To: Planning
Department
Re:
Environment and Sustainability Comments on Draft Comprehensive Plan
On behalf of
the multiple undersigned organizations and individuals coordinating through the
Chesapeake Sustainability Network, please accept the attached comments on the
July Draft of the Chesapeake Comprehensive Plan.
Executive Summary
The Comprehensive Plan lays out
a roadmap for the City for the next twenty years. We applaud the draft for
providing a strong vision for creating a high-quality future for the City that
is proactive about developing necessary infrastructure, protects green and open
space, works to connect people, and respects the unique character of different
parts of the City. The policies presented adopt the principles of
Smart Growth, and focus on moving people on Complete Streets that provide safe
access to all, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users.
The document includes good policies related to the environment, resilience, and
supporting rural areas.
There are several key areas in
which we would like to see improvements.
Healthy Landscapes
While the document goes into detail on policies related to Wetlands and Riparian Buffers, Tree Canopy, and Green Infrastructure, it often treats nature as something to be found in "Environmentally Sensitive" areas of the City and wildlife as something only found in "natural areas" like the Great Dismal Swamp. The reality is that nature and wildlife co-exist with people throughout the City in every Character District. In every part of the City, people will encounter birds and bees, butterflies and dragonflies. Birds, squirrels, turtles, raccoons, and a whole variety of creatures loved and sometimes underappreciated live in our backyards and front yards, our trees, shrubs, and hedges, our parks, and our stream buffers. Doug Tallamy's book "Bringing Nature Home" highlights the critical importance of implementing conservation landscaping across all our urban and suburban areas. Conservation landscaping practices also reduce stormwater runoff. The Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council, the Virginia Dare Soil and Water Conservation District, Elizabeth River Project, Chesapeake Master Gardeners, AskHRGreen, Virginia Native Plant Society, Butterfly Society, Friends of Indian River, Cape Henry Audubon Society, and other local and regional groups all work to promote and encourage these practices They are also supported by the American Planning Association, the American Society of Landscape Architects and other national organizations. These practices also support a variety of local businesses including native plant-focused nurseries, landscapers certified in conservation landscaping practices, and shoreline restoration contractors.
The
document needs to incorporate policies that connect residents, businesses, farmers,
institutions, and officials with resources to implement these conservation
landscaping practices. Likewise,
municipal landscaping activities should adopt these conservation best
practices.
The
2035 Comp Plan included a policy to identify areas of city owned land that can
be set aside for tree preservation; this is an ongoing need and this policy should
be carried forward into the new Comp Plan.
The policy to adopt a tree canopy fund should ensure that any tree
plantings using this fund are located as closely as feasible to where the
original development project is situated, as per state code.
Composting
should be encouraged to reduce the amount of yard waste that needs to be
collected by the City.
As
in the 2035 Comp Plan, we need to continue to encourage the establishment of
farmers’ markets and community gardens to provide healthy, local food for the
community and support the local farming economy.
Energy Infrastructure
The draft Plan looks
at Water and Sewer, Roads and Rail, and even Broadband/Fiber
Optics. It touches on Renewable Energy. But it does not address the
impact of energy transmission infrastructure. Chesapeake has seen
significant expansion of energy infrastructure in recent
years, including solar farms, gas pipelines
(e.g. the Southside Connector, Virginia Reliability
Project, Chesapeake Compressor Station), and electric transmission
lines (e.g. the connection from Coastal Virginia
Offshore Wind Project to Fentress Substation). This expansion of
infrastructure is expected to continue to support electrification of
vehicle charging and home heating, construction of data centers, Virginia
Commerce Park, etc. As shown with Southside Connector and other projects,
this can result in significant disruptions and concerns for local communities
about pollution and environmental justice.
The City should plan ahead to minimize these impacts.
There is a need for a policy to
have the City to proactively plan for expansion of energy infrastructure
including new electricity transmission lines, solar and wind generation,
battery storage, and gas pipelines to minimize disruption to existing communities
and environmentally sensitive areas.
