The City Council voted to indefinately table the Sudley Road sector plan last night. I made the motion to table it. The vote was unanimous. The folks in Council Chambers applauded – that doesn’t happen very often!
I don’t believe the sector planning process is flawed or bad. I believe in the planning process. This particular sector plan was mainly my idea and when it was kicked off about 4 years ago, was a great idea. Back then the biggest problem was the mistrust between the Hospital and their neighbors. The sector planning process is normally very effective at bringing stakeholders together on issues. Fast forward a couple of years in the planning process and the Heavy in the process, the Hospital, was sold. Nobody around here knows what it is the Hospital wants to do. In addition, ideas and opinions just weren’t converging and it seemed as though we would be hammering out big pieces of the plan at the dais. That wasn’t happening – bad policy to do that.
The downside is that it cost us some money and all participants a fair amount of time. The other downside is that if you have a sector plan around that lays out that vision, it can make future changes to the comprehensive plan a bit easier. As it stands, the comprehensive plan remains in place and much of that land is zoned either B-4 and R-1. Anyone that wants to change that now starts from square 1…which maybe ain’t the worst thing in the world either if points of view aren’t converging.
If there is an upside it is that, depsite the plan being shelved, maybe some of the ideas survive. I suppose the lesson is that sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
December 20, 2011 at 2:51 pm
As being the only one voice in support of it since it meets the intent of the Virginia “Blueprint for Livable Communities” – even with its known little flaws that could be adjusted – I am glad the motion tabled it for now. Through it all, it is not really the Church’s properties at issue; it is the unknown factor of the Novant Prince William Hospital that is the major variable in all of it. I alluded to some of the issue last night talking about the hospital bad debt, and Novant finally figuring out just what they bought. But there are bits and pieces of what Novant will do with that facility that will eventually come forth in terms of building permits.
Keep in mind though under ole Colonel Robert’s rules, something tabled “idefinately” is not really so….it can be brought back at any time as I reminded Councilman Way last night.
December 21, 2011 at 11:35 am
By the way, in talking about this the last couple of days with different people, one common theme arose: the wish the Council had done something.
The hearings and the Citizen Advisory is an excellent example as often said by the Mayor, you and other Council Members it is important to hear from the Citizens. Unfortunately, it leads to an example as you point out the Council did nothing and in several I spoke with, gives the view only the “hot potatoes” get any reaction.
At a minimum, the details regarding transportation – both roads and identifying support for Public Transportation – should have been directed to published, with a list of items after that portion in this Sector Plan of things requiring additional study, with an explanation such as “pending Novant Prince William providing details of their planned model for the hospital”. Since it takes so long to get a road built because of funding, identifying for the future is proper planning.
Examples of where transportation planning worked was the Bike Route Plan (which we dropped $10K this year for) and Dean Drive. We know Dean Drive is important and with SERVE there, the route down it from Wellington ($1.3million) and connection on out to 28 was important enough to be layed out even in the CIP.
Fortunately, July 2012 is coming and possibility for relook may occur. A new year, the elections over, and a new City Manager in place. At least forming the transportation planning (since it is so clearly written and drawn in the draft) could be published.
December 21, 2011 at 11:54 am
Ray:
We’ll have to agree to disagree. Council meetings are business meetings, not bargaining sessions. It’s rare good public policy comes from that kind of stuff.
As I’ve watched this process go on, things just weren’t converging. There are many reasons for that – some I put out there Monday night – but I couldn’t in good conscience support this thing. Land Use and planning are always contentious. I don’t mind the back and forth (although this time around many of the emails I recieved were downright nasty) but whatever ends up in front of the Council needs to be soup – this wasn’t.
I suppose that it’ll come back up for consideration at some point but now isn’t the time – we’ll have a new manager to get to know, a budget to craft and Education Forward promises to consume prodigous amounts of time….
December 21, 2011 at 5:23 pm
My friend, we actually do agree based on your points….especially the last paragraph.
January 6, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Dear Mr. Harrover, I realize I’m a ‘day late’, but could you please explain, in laymans terms, the Sudley Road Sector Plan that has been shelved. In the Manassas Observer, Jan. 6, 2012, it said the Plan included Park Ave., Bond Ct., Gladstone St. and Peabody St. I had read about the Plan a few months ago, couldn’t make head nor tail of it, so just let it go.
I realize this will be revisited, eventually, so it would be nice to know exactly what the Plan entails, in laymans terms.
With Regards, Jackie Pleszkoch.