Sunday’s Virginian-Pilot contained an update on the property in East Ocean View known as Bay Oaks. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the city was to take up during its retreat what to do with the 21 acres of vacant land. Well, it seems that council plans to hold a couple of town hall meetings to engage the public on what should become of the land, and offered such suggestions as a skateboard park, lighted soccer fields or relocating the EOV Rec Center.
The Bay Oaks Park Committee, though, is not happy. They want the acreage preserved as open space, as a park. And they threaten to mount another petition drive to see it happen, if necessary.
I think it is going to be necessary.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Another example of Norfolk’s short-sightedness and failure to fully understand the source of problems in the city before attempting their usual ‘band-aid’ solutions.
Wright is concerned about the ratio of homeowners to renters, and rightly so. However, adding 80 residential units in Bay Oaks Park will not solve this problem. How about addressing some of the problematic apartment buildings scattered throughout the area, for starters?
The Bay Oaks Park Committee should not be happy. Has city council ever looked at the monetary value of passive greenspace to existing homeowners and the city at large? Why is this consistently overlooked? There is a ton of research out there supporting the land value of such property to cities. For that matter, one can look at the redevlopment and growth trends in the rest of the nation. The cities in some of the most successful areas today are buying private property to convert BACK to greenspace that was used for residential and commercial development 10 – 15 years ago. Does Norfolk really want a redevelopment plan that is that far behind the curve?
As for Whibley’s flippant comment …well, very telling indeed. No, Whibley we “will not eat cake.”