Comprehensive Plan – Care4Suffolk https://care4suffolk.org Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:48:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7 https://care4suffolk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-Care4Suffolk-32x32.png Comprehensive Plan – Care4Suffolk https://care4suffolk.org 32 32 City of Suffolk Wants Your Input! https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/29/city-of-suffolk-wants-your-input/ https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/29/city-of-suffolk-wants-your-input/#respond Thu, 29 Jun 2023 19:35:03 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=2652 Read More »City of Suffolk Wants Your Input!]]>

A couple of weeks ago, CARE4Suffolk did a post about the CIty of Suffolk’s Open Houses looking for feedback from citizens. You can read more about that here. But if you didn’t get a chance to attend, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts now online through their website. 

Here is some information that was available at the Open House.

Click to Download PDF

Of particular interest is the Growth Areas. The black outlines (image below) are the same Growth Areas from the 2035 Comprehensive Plan. Please note the new added “Opportunity Areas” highlighted in orange. These include areas off I-664 in North Suffolk, Downtown Suffolk, with areas off Routes 58 and 460 (hopefully not more warehouses!) Additionally there is this area the city wants to develop that connects North Suffolk to the rest of Suffolk. I can’t help but notice that is an area that is in Rural Conservation according to the 2035 Comprehensive Plan. That area is  Perhaps they will remove it from conservation to allow more development?

At the Open House they provided the participants with stickers to use on the display boards to express what they liked and didn’t like. Warehouses were very unpopular judging by the number of blue stickers placed on the dislike box. 

Use this opportunity to let the City of Suffolk know what you like in the city and what you don’t like. What do you see for the future of Suffolk? What do you want our city to look like in the years to come? What development do you like that has occurred in the city over the last 10 years? What don’t you like?

This next Comprehensive Plan will directly impact the future of development in Suffolk. Make sure you let them know what you want. Please take a few minutes to share your opinions. They are hearing a lot from developers and real estate groups. Make sure they are hearing from the citizens and contribute to the discussion!

Click here to let the City of Suffolk know your thoughts!

They are accepting feedback through the end of July, so hurry! Time is running out to have your voice heard!

]]> https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/29/city-of-suffolk-wants-your-input/feed/ 0 Comprehensive Plan Open House https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/15/comprehensive-plan-open-house/ https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/15/comprehensive-plan-open-house/#comments Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:08:30 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=2627 Read More »Comprehensive Plan Open House]]>

Today the City of Suffolk held the first of three Open Houses to get public feedback for the next iteration of the Comprehensive Plan. This document will influence how and where development happens in Suffolk.

It is an Open House, so you can come anytime during the event times and wander at your leisure, asking city staff questions about various parts of the future comprehensive plan. 

They had displays around the room with large posters each covering a different aspect of the comprehensive plan: growth areas, transportation, broadband, water & sewers, parks & rec, economic development, etc. There were interactive parts as well. They had a series of posters with images of various types of development and people were placing stickers next to the images to indicate whether they liked or disliked them. 

There was a survey and a questionnaire for visitors to complete to provide additional and more specific feedback.

This is your chance to weigh in on the Comprehensive Plan. Speak directly with the city and let them know what you think about their plan. These comprehensive plans are done every 7-10 years, so this next version will be used for the next decade and will begin as soon as it is approved by City Council (estimated later this year). 

Don’t miss your opportunity to have your voice heard. The next two Open Houses are:

June 15 from 3-7 pm
Hub 757 at 6801 Bridgeway Dr, Suffolk, VA
 
June 24 from 9 am- 12 pm
City Hall at 442 W Washington St. Suffolk, VA

For those unable to participate in the sessions, online engagement is available on the project website beginning June 14. For more information, visit www.Suffolk2045.org. 

]]> https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/15/comprehensive-plan-open-house/feed/ 1 Comprehensive Plan Open Houses https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/03/comprehensive-plan-open-houses/ https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/03/comprehensive-plan-open-houses/#respond Sat, 03 Jun 2023 13:05:27 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=2619 Read More »Comprehensive Plan Open Houses]]>

The City of Suffolk will be hosting three Open Houses this month. They are looking for feedback and input from citizens for the upcoming Comprehensive Plan. 

