Suffolk announced on Wednesday that it’s beginning a multi-year planning project for six historic communities, known as villages.
Jonathan McBride is the city planner leading the work. He told city council the goal is to preserve, protect and promote Suffolk’s villages in collaboration with residents.
“We’re looking to really, at the end of this, create cohesive, community-driven visions for our villages for years to come,” McBride said.
Suffolk’s villages are longstanding small towns and neighborhoods formed before Nansemond County and Suffolk merged in 1974. Some, such as Chuckatuck, were established prior to American independence. Each carries a unique historical identity; their residents face specific challenges, infrastructure needs and development pressures.
The city adopted village plans in the early 2000s detailing numerous projects and studies in each of the communities. Plans included sewage feasibility studies, roadway realignments, community centers, streetscape beautification, drainage improvement and opportunities for residential development that fits the village’s character.
Suffolk hasn’t updated the plans since.
“A lot of things have changed over time,” McBride said. “A lot of the conversations we’re going to be having is what is realistic for this, what does the community really want to see, what is the infrastructure that’s in place?”
Conversations about village plans can spark cynicism or concern for some residents. Skeptics commonly raise issues with aspects of the plans that didn’t come to fruition and fears that the communities are being eyed as development hubs.
McBride, though, has begun holding early listening sessions for the plans. Each plan will take several months to complete, beginning with Chuckatuck/Oakland; once Chuckatuck/Oakland progresses past its first phase, work will start on Driver’s plan and so on, down a tentative schedule that ends with Eclipse and Crittenden.
Councilmember Shelley Butler Barlow, whose Chuckatuck Borough is home to more villages than any other borough, said she’s excited to see the work begin and has already crossed paths with McBride several times in the community this week.
“He’s actively trying to get folded into the community,” she said.
A website that will track progress for each plan is under construction.
