Help protecting our neighborhood from poorly planned big box development
My neighbors and I (right now we are a group of 11 homeowners) are trying to stop the rezoning of a parcel where a very large retail development with two big box anchor stores (I don't know if the names of the stores matter). The parcel in question is currently zoned for governmental use...it was originally slated to be used for a new elementary school, but the school district recently sold the land to a developer (actually, we think the developer has an option on the property). When we all purchased our homes (all are new homes built 6-7 years ago) we were told this land would be used for a school. The parcel is 82 acres and directly abuts all of our properties.

Do any of the planning professionals in this sub-reddit have any advice as to how we can go about stopping this property from being rezoned? We don't even really know where to start. Any advice or links you can provide would be appreciated!

I'm sorry I have posted in a few sub-reddits. I am just looking to get a diversity of opinions.
[{"id": "ckb78mm", "text": "You need to start with an experienced P&amp;Z attorney.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ckbap4u", "text": "Assuming you're in the US - what state/area are you in?\n", "replies": [{"id": "ckbugaq", "text": "Virginia.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ckbidez", "text": "If the developer knows what he's doing, he's hired a firm to astroturf local opinion in order to influence the planning board. This is the most critical time for you to build coalition and make your voice heard as well. BY doing this you could either block the project or extract important concessions. What you need to do is get a local movement going to ensure that your voice is heard.\n\nPM me if you think I might be able to help.", "replies": [{"id": "ckbuire", "text": "I talked to one of our elected officials after church today and she told me that the developer has hired a company to help them \"facilitate\" discussion with the community. I Googled the company (don't want to mention them here for fear they will sue us if we say anything negative about them...they appear to be very litigious) and all of the search results make them seem like real scum bags...but it seems like they always win. Not sure how we can compete with a professional operation. I will PM you. Thank you!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]