Dec. 19, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: I am writing to express concern about the proposed 192-unit apartment development planned for North Wind Lane, behind Devils Backbone.
Supporters of the project argue that new housing is urgently needed, yet nearby data suggests otherwise. Buena Vista has experienced a steady population decline since 2012 and currently has an estimated 300–400 vacant homes. These homes average $190,000, meaning that homeownership in BV will likely be significantly more affordable than the $1,500 rent at the North Wind Lane Development.
The workers most needed in our community (restaurant workers, retail staff, personal care attendants), fall below the roughly $60,000 yearly income required to afford one of these new apartments.
Unemployment in Rockbridge County has increased 50% since last year (April 2024), pointing towards a more complex issue involving underemployment, demographic shifts, and a concentration of low-wage service and care jobs. This creates the problem we see today: job openings alongside rising unemployment. The proposed development does nothing to resolve this mismatch.
While the developer benefits immediately, the county assumes long-term responsibility for maintaining sewer, water, roads, and emergency services. Even conservative estimates suggest that the ongoing public costs of a 192-unit development could rival or exceed the annual tax revenue it generates — particularly when the housing does not serve the local workforce or address existing vacancies.
It begs the question, whom is this development really serving? Not Lexington, not Buena Vista, and certainly not Rockbridge County.
MARINA WILLIAMS Rockbridge County
