THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410230049
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Three months of public hearings and informational meetings have not substantively changed the city's proposed Outdoors Plan, which was deferred by City Council this summer because of a lack of public input.
But it has succeeded in educating citizens about a new philosophy of recreation and outdoor planning. It also has pointed out the importance of gathering a wider base of support for the plan, which the council will reconsider Tuesday.
The process helped correct what some see as a developing trend in the city of leaving the public out of important policy decisions.
The Outdoors Plan was developed by staff with limited outside input and first appeared before council on its consent agenda; city staff developed changes to the landscape ordinance, sidestepping the citizen committee that drafted the original ordinance; and the staff changed the city logo without council approval.
``I'm concerned that they (city staff) think they know it all,'' said former Councilwoman Reba S. McClanan.
``Part of the democratic process is that the people have certain needs and desires. A lot of them we can't afford, but all that needs to be hashed out - not decided on by city committee in private.''
Now after gathering more citizen input, City Council will consider adopting the Outdoors Plan, the city's first attempt to treat recreational resources and facilities as a system rather than a collection of individual locations.
The plan emphasizes passive recreation and environmental protection by linking outdoor resources with greenways and trails for walkers, hikers, bikers and horseback riders. These greenways also would beautify an area, protect the environment, and provide refuge for birds and other wildlife.
Greenways and trails are relatively inexpensive to develop because they usually don't require land purchases. Often, they run along abandoned railroad rights of way or public utility easements, such as Virginia Power's high tension wire corridors.
``People are saying they want to have places to walk and bike, and they don't always want to get into a car,'' said J. Barry Frankenfield, parks and recreation planner.
The plan also calls for extending scenic waterways, increasing canoe access, improving beach access and developing parks around historical and cultural sites.
To continue to involve the public, the revised plan calls for an Outdoors Plan Management Team, which would include neighborhood leaders and users of recreation resources, to review and update the plan.
Architects of the plan have stressed from the beginning that it's a framework for outdoor planning and that it is subject to periodic review and change. They call it a ``living'' document.
``As we get more input and feedback from the community, we will refine the recommendations to meet specific neighborhood needs,'' said H. Clayton Bernick III, administrator of the city's Environmental Management Center.
The revised plan also includes additions, deletions and refinements of specific recommendations.
It includes two horse trails that were not included in the draft. The equestrian community appeared in force at two public hearings, calling for trails specifically for horses.
The plan deletes recommendations for improved beach access at Lesner Bridge, a site of numerous drownings because of dangerous currents; and for a boat ramp at Pleasure House Creek, which was determined to be environmentally unsound. by CNB