THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Virginia Beach has something residents of other large cities can only dream of: 1,200 undeveloped green acres, near its municipal heart.
To put that in perspective: Virginia Beach owns a chunk of land one-third larger than New York's Central Park.
The parcel known as Lake Ridge was purchased by the city in 1994. Council is committed to building three schools on the site and an amphitheater, already under construction. But that still leaves about 1,000 acres for the city to develop as it wishes.
Everyone, it seems, has a vision for Lake Ridge. Some want golf courses, others, an equestrian center. Still others are lobbying for a professional soccer stadium or athletic fields.
Several members of council are itching to begin development. But at last week's council meeting, Blackwater representative Barbara Henley wisely said ``Whoa.''
Henley asked her fellow council members to sit tight awhile longer before rushing to develop the land. She suggested hiring experts to draw a first-rate plan for land use - instead of dotting the landscape with a potpourri of unrelated projects.
She declared that at last, with Lake Ridge, the city has ``an opportunity to be spectacular.''
But Henley worried that with Lake Ridge, the city would not rise beyond ordinary.
We agree. It's time for Virginia Beach to take a deep breath, appreciate the opportunity of Lake Ridge and hire top-notch professionals to design an integrated development that will be the jewel in Virginia Beach's crown.
If Lake Ridge is allowed to develop piecemeal, like much of the Beach and the rest of Hampton Roads, for that matter, it would be a missed opportunity of immense magnitude.
As residents of Hampton Roads know only too well, once an area is uglified it takes a lot of money and time to make improvements.
Lake Ridge gives city officials the chance to show off its vision and imagination. As we see it, they have two choices: Carefully develop the land and leave a recreational treasure for future generations or proceed with a willy-nilly approach to development and leave future Beach residents sighing ``If only. . . .'' by CNB