Subject:
Title
Public hearing for Potential Name Change for Wade Hampton Drive
Body
EXPLANATION AND SUMMARY:
After receiving a request from Ms. Dee Dee Carter to the Vienna Town Council in June 2020 to rename the street named Wade Hampton Drive, Mayor Linda Colbert formed an Ad Hoc Committee to consider the matter, make a recommendation to Council and propose a new street name if the recommendation was to change the name. The Committee met numerous times in the spring of 2021 and provided a document dated Sept. 25, 2021 to the Mayor and Town Council disclosing all information acquired by the Committee in exercising its mandate so that Council may be as well-informed as possible when it makes its final decision on this matter.
History of Wade Hampton Drive
This short street is in Vienna, off Maple Avenue. West, was formerly the southwest quadrant’s portion of Lewis Street, NW. It was renamed in the early 1960s in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the American Civil War.
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a lieutenant general in the Confederate States of America. The street is roughly the location of where he and his cavalry unit of about 600 men and horses came into Vienna at the end of December 1862. This unit, as well as two other 600-men cavalry units under Generals Rooney Lee and Fitzhugh Lee, were all under General J.E.B. Stuart within the Army of Northern Virginia, CSA. In late December 1862, General Stuart and 1,800 cavalry men, including Hampton’s unit, left Fredericksburg, Virginia, rode north to raid Dumfries, Occoquan, Burke’s Station, Fairfax Station, and Fairfax Courthouse, and finished the ride through Vienna, Frying Pan, and Culpeper.
Prior to the Civil War, General Hampton, one of the wealthiest men in South Carolina, owned one of the largest plantations in the state. His grandfather served in the American Revolution, his father in the War of 1812. After the Civil War, Wade Hampton III was Governor of South Carolina and served two terms as United States Senator. His post-Civil War record is controversial, involving violence and voter suppression. (Information provided by Historic Vienna Inc.)
OVERVIEW:
The Wade Hampton Ad Hoc Committee consists of two Wade Hampton Drive property owners and two Historic Vienna Inc. (HVI) members.
• DeArmond Carter aka Dee Dee (Historic Vienna Inc. and descendent of the Carter family)
• William Ling (resides at 131 Wade Hampton Drive)
• John Pott (resides at 134 Wade Hampton Drive)
• Gloria Runyon (Historic Vienna Inc. and descendent of the Carter family)
The Ad Hoc Committee provided a unanimous recommendation to Council that the name of the street called Wade Hampton Drive between the years of 1962 through 2021 should now be renamed. Unfortunately, the Committee was unable to reach a single recommendation to Council members for a new street name. The Committee is offering five names as recommendations:
1) Roland Street
2) Carter Lane (Drive)
3) Mildred Lane (with variants of Mildred Drive or Loving Drive)
4) Liberty Lane
5) Minor Drive
Please note that the Wade Hampton Ad Hoc Committee, to include all four Wade Hampton Drive property owners, do not recommend Lewis Street as a name change. While it would return the street name to its original name, Lewis Street., SW would create significant confusion as there is a Lewis Street, NW continuing north of Maple Avenue, with identical house numbers (131 & 134).
At its January 24, 2022 meeting, the Vienna Town Council set a public hearing for February 7, 2022 to discuss the potential name change for Wade Hampton Drive and allow for public comment.
Town Council set a work session on Jan. 10, 2022 to discuss the potential name change for Wade Hampton Drive. As part of the discussion, council considered whether Wade Hampton Drive should be renamed and if so, what should be the new street name.
Strategic Plan Initiative: Vienna as an engaged community.
Board or Commission of Interest: Historic Vienna Inc.
Departmental Recommendation: The Parks & Recreation Department recommends renaming Wade Hampton Drive because all four Wade Hampton Drive property owners along with the two members of Historic Vienna Inc. that served on the Wade Hampton Ad Hoc Committee support the renaming of Wade Hampton Drive. The Parks and Recreation director does not have a recommendation of what the new street name should be.
Finance Recommendation:
Purchasing Recommendation:
Town Attorney Recommendation: Under the state code, set forth below, the Town Council may rename a residential street in its discretion.
