THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050459
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 82 lines
The city got a report card Tuesday from residents, and they were stern graders.
Overall, they said, Suffolk rates a C minus. That was among the good news.
Add to it a D in managing growth, paying for growth and providing jobs, and a C in such areas as public utilities, school facilities, roads and commercial and industrial development.
Beyond that, the Planning Commission learned, citizens see little hope of better performance since the commission lacks a vision for this quickly growing city.
The assessment was delivered by LDR International, a Maryland-based consultant firm hired last year to help develop Suffolk's new Comprehensive Land Plan.
The document will be used to make zoning decisions, and city officials say it is a key to controlling growth.
Uri Avin, a planner with LDR, said the city's rating was a little lower than that of most municipalities. But, he added, Suffolk also has more undeveloped land than other communities.
Tuesday's report was the first since LDR asked a number of residents to rank Suffolk in specific areas of city service last November.
Over pastries and beverages, and with 10-minute breaks to clear their heads, the commissioners pored through seemingly endless documents for three hours.
The 14-member body learned that Suffolk has enough land for more than three times its existing 21,000 homes and population of about 55,000.
The clearest message, though, seemed to be that residents of the 430-square-mile city aren't pleased with city services.
The consultants briefed the planners on what residents said in community meetings in mid-November, and they asked planners to share their thoughts on downtown Suffolk and what they would like to see resolved after the land plan is developed.
Commissioner Howard C. Benton said he would like improvements to the south end of the city.
``Everything is status quo,'' said Benton, referring to the southwest and southeast end of the city. ``I don't see the cavalry coming. We want utilities, but not the growth that comes with it.''
Since 1989, when Suffolk's last land plan was developed, the city has experienced tremendous growth.
For example, the Planning Department had requests for seven new major subdivisions five years ago. Last year: 41. Last year, the Bureau of Inspections issued 883 residential building permits, compared with only 500 in 1993. But with that growth comes the task of extending city services, and Suffolk's needs already reach far into the next century.
The school system says it will require almost $130million in new facilities for a swelling number of students. The utilities department won't be able to extend city water and sewer lines in the next 10 years to 20 subdivisions that lack water and to 59 without sewerage.
Suffolk has about 42,000 acres that can still be developed, enough for more than 64,000 new homes, Avin said.
``Can that be used for denying rezonings?'' Benton asked. ``With so much more land out there, can we use that to slow down growth?''
Commissioner Dana E. Dickens wondered if the city could require developers to bring a certain amount of commercial growth with their residential projects.
``There are so many alternatives and things you can do, even with the Dillon Rule,'' Avin said.
``That's one way of skinning the cat, but I'm not sure that's the best way to go. You are putting a burden on the developer which may not be reasonable. It would be difficult to sustain legally.''
The Dillon Rule is a state law limiting what Virginia localities can do.
Within the next six months, the consultants will take city officials' comments and develop two growth plans and test their results.
One plan would test what would happen in the year 2020 if the city did nothing to control growth. The other will test what would happen if the city aggressively controlled growth.
They will then brief the city on those results.
Lynda Kemp, a LDR consultant, said the city's final land plan will probably fall somewhere between those two scenarios. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MEETING
The consultants, LDR International, will meet with the City
Council today at 3:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 441 Market St.
The session is open to the public.