Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and have intentionally chosen Smithfield, Virginia, to live in, and God willing, die in. When retiring from the Air Force after 20+ years of service, I was afforded the opportunity to settle anywhere in the country at the expense of my grateful nation.

After living/traveling all around the U.S. and the world, I chose Virginia! So obviously I’m not a “Hampton Roads native,” but I chose to live like a Smithfield native because I appreciate it for exactly what is, what it represents and not the possibility of what it “could” turn into regardless of impact to the majority of others.

I took a job at the Pentagon, lived in Reston and Herndon for an interesting five years of “city life.” I couldn’t take it anymore and moved to Carrollton. I longed for a quiet, safe, beautiful country-ish, small-town lifestyle for myself and my aging Missouri-born mother.

She and I both fell in love with Smithfield, but that was as close as I could get to Smithfield at the time. Then I married a military man and our family’s final choice was still Smithfield, Virginia, and we purchased a home on Trumpet Road. The wonderful small-town feel of Smithfield was what we compared every place we traveled to for business or pleasure. Nothing was ever quite like Smithfield.

The uncrowded paths in Windsor Castle Park, the small creeks that appear out of nowhere, the ability to still enjoy a small-town Farmers Market, the people always so polite and welcoming, You know, 15 cars actually constitute a “traffic jam” on South Church Street — we all know that can no longer be said for Carrollton.

The rezoning of Mallory Farm will surely destroy all of the reasons myself and many others who in the last 15-20 years have decided to, or continue to, make Smithfield our home. We all know that Smithfield’s quiet small-town charm, low population and low crime rate is quickly becoming a rarity in our country.

Rezoning Mallory Farm will be beginning of the end of this type of living all for the false premises of “prosperity and growth.” You have to ask yourself, “Grow into what?”

More is not always a good thing. Please preserve Smithfield. Vote no to this rezoning. Conserve Mallory Farm.

Catherine GM Vines

Smithfield