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Salamander, Middleburg strike deal
The Salamander Resort and Spa narrowly won approval June 14 by Middleburg Town Council to add 48 guest rooms to the hotel, putting the total at 168 rooms for the resort.
The council gave its OK, 3 to 2, with council members Mark T. Snyder and Catherine “Bundles” Murdock dissenting. Council members Trowbridge Littleton, Lisa Patterson and Karen Robinson voted for the additional rooms. Two members of the eight-member council were absent, and Mayor Betsy Davis does not vote unless a tie occurs.
“For the town, it means we get to process the application and move forward,” said Town Manager Jerry Schiro.
Salamander – a $100 million project -- has been a difficult pill for the town to swallow since owner Sheila Johnson announced development plans in 2003.
Those who voted against the additional rooms last week strongly oppose the presence of a large resort in Middleburg, said Murdock.
She said she was in favor of the resort when plans were first announced for a small county inn. But in April 2005, the resort upped the ante from 58 to 120 rooms for the resort and spa.
“I have voted against a large resort,” Murdock said. “Most of the members of the Town Council and me disagree on what’s best for Middleburg.”
She said the council is divided between those who want the development taxes revenues brought in by the resort could support and those who want to keep the small-town dynamic, which is at risk with a large resort moving into town.
Murdock said the argument is a matter of money versus character, and money won out last week.
“We are very pleased that the town process continues to progress,” said Prem Devadas, representing Salamander Resort and Spa. “What it means is that we are continuing our plan to move toward construction.”
Devadas said the resort will benefit the community. He said the resort will offer a “real boost to local retailers, a significant amount of tax revenues and high-end dining facilities" as well as provide a public gathering place for the community.
The resort, which includes a 23,000-square-foot spa, sits on 340 acres of land purchased by former Black Entertainment Television co-founder Sheila Johnson. The land was previously owned by former ambassador to France, the late Pamela Churchill Harriman, whose son, Winston Churchill, is named after his grandfather, Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II.
Groundbreaking for the resort could begin as soon as this fall. The planned opening date is 2009. Devadas said the Salamander Resort and Spa team hopes to gain the council’s approval for its mixed-use additions to the resort and spa in mid-July.
Middleburg Town Council and the Salamander team will meet June 25 for a planning meeting and public hearing in the Town Hall at 7 p.m.
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