Battle for the Beach
By Sara Piccini
Port Folio Weekly
May 10, 2005
Activists can make us uncomfortable. We crack jokes about the young woman named Butterfly who took up residence in a tree rather than see it cut down. We fidget nervously as we watch shouting protesters being dragged from a Senate hearing room.
In the city of Hampton, a trio of women—Sandra Canepa, Trish Ferraro and Phyllis Flanders—have taken on the role of activist, protesting the city’s plans for development in Buckroe Beach.
And they’re making a number of people very uncomfortable.
The principal point of contention is a large swath of open land, once the site of Buckroe Amusement Park, that lies behind the public beach. Hampton purchased the property in 1986 and developed the first block of beachfront land into a park. The rest, about 10 acres, was “banked” for future development. In the interim, that land has become de facto green space.
Now, under a Master Plan adopted by City Council on March 23, most of the green space is slated for condominium construction.
“The Bayfront Initiative [of the Buckroe Master Plan] is wrong,” says Phyllis Flanders. “It’s wrong to give the waterfront to a select few when that property was bought with Hampton citizens’ dollars.”
As in many similar situations, the Buckroe battle has now escalated to a point where each side is accusing the other of bad faith. “I think they’ve got every good intention there is,” says Amy Hobbs, head of the Buckroe Civic Association, of the activist trio. “But I feel as if they’re spreading false information.”
At an April 27 City Council meeting, Sandra Canepa said of Mayor Ross Kearney II and City Planning Director Terry O’Neill, “I mean no disrespect, but it’s hard to trust anything either of you say.” Canepa was referring in part to Kearney’s initial support for the green space, and subsequent retraction. The mayor apologized, saying, “I was in error thinking that the land was originally designated for a park.”
The issues are complex and contentious, involving parking and beach access as well as the green space. A few facts are clear:
- In 2003, Hampton contracted with Urban Design Associates to develop Master Plans for several strategic investment areas of the city, including Buckroe.
- During the summer and fall of 2004, the Planning Department and UDA held a series of meetings and a charrette on the Buckroe Plan.
- In the third week of January, Flanders and Canepa began a petition drive to save the green space. They have collected 3,008 signatures to date, with a goal of 20,000.
- On March 8, the Buckroe Civic Association voted 34-6 to endorse the Master Plan.
- On March 14, the Hampton Planning Commission voted to support the plan.
- On March 23, City Council adopted the plan unanimously, with the proviso that they would “tweak” it in light of the trio’s statements about the green space.
WHILE HOBBS points to the many changes that were made to the Master Plan as a result of citizen input—limiting condominium height to three stories, for example—Canepa, Ferraro and Flanders all contend that the city failed to adequately inform Hampton’s citizens.
In her April 27 remarks, Canepa stated that in response to her request, “The Planning Department could not give me one public notice inviting Hampton citizens to the Buckroe Master Plan meetings.”
Ferraro adds that on the occasions when there was citizen input, those opposed to the plan were not heard. At the charrette, Ferraro says, “a speaker got up from each of the four work groups, and everybody wanted to preserve the green space.” Participants were open to some development on the property, offering suggestions for specialized stores like Starbucks to attract tourists.
The final straw for Ferraro: the March 8 meeting of the Buckroe Civic Association. Although about 150 people attended the meeting, only the 40 members present could vote on endorsing the plan.
“It was never announced in previous meetings that you needed to be a member in order to vote,” she contends.
Hobbs emphasizes that the vote was in no way binding on the City Council; it can, however, be used by the city as an indicator of citizen support.
The Master Plan is only a conceptual document, and there will be future opportunities for citizen input. Canepa, Ferraro and Flanders will make sure their voices are heard.
“We’re not just three women who sit around with nothing to do,” says Flanders. “We’ve made the decision to devote our time to this effort. We have to save the place we love. If we don’t do it, then what’s the point of saying we’re citizens?”
For more information about the Buckroe Master Plan,
