We want to highlight how ridiculously broad this proposed rezoning would be and share some important information gathered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request PEC submitted to Orange County.
Wilderness Crossing
Information about the proposed Wilderness Crossing residential development at the intersection of Rt. 3 and Rt. 20 in Orange County, next to Wilderness Battlefield.
Wilderness Crossing: An In-Depth Look
Wilderness Crossing is a huge development proposal on a site with known, unmitigated hazards, and located at the gateway to a historic Civil War battlefield.
Wilderness Crossing Town Hall Recap and Next Steps
It was great seeing so many folks at our Wilderness Crossing town hall late last month in Locust Grove. Below you can find a recap with some of the key takeaways from the event and an update on where things stand in Orange County’s approval process.
Resources from Wilderness Crossing Town Hall
PEC and partners from the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition held a community town hall on October 25, 2022 at the Locust Grove Middle School to share information about the proposed Wilderness Crossing rezoning and development in Orange County, VA.
Wilderness Crossing Town Hall on Oct. 25
As reported in my last email, the Wilderness Crossing proposal continues to wind its way through the rezoning application process in Orange County.
Virginia’s Former Gold Mines with Priority Level for Reclamation – PEC WebMap
In 2022, The Piedmont Environmental Council was proud to partner with volunteers from UVA’s Clark Scholars program on a project to analyze the reclamation status of former gold mine sites throughout the Commonwealth. Using data pulled from the Virginia Department of Energy’s Mineral Mining online mapping interface, the student’s research enabled PEC to create a new WebMap that visually displays former mine sites “OLAC ranking,” a measure of prioritization for reclamation based on potential or assessed contamination.
Wilderness Crossing is Back
I’ve been monitoring the project for several months, as it has slowly made its way through the county application process. Now, the developer is finally holding a community briefing, and I want to make sure the word gets out.
A Potential Superfund Site?
Last year, we told you about a developer’s proposal for a 2,602-acre development across from Lake of the Woods on Rt. 3 in Orange County and next to Wilderness National Battlefield. With continued investigation, we found some unexpected and truly shocking information about the history of gold mining at the site.
Wilderness Crossing developer proposes reckless path forward
In January, the developer behind Wilderness Crossing submitted a letter to the county regarding unreclaimed mine sites on the 2,602-acre property.
Shocking news about historic gold mining contamination
Last fall, PEC learned some important new information related to the gold mining legacy at the proposed site of the Wilderness Crossing residential development: of the five formally-named gold mines located on the property, none have been closed and cleaned up – a process called “reclamation.”