It's imperative to find a way to energize
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Copyright © 2006, Daily Press
November 13, 2006
Opinion
The controversy over development in Buckroe may be closing in on a conclusion. There was so much opposition to the original plan - for dense residential development on three blocks that sit behind the bayfront park - that the city has, in fits and starts, gone back to the drawing board. It listened to the public, formed and quickly disbanded a committee, and hired a consultant, who did some more listening.
The result - distilled into four options that are still being fine-tuned - surely contains within it the making of a compromise. And compromise is the only way to solve this problem.
The purists who want to take all three lots off the drawing board aren't being realistic. There are many things that must happen if Buckroe's depression is to be lifted, but one of those things must be the addition of higher-end housing. The concentration of low- and mid-range housing must be relieved by offerings that draw more affluent residents - and the income to support the stores and neighborhood amenities Buckroe wants.
The opposite extreme - that all three lots should be densely developed - is equally undesirable. Pursuing that path will not only harm this precious waterfront, but also tear the civic fabric of Hampton. So many people see in this decision a litmus test for how City Hall feels about residents and their wishes that riding roughshod over them will so taint the project that it won't be worth the cost.
The options on the table are only some of many possible combinations and permutations. Surely from them can be cobbled a solution that invites health-restoring housing while maintaining soul-preserving green.
There is a minor chord resounding through the controversy, one that is heard in other discussions about other development plans: ordinary people worried that the city's play for more affluent residents will squeeze them out. And there is an echo of that concern in the latest mess to arrive on Hampton's plate: conflict over the Buckroe Pier, taken out by Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
The latest impediment to rebuilding the pier comes in the form of a lawsuit by residents in a nearby, gated community. Their immediate objection was to a restaurant planned for the pier's base, which would have been startlingly close to some homes. But there are also indications of concern about the pier itself and the kind of activity - and people - it attracts.
To distill the question: Should an amenity long enjoyed by all kinds of folks be moved because upscale residents don't want it on "their" waterfront?
Hampton's pursuit of more upscale housing is justified and necessary. The city has one of the lowest average house valuations in the region, an abundance of affordable housing but a relative shortage of affluent residents. It needs more because of the beneficial effect they will have on schools, tax revenues and civic life, and on the health of the city's commercial and employment sectors.
But that strategy must be pursued with delicacy, lest it seem to displace or disparage long-term residents of modest means.
Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press
Editorial Feedback
by Sandra Canepa
November 13, 2006
The "purists" do not want to take all three Lots B "off the drawing boards". The "purists" to include 12,000 Hampton residents want all three Lots B to remain on the drawing boards and redesigned as a world-class city park for our now and future generations. Hampton residents can see and give their input on Buckroe's four design options mentioned in the Daily Press editorial of Nov 13 by visiting www.hampton.gov/planning or www.buckroebeach.org
By choosing Design Option D, no "compromise" is needed. The public can have a magnificent waterfront city park with ample off-street public parking and the values of any housing surrounding the park, be it high-, low- or mid-range, will be greatly increased, just as is the value of any property surrounding NYC's Central Park or any magnificent park in the world for that matter. If choosing Design Option D is not being "realistic" then why is it even included in a city-sposored public opinion survey?
The City of Hampton recently purchased large blocks of property surrounding Lots B and it is here, on these pieces of property, that the more upscale high-end residential developments can be added to draw the more affluent residents and income the city feels is needed to support our wonderful public Buckroe beach front.
Sandra Canepa
