September Newsletter

In this edition  ●  Data Center Ordinance and Policy  ● City Council Candidate Questionnaire ● Virginia Bottle Bill ● Bird Safe Hampton Roads ● 2026 Legislative Scorecard ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Upcoming Events ●  Planning Commission ● City Council ● Green Drinks ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News ● Follow us on Facebook


Data Center Ordinance and Policy

As part of the coalition of organizations concerned about data centers, we successfully got the City Council to adopt a clean, interim Data Center Ordinance on August 18th.  We filled the City Council chambers.  39 people spoke in opposition to the original draft Ordinance, and almost that many more were in the room in opposition who did not speak.  The Council likely received dozens, if not hundreds, more e-mails and calls in opposition.  The Council heard loud and clear the overwhelming concern and opposition to large-scale data center development in the City.  We thank Amanda Newins for offering alternative ordinance wording that closed the By-Right Loophole, removed the Fentress Overlay from consideration for data centers by Conditional Use, and tabled the remaining criteria, such as noise limits and setbacks, for further public input.   The Council also asked Staff to request an opinion from the State Attorney General on whether a locality can effectively ban data centers.  The adopted August 18 version of the interim ordinance can be found at Data Center Ordinance and Policy | Chesapeake, VA

But our work is not done yet.   The policy decisions for setbacks, noise, water consumption, landscaping, etc. still need to be finalized.   Even the victory on the Fentress Overlay comes with the caveat that properties anywhere in the City could still apply to be rezoned as M-1 or M-2 industrial zones and concurrently apply for a Conditional Use Permit to build a data center.   Similarly, the only barrier to building data centers By-Right in the Coastal Virginia Commerce Park PUD adjacent to the Great Dismal Swamp is the lack of power, water, sewer, and other infrastructure.  

The final regulations on setbacks, noise, water and power usage, landscaping, lighting, and decommissioning will ultimately decide where and how data centers can be built in the City.  We will be working on a detailed position paper on these issues and we encourage you to stay involved and look out for additional action alerts. 

In the near-term, the Planning Department is holding three open houses in September to collect public input, each from 5 pm to 7 pm:
  • Tuesday, September 1, Great Bridge Primary School, 408 Cedar Road
  • Monday, September 14, Indian River Community Center, 2250 Old Greenbrier Road
  • Wednesday, September 30, Camelot Community Center, 948 King Arthur Drive
The moratorium implemented by the City Council expires in February, but we expect the Planning Department will probably work to bring a revised ordinance back to the City Council before then, likely after the November election.  

Learn more about the City's proposed policy and the various concerns, including opening up the Fentress overlay to data center development, permitted noise levels, setback distances from residential properties, plans for decommissioning defunct data centers, and efficiency standards.  

City Council Candidate Questionnaire

This November's election includes many crucial votes, including for the US House and Senate, and pivotal Virginia Constitutional Amendments.  Locally, the Chesapeake City Council and School Board each have 5 seats up for election.  Early, in-person voting starts on September 18th.

There are 15 candidates, including 3 incumbents, running for the 5 City Council seats.   The Chesapeake Sustainability Network sent a survey to each of the candidates asking their positions on key environmental issues important to citizens of Chesapeake.  Topics included data centers, trees, affordable housing, open space, flooding, alternative transportation, government transparency, and more.   As of the writing of this newsletter, we thank the candidates who have responded (in the order received): Ozan Duran, Dr. George Yacus, Santiera Brown-Yearling, Jennifer Naperala, Dr. Janelle St Louis, Amanda Newins, and Daniel Rosinski.


Virginia Bottle Bill

Jaimi McPeek, Legislative Director for the Virginia Bottle Bill Organization, spoke at our last Green Drinks meeting about their efforts to implement a deposit system for beverage bottles and cans in Virginia.  In such a system, you pay a deposit on each bottle or can you buy. When you return your empty can/bottle to the store or special redemption center, you get the deposit back.  Ten other states, covering about 1/3rd of the US population, now have such programs.  

