RH Meyers: Unjustified Zoning changes will harm our waters

Mr. Chairman & Mr. Hogg, this morning you attended a Bi-County Ground Water meeting where the lack of ground Phosphorus studies for the Eastern Shore were demonstrated to be non-existent. Knowing Phosphorus quantities resulting from chicken manure were identified as necessary to make intelligent decisions for protecting the Bay and the County’s waterways. These are critical for shellfish growing and to all the businesses that rely on that for a living. I am noting for the record, that even though the Eastern Shore, as noted by Governor McAuliffe is one of the largest producers of shellfish in the United States, you are continuing on a course of proposed zoning that may imperil our waters for this industry because of your collective ignorance. For your education, I am submitting an example of what Maryland has done to address what was to them, a previous unknown.

On the same zoning issue, many citizens of the county have repeatedly given you examples at meetings of your lack of preparedness to comply with well documented good zoning practices and studies required by Virginia Code. I addressed this same problem at the last meeting and at the recent Zoning Public Hearing. I am aware that there were letters written to you about this for the Hearing with requests to be read into the Public Record and were ignored. During the Hearing several citizens spoke about the zoning designations that were not clearly explained. They identified specific examples of zoning changes to their property that had no justification, were not based on any consistent method, were not recognizing the existing property use, or the character of the neighborhood, and appeared to be completely arbitrary. In two cases presented, the changes appeared to be discriminatory in nature. Further actions by the lawyer on the Planning Commission and by you Mr. Chairman, appear to support that impression.