The Comprehensive Plan is used to determine future growth in the city. This is your chance to weigh in and have a voice in the future of Suffolk.

Open House Schedule:

• June 14, 3-7 p.m. – Hilton Garden Inn, 100 E. Constance Road

• June 15, 3-7 p.m. – Hub 757, 6801 Bridgeway Drive

• June 24, 9 a.m. -12 p.m. – City Hall, 442 W. Washington Street

All three sessions are identical. The Open House format allows attendees to drop in at any time during the events at their convenience. Attendees will have the chance to view display boards showing ideas for the 2045 Comprehensive Plan and can then provide feedback on key recommendations, priorities, and critical issues, including growth boundaries and the look and feel of Suffolk. Brief presentations will be made at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on June 14 and 15 and at 9:30 a.m. on June 24. Advance registration is requested at https://suffolk2045.org/#learn.  

For those unable to participate in the sessions, online engagement is available on the project website beginning June 14. For more information, visit www.Suffolk2045.org. 

]]> https://care4suffolk.org/2023/06/03/comprehensive-plan-open-houses/feed/ 0 Sparks Flew at the End of Tonight’s Community Engagement Session https://care4suffolk.org/2023/02/03/sparks-flew-at-the-end-of-tonights-community-engagement-session/ https://care4suffolk.org/2023/02/03/sparks-flew-at-the-end-of-tonights-community-engagement-session/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2023 02:37:54 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=1930 Read More »Sparks Flew at the End of Tonight’s Community Engagement Session]]>

The city staff, including Jennifer Moore, Keith Cannady, and Erin Dears have done a great job organizing these series of community engagement sessions. They have demonstrated that they are there to listen to the community. 

The evening saw a good deal of communication regarding ideas the community has for Suffolk; what people would like to see in Suffolk, what type of growth they are looking for, and areas of concern. Agricultural concerns, traffic concerns, amenities for citizens, like parks and venues, as well as issues with the schools and roads were all discussed. 

Some of the comments made included: 

  • More restaurants and mom & pop shops
  • More activities and opportunities for the youth
  • Beautify and make downtown and tangential areas safer
  • Develop areas like Holland and Whaleyville to have more activities and venues that can be a focal point
  • Do not let Suffolk be a port-centric city
  • “We don’t need to get bigger, we need to get better.”
  • Agricultural venue with restaurants, garden shop, venue, mostly outdoors
  • Protect our drinking water by not allowing more development on the reservoirs
  • Don’t put high density housing on country roads
  • Farms should not be converted to warehouses and solar farms when there are better areas that could currently be used to accommodate that
  • There are 7,500 houses in the pipeline (houses that have been approved, but not yet built) and Suffolk is isn’t expected to see that kind of growth for 20 years, so we shouldn’t be building houses on our farm land
  • We don’t have the money for the schools and students we have now, we shouldn’t build until we have this fixed

These are samples of some the friendly, productive talks throughout the majority of the meeting. However, at the very end of the meeting, Council Member Roger Fawcett, of the Sleepy Hole Borough, got up to make some closing statements. He started out by saying that they are trying to do what is best for the city as a whole. He went on to say that if citizens say something, but it isn’t reflected in the comprehensive plan, don’t get upset. He further stated that the city has no control if a farmer wants to sell his land and make money, at which point, one of the community members stated, “the City doesn’t have to rezone it from agricultural to residential.” 

Fawcett responded that he doesn’t want to talk about rezoning and he went on to reiterate his previous point about a person being able to sell their land. Several community members spoke out in response and stated in various ways that the farmer can sell and it can be developed as agricultural land like it is zoned for and not rezoned. Fawcett then made the statement, “If you get the attitude that you are going to stop something, get a life!” This set off a firestorm of responses from the crowd as a whole. His statement was not viewed favorably by the vast majority of attendees. 

To summarize, Roger Fawcett, a City Council Member, who is also head of the steering committee for the comprehensive plan, the very group that determines future development in Suffolk, has told the citizens of Suffolk that they can’t stop things and they need to get a life. This tone deaf response is insulting. 

