I am a former resident of Suffolk, and stay in touch with a number of friends, who either previously resided or currently still reside, in Hall Place.

For the last several years, they have kept me up to date on their &uot;resident friendly&uot; conservation district, with its planning books and reasonable guidelines for growth,

that

they worked so hard to put in place. They are very proud, as well they should be, of the many things they have been able to achieve through their program, without putting strains and restrictions on the residents of Hall Place.

The neighborhood park, with its beautiful new sign, and the handsome coach lamps dotting the streets, are a tribute to the hard work of a handful of longtime residents, who believed in the area and were willing to do the work that these positive changes took.

Now, I understand that several new homeowners are pushing for historic district status.

Many of the residents who would be affected don’t have a lot of money. Some can’t get out to attend civic league meetings, but that doesn’t mean that they are comfortable with some new folks deciding how their quality of life will be in their retirement years.

I know of two areas in Hampton Roads where the folks said &uot;No&uot; to historic district status, and are really glad they did.

As I understand it,

the conservation district was selected over the historic district years ago in Hall Place, to better meet the needs of the residents, and it seems to be working just fine.

Some years down the road, things may or may not be different, but at this time, &uot;if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!&uot;

Robert B. Bryant

Aurora, Ill.