On March 8, 2004, after the Planning department's final meeting to the public regarding the 2005 Buckroe Beach Master Plan, held by the Buckroe Civic Association, the following questions were asked to the President of the Buckroe Civic Association through email.  Listed after each question are the responses that were received.  Hopefully, this will clear things up -- it did for me.

Question:  What exactly did the BCA vote on at tonight’s meeting regarding the “Vision of Buckroe” – was it the BCA’s approval of the Plan?

Response:  The BCA voted to support the plan as presented that night.

Question:  What does the City do with our vote?  Do they consider our vote as representative of the citizens of Buckroe?

Response: The “city”- City Council, Planning, etc. will consider the vote representative of the members of the BCA. They do realize we only have 130 members, however we do cover a large area and have representation from all of them, so they do take the BCA’s vote very seriously. I realize you voted nay, and I would strongly encourage you to attend both the planning meeting and the city council meeting with your concerns. If your not able to make the meetings, write them or call them, their info is readily available at Hampton.gov . Planning is Monday at 3:30 on the 8th floor in council chambers. Council is 2 weeks from this past Wednesday at 7:30. Please confirm these dates and times on Hampton.gov , though, sometimes things change without warning.

Question: Did the BCA host the other meetings that were held at the church concerning the Buckroe Beach Master Plan, or were they public events?

Response: The meetings held at the church were run by UDA and Planning. The BCA “hosted” by way of cookies and coffee, but that was our only involvement. They were public events.

Planning came to our meeting Tuesday specifically for feedback and the hope of support from the BCA.

The other meetings were community meetings that were specifically for community discussion and feedback for the conceptualization of the actual plan.

The BCA as well as Planning didn’t make that difference clear, which I’m sure was part of the animosity when I stated the voting procedures.

Let's Clear Up the Voting Issue

Join the effort to help save our space.  Sign the petition to say "No" to Condo's at the former Buckroe Beach Amusement Park site.

The events that unfolded as this planning process took place is what has made me so passionate to get involved and to get the word out to all of the citizens of Hampton.

T. Ferraro

"Many of the people that attended and participated in the initial and subsequent presentations held by the Planning Department attended the final presentation held by the Buckroe Civic Association but were not allowed a vote on the decision to approve or disapprove the plan.  It was only at the final meeting that the citizens were told that in order to vote on the plan, they had to be members of the Buckroe Civic Association and that they must be members for 30 days in order to vote on any issue.  The process of involving the citizens of Buckroe in the planning effort was ultimately misleading and unfair."

T. Ferraro

The final planning meeting that was held that night called, "The Vision of Buckroe" should have been held as a public event just as the other planning meetings were, and all of the citizens in attendance should have been able to vote.  We want a vote to include all of the citizens of Hampton!

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According to the BCA's President's remarks, Planning hoped for the BCA's support in the way of that organizations vote, but the other meetings were specifically for community discussion and feedback for the conception of the actual plan. 

Planning should hope to gain support from the entire community and not just the BCA!

Was planning afraid to ask all of the people who attended those early meetings for a vote?

Planning should honor the so far and growing 6,606 Hampton citizen's votes as support for keeping the area as a green recreational park and free of condos and other housing.

Contact City Council to voice your opposition to the Plan and request that they take a vote to include all of the stakeholders of Hampton.

Contact City Council - request a revote!