THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607140046
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 106 lines
How do you plan for the future of a city that most people like just the way it is?
At a series of planning meetings over the last two months, hundreds of citizens said they're happy living in Virginia Beach. Their comments parallel the sentiments expressed in annual scientific surveys of Beach residents.
``I moved 19 times in 23 years,'' said Baylake Pine resident Larry Conner, one of 419 people who attended the meetings. ``There's really no place like Virginia Beach.''
The Planning Department convened the 17 workshops to hear what citizens want for the future of their city, as the department prepares the next comprehensive plan. Most of them, like Conner, said they want it to stay pretty much the way it is.
``I want to keep Virginia Beach a place people want to live,'' said Conner, who chose to stay here when he retired from the Navy in 1978.
Conner said he doesn't want all growth to stop, but, like many residents, he doesn't want more strip malls, tightly packed subdivisions, shoddy construction and traffic.
Other citizens said they want convenient shopping, low-cost homes and better roads. The trouble is, those can lead to strip malls, high density and more cars.
It's the job of the comprehensive plan to balance those conflicting interests as the city continues to develop - to keep what residents like about Virginia Beach and encourage growth that makes them like it more, not less.
The Planning Department staff members who spent two nights a week in May and June at public meetings will spend the rest of the summer and part of the fall incorporating the citizens' ideas into a document that will direct the city's growth for at least half a decade.
Although only 0.1 percent of Virginia Beach's population turned out at the workshops, Thomas C. Pauls, comprehensive planning coordinator for Virginia Beach, said he thinks he heard enough common themes to draft a plan that will accommodate the public's demands.
``While there are a few people who have certain parochial desires and things they'd like to see done,'' Pauls said, ``by and large, most people want the same thing: a nice community, quality jobs, good schools, neighborhoods that they can feel safe at night walking in, an environment they can feel good about handing to their children and grandchildren.
``They want a city that they can be proud of. If there's a common theme that I've heard at every one of those 17 meetings, that's certainly it.''
The last time the city developed a comprehensive plan, in 1991, the Planning Commission held only three public meetings. Then, many people were caught by surprise - and infuriated - by the council's decision to allow some development on land previously restricted to lower densities.
Pauls said he doesn't think the public will be quite as surprised by the plan this time, because more citizens had input.
``Because of the process, the comments we received this time were much more meaningful in terms of our ability to capture and use them,'' Pauls said.
In groups ranging from five to 50 people, Beach residents talked about why they like where they live, and what they want their community and their city to be like 10 to 20 years from now.
Last week, the Planning Department finished compiling the comments about what's good now. Staff members are expected to finish a survey of the suggestions for the future over the next few weeks.
Many things citizens like best about Virginia Beach can't be influenced by a document or a public process. The asset praised most often was the city's natural beauty.
Some of the other pluses are affected by city policies, and can be part of the comprehensive plan, according to Pauls. Residents raved about their neighbors, schools, fire and rescue service, recreation centers and sense of safety.
Most of those who attended meetings are 40 to 65 years old, own their own homes and are white. They had a stake in their community and the confidence that their city government would value what they had to say.
Planning commissioners, who talked about the workshops in a meeting last week, said they were impressed by the people who turned out. The participants were plugged in to their communities and informed about the tradeoffs needed to make good public decisions, commissioner Jan Eliassen said.
The commission has scheduled two meetings this month to figure out the next step in the comprehensive planning process.
The planning department intends to hold another round of 17 meetings this fall to present a draft of the plan to citizens. The planning commission will then review and sign off on the plan before it is presented to the City Council early next year.
Residents can still make suggestions for the comprehensive plan by calling the department at 427-4621, Pauls said, but that comment period is coming to an end.
``We are open to public comment and have always maintained that anytime anyone wants to submit their concerns, we want to hear what they have to say,'' Pauls said. ``But at some point we have to take what's been given and start writing.''
Hunt Club Forest resident Paul Schuhlein, who attended one of the workshops, said he liked the format and liked being asked for his ideas.
``As a resident, as someone who's a contributing member of this place,'' he said, ``I feel we're kind of obligated to assist in the development, to make sure the residents' voice is heard.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
What happened
The Planning Department held 17 public meetings over the last two
months to get input for its comprehensive plan. More than 400
residents turned out.
What they said
Residents want the city to stay as it is, with safe
neighborhoods, good schools and beautiful natural resources.
What's next
The Planning Department will finish a draft of the plan this fall
and take it back to the public for comment. The City Council is
expected to adopt a plan early next year. by CNB