Showdown Tuesday on County Zoning Ordinance
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
May 12, 2014
Opponents of a plan that would drastically reduce Northampton County zoning restrictions are marshaling forces for a showdown with the Board of Supervisors tomorrow (Tuesday). A group called Citizens for Open Government on the Eastern Shore is urging County residents to attend the Supervisors meeting and speak against the proposed changes during public comment time.
The Supervisors meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, in the County Administration Building Board Room (2nd floor) in Eastville.
The Citizens Group is circulating a fact sheet on consequences of the proposed zoning ordinance, which it says would:
— Eliminate protection of the seaside marshes included in the Chesapeake Bay Protection Act;
— Eliminate Special Use Permits for a large number of land uses, bypassing public hearings and public notice to neighbors;
— Allow prisons, disposal of dredge spoils, large biomass refineries, and heavy manufacturing by right in industrial zones, including on land surrounding incorporated towns;
— Remove the Town Edge designation;
— Dramatically increase density in most zoning districts, including along waterways, apparently using the Virginia Beach waterfront condo model as a “vision”;
— Eliminate odor controls on poultry houses and reduce setbacks for manure storage;
— Eliminate affordable housing options such as single-wide mobile homes;
— Increase the number of waterfront homes allowed on the seaside;
— Allow Planned Unit Developments to be built wherever land is available; and
— Reduce setbacks for shorelines and wetlands. [Read more…]
COMMENTARY
‘By Right’ Development Means No Right to Say NO
By DONNA BOZZA
May 12, 2014
Usually we don’t pay much attention to the fields by our homes, or down the road, or alongside our town, though most of Northampton County is filled with these pretty vistas.
Now consider this all too real scenario: Gone are the fields. Instead, you see a wastewater treatment plant, a dredge spoil disposal site, or perhaps a prison. This project will have a direct impact on your property values. Did you and your neighbors have any say in its building? How about input in how adverse affects could be lessened to protect your town?
The answer is a startling NO if the Northampton County proposed zoning passes. These, and a long list of land uses including heavy industrial and high impact development, will now be “By Right.” To be blunt, if the developers want to build it, they will have the right to do so.
Citizens, on the other hand, will have no rights, no say, no recourse to shape development that affects what for most of us is our biggest investment — our homes.
Certainly economic development is needed; few dispute that. However, taxpayers who carry most of the burden of funding the county have a right to weigh in on what their community will be like now and in the future.
The proposed zoning virtually eliminates Special Use Permits for a large number of land uses. Most reputable developers respect these permits, considered a smart planning tool by countless locales. Currently if you have concerns about a proposed project — be it migrant labor camp, airfield, or biomass refinery — you can attend a public hearing and provide feedback. The developer can offer proffers to mitigate harm to the community by limiting the size, hours of operation, enact noise and odor controls, increase buffers, etc.
With the proposed zoning, there is no public hearing or public input. It’s a done deal. Even if the BOS believes the project will do more harm than good, if it’s in the zoning their hands are legally tied. [Read more…]
LETTER
Mayor-Elect: Town Is Heading in Right Direction
May 10, 2014
DEAR EDITOR,
Tuesday’s election drew more than 400 voters to the polls, a large turnout which spoke of its importance to the people of Cape Charles and their commitment to our town and the democratic process. I want to thank all the voters who came out and participated.
To those who voted for me, I wish to express my appreciation for your support and confidence in my ability to lead our town. To those who did not vote for me, I recognize that you have legitimate concerns, some of which are shared by those who supported me, and I’ll do my best to listen to you as to everyone.
To me, this election says that the majority of the people feel the town is headed in the right direction. At the same time there are a number of matters which need to be examined in an open and constructive matter — from our local economy and fiscal responsibility, to community needs, to our long term future. I will work for compromise to find the best solutions for the town as a whole and to develop teamwork.
Perhaps more importantly, many of those who did not support me have come forward and expressed a strong willingness to work together in a spirit of cooperation. These expressions are encouraging and speak well for the future of our town.
This town has a great deal of talent. Together I am confident that we can help Cape Charles maintain its small town charm while continuing to grow for the benefit of all the citizens.
I look forward to helping to do this.
GEORGE PROTO
Cape Charles
Letters to the Editor are welcome, and a diversity of opinions is encouraged. Send submissions to [email protected].
COMMENTARY: Setting the Registers to Zero
By KAREN GAY
May 8, 2014
I was an observer at the elections in Cape Charles on Tuesday. My initial job was to make sure that the registers were set to zero. Each voting machine has an electronic counter on the front of it which is incremented as each person casts a vote. Having the registers set to zero at the beginning of an election assures that no candidate obtains a head start in the counting.
I see this initial validation as a metaphor for our collective town future. Those of us in the vocal, but defeated, minority now have an opportunity to do as the election officials did in the early hours of Tuesday morning: Set the registers to zero.
The voices of the majority have spoken. Let’s all start again by showing respect for our democratic process. Let’s give the new Mayor and Council an opportunity to fix things that some see as broken. Things that I feel strongly about are as follows:
— Allowing citizens to speak their minds at the Town Council meetings and having the Council members actually take an interest in what is said.