Having a bottle bill would significantly reduce litter;  plastic and glass bottles, cans, and bottle tops make up 5 to the 10 most littered items - and probably the majority of items by volume. According to research by Clean Virginia Waterways, plastic bottles, glass bottles, and aluminum cans are approximately two and a half times more frequently littered in Virginia than in states with bottle bills.  Reducing this pollution source will make our streets, parks, and waterways cleaner, reduce cleanup costs, and reduce the amount of microplastic entering the ecosystem as plastic bottles degrade.  

A bottle bill also improves recycling efficiency because these containers are not contaminated or lost in single-stream waste collection systems.  It would even save us money as taxpayers in reduced tipping fees for city trash sent to SPSA for processing and disposal.  


Bird Safe Hampton Roads

The fall "Lights Out" campaign is officially underway in Hampton Roads.  As part of this voluntary program, the Cape Henry Audubon Society and its partners urge property managers, businesses, tenants, government agencies, and residents to help prevent nighttime bird collisions with buildings by turning off and/or blocking as many external and internal building lights at workplaces as possible at night to help prevent injury and death of migrating birds, especially from 11 pm to sunrise.  

During migration, birds rest during the day and fly at night. During their long-distance flights, birds become disoriented by the bright, artificial lights of cities and are drawn into hazardous urban areas, where building collisions are a leading human cause of bird deaths, killing around 1 billion birds each year.   Learn how you can help at Bird Safe Hampton Roads.

2026 Legislative Scorecard

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has published its 2026 Legislative Scorecard.  See how your senator or delegate voted on environmental issues in this year's General Assembly at VALCV

Chesapeake Sustainability Network

The next Chesapeake Sustainability Network planning call will be on Thursday, September 3, 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 Data Center next steps, support for Virginia Bottle Bill legislation, partnering with Bird Safe Hampton Roads, EcoFest planning, and more.


Upcoming Events
  • Saturday, September 12, 10 am - 3 pm, EcoFest @ Russell Memorial Library. 
    • Various organizations and vendors will be tabling, including the Chesapeake Sustainability Network. There will be educational workshops, hands-on activities, and a live band performing from noon to 3:00 p.m. There will also be a screening of the film "We're All Plastic People Now" at 1 pm.
  • Saturday, September 26, 12 - 4 pm, Chesapeake Celebrates Trees @ Chesapeake Arboretum
    • Chesapeake celebrates 40 years as a Tree City USA.  The event will include Arbor Day Ceremonies, tree climbing demonstrations, interactive butterfly exhibit, forest bathing, tree trail tours, a food truck, giveaways, and more.
Planning Commission