Green Infrastructure
The
draft Plan explains the requirements to use best management practices to both
manage the quantity of stormwater runoff and reduce pollution and sediment
carried in the runoff into our rivers and bays. It discusses the benefits
of Green Infrastructure to address increasing rainfall and flooding using
nature-based solutions like rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavements, trees
and landscaping, and rainwater harvesting systems. But then it hedges on
the concern that Green Infrastructure may be more expensive to maintain and
ultimately includes a policy to "Encourage piped stormwater management
when reasonable to reduce stormwater maintenance requirements for the
City."
While purely Green
Infrastructure may not be the right fit for every situation, as per state regulations,
the City must always incorporate best management practices to meet pollution
control requirements and solutions should be evaluated on lifecycle cost and
co-benefits, not just direct maintenance costs, before "encouraging"
the use of grey infrastructure.
Northwest River Water Treatment Plant and Sea Level Rise
The document directly addresses Sea Level Rise (SLR) and adopts the HRPDC recommendations to plan for 1.5-feet of SLR by 2050, • 3.0-feet of SLR for 2050–2080, and 4.5-feet of SLR beyond the year 2080. One key risk identified by the Department of Homeland Security is to the Northwest River Water Treatment Plant. This water treatment plant provides the City with up to 10 million gallons of clean water daily. However, sea level rise threatens to make the Northwest River more salty as tidal waters push further inland.
Include a policy to evaluate
the impact of sea level rise on the Northwest River Water Treatment Plan.
Energy Efficiency and Solar
The plan calls for the City to model renewable
energy usage. But it should also
model energy efficiency. The City should
also encourage residential solar, shared solar and community-scale solar.
Detailed Recommendations
Below
are detailed comments on the whole plan. It is divided into three parts: Key
Policy Recommendations, Other Suggested Edits and Corrections, and Positive
Content in Draft. Suggested edits are in red.
- Key Policy Recommendations
- Other Suggested Edits and Corrections
- Positive Content in Draft
Key Policy Recommendations
Healthy Landscapes
While the document goes into detail on policies
related to Wetlands and Riparian Buffers, Tree Canopy, and Green
Infrastructure, it often treats nature as something to be found in
"Environmentally Sensitive" areas of the City and wildlife as
something only found in "natural areas" like the Great Dismal Swamp. The reality is that nature and wildlife
co-exist with people throughout the City. The Chesapeake Environmental Improvement
Council, the Virginia Dare Soil and Water Conservation District, Elizabeth
River Project, Chesapeake Master Gardeners, AskHRGreen, Virginia Native Plant
Society, Butterfly Society, Friends of Indian River, Cape Henry Audubon
Society, and other local and regional groups all work to promote and encourage
these practices They are also supported
by the American Planning Association, the American Society of Landscape
Architects and other national organizations. These practices also support a
variety of local business including native plant-focused nurseries, landscapers
certified in conservation landscaping practices, shoreline restoration
contractors. We recommend the following
changes:
pp. 145-149 Environment and Resilience
– Tree Canopy
Modify section title to “Tree Canopy and
Conservation Landscaping”.
Alternatively, these could go into the following sections which could be
renamed “Conservation Landscaping and Wildlife”
Add Text to define Conservation
Landscaping, which involves gardening and landscape design that supports
creating a healthy and sustainable environment.
It involves using native plants, reducing stormwater runoff and erosion,
protecting shorelines and wetlands, minimizing the use of chemicals, and
creating habitats that support wildlife such as birds, butterflies, bees,
turtles, and other wildlife. There is a preference to using plant
species native to the coastal Virginia region as they best support insect
populations that are the foundation of the natural food web. Native
plants are critical to sustaining biodiversity. Native plants also
provide a unique sense of place since they reflect the original landscape of
the region. These practices are encouraged across all character districts in
the City, including private residential and commercial properties, municipal
and public spaces, employment centers, etc.
