THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502230147
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 228 lines
AT A TWO-DAY retreat last week, the City Council laid out a direction it wants the city to go and plotted ways to get there.
Last August, council members said they wanted to help create ``a great community to live, to work, to play, to visit.'' At their second retreat of the fiscal year, the council added definition to that goal.
They want to slow residential growth and spur industrial and commercial development; encourage regional cooperation and help citizens get what they need; build new projects and help maintain aging neighborhoods.
Several said they are frustrated that many residents think they lack direction.
``We have a plan for this city; we have a fine plan,'' Linwood O. Branch said in the middle of the second day. If the public doesn't realize that, he said, then council needs to work harder to let them know.
Council members didn't develop any clear methods to communicate better with the public, but they did find ways to communicate better among themselves.
They were enthusiastic about working together to make their vision a reality. The timing is right, they agreed, because the lack of water has stalled the city's residential growth, the economy is picking up and the current council members get along well enough to get things done.
The council must use this breathing room to the city's advantage, Louis R. Jones of the Bayside bourough said, to create restrictions and incentives that will allow it to control development when water becomes available.
``If our goal really is to change development from residential to industrial, we have to do something,'' Jones said. ``We have a window of opportunity to set a policy that will prevent (residential sprawl) from happening when we do get water.''
If the city allowed another explosion of single-family homes, it would be drained by demands for water, sewer, roads and schools to serve those residents, members said. If it encourages business development, the city can help its tax base and provide jobs for residents.
Although they could not take formal actions at the retreat last Friday and Saturday, council members did outline goals and steps needed to achieve those aims.
Overall land use goals
They articulated seven basic land use goals:
Add more commercial development while limiting residential growth.
Rebuild aging, troubled neighborhoods, rather than pushing the suburban sprawl forever outward and leaving older areas to breed crime and urban ills.
Provide a range of housing options from starter homes to retirement communities to let children and aging parents stay in town.
Reduce dependence on cars by allowing denser residential areas that could support mass transit.
Place more emphasis on aesthetics when permitting new development and building new roads to ensure that the growth adds to the city rather than detracts from it.
Take a regional approach to providing entertainment and cultural venues for residents by working with, rather than against, neighboring cities to attract a National Football League or National Basketball Association team to Hampton Roads.
Maintain the quality of the school system to keep property values - and therefore the tax base - high.
To accomplish those goals, members agreed to review and update the city's comprehensive plan, continue to develop neighborhood plans, review development standards and requirements, develop a program for effective citizen participation in the planning process, and make sure that the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustments agrees with the goals and helps pursue them.
Agricultural Reserve Program
Council members agreed in principle to support the Agricultural Reserve Program, which would discourage residential development in the southern half of the city. The plan, which calls for paying landowners to agree not to develop their land, is the only new program in next year's proposed city budget.
The program must be in place, Jones said, before the Lake Gaston pipeline is approved and development pressure increases again.
``We have to give them a choice, rather than say to people, we just don't want you to build,'' he said.
Lake Ridge
The recent purchase of the 1,192-acre Lake Ridge property - which became official on the first day of the retreat - also will help council members meet their land use goals. Their control of the land ensures that the residential development that had been planned for the Princess Anne Road site will never be built.
Council members discussed how best to use Lake Ridge. They proposed a 90-acre amphitheater, three schools, office and commercial development, expansion of Princess Anne Park, and 550 acres of recreational facilities, most likely golf courses.
Several members aren't convinced that the property should be filled with golf courses; instead they suggested building an equestrian center, a zoo, a theme park, or a model farm to teach city kids about agriculture.
They agreed to disagree for a while, and to encourage businesses to come up with ideas for creating a destination point and world-class facility of some type on the site.
``We've got this land, but I'm not in any hurry to go out and use it immediately,'' Jones said.
Southeastern Expressway
Council members also agreed to stop waiting for the long-planned Southeastern Expressway, which would have connected the Virginia Beach-Norfolk toll road to the heart of Chesapeake. The city has argued for the road for 11 years, but its apparent demise will help block development in the southern half of the city, they said.
Other roads that would have connected to the expressway should now be removed from the city's master street and highway plan, Barbara M. Henley said. Streets like Indian River Road may need more city attention instead, several members added.
Economic Development: Burton Station
The council rededicated itself to pursuing an industrial park on the site of the current Burton Station neighborhood. The property, just behind Norfolk International Airport, will be extremely attractive to businesses once the houses and few companies are relocated, council members predict.
