In late 1999, I participated in an effort to bring some strategic thinking to the problem of suburban sprawl in my home region, Hampton Roads. Hampton Roads is the combined area of several large cities in Virginia that abut each other.
Other areas in the States have sprawl problems, but they are much worse in Virginia Beach for the following reasons:
- This is a military town, the largest in the world. Citizen turnover is huge, in many areas 50% every major election cycle. Most citizens do not participate in the process, and never with long term vision.
- Virginia is alone among states in preventing cities from making laws concerning taxes and land use. The state legislature on the other hand is a part time assembly that has no time to deal with local issues.
- On the other hand, Virginia is the most liberal in allowing cities to merge with counties. Most of the thirteen communities in the Hampton Roads region are cities that were counties. The mergers were effected to control land, thereby increasing that tax base. In other words, the state tax system is forcing the cities to eat farmland to survive in the short run.
- Virginia is also distinguished by being among the most lax in campaign finance laws and their enforcement.
- Other cities have major employers whose executives form a shadow government with longer term interests than the politicians. In Hampton Roads, we do not have that. We have the military instead, whose "executives" are moved away every few years.
The result is a very strong "developer" segment who has undue influence over land use policies, and who set policies that are extremely detrimental in the long run.
The attached site was developed in the midst of a referendum over light rail between Norfolk, an "inner city" area, and Virginia Beach's resort area. The system was to be largely funded by federal funds, effectively "money for free," with the remainder covered by the normal transit budget.
The referendum was defeated by two forces:
- Simple rascism. Virginia Beach was created as a direct consequence of the "massive resistence" to integrating schools. Norfolk's schools were actually closed rather than integrate. A huge flight to Priness Anne County by middle class whites ensued. Princess Anne County soon became Virginia Beach, with a strong resort economy. Norfolk Black; Virginia Beach White. Without saying (or possibly even knowing they were thinking it) many Virginia Beach residents and resort businessmen simply didn't want Norfolk blacks in their resort area. (There had been a "riot" at the Beach several years before between rowdy black youths and -- probably -- over-reacting police. The fallout severely hurt the local economy.)
- Tax mythology. Virginia is arguably the lowest tax state in the union, and by all measures among the lowest. Hampton Roads is comparatively a low tax area in the state. Yet, there is an active constituency in Virginia Beach led by extreme libertarians that believes in government conspiracies to steal money. A very strong campaign by this group, based on acknowledged disinformation, cast the Light Rail proposal as part of a hidden conspiracy, established purely to tax citizens. I am not making this up.
I created and maintained a site during this period, which is archived here for reference.