ADD Policy: Connect
residents, businesses, and institutions with resources to implement best practices
such as conservation landscaping, rain gardens, permeable pavement, living
shorelines and rain water harvesting. Inclusion of non-invasive native species
for landscaping is preferred. [ source: SWCD https://vaswcd.org/vcap/ ]
ADD
Policy: Educate
residents and officials about importance of protecting wetlands and riparian
areas for providing flood protection, water quality improvement, and ecosystem
enhancement. [source -
2035 Comp Plan https://resources.cityofchesapeake.net/comp-plan-2035/#page=67 ]
Additional references: https://www.planning.org/blog/9258895/planning-with-nature-at-the-center/
, https://www.planning.org/pas/quicknotes/96/climate-resilient-pollinator-gardens/
, https://www.asla.org/sustainablelandscapes/Vid_Wildlife.html
, https://www.asla.org/benefitsofplants.aspx
The Tree policies should be directed not just at
residential homeowners, but all residents, businesses, and institutions such as
churches, schools, and hospitals.
EDIT Policy under
TREES: ENV 40: Connect homeowners residents,
businesses, and institutions to existing resources on tree
care and maintenance, and work with neighborhood groups to support their local
tree canopy goals.
In 2025, the Commonwealth passed legislation
allowing localities to adopt an ordinance establishing a tree canopy fund. Section F of the same Ordinance states that
“Any such tree canopy bank shall be within the locality and located as closely
as feasible to where the development project is situated.” Locating any tree planting as close as
possible to the affected development is important to make sure the trees
provide benefits to the users and residents of the development and the
surrounding community.
EDIT Policy under TREES: ENV 38: Adopt an
ordinance establishing a tree canopy fund for the purposes of collecting fees
from developers that cannot provide their canopy requirements on site and using
them to plant trees elsewhere in the City located as closely
as feasible to where the development project is situated. [. Source
– Virginia State Code https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1074280.PDF ,
section F.]
Carry
over policy to identify areas of city owned land that can be set aside for tree
preservation from the current 2035 Comprehensive Plan.
Add Policy under TREES: Identify areas of city owned land
that can be set aside for tree preservation.[source - Comp Plan 2035 https://resources.cityofchesapeake.net/comp-plan-2035/#page=78 , PRT Master Plan
briefing https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/DocumentCenter/View/24939/City-Council-Presentation-- page 8 ]
p. 149 Wildlife
- the draft states that “most
residents do not regularly interact with the animals that roam Chesapeake’s
natural areas”. This takes a very narrow
view of wildlife. Section should recognize that wildlife includes all
kinds of birds, butterflies, bees, squirrels, box turtles, and all varieties of
small creatures that are found in our backyards, commercial and municipal
landscaping, parks, and even street trees. Wording should reflect that Many residents routinely interact with wildlife through
gardening, backyard bird feeders, beekeeping, and bird watching. Fishing
is another very popular activity that brings residents in contact with
wildlife. Residents also sometimes have negative interactions resulting
in human-wildlife conflicts, usually when wildlife are attracted to human
dwellings or trash. Conservation Landscaping practices play a critical
role in supporting wildlife biodiversity in Chesapeake.
Reducing yard waste ending up in landfills is
another critical process for our waste management efforts. SPSA reports that about 20% of solid waste
collected in the region is yard waste. [https://www.hrpdcva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4297/Regional-Solid-Waste-Management-Plan-for-Southeastern-Virginia-PDF?bidId=] The City needs to send
thousands of truck trips every year to collect yard waste, especially in the
autumn, to collect bags of leaves. A
significant fraction of this yard waste could be composted by residents and
businesses on-site. Yard waste collected
could also be composted at scale and reused.
The City should adopt a policy to identify and encourage such
strategies.
p. 151 Environment and Resilience – Solid
Waste and Recycling
ADD Policy under SOLID WASTE AND
RECYCLING: Identify strategies for encouraging
composting by residents and reducing amount of yard waste that needs to be
collected by City. [source – Public Works https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1079/Tips-for-a-Clean-Chesapeake ]
Conservation
practices are also encouraged for the agricultural sector. Runoff from
farmland is one of the largest sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment
pollution for both the Chesapeake Bay and the Southern Watersheds. TMDL
Action Plans are in effect to reduce these pollutants, and the Virginia Dare
Soil and Water Conservation District has cost-share programs to support farmers
installing best management practices to address the issue. Implementing
these programs improves water quality, including in the Northwest River, which
supplies much of the City with water. The practices reduce soil erosion
and also provide important wildlife habitat. Chesapeake can support these
efforts, particularly through the Chesapeake Extension Office.
