Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The 10-mile eyesore on the drive from Tappahannock to Yorktown is Route 17 in Gloucester. Gloucester County personnel proposed a means to improve the appearance of Gloucester’s main artery that would have required businesses to locate 50 feet from the highway, among other suggested improvements.

The board of supervisors is overruling this change over concerns that it will interfere with efforts to attract new business to Gloucester. The question is what types of businesses would be deterred from settling in Gloucester by such requirements? 

Businesses such as Riverside, Sentara and Lowe’s appear to have no objection to the proposed requirements. These are employers providing opportunities for a large number of our citizens. Improving the appearance of Route 17 would be a gift to our residents, attract tourists to the county who might otherwise avoid it, and attract businesses that would provide good jobs to our citizens.

The board should re...