May Newsletter
In this edition ● Energy Storage 101 ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Bike Month ● General Assembly Update ● Tree Preservation ● Environmental Town Hall ● Data Center Update ● Green Drinks ● Planning Commission ● City Council ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News
Energy Storage 101
Join the Chesapeake Sustainability Network for a call on Thursday, May 7, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, to discuss our local efforts. We'll use Google Meet - see the e-mailed newsletter for the link or reach out to us at greeningchesapeake@gmail.com
The agenda will include the Data Center Working Group Update, Urban Forestry Updates, and planning for future activities of the network.
Chesapeake will be hosting 4 events for Bike Month this year
- BikeFest, Sunday, May 3, 1-4 pm @ Dismal Swamp Canal Trail
- Glow Ride, Friday, May 8, 7-8:45 pm @ Oak Grove Park
- Bike Ride of Historic Great Bridge, Saturday, May 16, starting from the Great Bridge Community Center (registration required)
- Chesapeake Ride of Silence, Wednesday, May 20, 6:30-8:30 pm starting from City Park (registration required).
Get all the info and register at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/3092/Bike-Month
General Assembly Update
See the final round-up of environmental bills we've been tracking, as well as links to the bills, on our General Assembly page.
Tree Preservation
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| Tree clearing at housing development site |
But for these new levels to take effect, a locality must opt in and adopt the requirement in its local ordinances. In other words, the Chesapeake City Council must approve this change. We will plan to advocate for in the coming months. Stay tuned for how you can help.
Environmental Town Hall
Some key areas that still need to be addressed include setback distances, how noise analysis is performed, enforcement of noise limits, and water usage. We will be discussing this at our next Chesapeake Sustainability Call on May 7.
Green Drinks
Our next Green Drinks Meeting will be on Wednesday, May 27 at 6 pm. Location TBA.
Planning Commission
Some agenda items of interest for the Planning Commission on May 13 include:
- PLN-REZ-2025-015 in Great Bridge at 1401 Battlefield Blvd South at the Great Hope Baptist Church. Per the initial site plan, this includes the addition of 486 parking spaces, accessory buildings, and ball fields to an existing church.
- PLN-REZ-2025-021 in Western Branch at the western terminus of Woodland Drive. Project builds Low Density Residential - 22 lots of a minimum 8000 sq. ft. each. The site currently has 10.5 acres of tree canopy. There would be a loss of about 7 acres of tree canopy in the plan. It sets aside a riparian buffer in CBPA.
- PLN-USE-2025-048 in Greenbrier at Old Sears at Greenbrier Mall. Costco is requesting a Conditional Use Permit to operate a gas and service center next to a new Costco.
Find the full agenda at Planning Commission Agenda
City Council
Some agenda items of interest at the City Council in May
- PLN-REZ-2025-009 in Great Bridge to build low-density residential on 25-acre forested lot, including forested wetlands. The site plan sets aside 3 acres for a park site and 4.2 acres for conservation. Potential tree canopy loss of 16 to 18 acres. The Planning Commission recommended denial, partially due to the loss of open space, trees, and wetlands from development. The City Council CONTINUED the application to the May 19, 2026 City Council Meeting.
- PLN-USE-2025-003 in South Norfolk for in-fill development of lots at 1413, 1417, 1420, and 1421 Bainbridge Blvd (north of Lakeside Park) with single family homes. Planning Commission Recommended Approval on 4/8/2026
Proposed City Budget
- City Manager presented the proposed City Budget at the City Council's March 24 Work Session. The presentation and proposed budgets can be found at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/176/Budget-Department. A vote on the budget is planned for May 12.
City Council meeting details are posted to the City Council agenda page.
Action Alerts
- Healthy Landscapes: Are you taking steps to help improve the Chesapeake environment with the landscaping in your yard? If you are, we would love to recognize your efforts and share tips on what more you can do. Sign up for our new Chesapeake Healthy Landscape program at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1254/Chesapeake-Healthy-Landscape-Program
Volunteer Opportunities
In the News
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation sues Trump administration over rollback of climate pollution protections - WHRO
- Chesapeake wants to preserve land with transfer of development rights program - Virginian-Pilot
- Chesapeake neighbor raises safety concerns over the lack of sidewalks and bike lanes in Deep Creek - WTKR
- Zero Waste Wardrobe collects clothes for Virginia Beach families - WHRO
- 'Green Line' project illustrates how marshes will migrate in Portsmouth - WHRO