Northampton Supervisors Reject Comprehensive Plan Re-Write

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By Stefanie Jackson
In a unanimous decision Tuesday night, Northampton supervisors rejected the planning commission’s update of the county comprehensive plan that has been in the works for six years.
“We think the county needs to go back to the start and begin the process again … with extensive outreach to the community,” said Spencer Murray, chairman of the board of supervisors.
He read a memo listing five “fundamental faults” with the draft comprehensive plan that caused its rejection.
The tone of the comprehensive plan’s introduction is too negative, indicating “current conditions which are not necessarily accurate,” Murray said. The plan also undervalues the tourism and aquaculture industries. “Northampton County faces many challenging issues, but we also have many positive factors working for us,” he added.
The draft plan relies on outdated information that “may not accurately reflect current conditions.” For example, housing values are discussed in the current plan draft using 2014 data, and farming statistics reported in the plan date back to 2012.
Likewise, public input sessions about the updated plan date back to 2012 and “may not accurately reflect current sentiments and positions.” Supervisors want the plan redrafted using recent public input, starting with comments gathered in 2018, which may include public discussion at town hall meetings held in Exmore, Nassawadox, and Cape Charles this November.
Northampton’s comprehensive plan also lacks components required by state law – for example, consideration for the sustainability of “surface and groundwater sources in the county for future development.”
Finally, the plan “does not adequately address the need and the manner for providing for affordable housing in the county,” Murray said.
Supervisor David Fauber, formerly of the planning commission, said, “I just wanted to recognize the hard work that the planning commission put in on this, and I know it’s been a long, arduous task. Unfortunately, the result hasn’t been really what we had wanted.”
The planning commission requested hiring a professional consultant to assist in redrafting the comprehensive plan, and supervisors support the idea.
Murray appointed Fauber and Supervisor John Coker for future collaborations with the planning commission on the comprehensive plan.

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