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

DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996                TAG: 9608090472
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: By MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   41 lines

CHESAPEAKE SETS HEARING TO DISCUSS GROWTH CONTROL

The City Council wants to know whether to ask voters in November if they want growth-control legislation that would essentially stop developments until schools, roads and other public facilities are in place to handle the new residents.

A year after narrowly deciding against a similar referendum, the council will hold a public hearing on Aug. 20 to see if citizens believe such a question should be on the ballot on Nov. 5.

The referendum would ask voters if they want to amend the City Charter to let Chesapeake require that permission to build subdivisions or developments be linked to the presence of adequate schools, roads and other public facilities.

This would severely limit the amount of growth in Chesapeake until such facilities could be built, said city officials.

If the referendum were to be approved by voters, it would be forwarded to the General Assembly for consideration during its 1997 session. Only the General Assembly can approve an amendment to the City Charter.

The council will hold its hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 in City Council chambers.

The council is expected to vote on whether to ask for the referendum after the hearing.

On July 11, 1995, the City Council voted 5-4 against requesting a similar referendum, despite citizen support for the ballot initiative.

Four of the councilmen who voted against the referendum - Vice Mayor John W. Butt, W. Joe Newman, Peter P. Duda Jr. and Mayor William E. Ward - still sit on the council. Councilmen Dalton S. Edge, John M. deTriquet and Alan P. Krasnoff voted last year for the referendum. That leaves two other council members: Dwight M. Parker and Elizabeth P. Thornton. MEMO: HEARING

The council will hold its hearing at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 in City

Council chambers.

KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL by CNB