9/18/2024
Letter to City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Planning Director, Deputy Planning Director and VBCCO Board and Executive Committee
Good morning, folks.
I had a good meeting with DCM Amanda Jarratt on Monday, covering a variety of subject matter, and am now looping back around to see what we can do to discover what items are in the Planning Department pipeline.
My definition of “pipeline” is any land-use item on which the Planning Department is in discussions with an applicant, or potential applicant, on a land-use issue that has the potential to adversely affect established, suburban neighborhoods, or, to set a land-use precedent of any nature. This most likely encompasses a lot of development proposals.
The goal is for the taxpaying, voting citizens to stop being surprised at the last minute, by items on which the Department has been engaged with an applicant, or potential applicant, for weeks, months, or even years. For lack of better terminology, citizens are requesting a “seat at the table” on issues that may affect their neighborhoods.
The result that we are looking for is an equal opportunity to share input with the Department Staff prior to the preparation of the Staff Report on any given item in the pipeline. We feel it unfair to have the City engage with an applicant, or potential applicant, on a project for long periods of time, while always working towards approval, and then to bring in Citizen input/public comments at the last hour. The release of the Staff report 5 days in advance of a hearing is also an unfair Policy that we feel is disadvantageous to the public.
We all look at life and these projects through differing lenses and will never agree on every land-use decision. However, the established, suburban homeowner is coming into these issue blind and that is most certainly unfair to the folks whose real estate taxes contribute significantly to the City’s annual revenue.
I am sure that there is some relatively simple way to solve the problem, without requiring a lot of Staff time and energy, to make this information available to the public on some sort of regular basis, without having to resort to the FOIA system. As Councilwoman Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond is fond of saying, change is inevitable and constant. I am doubtful that anyone has made this request prior to now, so I understand that a workable solution may take some time to figure out. I am happy to engage with any stakeholders to craft an acceptable outcome.
I eagerly await your response.
And, as always, thank you for your continuing service to the City. We appreciate you.
James R. “Rick” Boyles
James R. “Rick” Boyles
President
Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations
www.vbcco.org
https://www.facebook.com/VBCCO.ORG/
