It has been two years since the controversial Port 460 development project was rezoned at City Council, but the frustration from the public with a city that isn’t listening still lingers.
But is the Port 460 project just the tip of the iceberg? I was recently listening to a podcast of a mayoral forum hosted by the CE&H Heritage Civic League in collaboration with the Suffolk Peninsula Community Partnership and moderated by WHRO. Mayor Duman, Mr. Jenkins, and Mr. Bosselman had an opportunity to weigh in on a variety of topics.
At one point, near the end, Mr. Bosselman, while discussing development in the City, made an interesting revelation:
“I think the city is actually being run by the developers more than the city is running the city. In my opinion. So I think we need to have some more vision and foresight here. I do know that there are outside forces bearing down on the city so far as development here. I‘ve actually been in a meeting with this Matan group that’s in charge of Port 460 development. I had to go in there to get…, I still farm some land there. I needed the key to get in through the gate. As I was looking around the room, I see a big map. And there’s a map of fields and areas that I know, including my neighbor’s land, my land, and some more land that I farm. So their plan is going to go beyond what they’re trying to do here in the City of Suffolk. It’s all about development. It’s some kind of long-term plan here that nobody knows, nobody is telling us, but it’s in the works.” (around mark 1:14:45)
Back in May, Care4Suffolk posted an article about the City advertising 562 acres of agricultural land off Rt. 460 that is NOT currently in the growth area. The advertisement stated:
“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.”
This was particularly concerning because back in May, City Council was still giving City staff feedback about new growth areas in the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, while the City was selling it like it was a done deal. Rt. 460 was part of that discussion. Below is the original map proposed by City staff for the expansion of the growth areas:
There is an extended growth area of yellow to the north of Rt 460 and purple to the south of Rt. 460, and these extend all the way to the Suffolk city line. The yellow represents residential land use and purple is where warehouses can be built.
The growth areas have since been reduced and that advertisement has been removed from the city’s website, but the question is still hanging there: what is being planned down Rt. 460?
Mayor Duman spoke after Mr. Bosselman, and denied knowing anything about Matan’s future plans. I will take Mayor Duman at his word, but I find it hard to believe that there is no one in the city aware of Matan’s future plans down Rt. 460. Considering that the City’s own website was advertising the land for sale, there MUST be someone aware of these future plans. So where is the transparency? Why is our government working towards a future plan with no oversight from the public? The citizens spoke out against the Port 460 Project and the extensive growth area additions to the 2045 Comprehensive Plan. The City of Suffolk knows this is not what the citizens want. Maybe Mr Bosselman is right – maybe “the city is actually being run by the developers more than the city is running the city.”
I just found out today since there was a surveyor in my backyard. That’s something is going to be built in the farmland behind me that the Farmer guess decided to sell all I know is this is getting utterly ridiculous with all this building.
I think we need to listen to Mr. Bosselman! He is trying to protect and preserve farm land and maintain the rural environment in Suffolk! Homes are one thing but these huge warehouses and commercial projects are way over the top for our city! The sight of storage containers stacked in our city is sad!
We need to vote for Mr. Bosselman as mayor. We need to stop our council …put on the brakes and get them to turn. We need to change their minds and fight to save at least some of our rural areas. I think we need planning official’s to work for our interests. We need to put pressure on them to get on our side or get them replaced.