THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410280243
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: BY GERALD A. PORTERFIELD
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Every year late October brings to an end that ``mother of all parties'' for the Hampton Roads home-building industry. Yes, each fall, all the glitter and glamour that is Homearama is packed up and stored away for another year and the vision of what is possible in a home holds us till the next year.
Even if we miss a year it's comforting to know that next year's vision is already in the works. Too bad the same doesn't apply to the cities in which we live.
As this is written, the Mayor's Long-Range Study Task Force in Chesapeake is in the midst of formulating a preferred ``vision'' to, in the mayor's words, ``determine how to preserve the family community and quality of life we enjoy, while taking advantage of our location as the hub of Hampton Roads.'' This group has ben charged with the responsibility to ``bring life to the collective vision we all have of Chesapeake and to offer alternatives for the best use of the natural and man-made resources we have available to us.''
However, at this point in the process, I'm a bit disappointed. Of the 41 concerned people appointed to participate, only 15 or so have attended the meetings that I've been fortunate enough to attend. This is not right! Right here in ``River City'' we have people complaining about this, that and the other.
``We don't have enough roads.''
``We're spending too much on roads.''
``Too many of our kids are in portable classrooms.''
``That school's going to cost how much?''
``We need more green space in our communities.''
``Why do we need so many recreation maintenance workers?''
And when offered the chance to provide valuable input in the process to affect change, only 35 percent of those most concerned even bother to show up. I guess complaining takes less energy than creating.
The timing is perfect for this endeavor. The city planners are in the process of revising the comprehensive plan and are amenable to change and appreciative of input. (The turnout for the public meeting in Great Bridge was equally disappointing.) Sewer and water availability limitations are already restricting growth in certain areas, and council's reluctance to rezone land for additional residential in others, believe it or not, is dampening growth and providing some breathing space before the technical problems are overcome. This, with the movement to build a realigned and widened Battlefield Boulevard south of Great Bridge, will bring even more pressure for additional development, and rightly so.
There now exists in Chesapeake a window of opportunity to be pro-active in change, not reactive; an opportunity to truly define how growth should occur and what form it should take; an opportunity to create more mixed-use neighborhoods with a hometown feel, where streets actually connect land uses and go somewhere other than just to their local collector roads. Chesapeake has within its grasp the power to distinguish itself from its sister suburban communities and choose a different path or pattern of development, one that some may deem nostalgic and inappropriate for today, but one that I would call responsive to the backlash against suburbia. We live in suburbia only because that's all that's offered. There is no other choice in new development. While we most likely will never eliminate the typical suburban form of development, that's no reason not to provide for and encourage more pedestrianfocused neighborhoods.
The type of walkable, livable communities we could have, those with a small-town feel, a sense of place, a sense of belonging only occur in select areas such as Ghent, Olde Towne Portsmouth or Smithfield. When asked to describe their ideal community, one that they would like to live in, most people conjure images such as these mentioned or a quaint New England village or a sleepy railroad town.
Try it yourself. Just sit back, close your eyes and envision your ideal town. Where are the stores, the churches, the parks, City Hall? Are there sidewalks with trees? Can you walk down to the barber shop or beauty salon? Do you know the people two blocks over? Now, open your eyes, go to the window and look outside.
Is it the vision you had in mind? MEMO: Mr. Porterfield is director of community design for The TAF Group. He is
a member of the Mayor's Long-Rang Study Task Force.
by CNB