ONANCOCK, VA - The town of Onancock formally withdrew its request for a boundary line agreement with Accomack County after a group of neighbors living on the outskirts of town voiced concerns.
In September, Accomack County and Onancock town officials mailed letters to notify property owners near Tower Road of a proposed boundary line expansion that would officially bring their properties into the town limits.
Neighbors told WBOC then that they felt blindsided by the lack of prior communication.
Bonnie Warren said she only received the letter 12 days before a public hearing and possible vote by county supervisors. The board voted on September 18 to table the agreement.
In the withdrawal letter, Onancock Town Manager Matt Spuck said, "Given the shift in the county's support, the town of Onancock hereby formally withdraws its request for the boundary line adjustment at this time."
The Mayor of Onancock, Fletcher Fosque, was unavailable on Wednesday but told WBOC that the town council sent the letter because it thought the agreement needed more consideration and was not off the table.
Warren said she thinks the letter shirks responsibility by putting the onus for the withdrawal on the county rather than the town.
"Trying to put the blame on the Board of Supervisors, saying, well, you didn't want it," Warren said. "That's not what happened at the meeting ... it was tabled."
Nancy Hoskinson, who has lived on the land outside of Onancock for 50 years, said she is cautiously optimistic that the boundaries will not change but that the whole process has been frustrating.
"I think that they needed to do more ... a deeper study because there were people right on the boundary line that never were considered," Hoskinson said.
Warren told WBOC she plans to attend the county board meeting on Wednesday evening, alongside other neighbors, to get a clearer idea of where things stand.