THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 15, 1994 TAG: 9408110011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
Staff writer Greg Goldfarb's report on planning and implementation activities for the Virginia Beach Central Business District in Pembroke was well-researched and presented a reasoned and fair summary of the history and purpose of efforts in the Pembroke area.
While Mr. Goldfarb's work was commendable, the insipid and inaccurate headlines damaged the value of the article. I refer to the persistent use of the term ``downtown'' when referring to Pembroke. While completing his research, Mr. Goldfarb learned that this term is not used in the planning or zoning for Pembroke, and being a responsible writer, he did not use the term in his article; the headline writer did.
For the South Hampton Roads region there is only one ``downtown,'' and nothing in Virginia Beach is intended to replace it.
Labels are powerful communication devices, and having a mislabeled goal can needlessly obstruct attaining that goal. How would you react to being persistently referred to as an editor for the Norfolk newspaper?
WILLIAM J. CASHMAN JR., president
Central Business District Association
Virginia Beach, Aug. 9, 1994 by CNB