Subdivision

New sidewalk to Widmyer gets OK BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A Safe Routes to Schools resolution was passed Friday by the Morgan County Commission for the construction of a sidewalk from John Street to Widmyer Elementary School. Maxie Maggio, administrative assistant to the commission, said a $92,000 grant with no matching funds required was received through the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways. She said the project design will begin next spring.

Toll road on U.S. 522 is off the table BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - The U.S. 522 toll road in Morgan County that was proposed by the West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) no longer is being pursued. "As far as we are concerned, it is not a project we will do," said Marvin G. Murphy, the state highway engineer who met Friday with the Morgan County Commission. Murphy said the U.S. 522 project is "out of the picture because of negative support. We cannot go forward without the support of the community.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Planning Commission on Monday evening scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 15 to consider input on proposed revisions to the county's subdivision ordinance. Berkeley County Planning Department Director Stefanie Morton told commissioners that a staff review of proposed development guidelines was about half complete. In June, commissioners learned that revisions already tentatively approved after previous public hearings were damaged by a computer crash at the offices of a consultant who was finalizing a draft of the ordinance.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - An escapee from the North Western Regional Jail in Winchester, Va., was caught near the Fox Glen subdivision Monday night, West Virginia State Police said. Mark Henry Craig, 35, was charged with possession of stolen property and two counts of fugitive from justice, state police said in a news release. Area police were looking for Craig for several days after he escaped from North Western Regional Jail, police said. Troopers J.M. Bush and M.T. Schul were told about 8 p.m. Monday that Craig was seen on a black Honda motorcycle on Leather Lane in Fox Glen, off W.Va.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Police found a decomposed body in a closet in a house near Charles Town last week and the remains have been sent to the state medical examiner's office in Charleston, W.Va., in an attempt to identify the person, Jefferson County Sheriff Everett "Ed" Boober said Sunday. It appears the body was in the closet for "some time" and authorities might have to rely on dental records or DNA to determine who it is, Boober said. "The body was very deteriorated," said Lt. Tom Hansen.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Oral arguments in a developer's circuit court appeal of a Berkeley County Planning Commission decision against controversial home-building plans in northern Berkeley County are expected to be heard April 4. The petition filed last month on behalf of Trinbar LLC, the developer of the proposed Waterfall Farm Estates subdivision near the community of Bedington, was assigned to 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge David H. Sanders, who...

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Revisions to Morgan County's subdivision ordinance were recommended Friday to the Morgan County Commission, and a copy of the draft ordinance was given to the commissioners for their review. Jack Soronen, president of the Morgan County Planning Commission, presented the revisions, which include a provision that larger developers submit all parts of a multiphase development plan, not just the first phase. Soronen said by requiring an overall plan from the developer, it will let the public know what the impact of a planned development would be and it could be addressed early in the process.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - On average, a newly built single-family home will have about .74 students attending a Washington County public school. School system officials told County Commissioners on Tuesday that the number of students coming from developments in Washington County increased last year. Recent figures were based on data from about 14 subdivisions throughout the county. Facilities Planning Manager Robert Spong said the pupil generation rate is based on newer developments, not on the number of students coming from existing homes.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A developer's voluntary offer to set aside $100,000 for road improvements and legal advice from the Berkeley County Planning Commission's attorney didn't stop commissioners Monday night from denying a controversial residential development off Mouth of Opequon Road. The Planning Commission's 4-2 vote against Waterfall Farm Estates, a project consisting of 103 single-family lots and 152 town houses on about 74 acres near Bedington, W.Va., is expected to trigger a lawsuit.