Staff report

It’s good to see that the Suffolk Planning Commission refuses to simply rubber stamp every development that comes before the body.

On Tuesday, the commission voted down a proposal to build 177 houses on Shoulders Hill Road in north Suffolk, an area already bursting at the seams. For one, the proposal falls under a new category of zoning inclusive of multiple land uses, and commissioners were particularly concerned about the impact on this corridor.

Adding this many homes to the city’s real estate coffers is nothing to take lightly, considering the potential effect on necessary city services to support this growth. The commissioners made this clear when they insisted that they postpone a vote on the project for 60 days pending more information and analysis.

Land use issues are the most sensitive, if not important matters before the city, and it’s good to see that the planning commission is taking its job seriously.