CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A group of Chesapeake residents wants to change the city's process for land-use projects in rural areas.
Members of the Rural Chesapeake Preservation Committee filed a petition in Chesapeake Circuit Court in December.
Chesapeake City Council members recently approved $14 million to purchase roughly 1,400 acres of land for a proposed industrial mega site, called Coastal Virginia Commerce Park.
The property is located off Route 17 in the southwest part of Chesapeake, south of Ballahack Road, east of the Great Dismal Swamp and near the North Carolina state line.
The land is a portion of 4,000 acres of farmland owned by Frank T. Williams, of Virginia Beach.
Blaizen Bloom and Renee Cobb live in the southern section of Chesapeake, and they’re not excited about the project.
“This is Chesapeake’s chance to determine what our future will be,” said Bloom.
The project is the product of years-long talks and the City's Comprehensive Land Use Plan. However, Bloom and Cobb, who filed the petition, say their concerns about the project aren’t being heard.
“They think at the end of the day their voices aren’t going to be heard no matter what they say, no matter what they do," said Bloom. "No matter how many times they show up, their voices are nothing in comparison to these developers.”
The preservation committee said they are concerned about the impact on the environment and rural history of the area.
The group wants a referendum on the local ballot in November 2023.
It reads: Should the Chesapeake City Council review & revise the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to include comprehensive protections for the existing citizens, farms, and businesses, as well as making preservation of the environment and rural character that historic Southern Chesapeake provides a priority?
Organizers say they have four months to reach more than 32,000 signatures or 25% of the city's turnout in the 2020 presidential election.
“The people’s power will be shown in this referendum that the south should be preserved and while there can be some development, our world heritage is important to who we are as a city," said Bloom.
"We value input from our community in all that we do and we continually work to educate the public on the processes and the opportunities available for voicing concerns," said city spokesperson Elizabeth Vaughn.
Vaughn said all rezoning projects, like this one, require public notification and input, and that the city has sought feedback in a variety of ways dating back to 2015.
"The most recent rezoning effort for the Coastal Virginia Commerce Park was just the next step in a long set of steps," said Vaughn.
Bloom said though there’s little they can do about current projects, they hope to have an impact on future ideas for the area.
If approved by voters, the group wants the changes added to the city's comprehensive land use plan to impact pending or subsequent initiatives in the southern portion of Chesapeake.
See the full petition below: