Falwell: Zoning request proper

Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. says he feels it is reasonable to restore the school to its by-right zoning status because it is in a commercial district rather than a residential one.

Falwell said while the school once planned to build in a residential neighborhood some four decades ago, it ultimately settled on its current site specifically to avoid butting heads with homeowners and enjoy the ability to develop freely.

“We moved out here to get away from homes and all that controversy,” he said. “… Liberty decided to move out to the edge of town where it wouldn’t impact anybody.”

LU, whose property was once zoned for industrial use but has since been changed to a commercial designation, was considered a by-right activity until 1991 when City Council changed the zoning ordinance. It is now subject to the conditional-use permit system.

The school, which feels that change robbed it of its property rights, petitioned City Council last week to revoke that decision.

“We’re not asking for special treatment. We just want our zoning back to where we once had it,” Falwell said. “We don’t want all the controversy and the adversarial relationship the CUP process has been causing … We want to get past that and continue to be good citizens and grow responsibly and give back.”

Falwell added LU’s growth contributes positively to Lynchburg’s economy and said the school only wants what it bargained for when it picked its location.

All other major colleges in the city are in residential areas. The city has acknowledged that LU is in a unique situation because of its location.

LU has made its desire to roll back city regulations a key point in its get-out-the-vote campaign for the City Council elections coming up May 4. In its request for a zoning amendment, the school asked for an expedited review in order to get a resolution before Election Day.

A majority of council appears to be against that. In interviews this weekend, councilmen Turner Perrow and Michael Gillette both said that while they also had concerns about the CUP process, they did not want to rush to a decision.

“I’d need to hear the reason behind it,” Perrow said. “Right now, I haven’t seen a compelling reason yet to get it done so quickly. I understand it’s important to Liberty, but I think we need to go through the process.”

“This is the kind of thing that takes some serious thought,” Gillette said. “I have no problem looking at it, but it should go through the normal process … No one has explained to me why it’s got to be done by then.”

Mayor Joan Foster and Councilman Randy Nelson also indicated in statements this week that they did not support fast-tracking this issue.

Perrow and Gillette each said there were things about the current system they felt were overly restrictive. Perrow specifically noted that LU’s current permit places a cap on its allowed enrollment.

“I don’t think that’s good,” he said. “We don’t cap the number of projects that Areva can work on or the number of patients Centra can have. LU is one of the only businesses in Lynchburg that is growing right now. And when they grow and bring in more students, they bring in money to the economy.”

Gillette said he was concerned the current process was burdensome, but noted other colleges and institutions were also affected by it and that should be taken into consideration.

Both councilmen said they had questions and would need more information before making a decision. Council will likely hold its first discussions on this matter during a meeting already scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the budget.