buy 100 acres of land within the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River.
Don Striker said the acreage lies under the shadow of the New River Gorge Bridge on "river left."
"Bad economic times for housing developers are good times for land conservation," Striker said. "The timing is right."
Striker also is interested in acquiring an additional 600 acres from landowner Gary Driggs whenever the details and the finances can be worked out.
Driggs bought 1,400 acres of land with hopes of building expensive houses on the property. A downturn in the housing market has made Driggs' development, called BridgeView Estates, hard to sell to individual buyers.
Striker had not visited Driggs' property until Friday, when Driggs gave the superintendent a tour. Driggs' property lies between W.Va. 16 and U.S. 19 in Fayetteville. Drivers might have noticed a sign with balloons attached at the entrance to the property on W.Va. 16, inviting buyers to come see a model house.
Sight unseen, Striker and other superintendents before him were always interested in buying all of the land within the park's boundaries. When Congress created the park in 1978, they drew lines on a map, but not all of the land within the marks belonged to the government. Over the years, federal officials have been acquiring land, but they still do not own all the land within the park's boundaries.
"We are definitely interested in buying it," Striker said of the 100 acres. "It has so much potential for park visitors."
Among other possible uses, Striker said, he could see developing more hiking paths.
In the past few years, several developers proposed building houses in and around the New River Gorge. Driggs' project was the second largest. He named his entire project The New River Gorge Preserve, and BridgeView Estates was a part of the larger project.
When he explained his plans in public meetings, Driggs said visitors to the gorge would not see the houses because they would be camouflaged behind bushes and trees. However, in the same public meetings, Cal Hite, who has since retired as park superintendent, pointed out how his analysis concluded that park visitors could see some of the houses from different points within the park.
Hite also pointed out that people visit the gorge in all seasons, including winter, when there would be no leaves to camouflage the houses.
Other conservation groups, such as the National Parks Conservation Association, also have said in public meetings that they fear the houses would change the character of the gorge.
Driggs built a few houses on his property as models to show potential customers, but he has yet to sell any of the models.
The largest proposed housing development, called Roaring River, included 4,300 acres. However, officials with Roaring River announced last month that their project is on hold. They said that lack of financing in the housing market had stymied them.
The next challenge for Striker will be to work out finances for the 100 acres and the additional 600 acres he also wants. Both sections are within park boundaries. Striker said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has helped the park in previous ventures.
"It's good times ahead for us," Striker said, voicing his excitement about conserving the land.
Reach Susan Williams at susanwilli...@wvgazette.com or 348-5112.
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Driggs and the Ledges is another example of a fiasco to line his pockets just like Roaring River and Sun Mine developement.
The citizens in this area should remember this at election time and hold these Politicians responsible and the Citizens should demand that these projects be bonded 100% to prevent this in the future.