THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608180060
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 76 lines
When Robert P. Goumas rides around Suffolk's 430 square miles, his favorite sights include city sprawl and country living.
He has come quickly to love the Great Dismal Swamp; the city's northern end, which is teeming with traditional subdivisions and waterfront homes; and communities like Whaleyville and Holland, small-town America, with their volunteer fire departments and neighborhood stores.
But Goumas also sees a city struggling with the problems that come with a growing, increasingly urban, population.
As Suffolk's new long-term planner, Goumas sees it as a city on the verge of explosive growth.
``The city is growing in leaps and bounds, and its predominance in Hampton Roads will become much more evident in the near future,'' said Goumas, 40. ``The city's at a point when it's about to take off and when long-term decisions need to be made.''
On the job only two months - he's spent most of that time filling in as a zoning administrator - Goumas still has had plenty of time to examine the development firsthand.
Growing requests for subdivision applications are a clear sign that the city's character is becoming more suburban.
Five years ago, the Planning Department had requests for only seven new major subdivisions. Last year: 41.
Goumas arrives in the city at a time when debates over growth controls are common. While some residents fear losing Suffolk's ruralcharacteristics, like homes on large acreages, others push development.
As long-term planner, Goumas is in the middle. A quiet man who doesn't talk much about himself, he's the one responsible for plotting the city's map to the future.
Planning Director Paul E. Fisher said, ``He's doing an excellent job. He had a lot of experience and can make the necessary changes we need.''
To resolve the debates, Goumas said, the city needs a good plan, ``one that doesn't ride the shelf,'' and one that is devised with plenty of community input.
On top of that would come strict zoning ordinances to give teeth to the growth control.
Two months ago, the city hired LDR International, a Columbia, Md., company, to help update its Comprehensive Land Plan, a blueprint for the future.
As a former planning director in Essex, Vt., and Poquoson on the Peninsula, Goumas has overseen several such plans. For the next 18 months, he'll be directly responsible for helping guide Suffolk's update.
The city will hold community meetings for the next several months.
``The community cannot be under-emphasized,'' Goumas said. ``While the consultant and myself and other planners can offer guidance and suggestions, the community needs to buy into it.''
Goumas said the city also needs to update its comprehensive plan frequently to solve problems before they occur. Cities are required to update these plans every five years.
``You don't necessarily wait for the five-year cycle,'' he said. ``If a hot issue comes up, examine it, and change it accordingly.''
One thing that people need to remember, he said, is that development isn't all negative.
``While everyone looks at development as having negative connotations, it's also a measure of the opportunities that are being made in the community,'' Goumas said. ``There's a desire for people to come here. That's a real plus for a community. And Suffolk can meet the challenge.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MICHAEL KESTNER/The Virginian-Pilot
Robert P. Goumas, Suffolk's long-term planner, is responsible for
the city's course.
Graphic
VP
GROWING SUFFOLK
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: URBAN RENEWAL DOWNTOWN SUFFOLK GROWTH by CNB