THE INDEPENDENT NEWS BACK BAY — A pending conditional use permit request deserves attention before the Virginia Beach City Council makes a decision that could have consequences for rural communities. The City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 25, is scheduled to consider a… Continue Reading
Ed. — This story originally appeared in the Sunday, July 5, print edition. It has been updated to include the date upon which the City Council is scheduled to consider the proposal. Additionally, it now appears unlikely the City Council will… Continue Reading
Ed. — This archived story appeared in the Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, print edition. BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE – Members of the Virginia Beach Agriculture Advisory Commission have concerns about a proposal to build an event venue on a horse farm… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE – The Agriculture Advisory Commission will consider whether activities such as craft beer or wine sales or assembly uses, such as holding weddings, are appropriate on farmland, including properties enrolled in the city’s agricultural reserve program,… Continue Reading
That ending the agricultural reserve program was proposed at all — then argued with questionable logic — shows a troubling division between Virginia Beach government and the rural communities it takes for granted. THE INDEPENDENT NEWS PUNGO — Two years ago, following his appointment as… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE VIRGINIA BEACH – Councilmember Barbara Henley, a farmer who first joined the Virginia Beach City Council four decades ago and an advocate for land preservation and limiting rural development, says she is running again this year to… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE – Virginia Beach City Manager Dave Hansen on Tuesday, March 28, unveiled a spending plan that would raise real estate taxes to help establish full-day kindergarten throughout the city while redirecting money from a previous property… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE — The city may consider a cap on land use tax rates on agricultural land, valuation that — using an example of class III cropland — has risen from $300 per acre in 2009 to $2,120 per acre… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE — City officials are working to offset interest rates to encourage participation in the Agricultural Reserve Program, which pays farmers for development rights but has been in a slump due to low interest rates. A proposal… Continue Reading