THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 2, 1994 TAG: 9411300190
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
Condemning homeowners who opposed him as ``obnoxious,'' a developer reluctantly scrapped plans to build an apartment complex in a quiet residential area of Western Branch. Across town, in the Camelot community, another developer traded bitter insults with neighboring homeowners over building plans there.
Showdowns over residential growth in Chesapeake are getting louder and more vicious.
Citizens, terrified that new development threatens their lifestyles or property, are fighting back. And they're not being polite about it.
City Council members have been saying for years that they are powerless to control growth. Now, it seems, citizens are taking them at their word. They've learned that a mob of 500 ticked-off homeowners can often do what local government can't . . . or won't.
At the root of the agitation is the belief that City Council does not have the will to fight for their interests. Their recourse, then, is to do it for themselves. by CNB