If you are content to let a man like this choose the future of Suffolk, then you need do nothing. However, if you believe in the power of community, if you have pride in your hometown, or if you refuse to be told to sit down and shut up about what matters most to you, your family, your home, and your neighbors, then you need to pick one of the remaining community engagement sessions and you need to bring you neighbors, family and friends, and we need to show Council Member Fawcett that we are empowered and we can change those things that are no longer working for us as citizens. 

Please come to as many of these sessions that you can:

Oakland Elementary School
February 9th, 6pm – 8pm; 5505 Godwin Blvd, Suffolk, VA 23434

John Yeates Middle School
February 14th, 6pm – 8pm; 4901 Bennetts Pasture Rd, Suffolk, VA 23435

Nansemond River High School
February 16th, 6pm – 8pm; 3301 Nansemond Pkwy, Suffolk, VA 23434

Col. Fred Cherry Middle School
February 23rd, 6pm -8pm; 7401 Burbage Dr, Suffolk, VA 23435

Curtis R. Milteer, Sr. Recreation Center
February 28th, 6pm – 8pm; 132 Robertson St, Suffolk, VA 23438

 

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments to share with city council, please use this email: council@suffolkva.us.

]]> https://care4suffolk.org/2023/02/03/sparks-flew-at-the-end-of-tonights-community-engagement-session/feed/ 9 Community Engagement Session https://care4suffolk.org/2023/02/02/community-engagement-session/ https://care4suffolk.org/2023/02/02/community-engagement-session/#respond Thu, 02 Feb 2023 19:29:26 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=1914 Read More »Community Engagement Session]]>

On Tuesday, the City of Suffolk held the first of a series of winter Community Engagement Sessions. It was held from 6-8 pm in City Council Chambers at City Hall, with about 50 members of the community in attendance.

Keith Cannady gave a slide-show presentation explaining the Comprehensive Plan and outlining where in the process they are with the creation of this important document. He also had slides which listed both feedback they have received from the public and specific follow-up questions the city has for the public that can help meet the needs of its residents.

Below are the topics and questions from the city. 

1. We heard from you that… it is important that Suffolk maintain a small-town feel. How can we create inviting places in Suffolk where people feel comfortable and want to spend time?

2. We heard from you that… you want Downtown and North Suffolk to be great places. What would you like to be able to do in Downtown or North Suffolk in the future that you are not able to do today?

3. We heard from you that… you want good jobs and thriving businesses in the city, but you don’t want large developments to diminish your quality of life, such as by generating too much traffic congestion. How can the city promote business growth while not negatively impacting day-to-day activities for residents?

4. We heard from you that… it’s important to preserve rural areas in Suffolk. How can we accommodate new housing and other development that is desired but still protect nature and agriculture?

5. We heard from you that… new development along Suffolk’s corridors such as route 58 and 460 should contribute positively to the city. What do you want the look and feel of the city’s corridors to be?

6. We heard from you that… we should be thinking about different values of housing. What kind of housing (size, style, price point, etc.) is most needed?

These were the questions prompted by the city to open a dialogue with the community. We need the community to show up and share their concerns, ideas and suggestions with the city. These sessions are the single biggest impact the community will have in the process of development the next comprehensive plan.

Below are the remaining community engagement sessions. Please make time to attend at least one!

Southwestern Elementary School
February 2nd, 6pm – 8pm; 150 Pioneer Road, Suffolk, VA 23437

Oakland Elementary School
February 9th, 6pm – 8pm; 5505 Godwin Blvd, Suffolk, VA 23434

John Yeates Middle School
February 14th, 6pm – 8pm; 4901 Bennetts Pasture Rd, Suffolk, VA 23435

Nansemond River High School
February 16th, 6pm – 8pm; 3301 Nansemond Pkwy, Suffolk, VA 23434

Col. Fred Cherry Middle School
February 23rd, 6pm -8pm; 7401 Burbage Dr, Suffolk, VA 23435

Curtis R. Milteer, Sr. Recreation Center
February 28th, 6pm – 8pm; 132 Robertson St, Suffolk, VA 23438

This is YOUR chance to weigh in on the next comprehensive plan; a document that will impact where future development will happen, as well as influence policy and improvements in infrastructure such as schools, roads, public utilities, conservation and the protection of our quality of life as citizens of Suffolk. Don’t miss your opportunity to have your voice heard and have an impact on the future of Suffolk. Please plan to attend at least one of the following sessions. The next one is tonight.

