THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411240661
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATRICIA HUANG, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Confronted with fierce neighborhood opposition, the developer of a proposed 272-unit apartment complex in Western Branch withdrew its plan Wednesday.
The move came just days after the city planning department recommended that commissioners reject the site plan of Hampton Roads Affordable Housing Inc. for failure to meet certain building code requirements.
``We were just trying to get a site-plan approved, and we were beat down by 600 people,'' said Richard Barrick, the developer's executive director.
He called the protesters ``obnoxious'' and said he and other company board members had received ``threatening calls'' at home and work from angry residents.
He said he could not comment on plans for the 17-acre waterfront property off Bruce Road and did not know whether plans would still include multifamily dwellings.
In his letter to the planning department, Barrick wrote, ``We regret that this has caused such controversy, and will not pursue of the above project as proposed.''
Residents formed a group called Concerned Citizens of Western Branch to fight the proposed apartment complex. Last week, 600 opponents packed the auditorium of Western Branch Middle School to plan strategy.
They complained that the influx of tenants would burden the area's schools, water supply and already-congested roads. Some residents of the upper-middle-class community also declared that the project, which called for some low-income units, would reduce their property values.
But the community's chances of prevailing seemed low because the site had been zoned for multifamily dwellings 24 years ago.
The developer had the right to build on the land, planning commissioners said.
``If that site plan meets all the codes, legally we have to say yes to it,'' said Richard Pippin, chairman of the Planning Commission. ``I can't say that I blame (the neighbors) under the circumstances, but there is very little the city can do.''
Residents had been discussing ways to derail the project, including the possibility of pooling their money to buy the land and use it for boat slips and a park.
The problems with the developer's site plan, according to the planning department, involved a proposed second entrance to the complex; streets narrower than the required 30 feet; and insufficient buffering between the complex's parking lot and single-family homes in the Point Elizabeth subdivision.
``I'm glad they've withdrawn the plan. . . . It'll be a good Thanksgiving for everyone,'' said Margaret Steen, who heads Concerned Citizens of Western Branch.
``We'll be watching,'' she said. ``We will still be watching every step of the way . . . to make sure that every `i' is dotted and every `t' is crossed.'' by CNB