THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502240203
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Even before formalizing its new, tougher rezoning restrictions, the Chesapeake City Council Tuesday sent a strong signal of things to come when it denied one developer's request to build homes on land zoned for agriculture.
In a 7-2 partisan vote, Republican council members took their first step in judging rezonings using the fixed standards for key services like schools, roads and sewer lines.
Mayor William E. Ward and Councilman John W. Butt voted to approve the rezoning.
The vote was the first action taken since council members discussed a new strategy for controlling growth at a council retreat two weeks ago.
At that retreat, planning officials warned that the city's overloaded services meant that council could no longer use its old system for approving rezoning. That system relied mostly on whether the land-use map allowed for building and whether the standard $6,000 was offered by developers for every new home.
While the proposed Washington Woods development in Great Bridge met those old standards, Councilman W. Joe Newman said they did not meet the more stringent ones.
``It's clear from this staff report that the services are not adequate for this (development) at the time,'' Newman said, ``and I think we need to go forward and support the staff in this.''
Local roads could have handled the development, according to a staff report, and required contributions would have offset the impact of new homes on nearby Great Bridge schools. But the area could not take on the sewer demands the subdivision would bring, the report concluded.
In his presentation to the council, J. Gregory Dodd, the agent for the project, argued that the developer was going beyond normal expectations by promising not to request sewer hook-ups until the city can handle the increased capacity.
But part of the new council strategy for controlling growth includes waiting until the sewer capacity is actually in place before considering any requests to build.
Dodd said a council decision against the rezoning would send a confusing message to developers and potentially strain relations between builders and the city.
``If your plan is to change the rules,'' Dodd said, ``then give the developers ample time to know how to comply with those rules. Please don't penalize land owners and don't send messages of changing the rules in mid-process.''
The criticism touched off similar comments and a substitute motion to approve the rezoning from some council members. Butt, Ward and Councilman Robert T. Nance voted in favor of that motion, but were overruled by the majority. by CNB