ADD Policy under Growth
Management and Rural Areas RURAL CHARACTER: Connect
farmers with cost-share programs to implement best practices such as erosion
control, streamside buffers, cover crops, preserving wetlands, and nutrient
management. [source: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/document/cs-flier.pdf ]
On
p. 209, the draft plan has a graphic showing the difference between Traditional
Development and Cluster Development. Cluster subdivisions are discussed
in relation to the Rural Character in GMRA21 on p. 171. But cluster development
can be effective in other character districts to preserve natural spaces for
community use. Cluster development can also help preserve space for
connections to adjacent communities and facilities. A classic problem
today is where all the interior perimeter of a school faces private property
with no connection to the subdivision street network, turning what could be a
hundred-yard walk for students into a several mile drive. Perhaps state …
p. 203 Placemaking and Design – Community Design
EDIT Policy under Placemaking and Design COMMUNITY DESIGN: DES 3:
Developments should encourage cluster development to preserve natural spaces for
community use or conservation, whichever is appropriate, and support connections
between communities.
The
City can also support conservation landscaping on municipal properties and
roadways, when practical. It should also
continue to adopt conservation mowing practices on municipal and public lands where
there is not a direct interface with the people. The City has this policy in the current 2035
Comprehensive Plan. Continuing this
policy can reduce mowing costs for the City, reduce runoff and flooding, and
create wildlife habitat. In the Solar
Energy Policy, the City identified and adopted conservation mowing guidelines
that should be extended to all conservation mowing areas.
pp. 213-214 Placemaking and Design –
Landscaping
ADD Policy - Landscaping on municipal properties and roadways should incorporate conservation
landscaping practices, such as the use of native plants, when practical. [https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/plant-southeast-virginia-natives].
ADD Policy - Adopt conservation mowing practices that
reduce/minimize mowing of public lands, including expressway cloverleaves,
school property, and park perimeters. [source Comp Plan 2035
- https://resources.cityofchesapeake.net/comp-plan-2035/#page=83 , VDOT https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/about/programs/pollinator/ ]
ADD Text - Where
appropriate, establish no mow areas that of a variety of native groundcovers,
including warm season grasses, wildflowers, and native plants that benefit
birds, bees, pollinators and other insects. [source - https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/DocumentCenter/View/3291/City-of-Chesapeake-Solar-Energy-Policy-PDF?bidId= ]
Carry
forward the policy from the 2035 Comprehensive Plan to encourage farmers’
markets and community gardens. Most
residents of the City still do not have close access to such sources of
healthy, local food. This is
particularly difficult to residents who do not have ready access to personal
automobiles, who often also live in food deserts.
p. 234 Quality of Life – Healthy Communities
ADD Policy: Encourage
the establishment of farmers’ markets and community gardens to provide healthy,
local food for the community and support local farming economy. [source
- Comp Plan 2035 https://resources.cityofchesapeake.net/comp-plan-2035/#page=59 ]
Energy Infrastructure
The draft Plan looks at Water and Sewer, Roads and
Rail, and even Broadband/Fiber Optics.
It touches on Renewable Energy.
But it does not address the impact of energy transmission
infrastructure. Chesapeake has seen
significant expansion of energy infrastructure in recent years, including solar
farms, gas pipelines (e.g. the Southside Connector, Virginia Reliability
Project, Chesapeake Compressor Station), electric transmission lines (e.g. the
connection from Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project to Fentress
Substation). This expansion of
infrastructure is expected to continue to support electrification of vehicle
charging and home heating, construction of data centers, Virginia Commerce
Park, etc. As shown with Southside
Connector and other projects, this can result in significant disruptions and
concerns for local communities about pollution and environmental justice. The City should plan ahead to minimize these
impacts and incorporate the following:
p. 104 - Connectivity
and Infrastructure – Utility Planning
ADD Policy: Proactively
plan for expansion of energy infrastructure including new electricity
transmission lines, solar and wind generation, battery storage, and gas
pipelines to minimize disruption to existing communities and environmentally sensitive
areas.