§ 15.2-2019. Localities may name streets, roads and alleys. - Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of § 15.2-2000, every locality may name streets, roads and alleys. Such names shall take precedence over any other designation except those primary highways conforming to § 33.2-213, and shall be employed in references to property abutting thereon.
Renaming streets, roads and alleys on site plans or subdivision plats previously recorded and filed in a circuit court clerk's office shall not cause vacation of such site plans or subdivision plats. The locality may forward a certified copy of the action effecting such name change to the clerk of the circuit court in which the site plan or subdivision plat is recorded or filed. Upon receipt, the clerk shall (i) file the certified copy and note the name change on the site plan or subdivision plat affected or (ii) record the certified copy. (Code 1950, § 15-777.1; 1954, c. 462; 1962, c. 623, § 15.1-379; 1987, c. 384; 1997, c. 587; 1999, c. 671.)
FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES - OTHER STREET/HIGHWAY RENAMING PROCESSES:
1. Fairfax County Street Name Change Procedures
Va. Code § 15.2-2019 authorizes the County to name streets, roads, and alleys that it owns and maintains or that are “subdivision” streets in the state secondary system of highways. Typically, the names of streets within subdivisions are created by the subdivider and set forth on the recorded subdivision plat or site plan; however, the County may thereafter change the name of any subdivision street, road, or alley. Id. Renaming of streets, roads, and alleys on final site plans or recorded subdivision plats does not in any way invalidate or vacate the original site plan or subdivision plat. Id.
The County has established a procedure to rename subdivision streets that is administered by the Facilitation and Addressing Center in the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. Under Va. Code § 15.2-2019, the Board of Supervisors could establish a different procedure to rename such streets if it so desires. The current procedure was implemented as a method to fairly gauge the support of the lot owners on the street requesting the street name change.
To begin the process, the person(s) wishing to change the street name must submit a petition signed by the owners of 51 percent of the lots with addresses on that street. The petition needs to state:
a) The name of the existing street.
b) The proposed new street name, which will first be verified to ensure it would not duplicate or sound like a street name already in use.
c) A statement that the owners will pay for the new street name signage.
d) A list of the owners who are signing the petition, with their addresses.
The original petition should be submitted to:
Facilitation and Addressing Center
12055 Government Center Parkway Suite 216
Fairfax, Virginia, 22035
That office then reviews the package for accuracy and, after determining that it is complete and correct, presents the request to the Board of Supervisors for consideration. If the Board approves the request, the County will then forward a certified copy of the action effecting the name change to the clerk of the Circuit Court for recordation among the land records.
2. State Procedures - Other Highways, Bridges and Interchanges
Generally, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) and the Virginia General Assembly have the authority to rename any highway, bridge, interchange, or other transportation facility in the state system of highways. When a highway in the state system crosses several counties and cities, there are a number of processes available for renaming the highway, either in its entirety or in portions.
For the portion of a highway in the County, Va. Code § 33.2-213 authorizes the CTB to rename the highway after the County adopts a resolution requesting the name change. The County must pay the costs of signage associated with the change. Once the County forwards the adopted resolution, the CTB could consider the request as early as its next scheduled meeting (generally within one to two months). If a highway passes through more than one county, each county would need to follow this process if it wished to rename its portion of the highway.
The General Assembly may also rename highways. Generally, a renaming by the General Assembly would involve passage of a law by both chambers and then signature by the Governor.
When a portion of a highway traverses a city and the city maintains it, the CTB has no authority to rename that portion of the highway. Instead, the city would decide whether to rename it.
Town Manager's Recommendation: I recommend the Town Council make a motion to approve changing the name of Wade Hampton Drive, as presented.
Cost and Financing: N/A
Account Number: N/A
Decision Needed by This date: February 7, 2022
PROPOSED/SUGGESTED MOTION
Recommended Action
"I move to approve changing the name of Wade Hampton Drive. I further move to change the name of Wade Hampton Drive to ________________."
Or
Other action deemed necessary by Council.