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Lynchburg Planning Commission narrowly approved Liberty University’s expansion plans Wednesday after making numerous changes to the proposal.
“I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this,” Chairwoman Laura Hamilton said just before the vote. “But I think the compromise we’ve come to is one that’s positive for the city.”
A dozen or so revisions were made to the LU package that afternoon to satisfy concerns from both city and school officials.
LU is seeking approval of a new master plan that prepares it to reach 15,000 students within five years. Officials expect to be at 11,000 by the start of next fall’s semester.
The plan they brought forward calls for building out along the base of Candlers Mountain. Lynchburg leaders are being asked to rezone 237 acres there to accommodate the expansion.
The planning commission passed both the master plan and the rezoning on a 3-2 vote with two members absent. Their recommendation will be forwarded to City Council, which has final say over the matter.
Commissioners Rick Barnes and Gerry Swienton dissented, saying the proposal wasn’t crafted according to sound planning philosophy.
Barnes had expressed concern early in the process about plans to build dorms along Candlers Mountain away from the main campus and all the academic buildings.
“There are a lot of things I can support in this plan,” he said Wednesday. “But, overall, I don’t think it reflects the best principles of campus planning.”
Swienton echoed those sentiments, tacking on further concerns about traffic and environmental impact.
“I really feel we’re making this decision, not on best planning principles, but on a fall enrollment deadline, and that concerns me,” he said.
Commissioners Ted Hannon and Sharon Oglesby joined Hamilton in approving the expansion plans.
LU officials said afterward they were pleased with the decision and felt a mutually beneficial plan had been arrived at.
“At the end of the day, we came up with a plan that’s good for the city and good for the university,” said director of auxiliary services Lee Beaumont. “… We compromised and worked together.”
LU objected to some of the original conditions proposed by city planning staffers. The biggest sticking point was a suggestion that the school be required to offset any waterway damage inflicted during construction by making equivalent improvements somewhere within the same watershed.
That caveat was changed Wednesday from a requirement to a recommendation. LU officials said they’ll make improvements locally whenever possible and added their preliminary plans have been positively reviewed by state environmental officials.
Lynchburg did not have the authority to compel the university to comply with its request.
Other alterations made to the terms attached to LU’s plans include:
- Changing the timetable on all traffic improvements at LU’s request so projects are tied to specific enrollment targets rather than calendar dates.
- Making it clear the city will partner with the school to construct three pedestrian crossings once it hits 12,000 students, which will likely be around fall 2009. City officials sought that change following some discussion on who would foot the bill.
- Adding a provision that requires new traffic lights and a turn lane to be installed at the crossing of Wards Road and Harvard Street once LU builds its planned vehicular tunnels there.
- Allowing LU to clear up to seven acres of trees beyond what has been specifically designated within the master plan. University officials requested that revision as a means of preserving some flexibility in their future development options.
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“When you cooperate with the enemy of science, history, gay rights, women�s rights and rational thought, you too bang another nail in the coffin of America”
Cosmo, I’m going to be upfront with you, I graduated from LU. Personally I have my own opinions, that aren’t positive, about how that university is operated. Furthermore, I am not a 6,000 year old earther, nor am I an evolutionist, I am an old earth creationist or rather a progressive creationist ( b/c i too pride myself on rational thought, so please don’t make an overlying assumption of us all.) Also by science I’m assuming you mean origin sciences, which are truly a historical issue b/c LU i believe would be up to date on the emprical sciences; since they have a top nursing program in the mid-atlantic and send a high number of biology graduates to medical and graduate schools…so please just accuse them of bad history 
Getting back to the point, it seems that you accuse LU of damaging America, because they speak out on homosexuality and evolution, and they hold an infallible view of the Bible (the woman’s rights thing..please enlighten me where you got that from). It’s my impression from the constitution that this country is founded upon A.) Freedom of Speech B.) Freedom of Religion and C.) Free to have Personal Property.
However, you claim that a ‘city government’ should not ‘cooperate’ with LU (regarding TRBC property) based on the beliefs they have and the opinions they voice (all of which are constitutional rights)...