Green Infrastructure
The draft Plan explains the requirements to use best
management practices to both manage the quantity of stormwater runoff and
reduce pollution and sediment carried in the runoff into our rivers and bays.
It discusses the benefits of Green Infrastructure to address increasing
rainfall and flooding using nature-based solutions like rain gardens,
bioswales, permeable pavements, trees and landscaping, and rainwater harvesting
systems. But then it hedges on the concern that Green Infrastructure may
be more expensive to maintain and ultimately includes a policy to
"Encourage piped [grey infrastructure] stormwater management when
reasonable to reduce stormwater maintenance requirements for the
City." While purely Green
Infrastructure may not be the right fit for every situation, as per state
regulations, the City must always incorporate best management practices to meet
pollution control requirements and solutions should be evaluated on lifecycle
cost and co-benefits, not just direct maintenance costs, before "encouraging"
the use of grey infrastructure. We recommend the
alternative wording:
pp. 135-138 Environment and Resilience
– Stormwater Management and Green Infrastructure
Edit Policy: ENV 15: Encourage Consider piped
stormwater management when reasonable to reduce stormwater maintenance
requirements for the City while complying with
best management practice requirements for pollution and sediment control. [Source: https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/overcoming-barriers-green-infrastructure added references: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/stormwater , https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/stormwater/stormwater-construction/bmp-clearinghouse]
p. 213 - Placemaking and Design
Parking Lots
Edit Policy DES 37 Use parking lots as an opportunity to create
treed and vegetated areas, providing stormwater capture and aggregating required landscaping into
usable space where plants can thrive, as opposed to only building small parking
islands.
Northwest River Water Treatment Plant
The document directly addresses Sea Level Rise (SLR)
and adopts the HRPDC recommendations to plan for 1.5-feet of SLR by 2050, 3.0-feet of SLR for 2050–2080, and 4.5-feet
of SLR beyond the year 2080. One key risk identified by the Department of
Homeland Security is to the Northwest River Water Treatment Plant. This water treatment plant provides the City
with up to 10 million gallons of clean water daily. However, sea level rise threatens to make the
Northwest River more salty as tidal waters push further inland. Please consider:
pp. 139-142 Environment
and Resilience –Sea Level Rise and Flooding
ADD Policy under SEA LEVEL RISE AND
FLOODING: Evaluate impact of sea level rise on Northwest River
Water Treatment Plan [source – Dept. Homeland Security
https://www.amwa.net/assets/DHS_OCIA_Norfolk_Virginia_SLR.pdf , HRPDC https://www.hrtpo.org/DocumentCenter/View/6737/Section-6---Statement-of-Need-PDF ]
Energy Efficiency and Solar
The draft plan includes some strong Renewable Energy policies. Energy efficiency for city facilities should
also be addressed, as it was in the 2035 Comp Plan. The City should also model rooftop solar
energy; construction of rooftop solar is less expensive than parking lot solar
and generally has less of an issue of being shaded by tree canopy in and around
parking lots. The City should also
encourage residential solar, shared solar, and community solar programs:
Pp 152-153 Environment and Resilience – Renewable
Energy
EDIT Policy: ENV 48: Develop a City
energy policy that includes energy efficiency and renewable
energy goals and a mechanism for publicly
reporting energy use. [source Comp Plan 2035 - https://resources.cityofchesapeake.net/comp-plan-2035/#page=77 ]
EDIT Policy: ENV
50: Model renewable energy usage in the City by proactively installing
renewable energy on rooftops and throughout
public areas, such as solar panels in City parking lots.
ADD Policy: Encourage residential solar, shared
solar and community-scale solar [source -
https://energy.virginia.gov/renewable-energy/SS_CS.shtml]
Other Suggested Edits and Corrections
The following changes would make the document more
accurate and well-rounded, but are not changes to proposed Policies.
p. 56 Environmentally Sensitive Overlay Map
- add Indian River Park as Environmentally Sensitive area. All of this park is within the
Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area.
