THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210360
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
The City Council Wednesday approved, 8-0, a long-sought historic preservation plan - the city's first.
There was little debate.
The lone speaker, Elizabeth Hanbury, urged the council to move forward with the plan and not let it become useless through inaction.
Proponents see it as a means to begin saving historic resources, an effort put off by the city for years. The city also sees the plan as a means to begin touting historic resources to promote tourism.
Because the plan will be incorporated within Chesapeake's Comprehensive Plan, it is hoped that it will someday serve as a preservation guideline.
But as city Planner Brent Nielson said, ``the plan is just that - a plan.'' It lacks any enforcement measures, and its adoption by the council does not necessarily mean its goals will be fully carried out.
Approval comes less than a month after the city angered preservationists by allowing a strip mall on historic Great Bridge land at Cedar Road and Battlefield Boulevard.
Now, some local preservationists say Chesapeake's efforts to preserve its past could hit a credibility snag. Others say the plan has no teeth and could be coming too late for Virginia's fastest-growing city.
The city has attempted to preserve its heritage by mostly focusing on revitalizing and bolstering neighborhoods and businesses in South Norfolk. by CNB