We have seen plenty of wrangling over the proposed Heritage Park in Mathews, and a sincere effort by county supervisor Jack White to find a solution.

While it will be impossible to make everyone happy, Mr. White’s proposal to delete the “by right” zoning designation for parks and to make them follow conditional use guidelines, should go a long way to easing tensions.

The purpose of zoning is to protect property. Thus, one individual should be prevented from establishing a junkyard in a residential district, or a factory next to a home. Exceptions and special permissions for land uses that don’t conform to the neighborhood can be sought by going through a process established in the zoning law.

In such cases, neighbors are given a chance to give their thoughts on the proposal. It’s democracy in action. Since Gloucester and Mathews, after long deliberation, adopted zoning ordinances in the 1980s, this process of hearing and decision has been used many time...