- add Oak Grove Lake Park as Environmentally Sensitive area as it includes forested wetlands
p. 58 Character District Map
– the shade of green between Rural and Conservation districts cannot be
distinguished. Change
the shade of green for one of these Character Districts.
- add Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways
Park, and Great Bridge Locks Park as Regional Parks. All three draw visitors from
around the region to use its superb bike path, kayak launches, museums, and
historic sites.
p. 67 Neighborhood Center District
- Tree Canopy- also provide by “landscaped parking lot islands”
p. 73 Community/Regional Commercial District
- Public Transportation – add that “Internal sidewalks” should connect
directly with transit stops.
- Tree Canopy – also provided by “developer required private landscaped
areas and buffers”
p. 76 Employment Center District
- Tree Canopy – also provided by “developer required private landscaped
areas and buffers”
p. 82 Rural Areas District
- Tree Canopy – also provided by “hedgerows, windbreaks, riparian and
property buffers”
p. 82 Fentress District
- Tree Canopy – also provided by “hedgerows, windbreaks, riparian and
property buffers”
p. 88 Conservation District
- draft states that “District is rarely activated
with people” and “Lands are minimally experienced by residents at minor access
points.” However the Conservation
District includes the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge which is open
to the public via the Portsmouth Ditch for hiking/biking, the Feeder Ditch
Canal by canoe or kayak, and from Suffolk; the Northwest River Natural Area
Preserve which is accessible by small boat; and the Cavalier Wildlife
Management Area accessible by permit for hunting and nature related activities
(such as bird watching). Perhaps edit
to say that these “permitted areas are activated with people
for nature-related activities such as hiking, biking, paddling, fishing,
hunting, etc. “ These are
all areas with potential for nature-based tourism.
p. 98 Connectivity and Infrastructure – Biking,
Walking, and Trails
- please define what is included in “active
transportation facilities”, i.e. bikeways (like bike lanes and protected
bike lanes), paths, bike parking, wayfinding, traffic management and safe
intersection design.
Not all users of this document will understand that these facilities are
more than just bike paths.
p. 137 Stormwater Treatment and Green Infrastructure
- the text talks about “treating stormwater” but
never clearly makes the connection of what is meant by treatment. Please provide clarifying information for
those who are not familiar with this industry buzz word. Perhaps modify the text to say “Green
infrastructure includes treating stormwater to remove
pollutants such as sediment, fertilizer, and bacteria to improve water quality
before it is discharged into our waterways.
Best management practices in green infrastructure may include wetlands, rain gardens (plantings specifically engineered
to capture stormwater and thrive in various conditions), tree canopy, permeable
pavement (pavement which lets water through to the soil for absorption), green
roofs, and more. “
p. 166 Growth
Management and Rural Areas – Rural Areas
- the text accurately points out that the area is attractive for “leisure
walking and biking”. Long-distance “backroad biking” is a popular
activity and is a form of agritourism that support bicycle outfitters, tours,
and hospitality business like B&B’s, restaurants, and breweries/restaurants
(for that end of ride refreshment). Another agritourism activity in rural
areas is bird watching. Rural farm fields are prime locations for birding
in various seasons in search of species like snow geese, cattle egrets, ibis,
kestrels, and large flocks of red-winged blackbirds. The U.S. cycle
tourism market size was estimated at $29 billion in 2024. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-cycle-tourism-market-report Birding tourism is a $17 billion
market in U.S. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/birdwatching-tourism-market-report
Positive Content in Draft
The draft describes a strong vision for creating a
high-quality future for the City that is proactive about developing necessary
infrastructure, protects green and open space, works to connect people, and
respects the unique character of different parts of the City. The policies presented adopt the principles
of Smart Growth, focus on moving people on Complete Streets that provide safe
access to all, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users.
It includes good policies related to the environment, resilience, and
supporting rural areas. There are a
great many excellent features and policies included in the draft plan.
Below are select positive features in the plan that
we wish to particularly recognize.
The opening pages of the document do a very good job
of laying out the Guiding Principles (p. 10), Smart Growth (pp. 11-13), and
defining Priorities (p. 24). These
priorities are:
- Walkability, and specifically sidewalks
- Schools
- Balancing growth and infrastructure
- Protecting open space/green space
Something new for Chesapeake in the Plan is the
description of Character Districts (pp. 54-88) that describes a range of
appropriate uses in different types of communities that exist across the City. The Character Districts defined are Low Scale
Neighborhoods, Medium Scale Neighborhoods, Urban Mixed Use, Neighborhood
Centers, Community Regional Commercial, Employment Centers, Production &
Processing, Regional Parks, Rural, Fentress Overlay, and Conservation. Tree Canopy and Stormwater characteristics
are two aspects included in the description of each character district. A map
of how parts of the City are designated under these character districts is on
p. 58.
p. 57 “Small Area Plans take precedence where there
is a detailed recommendation and should be considered the “stronger” policy.”
pp. 90- 100
Connectivity and Infrastructure
- a strong emphasis on “moving] people with an efficient multi-modal
transportation system”, “Complete Street … designed to provide safe access for
all who need to use them, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and
transit users of all ages and abilities”, “Provide a safe, efficient, and
equitable active transportation network for all travelers regardless of age,
income, ability, race, where they live, or how they choose to travel. The
network should connect all of Chesapeake and be accessible to everyone.”,
“Incorporate active transportation facilities within new developments and City
projects”, providing “sidewalks [and] safe intersections.”
pp. 100-102 Transit
- setting goal to “make public transportation more appealing and more
convenient.”
p. 103 Rail
– “CON 34: Acquire abandoned railroad right-of-way the City has legal claim to
or that railroad companies are interested in disposing of for public use.”
p. 117 – Economic Prosperity
- “ECON11 Study and make recommendations on potential siting criteria and
sample stipulations for data centers.”
pp. 130-153 Environment and Resilience
- devotes entire chapter to Protect, maintain, and improve the quality of the
natural environment, While we have noted important areas that need to be
improved regarding creating healthy landscapes, green infrastructure, and
renewable energy, the draft presents a strong set of baseline policies to
achieve this goal.
Some highlights include wetland protections,
preference for living shorelines, riparian buffer protection, adopting the
HRPDC sea level rise scenarios, working to achieve Class 5 in the Community
Rating System (CRS) as it relates to flood mitigation, clear presentation on
the benefits of trees and the need for Urban Forestry Plan.
p. 155-157 – provides a good discussion on the
projected future population growth in the City and the emphasis on minimizing
suburban sprawl from overtaking our remaining rural areas.
p. 171 – Rural Character
- “GMRA23 When developing rural property for non-agricultural uses, to the
greatest extent possible, preserve fences, hedgerows, tree lines, and natural vegetation
to protect these landscape features during construction. Retain treed areas
between roads and buildings and protect these areas during construction”
p. 174- Agricultural Economy
- “GMRA26 Work with local farmers to
develop a strategy and action plan to support their businesses and potential
transition towards new agricultural models including small and niche farming in
the future”
p. 183/188 Housing
- “HOU6 Encourage energy efficient building practices to assist with long-term
affordability of housing”
- “HOU23 Implement an energy efficiency improvement program for existing
housing”
p. 201 Placemaking and Design – Community Design
- “Natural space should also be considered an amenity and planned for within
housing developments. Whether that space should be programmed and activated for
resident use or set aside for conservation, providing more passive benefits,
depends on the individual project, and should be carefully considered.”
p. 204 Placemaking and Design – Residential Design
- “DES9 Incorporate Smart Growth Principles and Traditional Neighborhood
Development practices in new development and redevelopment where appropriate to
enhance quality of life and the public realm.”
- DES13 Communities in the Urban and Suburban Overlays should emphasize connection
to the public right-of-way, with front entrances connected to pedestrian
walkways/sidewalks”
p. 207 Placemaking and Design – Non-Residential
Design
- “DES 15: Encourage more commercial development to be walkable, mixed-use, and
higher intensity …”
- “DES 20: Promote interior sidewalk connections throughout commercial and
mixed-use developments”
- “DES 22: Aggregate required green or open space to make it more usable and
increase any environmental benefits.”
p. 207 Placemaking and Design – Compatibility
- “DES 25: Review the Zoning Ordinance as needed to reduce impacts from
incompatible uses, such as improved screening, buffering, and vegetation”
p. 210 Placemaking and Design – Unique Design
Considerations
- “DES 26: Whenever possible, waterfront should be retained as a community
amenity with specific facilities based on the nature of the site. This includes
both residential and non-residential developments”
p. 210-211 Placemaking and Design – Sensitive
Environment
- Recognizes that light and noise pollution impacts both humans and
wildlife. States that light pollution
can be limited throughout the City by choosing exterior fixtures that are not
brighter than necessary, are directed towards the ground, have full cut off,
and use warm tones, among other practices. Recognizes impact of light pollution
on bird migration and that noise can cause wildlife to seek new habitat
- “DES 29: All
development and City construction projects should be reviewed for impacts based
on the Environmentally Sensitive Overlay and provide mitigation for those
impacts or refrain from developing in those areas.”
- “DES 30: Encourage developers to reduce light pollution by limiting the
brightness of exterior fixtures and promoting full cut-off fixtures when
practical. Where a development will occur in a highly natural area and/or
wildlife may be impacted, even greater consideration should be given to such
practices.”
- “DES 31: Develop an ordinance directed towards reducing light pollution.”
- “DES 32: The City will continue to manage detrimental impacts from noise “
- “DES 33: When a development would impact existing natural areas or known
habitat, consideration should be given to whether or not wildlife vehicle
collisions will increase, and thus whether a dedicated wildlife crossing or
other measure needs to be considered. “
p. 211 - Placemaking and Design Transit
- “DES 34: Direct higher
commercial and residential density around future or current areas served by
public transit with the greatest focus around transit hubs or transfer
stations.
p. 213 - Placemaking and Design Parking Lots
- “DES 35: Review Zoning
Districts to lower parking minimums where appropriate, and unless provided
reasonable justification, require the use of structured parking in the Urban
Mixed-Use Character Districts. “
- “DES 36: Encourage high-quality streetscaping for parking areas and include
continuous internal pedestrian walkways. “
p. 213 - Placemaking and Design Streetscape,
Wayfinding, and Gateway
- “DES 43: Establish and fund a City-wide policy for the planting and
maintenance of street trees. As a starting point, staff will refer to the
Virginia Department of Transportation and City Landscape guidelines when
designing street sections and the need for any planting of street trees”
- “DES 44: When roadway projects require the installation of public utilities
or otherwise create the opportunity, appropriate landscaping should be
included.”
- “DES 45: Review the street sections and related guidelines in the Public
Facilities Manual for possible amendments that clarify the expectations for
road design and accompanying facilities such as sidewalks, underground
utilities and street trees.”
p. 233 –
Quality of Life - Facilities Generally
- “QOL 5: Locate public facilities so they are easily accessible by the mode of
transportation used by frequently-served customers.”
p. 246 –
Quality of Life – Parks
- “QOL 31: Create multi-functional parks that store stormwater, reduce
flooding, and improve water quality where appropriate”
Signed
Executive Director
Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council/
Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Program
Executive Director
Coastal Virginia Conservancy
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Annette T.
Chesapeake, VA 23322
Barbara M.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Blaizen B.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Brittni H.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Carol W.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Christina T.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
David M.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Helene H.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
James H.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Jennifer R.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Jill S.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Juliann S.
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Lee D.
Chesapeake, VA 23322
Lisa K.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Mary Lou B.
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Michael J.
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Miriam G.
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Rebecca C.
Chesapeake, VA 23322
Rebecca G.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Robin R.
Chesapeake, VA 23320
David C.
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
Rodney N.
Chesapeake, VA 23324
Rue W.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Sharon K.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Shirley W.
Chesapeake, VA 23322
Steffanie A.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Susan L.
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Susan B.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Tamela L.
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Thomas K.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Vickie E.
Chesapeake, VA 23325
Walter B.
Chesapeake, VA 23325