City Council approves rezoning on Bridge Road for two car dealerships after resident objections
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Summary
Suffolk City Council voted 8-0 to rezone multiple parcels on Lynn Drive from Office-Institutional to General Commercial (B-2), clearing the way for two auto dealerships; council accepted proffers including a 15-foot landscape buffer after a resident raised concerns about noise, light and wildlife.
Suffolk City Council voted unanimously to approve a conditional rezoning that will allow two new car dealerships to locate on a group of parcels off Bridge Road. Council approved RZN 2024-12, rezoning several Lynn Drive parcels from O-I (Office-Institutional) to B-2 (General Commercial), with proffers limiting the development footprint and adding landscape buffering.
Supporters told council the site largely contains wetlands that constrain development and that the proposed location is already part of a commercial corridor. “The proposed rezoning to B-2 would allow the two dealerships…to be relocated into an area that’s deemed appropriate in terms of land use,” said Lisa Murphy, attorney for the applicant.
The applicant’s conceptual plan shows two dealership buildings of about 30,000 and 25,000 square feet oriented toward Route 17, with parking and stormwater management in the rear. Kevin Wine, director of planning and community development, said more than half the 14-acre property is non-tidal wetlands and that the applicant must obtain U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits for any wetland impacts.
A nearby resident, Rebecca Hersey of 5787 Lynn Drive, opposed the rezoning during the public hearing, saying the development would reduce privacy, increase noise from public-address systems and create light pollution. “I’m going to be losing all of my privacy and all of my peace and quiet,” Hersey said.
In rebuttal, the applicant said Suffolk’s Unified Development Ordinance already restricts light spillover and that the conceptual plan includes a 15-foot landscape buffer along the property edge nearest the house. Jason Sees, the project engineer, described existing wooded right-of-way and said the building would sit roughly 200 feet from the residence when buffers and platted rights-of-way are included.
Council members expressed concern for the resident and asked that developers work to mitigate impacts. Council Member Wright asked specifically whether a sound wall could be considered for additional mitigation; the applicant said it would discuss fencing and buffering with the homeowner. Council Member Johnson moved approval; Vice Mayor Ward seconded. The council voted 8 to 0 to approve the rezoning as amended with the proffers shown on the conceptual plan.
The planning commission had recommended approval by a 7-0 vote. The applicant and staff said the rezoning is consistent with the city’s 2045 comprehensive plan’s mixed-use core designation and that traffic impacts were evaluated in a traffic impact analysis provided to staff.
With the approval, the applicant must complete required environmental permitting and comply with the proffered site layout and buffering. Council members noted the decision does not negate the need for the Corps’ wetland approvals before any development work that alters wetlands.
