Below is a Letter to the Editor of the Suffolk News-Herald, written by Care4Suffolk’s Ann Harris. She wrote this back in July of 2024, just before the 2045 Comprehensive Plan went before City Council and was tabled until after the election. You can read this on the Suffolk News-Herald.
The Master Transportation plan has been a major part of the discussion since the August City Council meeting, but it is important to remember that the 2045 Comprehensive Plan was also supposed to include the Fiscal Impact Analysis, which the City chose not to do. This omission is irresponsible and it is not getting enough notice.
Dear Editor:
A recent Suffolk News-Herald article about the 2045 Comprehensive Plan update presented to City Council on July 17th mentioned that there was a petition against this plan. I’d like to highlight a main reason why many residents think the 2045 Plan should not be approved. Page six of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan draft states that “Different kinds of development have different impacts on the fiscal health of the City. Development that is not supported by existing infrastructure (roadways, water, sewer) and that is more consumptive of land can be a greater drain on the City’s finances.” This is a pretty intuitive concept! When the initial draft came out in February with recommendations to expand Growth Areas by a shocking 23%, many people assumed it would be backed up by some solid data. (For context, our current 2035 Comprehensive Plan only increased the growth area by 5% back in 2015.) Planners did reduce the recommendation to a 17% increase and have since reduced it again, but it is still roughly a 12% expansion.
Please sign Care4Suffolk’s petition asking City Council to oppose the 2045 Comprehensive Plan.