DATE: Monday, July 14, 1997                 TAG: 9707110017

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

GOOD FOR US ALL WHAT BLOCKS ANY CITY'S DEVELOPMENT GENERALLY IS BAD FOR THE ENTIRE REGION

When Virginia Beach sought Chesapeake's support for the proposed Southeastern Parkway and Greenbelt this week, the Chesapeake City Council asked the same question that the Virginia Beach City Council, itself, has asked regarding other regional matters, such as light rail and a major-league arena.

That question is, ``What's in it for us?''

The proposed expressway would go south from Route 44, swing around Oceana Naval Air Station and extend west to the eastern end of the yet-to-be-built Oak Grove Connector in Chesapeake. The connector would carry the traffic to I-464 and I-64.

Clearly the expressway is far more important to Virginia Beach than to Chesapeake. It would lighten Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway traffic by providing an alternate route to downtown Norfolk. It would provide access to prime real estate in southern Virginia Beach. The expressway, plus the arrival of Lake Gaston water, could speed the commercial and industrial growth that Virginia Beach needs to build its tax base and, among many things, better fund its schools.

After years of rampant growth, however, Chesapeake has more pressing road needs. In fact, the parkway would add traffic on some already overcrowded Chesapeake routes.

Chesapeake Councilman Duda said he sees the expressway as mainly getting people from Oceana to Norfolk and back. ``It won't really serve Chesapeake,'' he said. ``I don't think our city should be used as a bypass for two other cities.'' His clear first priority is fixing Virginia Route 168.

Chesapeake City Council voted against the expressway in 1994 and 1996. The council was expected to at least endorse the concept Tuesday, though with many caveats, but the vote was delayed 60 days when it was clear the resolution had only four supporters. As Mayor Ward says, ``It takes five to dance in Chesapeake.''

What's best for the region is for Virginia Beach to get the expressway. Hampton Roads cannot prosper unless traffic must flow throughout it. Expressways must cross city lines.

And generally speaking, what blocks Virginia Beach's development is bad for the region. What blocks any city's development generally is bad for the entire region.

Significantly, the expressway would open up another escape route for the day a hurricane finally locates Hampton Roads.

Chesapeake City Council can hardly be faulted for asking, ``What's in it for us?'' Its citizens are screaming for improvements on key roads within the city.

Of some value to Chesapeake is the fact the expessway could speed southern Virginia Beach residents to Chesapeake's thriving Greenbrier shopping area.

At a Chesapeake City Council meeting this week, member Alan P. Krasnoff took a regional view in discussing the parkway. He noted an off-repeated dismal statistic, that Hampton Roads has the lowest average income among the 15 economic regions that it competes with in the Southeast. ``If we continue this kind of in-fighting,'' he said, ``we going to continue to be the lowest in income and the second-lowest in job creation.''

Mayor Ward, who also supported the resolution, said in an interview that Chesapeake should not block Virginia Beach's economic progress. ``The region prospers,'' he said, ``when each entity prospers.''

The Chesapeake resolution that lacked votes for passsage stressed that the city would spend no money on the expressway until full funding was provided for a number of its road projects, including Virginia Route 168. Still the resolution needed one more supporter to pass.

It could be that the Virginia Department of Transportation will ram the expressway through Chesapeake, whether the city wants it or not.

But the region needs less of each city asking, ``What's in it for us?'' and more of each city asking, ``What's in it for the region.''

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu