dailypresslettertoeditor081005dw

The Green Space Ladies (GSL) received a letter from City Manager, Jesse Wallace, stating that in addition to the GSL, invites for the "new" planning team include the 18 original steering committee (three couples are included in that mix) who voted to put high-density, high-cost residential housing on Lots B over one year ago, representatives from the Planning Commission, the Neighborhood Commission, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Redevelopment Advisory Committee and the Fort Monroe Planning Committee along with six applicants from the paper ad soliciting interested citizens who do not have a direct connection to Buckroe.

The whole idea, as stated by Councilman Gilliland who championed returning Lots B to a new, revamped planing process, is that a new proposal, developed by a diverse, broad-based team of citizens, will bring us a more widely accepted use of this stratigic property, i.e., Lots B.

How "diverse" is this "new" 30-member team if it is "stacked two-thirds full" with 18 team members from the "old" original team who voted for condos on Lots B and how "broad-based" is the "new" team of Hampton citizens when the 18 members of the "old" team are all from the Buckroe area and most are Buckroe Civic Association members?

Furthermore, the six "Hampton at large" applicants are to be picked by the others chosen for the new planning team....that means the 18 and the city employees can outvote or override any of the applicants the GSL want! Even if the GSL get 3 picks, it will still be 7 against 23 (including the 18 former team members and city employees). What a nasty ugly setup against the GSL and 12,000 petitioners not to mention most other Hampton residents who are concerned about the fate of Lots B.

The first meeting of the new planning team is scheduled for June 15. If you are interested in more information or clarification contact us at sandra@buckroebeach.org or trish@buckroebeach.org.

Be sure to contact the Hampton City Council members at council@hampton.gov and voice your concerns for the unfair makeup of the new planning team for Buckroe.

Here is what happened at the first planning/working group meeting on June 19 (the meeting was rescheduled from June 15 because of conflicting schedules):

The meeting was facilitated by Mike Canty an employee of the City of Hampton. Nineteen people participated in the group. The public was acknowledged and participated by offering comments and suggestions.

Ground rules were laid out to the group.

The purpose, as stated by Mike is to "help the committee get to what City Council wants."

The committee will generate ideas for the B Lots and the Bay Front Initiative. Everybody's idea is important and will go to City Council. City staff will evaluate all ideas.

The following criteria was established:

Respectful forum

Timely - no end point

Ideas - pure and true

There will be:

No vote

No ranking

No debate

Recommendations

City Council's choice

The group was tasked to come up with ideas for picking the six at-large citizens to be members of the group. A gridlock was established, and the decision to choose the six was sent back to the Council.

Twelve thousand Hampton residents, from all ten zip code areas in Hampton, signed the petition to have Lots B designated as a city park for our now and future generations.

Sadly, the City has placed only representatives from the Buckroe neighborhood, zip code 23664, on the "new" planning team to decide the fate of Lots B.

If you are a Hampton resident who believes a representative from all ten Hampton zip code areas must be on any team deciding the fate of this property which belongs to all of us, please e-mail Hampton City Council at council@hampton.gov and express your feelings about the vital importance of a more diverse and broad-based team for Lots B.

We must not forget the Bay Front Initiative (Lots B) of the Buckroe Master Plan is a city-wide issue, and not just a Buckroe neighborhood issue, as has been pointed out time and again over this past year.

Thank you.