News

Activist feels ‘weird’ in role reversal

By Bill Moss, Published: September 29, 2012

Henderson County Planning Board, routine meeting, check.
Gaveled to order, thin agenda, check.
Eva Ritchey, lifelong activist, seated on the front row, check.

Zoning case No. R-2012-03, from R-2 residential to O-I (office institutional), check.
Eva Ritchey, called on to speak about said case, check.
Eva Ritchey, delivering a scathing indictment of commercial encroachment into residential, chec ... Uh, wait a minute. We've gone off script.
This time, Ritchey —fiery fighter for the little guy, voice for the victim of unfettered development — was the applicant. She she was the one seeking to change the zoning of her property from residential to office-institutional.
When the case came up, Chairman Jonathan Parce, who, like every other Planning Board member has known Ritchey for decades, asked her if she had someone to speak for her. She made a crack about how, really, did he think she'd be bashful about speaking? Everyone broke into laughter.
Eva Ritchey stood, not as opponent, but as applicant.
It was a first, as she acknowledged.
The land-use has changed all around her home on U.S. 64 west of Laurel Park, she told the Planning Board, explaining her request. Her next-door neighbor's property to the west has already changed to O-I. Valley Hill Fire Department built a new fire station to the east, which Ritchey said she and her neighbors were happy to see. Across U.S. 64 is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Property behind her house and to the east is zoned R-2.
Transition zone
O&I is a transition zone that allows offices, institutional and residential development that is compatible with adjacent uses and brings minimal congestion and sprawl, the county's Land Development Code says. The Planning Board unanimously recommended that the Board of Commissioners approve the rezoning request.
"Well, first of all it was interesting to be in the same room that I had been in so many times before with the county commissioners," said Ritchey, "so it was like déjà vu. It was déjà vu to be in there in a civic advocacy (role), because in a sense I was advocating for myself, and that was what was different. Before I had always advocated for somebody else or somebody's issue. It felt weird to be there talking about myself."
Ritchey has become known in the community — and has drawn fire from land developers and some business leaders — for her opposition to an asphalt plant near the Grimesdale community, clear-cutting near residential areas and other developments she regarded as incompatible with adjoining land-use. She infuriated business leaders when she joined a lawsuit that successfully blocked the widening of I-26 to six lanes through Henderson County.
"It might have seemed unusual for people that I wanted office-industrial but I was very comfortable with it because that would not allow asphalt plants," she said. "Office-Industrial is for small businesses. I think there would have been a hypocrisy for me to be there advocating to have my home changed if it was going to involve an asphalt plant or something that was going to hurt the environment.
"The fact is that with 32,000 cars a day the chances now of selling my home for a single residence is very low, and so if I want to sell the home, and I do want to sell the home, I'm going to have to try to get some other kind of zoning to what would be the best and highest use of the property."
She said she was determined that if she was going to ask for a rezoning, she would do it in the way that respected the rights of everyone around her.
"I went to every neighbor that would be affected," she said. "If I couldn't see them I left a note on their door. I had a meeting at Jongo Java open to every one that was in my neighborhood."
She went to her nearest neighbor, who she thought would be most affected, and explained her intent. "If you don't want me go forward with it I will not go forward with it," she told him.
"I've seen asphalt plants next to neighborhoods, I've seen what happened to Seven Falls, I've seen clear-cutting," she said. "I've seen years of people railroaded and ambushed and I would not do that myself."