Street fight

Shouting, protest signs, and accusations erupt at Purcellville Meeting

By Valerie Cury

Shouting, cursing, and protest signs—including a homemade one depicting a pile of excrement aimed at the majority Town Council and at times held by Erica Stought, wife of Council Member Caleb Stought—set the tone Tuesday night, June 24, during a Purcellville Town Council work session. Rules of decorum were largely ignored as audience members mocked the Council majority, which voted to end the Town’s support for the Purcellville Main Street Program, reversing a decision made by a previous council. 

At one point, Erica Stought pointed from the excrement sign to members of the Council majority and then to this reporter, who is also the owner and publisher of The Blue Ridge Leader.

Mayor Chris Bertaut said the heart of the matter is that all members of the Town Council support local businesses and efforts to beautify the downtown area. “This Council, I think, is unanimous in their opinion regarding the necessity for downtown redevelopment.” He said the disagreement lies in how redevelopment is defined, what revitalization means, and the best path forward.

The underlying tension, however, stems from community concerns about the Purcellville Main Street Program’s ties to a major local developer. One of Council Member Erin Rayner’s largest cumulative campaign donors—through affiliates, relatives, and their employees—controls a significant portion of downtown property in need of renovation.

Rayner has publicly advocated for the developer’s Vineyard Square project, originally approved more than 15 years ago by the Lazaro Town Council. That plan called for a six-story, 40-condo building on a narrow, one-way street—dramatically out of scale with the surrounding district. 

The manager of the project is now proposing to reduce the development by four condos, bringing the total to 36 condos. However, current zoning does not permit this level of density. Guidelines limit buildings to two and a half stories and encourage commercial development in the downtown core, with a modest cap of two apartments per structure. The developer’s Certificate of Design Approvals are set to expire on July 1, 2025, after which any new proposal should comply with these standards.

Last year, Rayner—a board member of the newly formed Purcellville Main Street nonprofit— expressed support for modeling the area after San Diego’s Gaslamp District. She has also advocated for affordable housing on properties managed by Casey Chapman, including Vineyard Square and the Purcellville Business Park at 310 N. 21st Street.

At the June 24 Town Council Work Session, Council Member Susan Khalil said she appreciated the Purcellville Main Street stated goals in their efforts towards beautifying the downtown. She said included in the program is property “owned by private entities which raises valid questions about the role of the Town in redevelopment.”

She said that redevelopment is worth pursuing and it “should occur in full alignment with our Zoning Ordinance, Comprehensive Plan, and community planning processes that are already in place.”

Khalil said the redevelopment of private property should be owner driven, and nothing precludes an owner from improving their property.

“The Town Council welcomes and encourages business property owners to prioritize improvements on their property. We appreciate the dedicated efforts of so many business owners in Town. This is not a rejection of revitalization—but a reassertion of the role private owners play in beautifying their properties,” said Khalil.

Council Member Carol Luke said each business has a responsibility to understand the areas legal requirements, zoning and economic landscape—and they should access whether that location will support their goals.

“The Town can not and should not tailor its resources to meet the unique needs of every individual business especially when those resources come from the taxpayers and are meant to serve the community as a whole,” said Luke.

Luke said the Town should focus on broad, community-wide policies rather than making special exceptions, which could lead to inequities.

Council Member Kevin Wright berated Luke saying he found it very comical that she gets free parking for her business from the Town—“at no expense what so ever. That parking lot belongs to the Town of Purcellville and none of it is yours. You don’t pay taxes on that piece of property. So, it’s interesting that you, as a business owner in Town who does gain something from the Town that helps [your] business by providing [you] free at no cost parking for your employees, and customers, and tenants.” 

“So, to now go against other business owners and say ‘Hey, you don’t need the Town support—figure it out yourself’—you are talking out of both sides of your mouth.”

However, Wright failed to check his facts. A decade after Luke had opened her business and was already operating in her location, she was required to pay $22,125 into what the Town called a newly created “parking garage fund.” Luke did not respond during the meeting and has generally avoided engaging in public theatrics.

Council Member Caleb Stought said this discussion has “come before Council multiple times over the past three months and said there was a lack of transparency because the motions related to this item were not in the agenda packet. 

Stought used the meeting to make a deliberately false personal accusation in response to this newspaper’s reporting. He said, “Valerie Cury [this writer with the Blue Ridge Leader] has been in the back of the room telling residents that she takes issue with meetings between developers, property owners and town staff.”

This statement is completely false and a deliberate fabrication. While such personal attacks are disappointing, I remain steadfast in my commitment to hold local leaders accountable and keep the community informed.

Stought again singled me out, saying that if the four council members voted to end the program despite public support, “you are confirming to the entire world that you do not represent the citizens of this town—you represent Valerie Cury.”

This repeated inappropriate fixation on me—a journalist doing my job—says more about Stought’s discomfort with critical coverage than it does about the matter at hand. His comment deflects attention from the pros and cons of the program—and from the serious debate the issue deserves.

Council Member Erin Rayner accused her colleagues of hating businesses. She asked, “You know how many businesses that don’t want to be here anymore? How many businesses are going up for sale because they don’t want to be here to deal with us anymore—and that’s your fault.”

Mayor Chris Bertaut summarized, “Tonight we are deciding whether to continue supporting the Purcellville Main Street program. I do want to be clear—this is a vote for revitalization and for citizen control of the results of same. 

“Purcellville has always been for growth, but it has to be on our terms. Our Comprehensive Plan, zoning laws are shaped and guided by this community. They reflect who we are and what we value. 

“The Main Street Program brings to the floor both outside influences and special interests—potentially steering us away from the path we have charted together. A letter of support gives weight to that vision that we may not all share. I also note that a large part of the revitalization of this Town is private property.”

Bertaut said he believes in the people of Purcellville, the residents, our business owners, our local leaders who have already invested in this Town. “They are already revitalizing it without the additional support and without loosing sight of what makes this place special.”

“You might ask, ‘Why turn down support?’ Because support comes with strings and once we hand over the governance to an outside organization, it’s very hard to take it back,” said Bertaut.