I hate to say it, but what you see below is now the last nice looking stretch of Route 3 East toward Fredericksburg.  It’s as though New York has come to Central Virginia, but not in a good way.  Just past this monument after Salem Church Road, there is a long, garish clutter of retail space that is typical of the “strip development” you would find on Long Island.

I’m honestly happy if the growth of Fredericksburg’s retail and service sectors have driven job growth.  (Hey, I used to live here.)

But it ain’t pretty.  I can’t help but wonder if the planning and zoning folks for Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg could have done a better job.