VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Tuesday night, Virginia Beach residents packed city council chambers to weigh in on a potential project for a major development.
It's part of a project known as "Project Wayne" that would change farmland to a manufacturing site. There's no particular reason behind the name, and it's unclear what company is involved, but it relates to medical manufacturing.
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Southern Virginia Beach could be site of major development
It would involve land re-zoned from agricultural to light industrial use.
It’s a story News 3 has been following for several weeks.
There are still many unknowns about the project, including the company behind it. ‘
Roughly two dozen residents, including Jennifer Sieracky, had mixed feelings about it when speaking before the council, with many against the project.
For Sieracky, southern Virginia Beach has been her home for nearly 25 years and the setting of books she has authored.
“There is nothing like it here,” Sieracky said.
Which is why she’s speaking against “Project Wayne.”
“Taking one acre away from this finite resource that is irreplaceable is too much,” she said.
Virginia Beach Deputy City Manager Taylor Adams told council members Tuesday that the project had been condensed to 150 acres for development, located north of North Landing Road and west of the Virginia Beach National Golf Course.
“We are competing with other states for this,” Adams said about the proposal.
Adams added there would also be 100 acres that the city would own, and can be overlayed with a preservation easement to prevent any further encroachment south.
He said the project would involve textile medical product manufacturing for items like masks and surgical sheets.
“These are made in a clean environment. They do not create environmental waste,” Adams said.
Adams added that communities are competing heavily for this type of manufacturing.
But the vast majority of residents at Tuesday night’s public hearing spoke out against the project.
“Are there any actual benefits to building on this land,” Kempsville High School student CJ White asked.
“Invest in our land because that’s what defines where we live, how we live, and why we live here,” Virginia Beach resident John Gadzinski said.
Many brought up concerns about the city’s green line, an urban-growth boundary that includes protecting agricultural land to the south.
“Virginia Beach does not need to develop every inch of open space,” one resident said.
Virginia Beach city council member Barbara Henley has concerns over the project.
“Yes, we’re running out of land. We’re running out of farmland,” Henley said. “if we don’t have farmland, we can’t grow food.”
But some like Matt Baumgarten spoke in favor of the project.
“Opportunities like this one do not come along every day,” Baumgarten said. “This is smart growth for our city. This is the kind of growth that we deserve.”
Others like former Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera have questions.
“The jobs that it wishes to bring are they sustainable long-term jobs,” Cervera asked. “That’s one of the things that keeps a community solid.”
Meanwhile, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said public input is vital before moving on to the next steps.
“Be assured, this was just the first step. This is not the final outcome,” Dyer said at Tuesday’s meeting.
