Greenbrier Area Plan

Updated September 2, 2024

The stated purpose of the Greenbrier Area Plan is to "develop strategies to guide future development, maintain Greenbrier’s economic advantage in the marketplace and attract new businesses and residents by improving the qualities that make Greenbrier a unique place in the city." The plan envisions significantly increasing the density of the area with considerable new urban mixed-use development, new neighbor scale and age-targeted housing, adding a large capacity regional multi-purpose athletic/entertainment facility, all while enhancing the commercial retail environment and serving a major urban employment center.

One stated goal is to improve the Quality of Life for residents and workers in the Greenbrier area "by strengthening the appeal and livability of the built environment and the availability and quality of services provided." Some of the specific components to be studied include steps to

improve existing open spaces, create new open spaces, integrate existing water features and other natural resources, and expand the tree canopy
improve congestion and connectivity. Private vehicles, public transportation, parking, bike trails, and roadway beautification will all be considered.
high-level infrastructure improvements needed to support future development within the study area, including water, sewer, stormwater, and communications.
address resiliency in regard to the overall environmental and economic health of the study area.
development of design guidelines to include components such as site design, building design, place-making, branding, wayfinding, and other design components
a deliberate approach to streetscapes, landscaping, lighting, and sidewalks will help promote a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

On May 22, the City held an Open House to share some of the plans so far, but the information presented very high level, essentially consisting of 7 charts that can be seen at Greenbrier Area Plan | Greenbrier Area Plan | Chesapeake, VA (cityofchesapeake.net). Many of the components listed above were only touched upon lightly, providing limited information on which to comment. Another Open House is expected in the fall.

The environmental benefit of targeting development to such an urban core is that it helps divert development from open space and agricultural areas on the fringe of the region. The City's population, currently at 255,000, is projected to grow to just shy of 300,000 by 2045. The number of households will grow from about 95,000 to over 113,000. That is 18,000 new households. Focusing a greater portion of this growth in existing parts of the city rather than low-density "suburban sprawl" can result in preservation of open space and agricultural lands on the outskirts of the City.

But in order for increased density to have provide a real benefit of bringing people and business together, the area needs to have strongly enhanced pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure to encourage people to get out of their cars. Otherwise, if all the extra people living and working in the area are forced to rely on automobiles, the plan will result in severe traffic congestion. We also need to figure out how to grow our urban forest while building more housing, including more affordable housing. And all this new development needs to factor in a 21st century building standards, high quality of life, and climate resilience.

At our August Green Drinks meeting we discussed improvements and comments on the plan that the group would like to see including:

Pedestrian, Bicycle and Active Connectivity and Safety

- Adopt Complete Streets approach including sidewalks, more and better crosswalks, bike paths, etc.

- Complete Volvo Parkway Multi-Use Path to Oak Grove Park and then on to Chesapeake Hospital

- Prioritize trail connections between Summit Point, Oak Grove Park, Chesapeake Hospitial, Arboretum, and City Park.

- Be consistent with Trails and Connectivity Plan

- Address walkability (similar to Virgnia Commerce Park - FT Williams site) Design Guidelines

- Bicycle Pedestrian Connectivity to Indian River and Great Bridge (across highways)

- Trees along trails

- Add pocket parks

Transit

- Incorporate HRT Connecting Chesapeake recommendations

- Increase bus frequency

- Shuttle service between Conference Center, Summit Point, City Hall

Trees

- 30% Tree Canopy Goal

- Incentives for tree preservation rather than lawns and parking

- Street tree planting

- Preservation of City owned forest land adjacent to Oak Grove Park

Building Energy Efficiency, Lighting, and Dark Skies

- New construction and major renovation of buildings should take advantage of best available building design and operation practices. The Virginia Commerce Park Design Guidelines

- LED lighting at 3000K or below

- Bird Safe Glass for new construction

- Lights Out/Dark Sky protocols to minimize night time illumination other than for access and safety.

Parking

- Eliminate Parking Minimums

- Improve Parking Lot Stormwater Management with biorention basins and pervious surface materials where feasible.

Overview charts from City website (click on image to magnify):