Nov 2020
Request for Proposal sent out by Suffolk’s Purchasing Division for “Review and Update of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan”
Jan 2021
July 2021
Contract executed between City of Suffolk and Planning Next (ACP/Greene & Associates, LLC)
Dec 2021
Vision and Goals to be completed; first payment executed
Plan contains no vision statement nor any goals
April 2022
Scope of Work Refinement: change of land use approach to “focus on trends or expectations about future development” verses “incorporating an entirely new, detailed scenario analysis.”
Added additional 25% above the cost of the original scope of work
May 2022
Staff Land Use Workshop, including attendance by the Vice President of Tischler-Bise to discuss the Fiscal Impact Analysis
Several one-time, 1.5 hour focus groups held about different topics; focus group attendance ranged from 4-11 people.
Summer 2022
Fiscal Impact Analysis mentioned in emails between Planning NEXT and city staff
Planning staff attend various city events with a booth about comprehensive plan
Nov 2022
First public engagement gathering organized by Care4Suffolk
Feb/Mar 2023
City-organized public engagement sessions (one per borough with 2 in the Suffolk borough)
June 2023
City-organized three open-houses and included a “dot” board activity
August 2023
Fiscal Impact Analysis removed from Scope of Work to be completed after comp plan approval
Nov 2023 – Jan 2024
City Council Work Session presentations by Planning Department
All Growth Area expansion options presented to City Council in January
Feb 2024
Release of 2045 Plan draft; start of online survey
Mar 2024
City-organized three open-houses (summary of public input)
May 2024
Joint Planning Commission/City Council work session to discuss the 2045 draft
Reduction in Growth Area recommendations
Need expressed for transportation plan
Planner Keith Cannady stated that no Fiscal Impact Analysis needed because current growth strategy is being continued and because it is done at the site level rezonings
Public hearings delayed (TBD)
Rountree Property advertised on VEDP website and Yes Suffolk as being in the 2045 Comp Plan Growth Area although the plan had not been approved yet
June 2024
Planning Commission Work Session presentation
Reduction in Growth Areas
Other changes made, only 3 briefed
Lengthy Economic Development briefing on warehouse development
Land use pie chart added
All departments present slides
New “smart growth” label appears on some slides, but with no actual discussion of smart growth
Addition of Utility Scale Solar as a use for Rural Agriculture land; this was not briefed during the work session
July 2024
Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the 2045 Comp Plan
City Council received a work session update after Planning Commission had already voted
August 2024
Changes made to plan AFTER Planning Commission vote
Planning Commission has to have a “do over” vote because the city failed to provide the legally required public notice
Planning Commission Johnnie Edwards gives a speech stating that Suffolk is strategically important to the Port of Virginia and that the 2045 Comp Plan is the start of Suffolk serving the regional goals of the port.
Planning Commission again votes to recommend approval of the 2045 Comp Plan
City Council votes to table the vote on the 2045 Comp Plan until Nov 2024
Mayor Duman stipulates that Council needs to have the Master Transportation Plan in their hands to be able to vote on the comp plan
More new slides from Economic Development
Pie chart
Removal of “smart growth” from slides, changed to “focused growth”
Al Moore states that staff are already working on Master Transportation Plan it will be a “solid” by Nov 20
FOIA request for already completed parts of Master Transportation Plan
Sept 2024
Second FOIA request for any additional completed parts of Master Transportation Plan
Ground-breaking for Port 460
2025 Legislative Agenda presentation to City Council
Rt. 460 Project construction phase increased from $47 million to $65 million
Master Transportation Plan on Sept 24th joint City Council/School Board meeting agenda
Despite being on the agenda, the Master Transportation Plan was not discussed at meeting
Oct 2024
City Council Work Session (Oct 16)
No Master Transportation Plan, just VHB briefing and outline
No real changes to accommodate citizen concerns
Mayor Duman states that the comp plan should reflect what the recent State of the Region report says about needing more housing in Hampton Roads and Keith Cannady assures him that the 2045 Plan “provides a strategy for that.”
Update email sent out with misrepresentation of what City Council wanted in August for Master Transportation Plan (Oct 31)
Addition of an Master Transportation Plan page and project diagrams into Ch. 4—AFTER work session & AFTER submission to VDOT
Nov 2024
Kevin Hughes sends an email to City Council informing them that the Master Transportation Plan is now in Chapter 4 of the comp plan a week after it was already updated as such on the 2045 website
City Council Nov 20th Work Session agenda posted and includes a 2045 Plan update presentation even though council is supposed to be voting on it that same evening