I’m going to step out on a limb and say your views are more socialistic than they are American. Afterall, you won’t find any LU gov’t students stating that you cant curse creationism, TRBC, LU, Jerry,or purple tell-tubbies ( Freedom of Speech !!), and they won’t say you cant worship (Freedom of Religion) Allah, Zenu, Shiva, or Naturalism (b/c they are constitutional rights)
You may disagree with LU’s opinions, thats fine, afterall, I sir disagree with yours and find them erroneous. However, thats both of our rights, and I in no way would want any form of government to treat you differently because of your opinions/beliefs, as long as they would not violate other forms of the constitution or law (ie. if you practiced tax evasion b/c of beliefs…then we’d have beef )
To summate, it seems you want government censorship over a group of people (organization?) because of the beliefs they hold and the things they say. Furthermore, I believe your claims are a little exaggerated, and it would seem that your views are the one’s that are truly damaging to the American society.
In conclusion, I look foward to reading your response, and I would be more than happy to divulge in other topics like, creationism, “fairy tales”, or woman’s rights….
God bless (seems ironic haha)
Josh
My dear friend Cosmo, let me quote from the Fundi-Logic Scrolls and you shall be enlightened as to why LU students would make excellent Exxon employees. And I quote, “Go out and ye shall find the oil that the lord has bestowed with great abundance upon thee. Believeth in Christ and God shall guide thee. Accept that Christ is thy true salvation a ye shall find the fields to drillith and ye shall be rewarded with great wealth. If the fields are dry, thy faith is weak and thou must make right with the lord. Tithe to TRBC and Christ shall bequeath true salvation and the lord will fill up the dry fields.“ As for the Dinosaurs, Cosmo..Cosmo..Cosmo…You know darn well that dinosaurs never existed. Let me read further from the Fundi-Logic Scrolls. “And the Lord set upon the lands many tests of faith to expose those feeble in faith. You needith only look to the Holy Scriptures to find the years past that the glorious creation began. To doubt or place science against thy lord is heresy and thy lord shall smite thee. Whenith the lord tests thee with the finding of bones, denounce what ya have found, pray to Jesus and bequeath thy tithe to TRBC. Renounce the findings that thou hast found and trustith only in thy lord.“ See dinosaur bone aren’t real, they are nothing more than a test of faith from god. Read it yourself Cosmo, it�s all there in the Fundi-Logic Scrolls, and it’s the gospel truth.
For what it’s worth- an argument with Cosmo is wasted time! Just assume that if there is anything positive to say about Liberty, Cosmo has chosen to present the anti-Liberty rebuttal. It is OK, let Cosmo vent- only a minority of people would agree and this knowledge makes the angst that much stronger.
again Cosmo you continue to confirm everything I believe you are. You read into things thing you want to see and hear. I did not say I did not understand these dating methods I simply said they do not add you. You have to have faith to believe that these dating methods are indeed correct. If you don’t agree with that then I guess it is impossible to have any kind of real discussion. I would be willing, but instead you are too stuck on believing you are the be all end all. If you enjoy living a bitter life then so be it…I for one think there are bigger things to worry about then Liberty deciding to expand…
so Cosmo Liberty is now changing history and fighting against women’s rights?? Wow…you just proved to me what I have been saying all along. Making things up inside of your head to justify your hatred.
you my friend are the irrational one…
so all of this comes down to creationism?? The reason a school should not be aloud to expand is because of that?? Now I am not going to sit here at say I believe that the earth is 6,000 years old. There are many, many people at LU who do not feel that way. As far fetched as a 6,000 year old earth is, it is also far fethced for me to simple accept the belief of an earth that is billions of years old. The different testing methods just do not add up in my mind. This kind of science is just as much a shot at the dark as any religion on the earth which is why there will always be debate about this. And at Liberty there is open debate about this very topic and do think otherwise is simply ignorant.
While you are focusing on creation vs science there are thousands of Liberty grads going out in all kind of fields and making this country stronger.
