THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996               TAG: 9604250395
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 
SERIES: DECISION 96
        PART 2: THE ISSUES
        SUFFOLK
SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   67 lines

SUFFOLK CITY COUNCIL: THE ISSUES: CITY LEADERS HAVE FEW TOOLS TO USE IN REGULATING GROWTH

In Virginia, there's not a whole lot a city can do legally to manage growth, Suffolk officials are learning.

It's a problem that municipal leaders have been grappling with for years. Many of their attempts have been cut down in court.

Now Suffolk is wrestling with the same problems.

Leaders are searching for solutions that will allow the city to plan for growth so Suffolk doesn't join the list of cities dominated by overcrowded streets and strip malls.

In Virginia, cities must follow the Dillon Rule, a state law that says no city or county has authority to do anything unless it's clearly approved by the General Assembly.

``Whereas other states' codes act as guidelines and allow for more flexibility, our state is more restrictive,'' William Harrell, Suffolk's assistant city manager, said.

To manage growth, a Virginia city can use just a handful of measures. Among those being considered in Suffolk are:

Updating the comprehensive land use plan.

Imposing tougher zoning and subdivision ordinances.

Instituting a proffer system, which invites a developer to make an offer in turn for approval.

Suffolk will be reviewing its comprehensive land use plan this year. The plan, a blueprint for future development, is designed to allow the city to develop in the ways residents and city leaders want.

Such plans must be reviewed every five years, forcing the city to regularly re-examine development.

The plan also lays out where residents and city leaders would like to see development and specifies where they want land to be preserved.

But the plan is just a guideline, and it works only if followed by council members and if supported by city regulations. A council majority could easily override the guidelines that administrators set.

``Zoning and subdivision ordinances have to be used to encourage what you want to see and discourage what you don't want to see,'' said City Manager Miles E. Standish.

The proffer system is another tool that the city is considering. That system allows builders to offer cash or other improvements to offset the impact of their projects on nearby services.

For example, a developer may donate money for schools or agree to add extra landscaping or buffering.

The system is voluntary and doesn't apply to developers planning to build on land that is already zoned to fit the development.

``Proffers help a city secure the amenities that ought to go along with certain development,'' Standish said. ``It can include appropriate landscaping, recreation areas, sidewalks and the width of roads.

``The list is endless. And the intent is to help provide for the impact in how you fund the new school, or the new road or the new park or whatever.''

To successfully manage growth, a city must take advantage of all the tools that it has available, Standish said.

KEYWORDS: COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS PUBLIC JOURNALISM SUFFOLK CITY COUNCIL

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