Friday, June 27, 2014

Gloucester, VA Planning Commission and BoS Meeting Video, June, 2014




















Do we mention the funny thing that happened to the BoS after their meeting with the microphones left and and with who said what about whom?  Nah.  Let's skip that, it's just not a nice thing to repeat.  But for those of us who know, it was very telling to say the least.

Mr Meyer's Notes from this meeting that he would like to convey to everyone in the county.  Sorry again for the massive delay on getting this up.

Fellow Citizens,

I want to thank those of you who were able to turn out Thursday night and
especially those who were able to voice their opinions on the Highway
Corridor Overlay District.  I was impressed with the reasoning and clarity
in the citizens' oral arguments - for and against limiting or eliminating
the HCOD.

I wish the Board and the Planning Commission had been as well prepared as
the citizens were.  It became clear that the two bodies had two different
concepts as to what the purpose of the meeting was.  Despite the resulting
inelegance, the outcome was pretty clear.  The BOS wants a severely reduced
version of the HCOD, and the PC will provide their opinion as to what they
think that should be.

To me, the underlying principle is property rights.  I think we've gotten a
little too enamored with telling our neighbors what they can or cannot do
with their property.  In this case, the 1998 Planning Commission decided
that they knew best what businesses on Hwy 14 and 17 should look like, and
thereby imposed their aesthetic standards on the people who actually own the
property.  I don't believe such government heavy-handiness is warranted.

The debate is still open until the end of the month, so it's not too late to
make your opinion known.  If you feel strongly about some aspect, or all
aspects of the HCOD, please write your District Supervisor and/or Ashley
Chriscoe and I.  We want to know what you think.

Thank you,



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