Editor, The Smithfield Times:

At the beginning of the Carrollton citizens learning of the newest East West Communities development, we were told by our Board of Supervisors that this was a done deal. As Carrollton citizens, we were asked to trust a certain supervisor because why would he mislead us?

However, knowing that a petition against the development had been spread throughout multiple communities, including his own, against it, he said yes. The board basically said it didn’t matter because not enough people were at the meeting. The board invalidated a lot of work that a lot of people did on a technicality that shouldn’t even exist (if it indeed does).

This development was greatly opposed by our citizens and then tabled by the board, only to be voted on in favor of the development 4-1.

Then COVID hit and our world changed, but their lack of communication persisted. East West returned to ask for changes in the development features of road locations because this was not a done deal like a certain supervisor said. In fact, we suspect these changes were necessary to gain approval of the Army Corp of Engineers and Department of Environmental Quality for the required bridge.

The bridge has not been approved and a hearing is being held on Monday, May 17, to help determine if the Isle of Wight Wetlands Board will grant this final piece of the puzzle to East West to get this development through.

I encourage as many people as possible to attend the meeting on May 17th to share in writing or by voice about why the Ragged Island sanctuary doesn’t deserve the pollution that is going to be created by this new bridge, the many vehicles going across and countless people littering into this watershed that is vital to keeping our bay clean.

Our Board of Supervisors had the opportunity to say no to a new development, considering how many were already approved. We have been stabbed in our backs by them tabling our voices, changing the roadways without proper notification to the citizens who voted for them, and now there is a last minute meeting that the rules do not require citizens to be notified about. And again, our supervisors said in late 2019 that this was a done deal (property was acquired in April 2020). It doesn’t seem like a done deal to me. Please attend this meeting!

 

Reid S. Lundie

Carrollton