Now are all the students model citizens? Of course not, it is crazy to think that 18-22 year olds will not be rebellious in some way. They are still college students and they are still going to desire to do the same things other college students do. Does it make it right? of course not, but its to be expected…
Through all of this I still do not see anything that justifies such bitterness and hatred that many feel towards LU. It is just not logical to me. But oh well, such is life I suppose
robert82 you really need to check your facts before speaking.
Here are the FACTS. The latest figures according to UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service (which the News and Advance has used numerous times) shows our MSA (metro population) at 234,000 people. THAT is the number you should have been comparing to Roanoke’s MSA (293,000) and Charlottesville’s MSA (118,000). FYI Roanoke CITY’s population is 93,540 compared to our 69,738. Charlottesville’s city population is 41,274. Also a look back in history will show you that Lynchburg was one of the wealthiest (per capita) and important cities in our region for many years. The problem is that it stopped growing. If we had not lost Interstate 64 to some shenanigans in Charlottesville who knows what Lynchburg would look like now.
But to say that Charlottesville is bigger than Lynchburg is just ridiculous and irresponsible on your part. That being said, C’ville is a wonderful and diverse town and we love visiting for UVA football, eating at the Downtown Mall, and many of the other great cultural assets “The Hook” enjoys.
Now to get to the issue at hand. Liberty’s growth is benefiting the region and I think the city has been very reasonable and cooperative with them and should continue to do so.
And Cosmo, there are many individuals in this city and area who see the benefits of LU but also feel vehemently that LU has no right to determine or effect my entertainment choices as a resident. Do not lump us all in together. I (like many here) also have issues with some of Falwell’s hypocrisy (racial issues, 911 comments, etc) over the years but I am mature enough to realize we can cooperate with LU and make Lynchburg a bigger and better place where individuals will want to enjoy life and raise their families.
cosmo i don’t know why you bother, you are arguing with the minority voice of the jerry kids, and the brain washed followers that don’t see the man that fought againist civil rights for blacks. just know that the majority of lynchburg hates everything that is LU and TRBC even more so their annoying law breaking hypocrite students that go there. you arguing with these laughable diploma milled students and the cult that is TRBC is pointless. falwell could walk up and say that all gays are responsible for 9/11, that teletubbies are gay, and they would believe it and still follow the man…..wait i think that all ready happened.
for the life of me I will never understand the bitterness towards Liberty University that many citizens in this town have. I keep hearing about how people roll their eyes whenever they hear Lynchburg, but I am from outside the state and there isn’t a person I talk to that even knows Lynchburg. So I don’t know why they are rolling their eyes…for some reason I think that story is slightly off…
Now if you are talking about Charlottesville and people there rolling their eyes at Lynchburg, then all I can say is what else is new? The snobbery of many in Charlottesville is far from a great quality to have and something I hope never happens here in Lynchburg.
I just don’t understand what else you want from Liberty? they planned for over 2 years on this plan. Brought in state environmental groups and people are still not happy. It just shows how deep their hatred goes I suppose….
robert82,
“Thanks to LU Lynchburg is a cultural and intellectual dead end. Property values can not compare to Roanoke or Charlottesville. Neither can the schools.”
Just how long have you lived in Lynchburg? Property Values do not compare to Roanoke or Charlottesville because they are much bigger and more developed cities:
In 2005 the estimated population of Roanoke was 292,983. (U.S. Census)
In 2005, the estimated population of the Charlottesville Area is 118,398 (U.S. Census)
In 2007, the Lynchburg population is: 71,282
I am a history major so get ur facts straight. What you named is charlottesville and roanoke AREAS and Lynchburg’s CITY population. Charlottesville has only 41,228 for 2007 and roanoke of course has 91,000+. With that said charlottesville has UVA a DIVERSE university with an interstate and roanoke has more people with an interstate. Lynchburg is in the middle of nowhere with no major interstate and has NO CULTURE. The other 2 cities u mentioned have arts and cultural festivals that cater to more than maybe 2 groups. This is aside from the original response to article but Lynchburg has no culture and the majority of the people there will continue to be closed-minded and isolated from cities who keep up with the times…
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