THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607250160
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 40 lines
Council action upsets Lago Mar residents
I went to a recent City Council meeting where an issue was to be voted on as to whether a gas station was to be put in at the Junior Market on Sandbridge Road in front of the Lago Mar development (just up from the sand pit). When one resident of Lago Mar spoke at the meeting and expressed opposition to this project by referring to other middle/upscale housing areas where there are no gas stations around, Council member Louisa Strayhorn appeared somewhat irritated and took this gas station issue and turned it into one of prejudice as she told the City Council that no one is ``above'' having a gas station in their neighborhood and that she supported the project.
And then there was council member Linwood Branch, who also expressed his support for this commercial project. He told council that he recently took a ride out to Sandbridge and saw the sand pit that the state has shut down pending further investigation and saw the proposed site for the gas station and saw nothing wrong with developing the Sandbridge area commercially.
Mr. Branch also told council members of the widening of Sandbridge Road and how the dangerous curves would be ``straightened out.'' What the other council members didn't know is that Mr. Branch didn't know anything about Sandbridge Road. I called the City Engineer's Office the following day and asked about this widening. The Engineer's Office said that at this time there are no plans to widen this road, but they were looking at conducting a study where Ferrell Parkway might be an alternative to Sandbridge Road, but no study had even begun yet.
Even though some of the residents of Lago Mar came to the council meeting prepared with a survey of their neighbors indicating that 84 percent were opposed to this gas station, the City Council ignored the people and voted for the gas station. The vote was as follows:
FOR: Strayhorn, Branch, Heischober, Baum, Harrison, Sessoms, Jones.
AGAINST: Oberndorf, Dean, Parker, Henley.
Robert W. Pfaffinger Jr.
July 3 by CNB