The Beckley City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to postpone the transfer of approximately 131 acres of Pinecrest Business and Technology Park property to the Raleigh County Commission for development.
The motion to postpone the vote on the Pinecrest relocation was led by Beckley City Councilwoman Sherry Hunter, who said the council needed more information before moving forward with the relocation.
Mr. Hunter opposed the transfer of the land, saying it would affect the cross-country course built on 30 acres in Pinecrest by Mr. Hunter’s cousin, Woodrow Wilson High School cross country coach George Barbera. did.
Councilors who voted in favor of the postponement were Hunter, Natalie Coutts, Frank Williams and Janine Block. Those voting against the postponement were Cody Reedy, Nancy Shoemaker Dinges and Kip Buchanan.
No date has been set for the City Council to hear additional information and continue discussions regarding the potential transfer of the property to Raleigh County.
After the vote, which drew applause from the audience, Reedy declared efforts to save the cross-country course to be pointless because the city council had already sold two acres on the course.
“The property has been vandalized. The cross-country track is no longer fully functional,” Mr Reedy said.
Mr. Reedy gave the two acres in Pinecrest to Match Point LLC, owned by Beckley nephrologist Dr. Divya Rajan, in a deal approved by the Legislature in June, before some of its current members joined the Legislature, to sell 7.7 per acre. He was referring to the decision to sell it for $5,000. .
According to location details for the lots being sold, the land begins at the corner of Pinecrest Industrial Park and East Beckley Bypass and continues both east and south until it encompasses two acres.
It would then be located within an existing cross country course used by Raleigh County schools. The school district does not own the land on which the cross country course is located.
The City of Beckley acquired the deeds for the Pinecrest Business Park by the Pinecrest Development Corporation in 2022, when the city announced plans to expand infrastructure within the park and market it for business development and job creation. stipulated that the costs would be paid.
These provisions were part of the real estate agreement the city signed when acquiring the property from the Pinecrest Development Corporation. The move was also approved by the Beckley Council.
Since Beckley has not yet made any progress toward implementing the infrastructure, members of the Pinecrest Development Corporation have announced their intention to sue Beckley for failing to honor their end of the agreement.
Bill Baker, vice chairman of the Pinecrest Development Authority board of directors, said, “The purpose of the lawsuit is to get it out of the city’s hands because they mishandled it.”
Baker said he hopes the property will be transferred to the Raleigh County Commission. The Raleigh County Commission has expressed its intention to develop Pinecrest as originally specified, with federal funds available for infrastructure construction.
Baker said in a statement Tuesday after the adjournment vote that the council’s decision shows “a lack of integrity in entering into agreements with other government agencies.”
“We’re done dealing with the city council,” Baker said. “We plan to file a lawsuit to compel business development on this property, recover legal costs, and seek an injunction against the use of the property for purposes other than business development.”
The reason Beckley initially considered transferring the land to Raleigh County was because of the funds readily available to the county.
The move to transfer Pinecrest to the county, announced in late July, appeared to be supported by Beckley City Council members until recently, when rank-and-file members began showing up at council meetings to oppose the bill.
Opponents of the Pinecrest property transfer included teachers from Beckley Stratton Middle School and several area residents, led by Barbera.
Mr. Barbera and his supporters have now learned that the area occupied by the cross-country course will be the first to be developed in Pinecrest, according to plans previously presented to the City Council by engineering firm Thrasher Group. said.
Teachers at Beckley Stratton Middle School also expressed a variety of safety concerns about businesses locating so close to their school.
The Pinecrest Business Park facility is located next to Beckley Stratton Middle School and Beckley Elementary School. The cross-country trail borders Pinecrest Industrial Road and is next to Beckley Stratton Middle School.
On Tuesday, members of the public filled Congress to protest the transfer of Pinecrest’s property.
While the council was debating Pinecrest, several citizens shouted a statement at the council imploring opposition to the move, resulting in Beckley Mayor Ryan Neal having to bang his gavel several times to restore order to the meeting. I had to.
For technical reasons, the public was not allowed to speak on the Pinecrest Property Transfer Ordinance before it was voted on.
The ordinance before the council requires two readings before a vote can take place.
During second reading, a public hearing will be held prior to a vote by Parliament.
A second reading and public hearing on the Pinecrest Ordinance was held at the September 24th council meeting.
At the public hearing, more than a dozen people spoke out against the transfer of Pinecrest’s property.
After more than 30 minutes of public hearing, council members declined to make a motion to move the ordinance to a vote.
No action was taken on the ordinance, so the topic was returned to the City Council, according to the Beckley City Attorney bill file.
