CHESAPEAKE, Va. — After a long meeting and hearing from both sides, the Chesapeake Planning Commission unanimously approved the "Grove" project.
The vision for the project is to take 400 acres of wetlands and build homes, revitalize the Chesapeake Square Mall and possibly add a brewery.
Sylvia Watson said the project means more employment opportunities.
"We don't have many jobs in Western Branch," said Watson. "That's kind of a big deal."
"It's the best project I've seen for this property, bar none, that area of Chesapeake, Western Branch, doesn't have a lot of day time employment. It would be great if they could do that," Watson added.
Watson said many in her neighborhood worry about what the development might bring.
"First thing people were concerned about were the schools [and traffic], 'oh my gosh we're going to have all this traffic in our neighborhood.' None of the roads in that neighborhood are going to be glued in to join ours, so we won't get any traffic from them."
"I'm against it mainly for traffic and the wildlife. I'm a big proponent of wildlife and I'm worried about the bears that come through already," said Kermette Petersen. "We are going to have them driven into our neighborhoods even more than we are now.
When it comes to the school situation, the planning department sees overcrowding as an issue.
"They're in trailers for the overflow. It was approved, and they will tell you this, for a new school to be built. Will the school be built before the development? Because the school can't handle anymore," said neighbor Terence Brennan.
"You're building buildings and homes around here. Schools are already overcrowded," Pamela Brandy explained.
Another issue is flooding since the area is wetlands meant to absorb water from the neighborhood.
"Where they're proposing to build absorbs all the water from our neighborhood, now it's not, so you're going to have more flooding," explained Brennan.
"We already have drainage and flooding. That's a flat land already," Brandy said.
The project now moves to Chesapeake City Council for final approval