 

]]> https://care4suffolk.org/2023/02/02/community-engagement-session/feed/ 0 Community Engagement Sessions https://care4suffolk.org/2023/01/25/community-engagement-sessions/ https://care4suffolk.org/2023/01/25/community-engagement-sessions/#respond Wed, 25 Jan 2023 15:01:53 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=1860 Read More »Community Engagement Sessions]]>

The City of Suffolk is currently working on the next Comprehensive Plan. This plan will provide the basis for how the City of Suffolk manages growth. It will impact where future development will happen, as well as influence policy and improvements in infrastructure such as schools, roads, public utilities, conservation and the protection of our quality of life as citizens of Suffolk. 

What can you do to impact the Comprehensive Plan?

The City of Suffolk will be holding a series of Winter Community Engagement Sessions running through this month and February. In these meetings, the city is looking for feedback from residents for the upcoming Comprehensive Plan. We encourage all city residents to attend at least one session, and bring friends, family and neighbors, to speak with the Suffolk Planning Department about the following:
 
  • Planning and coordinating approaches for residential and commercial development
  • Carefully managing the impacts of increased residential development
  • Mitigating traffic congestion and developing roadway improvements
  • Designing a city that maintains its rural heritage and small-town feel
  • Creating opportunities for Downtown investment and revitalization
  • Incorporating open space, parks, entertainment, restaurants, recreation, and retail opportunities
 
Below is the schedule for the Community Engagement Sessions. 
 

City Council Chambers
January 31st, 6pm – 8pm; 443 W Washington St, Suffolk, VA 23434

Southwestern Elementary School
February 2nd, 6pm – 8pm; 150 Pioneer Road, Suffolk, VA 23437

Chuckatuck Fire Station 9
February 9th, 6pm – 8pm; 300 Kings Hwy, Suffolk, VA 23432

John Yeates Middle School
February 14th, 6pm – 8pm; 4901 Bennetts Pasture Rd, Suffolk, VA 23435 

 

Nansemond River High School
February 16th, 6pm – 8pm; 3301 Nansemond Pkwy, Suffolk, VA 23434

Col. Fred Cherry Middle School
February 23rd, 6pm -8pm; 7401 Burbage Dr, Suffolk, VA 23435

Curtis R. Milteer, Sr. Recreation Center
February 28th, 6pm – 8pm; 132 Robertson St, Suffolk, VA 23438

 
 
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please email care4suffolk@gmail.com. 
]]> https://care4suffolk.org/2023/01/25/community-engagement-sessions/feed/ 0 Public Forum https://care4suffolk.org/2022/11/08/public-forum/ https://care4suffolk.org/2022/11/08/public-forum/#respond Tue, 08 Nov 2022 23:59:10 +0000 https://care4suffolk.org/?p=1499 Read More »Public Forum]]>

CARE4Suffolk will be hosting a Public Forum next week Thursday, November 17, 2022 from 6-8pm. The location will be announced tomorrow once it is confirmed.

The City of Suffolk Department of Planning and Community Development will be a guest speaker, presenting to the public general information about the Suffolk 2045 Comprehensive Plan. This Comprehensive Plan will provide the basis for how the City of Suffolk manages growth. This document will impact where future development will happen, as well as influence policy and improvements in infrastructure such as schools, roads, public utilities, conservation and the protection of our quality of life as citizens of Suffolk.

Please join us and share your vision of the future of Suffolk with the city.

Location Update:

Family Affair, Inc.
3262 Jackson Road, Suffolk
(on Faulk Lane a private drive)
Lean More
Sign up to Speak
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