Care4Suffolk is a nonpartisan organization and does not endorse any candidate for any public office. We encourage voters to research the candidates for the upcoming local City Council Member elections. We have asked all candidates the same questions regarding land use and rezoning. These questions are based on the topics and issues from participating members. Below are the answers provided by the Cypress Borough City Council candidates, along with their image and website contact, if they chose to provide it.
Early voting begins Friday, September 18th and election day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Please go to the Virginia Department of Elections for any questions.
Note: Questionnaires were sent to all candidates. Mary Hill running for City Council Chuckatuck Borough did not provide a response.Chuckatuck
Chuckatuck Borough City Council Candidates
Shelley Butler Barlow
PRIORITIES
What do you consider the top two issues/needs of the City? What do you think is the top issue/need for your borough? How do you plan to address these issues/needs?
Growth is a necessary part of a vital community but unmanaged growth creates unnecessary burdens on residents. Where council is able to address managed growth, this should be a top priority.
Closely related, the competition for land use among all potential uses needs to be carefully considered for the future of our city. I believe we can have thriving urban, suburban, rural and waterfront communities existing in harmony with good planning.
These are core issues for my borough and all of Suffolk. I hope to continue working with other council members that share my concerns to make the best possible land use decisions for our city.
HOT TOPICS
1. There is currently a temporary ban on data centers in Suffolk. It will likely be the 2027 Council that votes on changes to the UDO (Unified Development Ordinances) regarding data centers. What do you consider to be the biggest issues that the city will need to address regarding data centers and how can that be accomplished within the UDO framework?
2. Northern Suffolk has seen a tremendous amount of growth in the past two decades, and the 2045 Comprehensive Plan adopted by Council in 2024 has added additional density to the land use in that area. The City has created some additional capacity to Rt. 17 (Bridge Rd), but there is more growth coming. Plans to expand Bridge Rd are in the CIP, but any widening of Bridge Road must necessarily narrow at the two bridges on Bridge Rd. What will you do on Council to ensure that the City can widen those bridges to truly accommodate the increased traffic from development? If the bridges can’t (or won’t) be widened, how will you approach rezoning applications for projects that will increase density in northern Suffolk? What are your views on a replacement for the Kings Highway Bridge?
1. Staff is currently working on an ordinance regarding data centers that will likely take many features of our solar ordinance and adapt them for this new potential land use. Questions about water and energy use, noise, environmental impacts and of course impacts to neighboring properties will all have to be answered definitively before any ordinance is approved.
2. Traffic in Northern Suffolk is an ongoing issue, much of it created by vehicles just passing through. Improvements to 17 and its major intersections will hopefully help some. Widening the two bridges requires state and federal level funding, as does the Kings Highway Bridge – these are far beyond the funding capacity of the city. Suffolk’s best strategy is to continue to submit proposals at both the state and federal level and to emphasize the importance of these roadways in evacuation situations. Limiting growth and not approving increased densities through rezonings may be a consideration.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
City Council approved the Port 460 rezoning project back in 2022. It is now known that there are issues with public water to the site, stormwater management issues, and increased costs for road improvements which will be borne by taxpayers. The City is currently working on creating a fiscal impact tool that will be used for land use applications. How would you ensure that Council, staff, and the citizens have accurate information about infrastructure needs BEFORE a rezoning is approved, including long-term infrastructure and service costs that the City will incur from the development, to prevent situations like this from happening in the future?
Predicting every possible issue with any project is nearly impossible. Can the city do a better job anticipating fiscal impact? Yes. I stand by my record opposing the Port 460 project for many of the reasons you’ve listed – and I hope to influence other council members to carefully and thoroughly review all impacts, fiscal and otherwise, before approving any future large scale land use rezonings.
TRANSPARENCY
1. Currently, meetings for the following city boards are live streamed: City Council, City Council Work Session, Planning Commission, Suffolk Board of Zoning Appeals, Suffolk Wetlands Board, and Historic Landmark Commission. The Economic Development Authority (EDA) meetings are NOT live streamed, although it is the only Council-appointed Board that is allowed to purchase, own, and sell land. Should you be elected, would you commit to ensuring full transparency of the EDA Board by streaming these meetings to allow for more public oversight? Please explain your reasoning behind your answer.
2. How will you ensure greater transparency with citizens when making decisions on key issues such as rezonings, large developments, data centers, and major spending? If your vote does not align with a Council Member whose borough will be directly affected by a certain project/issue, will you commit to clearly explaining your reasoning and the factors that influenced your decision in such cases?
1. I certainly support transparency with all city boards, but would have to investigate if there are particular reasons for not streaming EDA meetings. There are always legal and procedural considerations when financial transactions are being discussed.
2. All City Council meetings and agendas are available to the public. Some of the burden to stay informed falls to our citizens and I applaud Care4Suffolk for being proactive in staying very actively engaged. I try to make myself as available as possible to residents of my borough and all of Suffolk if there are issues people want to discuss. Council members try to communicate on major issues and especially with the member who’s borough is most affected. In my time on council, I have never hesitated to express my feelings and add my voice to deliberations where I felt I had good information to share. I will continue to stand up for our citizens in making good choices and will work with council and staff to this end, to the best of my ability.