``If there's ever been a home run on the horizon, it's Burton Station,'' Vice Mayor W.D. Sessoms Jr. said.
The city has bought 19 homes so far, north of the railroad tracks that bisect the neighborhood. Determining the ownership of nine others, however, is difficult because so many people have claims to the property, said Sessoms and Jones, the council liasons to the Economic Development Authority.
To keep the park's progress on track, the council agreed to begin purchasing other land in Burton Station and to consider allocating more money for it.
Corporate Landing
Though still committed to luring businesses to the Corporate Landing office park on General Booth Boulevard, council members said they are worried about the 440-acre site's chances for success.
Economic conditions have changed since the park was planned with residents' consent in the late 1980s: the property is not selling the way it was predicted then, when real estate was booming, and the economic development authority, which owns the land, is having trouble repaying its debts.
For Corporate Landing to be successful, it's going to need some new direction, new zoning, and new community buy-in, Sessoms said. That probably means spending as much as $8 million to repay the development authority's debt.
But the project is still worth saving, City Manager James K. Spore said.
``This is the only sizable piece of office and industrial land that will have water,'' he said. ``We think we're on the right track and we need to stay the course here.''
Spore warned that if council members questioned the park too much, they would drive away businesses that might be interested in locating there. Businesses require predictability, he said, and changing the rules could discouage them.
The council established a task force of residents, authority members, city staffers and council members to ensure the park is heading in the right direction. The group will consider changing development restrictions on the land and options for reducing the debt, but it will not examine a large parcel around the only current park customer.
Economic Development Authority
The council also organized a three-person task force to re-examine the role of the development authority, which is facing severe financial problems as its debts come due over the next few years.
The group, which includes Spore and council members Louisa M. Strayhorn and Linwood O. Branch III, will study whether the city needs a development authority.
The council decided to take control of a parking lot at 31st Street on the oceanfront now owned by the authority. Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf suggested that the city's garden clubs be given a chance to beautify the lot after this summer's tourist season and transform it into an attractive public space. MEMO: Related story on page 10.
UPDATE ON PRIORITIES
The status of City Council's top priorities for 1995, as articulated
six months ago, and the progress since then:
Lake Gaston Water Supply Project: The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, the last federal agency that must approve the water
pipeline, released a draft environmental study in January supporting the
project. Word on the decision is expected this summer.
Princess Anne Downs Race Track: The Beach lost its bid for the race
track to New Kent County.
Burton Station, new industrial park: The city has acquired 19
properties and plans to begin acquiring more land elsewhere in the
neighborhood.
Oceana Naval Air Station Future: City officials are relatively
confident Oceana will be allowed to remain open. A decision is expected
this summer.
Southeastern Expressway: Rejected by the Chesapeake City Council late
last year, the Virginia Beach City Council acknowledged last weekend
that the road is probably dead.
Business retention and expansion program: The city takes credit for
26 business expansions and retentions so far this year, including 280
new jobs and 862 retained jobs.
Youth Activities - a pro-active and preventive response: The City
Council established a Youth Services Coordinating Council in January.
Economic development reorganization and redirection: The search is
continuing for a new executive director for the Department of Economic
Development.
Central Business District Direction: The Planning Commission is
expected to be presented elements of the business district plan in
April.
Police Staffing: The police department has asked for 106 new officers
for the next fiscal year.
Also accomplished since the last retreat:
The council purchased 1,192 acres off Princess Anne Road, known as
Lake Ridge. The property will be used for school sites, an amphitheater,
an office park and several golf courses, according to current
proposals.
The council is pursuing plans to build an amphitheater at Lake Ridge.
The outdoor entertainment proposal will be presented to the Planning
Commission early next month and to the council several weeks later.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos on cover
Nancy Parker, Louis Jones, Louisa Strayhorn, Linwood Branch, Meyera
Oberndorf, Will Sessoms
Staff photos by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
ABOVE: City Manager James K. Spore gave the thumbs up to the
Corporate Landing office park project. During a break in the
retreat, he spoke with councilman Robert Dean. ``This is the only
sizeable piece of office and industrial land that will have water,''
Spore said. ``We think we're on the right track and we need to stay
the course here.''
LEFT: W.W. Harrison was among council members who think changes need
to be made to make Corpoorate Landing a success, including spending
more money.
Lyle Sumek, the city council's retreat facilitator, helped council
members stick to the issues.
The city's master street plan should be revised to reflect the
demise of the Southeastern Expressway, says council member Barbara
M. Henley.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL by CNB