Some agenda items of interest for the Planning Commission on September 9 include:
  • PLN-USE-2025-009 in South Norfolk at 2651 S. Military Highway, along the waterfront. Requests a conditional use permit to utilize the site for concrete crushing and recycling and requests a height exception for 170-foot-tall silos and tanks.  The parcel is 46 acres, including 20 acres of tree canopy; potential tree canopy loss of 8.0 acres.  Note that this site is about 320' from Reunion townhouse community (on the other side of the railroad tracks).  Continued from July meeting. 
  • PLN-USE-2025-049 in Deep Creek at 1500 Steel Street, along waterfront.  A conditional use permit to allow container stacking on a 54-acre parcel.  Current tree canopy is about  7 acres;  ~0 acres lost; site plan keeps existing buffers.  Continued from June.
  • PLN-REZ-2025-013 in Southern Chesapeake at 2728 Battlefield Blvd. S.  Rezone 13.6 acres to  Light Industrial for a concrete company and associated equipment and storage.  Currently about 8 acres of trees.   No significant impact to tree canopy; add perimeter buffer. 
  • PLN-REZ-2026-003 in South Norfolk at 1328 22nd St. & 906 B St.   Rezone 0.3 acres to Urban Business District for outdoor storage for a contractor business.  No significant tree canopy.  Site plan adds shrubs around perimeter. 
  • PLN-USE-2026-015 in Southern Chesapeake at 1004 W. Saint Brides Rd. A conditional use permit to operate a meeting and banquet hall and an alternative parking surface on an 88-acre property.  Current tree canopy is 6.4 acres.  0 acres of tree canopy are disturbed in the site plan.
  • PLN-USE-2026-017 in Rivercrest at 1652 Debaun Ave. (at Battlefield/I-64 Interchange). Conditional Use for 4-story self-storage facility on 6.2-acre property.  About 0.9 acres of tree canopy.  ~0 acres of additional tree canopy loss; being built on already cleared land.
  • PLN-USE-CT-2026-003 in Southern Chesapeake in Heritage Park, at 244 Saint Brides Rd. W.  A Conditional use permit to construct an approximately 199-foot-tall communications tower on a 140-acre property.  Existing tree canopy is 68 acres.  Loss of about 0.4 acres of tree canopy for an access road to an existing clearing in the woods.  
  • PLN-TXT-2026-002 - Ordinance Change due to State Code Updates.  Modify requirements for wireless facilities including temporary support structures, by-right locations for manufactured housing, off-street parking requirements and administrative reductions of parking spaces, development of residential uses on property owned by certain tax-exempt organizations, and small lot residential districts. 
  • PLN-TXT-2026-003 - Ordinance Change due to State Code Updates. Modify local regulation of solar and battery energy storage facilities.
  • PLN-COMP-2026-003 - Comp Plan Change due to State Code Updates. Modify local regulation of solar and battery energy storage. facilities.

Find the full agenda at Planning Commission Agenda


To submit comments to the Planning Commission online, visit https://cityofchesapeake.jotform.com/210536857544057


City Council


Some agenda items of interest at the City Council in September:

  • PLN-REZ-2025-010 in Grassfield at 2113, 2117, & 2115 Grassfield Rd & a portion of 860 West Rd - Builds Senior Housing on a 9.6-acre lot.  Currently about 6 acres of trees.  Loss of about 4.5 acres in the plan. Planning Commission recommends Denial
  • PLN-REZ-2026-001 in Rivercrest at 727 Wickford Dr., 853 & 845 Great Bridge Blvd. - Build Multifamily Residential.  Currently 2.2 acres of tree canopy.  Loss of about 1 acre of tree canopy in the plan.    Planning Commission recommends Approval.

At August City Council meetings


  • PLN-REZ-2025-015 in Great Bridge at 1401 Battlefield Blvd S, Great Hope Baptist Church.  Requests rezoning but with no definitive site plan.  Earlier site plan showed addition of 486 parking spaces, accessory buildings, and ball fields to existing church.  Current tree canopy is approximately 0 acres; no new landscaping shown in initial site plan.  Withdrawn by Applicant
  • PLN-REZ-2025-021 in Western Branch at the western terminus of Woodland Drive.  Builds Low Density Residential - 22 lots, minimum 8000 sq. ft.  Currently 10.5 acres of tree canopy.   Loss of about 7 acres in the plan.  Sets aside a riparian buffer in CBPA.  Approved by City Council
  • Data Center Ordinance - see above for details.

City Council meeting details are posted to the City Council agenda page.

Green Drinks

Our next Green Drinks Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 30 at 6 pm.  Location TBA.




Action Alerts
  • Federal Budget: Urge Congress to do the right thing and uphold environmental funding for the Chesapeake Bay restoration. The administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget slashes critical funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the National Park Service (NPS). Contact your congressional representatives now - https://cbf.quorum.us/campaign/trumpbudget/
  • Federal Budget: Oysters: Ask Congress to Keep the Chesapeake Bay’s Oyster Sanctuaries Protected.  The U.S. House Appropriations Committee recently passed a Fiscal Year 2027 funding bill for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that includes two harmful provisions (Sec. 586 and 587). One would open up protected oyster sanctuaries to commercial fishing; the other would cut off restoration funds for oyster sanctuaries most in need of investment.  Contact your congressional representatives now - https://cbf.quorum.us/campaign/noaafunding/
  • 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

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