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Dear Editor,

A wise Planning Commissioner recently told me that rezoning land or granting conditional use permits should be reserved for truly worthwhile things that will benefit the city and its citizens.

On July 17th, City Council has to decide if allowing surface mining operations adjacent to the South Quay Sandhills Natural Heritage Site and along a portion of the Blackwater River (a Virginia Scenic River) will be truly beneficial for Suffolk. The proposal involves extracting the same sand that makes the Natural Heritage Site special, along with the fact that it contains the last natural stand of Longleaf Pine in Virginia.

Surely, there must be an important reason to disrupt this unique place that the city itself wanted to turn into a park just a few years ago, right?

The answer to that question is ‘no.’ At the May 15th City Council meeting, the applicant’s lawyer made it very clear that this sand “is specialty material. It’s not common old build-a-road sand. Some of the sand has great value. It can be used on golf courses, uh, other cosmetic type circumstances.” I guess this sand isn’t even meant to benefit the average citizen!

Suffolk’s planning staff recommended the denial of this permit. Their report says that “Impacts to the environmentally significant areas either partially or completely for the proposed surface mining operations would deplete the resources on the property and cause a reduction in the ecosystem.” Most Planning Commissioners still voted in favor of this project, despite concerns from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

The DCR Natural Heritage Program director even came from Richmond to the May 15th meeting, but most council members didn’t heed him either. Some also dismissed concerned citizens because they don’t live right near the borrow pit site. A couple council members took the time to gush about the great reputation of the applicant. It was, once again, very apparent who is most favored in the council chambers. I think city council members should be more concerned about their own reputations and less about the developers’—and let them find their fancy sand somewhere else.

Ann Harris

Suffolk