— Arranging periodic town meetings to obtain citizen feedback for major town projects before the Council has decided on a course of action.
— Being watchful of the money that citizens give to the town to run it.
— Avoiding snap spending decisions.
— Keeping staffing to the minimum possible. [Read more…]
CAPE CHARLES ELECTION RESULTS
May 6, 2014
Unofficial results for Town of Cape Charles May 6 municipal elections:
Total voters – 419
MAYOR
(E) George Proto – 264
Frank Wendell – 149
TOWN COUNCIL
(E) Chris Bannon – 258
(E) Joan Natali – 251
(E) Charles “Sambo” Brown – 238
Lynn Mitchell-Fields – 168
David Gay – 150
Deborah Bender – 129
(E) = Elected
CAPE CHARLES ELECTION EDITION
CLICK to See:
CLICK to See:
CLICK to See:
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WHY I’M RUNING
CLICK to See:
– Frank Wendell
CLICK to See:
– David Gay
CLICK to See:
– Deborah Bender
CLICK to See:
– George Proto
- Vote Tuesday, May 6, at Trinity United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 410 Tazewell Ave.
- Polls open 6 a.m. and close 7 p.m.
- Bring any one of the following ID: Local Voter Registration card, Social Security card, valid Virginia driver’s license, government ID, or ID card with photo issued by employer.
EDITORIAL: Time for a New Team
A CAPE CHARLES WAVE EDITORIAL
May 5, 2014
Although the ballot for Tuesday’s municipal elections in Cape Charles contains eight names, deciding whom to vote for is not as complicated as it might appear. There are really only two teams – the old team and the new team. All a voter has to decide is whether to keep the old team or elect the new team.
True, of the eight candidates, only two of them are running for re-election: Town Council members Chris Bannon and Joan Natali. They form half of the old team. The other half is composed of George Proto for mayor and Charles “Sambo” Brown for Council. But the only reason those two are running is because the Sullivans, Dora and Mike, decided not to run.
While it can be argued that Mr. Proto and Mr. Brown have very different styles from Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, it is a certainty that neither of them would have run against the Sullivans. They are, in fact, Mayor Sullivan’s hand-picked successors.
The new team is a very different story: each of the four candidates is running because they are alarmed by the direction the old team is taking the town. Understanding that in a democracy the only sure way to effect change is at the ballot box, they are opposing the incumbents and their designated successors.
The new team is Frank Wendell for mayor and Deborah Bender, David Gay, and Lynn Mitchell-Fields for Council. Each has his or her own ideas, but on the over-arching issues they agree: town spending is out of control, as are town utility bills. The town is borrowing like there is no tomorrow, and a number of full-time residents who work here for a living are moving out of town to avoid the extortive water bills and high taxes. [Read more…]
EDITORIAL: Frank Wendell for Mayor
A CAPE CHARLES WAVE EDITORIAL
May 4, 2014
Cape Charles residents owe a metaphorical vote of thanks to every candidate running for election on Tuesday, because in most of the rest of Northampton County — Cheriton, Eastville, Nassawadox, and Belle Haven — candidates for mayor are unopposed. Only in Cape Charles and Exmore do voters have a choice.
Dora Sullivan also ran unopposed eight years ago when she was first elected mayor. So we see the contrast of this year’s political contest as a healthy sign of democracy in action. We’re also encouraged by the fact that both mayoral candidates are fine exemplars of Cape Charles – both are upstanding citizens willing to expend a great deal of time and effort in the name of public service.
We believe that either candidate for mayor would serve to the best of his ability, and would uphold the principles of honesty and fairness. That said, we cannot vote for both of them; we must make a choice. And we believe there are overwhelming reasons to vote Frank Wendell for mayor of Cape Charles.
1. Frank Wendell has a long, outstanding record of public service to this, his hometown. As a young man he served on Town Council for 12 years before “retiring” to devote more time to his business and family. Then, two years ago, outraged by the secret plans to divest the town’s school and auditorium, basketball court, and parkland, he returned to public service, winning a seat on Town Council.
2. Mr. Wendell has never shrunk from fighting the good fight. Almost 20 years ago he led the opposition to County plans to permit a maximum-security federal prison to be built nearby. Dickie Foster subsequently stated that if the prison had been constructed, he never would have built Bay Creek.
3. As a current Town Council member, Mr. Wendell was the only one to recognize the foolhardiness of encouraging commercial development on Route 13 by extending a sewer pipe from the town’s wastewater plant. Other Council members have admitted that Rayfield’s Pharmacy could go out of business if the town facilitates competition on the highway, but they want to go ahead anyway. They seem not to understand that while the town has no legal control over what happens on the highway, it has the power of the pipe.
4. Likewise, Mr. Wendell is the only Council member who understands the importance of negotiating with developers to ensure the town’s best interests. When a developer requested exemption from timely payment of utility fees and other town code requirements, only Mr. Wendell urged a quid pro quo in the form of negotiating for adequate downtown parking. [Read more…]
