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Staff present amendments to Suffolk’s 2045 plan that expand growth boundary on Route 58 and raise densities along Route 460
Summary
Staff told the Suffolk City Council that five changes were made to the draft 2045 comprehensive plan, including an extension of the central growth-area boundary along Route 58 and a reclassification on the Route 460 corridor that raises residential density from 0.5–4 units/acre to 4–10 units/acre; council will consider a resolution to adopt the plan in the regular session.
Staff presented a series of amendments to the draft Suffolk 2045 comprehensive plan and told the City Council a resolution to adopt the plan is scheduled for the regular session as item 16.
Principal Planner Keith Kennedy said the draft includes five changes since the Nov. 20 public hearing. Two of the most significant modify the future land-use and growth-area maps: the central growth-area boundary is extended along the Route 58 corridor and parts of the Route 460 corridor have been reclassified from the 'suburban' category (0.5–4 units per acre) to 'traditional neighborhood' (4–10 units per acre). "So 5 changes have been made to the Suffolk 2045 planning documents since the November 20 city council public hearing," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said staff also revised definitions for several land-use types — including mixed-use core, commercial office, institutional, multifamily neighborhood and traditional family neighborhood — to add two overlay zoning options, Mixed Use Development (MUD) and Planned Unit Development (PD). He told council these overlays encourage mixed-use development and increase flexibility in how land-use categories are applied.
The presentation added residential as a secondary use to the employment center land-use type and listed a new policy objective (L.2.5) to support those changes. Kennedy said the additions apply to both existing and future development, including areas along the 58 and 460 corridors, and that the plan carries forward recommendations previously identified in the February draft.
Staff provided more-detailed descriptive updates for the Suffolk Peninsula portion of the northern growth area to reflect its existing single-family character, and updated transportation data in chapter 4 and the appendix where older figures had dated; Kennedy said those data updates (in many cases replacing 2022 figures with 2024) do not change policy recommendations.
Council discussion included a clarification from Council Member Butler Barlow about a label in the Hobson area: Barlow said staff referred to part of Hobson as 'Village Commercial' when the correct term is 'Village Center.' Kennedy acknowledged the error and said the council-recommended reduction to the northern growth-area boundary would remove the Village Commercial (VC) portion of Hobson from the growth area so it aligns with the other portion of Hobson zoned BC; he advised council to reference that change (Exhibit A) in any motion to adopt the draft plan.
The City Manager noted a resolution to adopt the 2045 plan appears on the regular agenda; no formal adoption of the plan occurred during the work session. The council may take action on the draft plan during the regular meeting that followed the work session.
