Suffolk has spent the last two years and over a million dollars to review and update its comprehensive plan. The City Staff have ignored the public feedback they received while writing the draft, recommended huge increases to the growth areas, refused to conduct a Fiscal Impact Analysis, and did not complete a transportation plan.
Now we have discovered that they are advertising 562 acres of agricultural land off Rt. 460 (that is OUTSIDE the current Growth Area) as industrial land. If the new 2045 Comprehensive Plan draft passes, this area will be in the new growth area and have its land use changed, but the comp plan draft has not even gone through the public hearing process in front of Planning Commission and City Council yet. It seems that City Staff are so sure this new plan will pass, the Suffolk Department of Economic Development’s website, YesSuffolk, already has it listed. You can see it on their website listed as the “Rountree Site.”
It states, “This site is currently identified in the 2045 Comprehensive Plan as a designated growth area for Industrial Development encompassing a variety of uses including logistics, manufacturing, warehousing distribution, and research development.” [Emphasis mine]
The 2045 Comprehensive Plan draft has not even come before the Planning Commission, there has been NO public hearing, nor has it been approved by City Council. Yet, to the City Staff, this is a done deal.
Are the citizens of Suffolk content to let the unelected City Staff dictate our future? Is the Public really ok with the Staff bypassing citizen input?
Please sign our petition to urge City Council to vote ‘NO’ to the new 2045 Comprehensive Plan.