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2002 SESSION

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027224520
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 85 Senate Amendments in [ ] -- February 1, 2002 Requesting the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study future land use along Paradise Creek and to recommend ways the Commonwealth might participate in the development of a public park, a recreational area, and a wildlife preserve. ---------- Patron prior to Engrossment--Senator Quayle ---------- Referred to Committee on Rules ----------

WHEREAS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed lands and tidal wetlands along Paradise Creek within the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, located in the City of Portsmouth between the George Washington Highway (U.S. Route 17) and the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, on the National Priority List, setting in motion Superfund remediation efforts by the U.S. Navy and research by its Restoration Advisory Board to suggest what land uses might be acceptable once EPA standards have been met; and

WHEREAS, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board and the City of Portsmouth are in agreement that an open space corridor, consisting of park and recreational lands and a wildlife habitat, is an acceptable future use for this stretch along Paradise Creek; and

WHEREAS, Paradise Creek is situated in the Colonial-era core of the Norfolk Metropolitan Area where urban density is high and public open space is limited; and

WHEREAS, the preservation of open space will result in the addition of public park and recreational lands, the enhancement of wildlife habitat, and restoration of the Elizabeth River, into which Paradise Creek flows; and

WHEREAS, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the World War I community of Cradock, which borders Paradise Creek, are listed on our State and National Registers of Historic Places; and

WHEREAS, as Virginia's fourth most fiscally stressed municipality, it would be difficult for Portsmouth to fund development of a waterfront park, recognizing that the metropolitan area has no regional park authority; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department of Conservation and Recreation be requested to study future land use along Paradise Creek and to recommend ways the Commonwealth might participate in the development of a public park, a recreational area, and a wildlife preserve. In conducting its study, the Department of Conservation and Recreation shall communicate with appropriate federal agencies, the U.S. Navy, the Elizabeth River Project, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, and the City of Portsmouth.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Conservation and Recreation for this study, upon request.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation shall complete its work [ in time to by November 30, 2002, and shall ] submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2003 Session of the General Assembly.