Greening Chesapeake: October 2026

In this edition ● Elections 2026 ● Data Center Ordinance and Policy ● Ospreys in Trouble ● Urban Forestry ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Upcoming Events ● Planning Commission ● City Council ● Green Drinks ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News ● Follow us on Facebook

Elections 2026

Elections Matter! While every year is an election year in Virginia, this November's midterms will certainly be critical for the future of our nation and our environment. The election will decide control of the US Congress and how it holds the administration accountable.

Locally, the majority of the City Council and School Board are up for election. The outcome may decide how Chesapeake regulates data centers and whether we take new steps to protect our city's tree canopy and natural areas. The Chesapeake Sustainability Network sent a survey to each of the asking candidates about their positions on key environmental issues important to citizens of Chesapeake. You can see their responses to our questions at https://www.greeningchesapeake.com/2026/08/city-council-candidate-questionaire-2026.html.

Also on the ballot are three Virginia Constitution Amendments regarding core rights for Virginians. The Chesapeake Sustainability Network Steering Committee, in alignment with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, supports voting Yes on Question 3, restoring the right to vote to people convicted of felonies upon their release from incarceration.

Early voting is underway at the Voter Registrar's Office at 411 Cedar Road and will expand to several libraries between October 19 and October 31. The last day to register to vote is October 23, although you can do same day registration and vote a provisional ballot if you need to. Get more info on how and where to vote from the Voter Registrar's Office at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1155/In-Person-Early-Voting-Absentee-By-Mail-. You can find the sample ballot at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1055/Sample-Ballot

We urge you to get out and vote!

Data Center Ordinance and Policy

The Planning Department has completed its Open Houses but is still taking public input via its Online Survey until October 30. We urge everyone to take the survey and let the Planning Department know your thoughts. You can find some key points to make in our information flier.

We also have a letter detailing key recommendations that we plan to send to the City Council, Planning Commission, and City Manager. We encourage you to sign on at Keep Chesapeake Communities Safe from Data Centers.

The final regulations on setbacks, noise, water and power usage, landscaping, and lighting will ultimately decide where and how data centers can be built in the City. Strong setback and noise restrictions will help keep data centers away from communities. These regulations will also set key rules, such as noise, water and sewer connections, backup generator usage, decommissioning, and enforcement, including in the Coastal Virginia Commerce Park where data centers are still permitted "By-Right" due to the previously approved PUD zoning.

The moratorium implemented by the City Council expires in February. The Planning Department is planning to report back what it heard from the public at a City Council Work Session, which we expect in November. A revised ordinance could come back to the City Council as early as December, so we need to be ready to act. Sign on to our Keep Chesapeake Communities Safe from Data Centers letter, and we will keep you informed of next steps!

Ospreys in Trouble

Our colleagues at the Cape Henry Audubon Society and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have shared information on the dire situation for ospreys across the Chesapeake Bay region. Ospreys in the saltier parts of the bay had the worst breeding year on record, with nesting pairs only successfully raising 0.25 chicks per nest on average. Baby ospreys were literally starving in the nests because parents could not find enough fish for them to eat. Ospreys need to raise about 0.8 to 1.3 chicks per year to keep the population stable. In tidal freshwater regions, ospreys did do better, raising just over 1.0 chicks per nest.

Among environmental groups, there is great concern that the declining populations of menhaden fish are destabilizing the entire food web in the Bay. Menhaden are a forage fish that are key parts of the diet of ospreys, eagles, striped bass, otters, and many other species that make the Chesapeake Bay home. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is currently reviewing options that include reducing the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap (Bay Cap) by up to 50%. The ASMFC is taking public comment through October 9. We encourage everyone to sign on the Audubon action alert at https://act.audubon.org/a/menhaden-osprey-2026

Urban Forestry

Everyone loves trees. On September 26, the city held its Chesapeake Celebrates Trees event at the Arboretum to recognize 40 years as a Tree City USA. Yet despite these commitments, between 2014 and 2021, the city saw a net loss of 832 acres of trees.

Everyone knows we need to do better. In 2022, the City hired an Urban Forester who has focused on tree care and planted many hundreds of trees across municipal properties. The Tree Board, part of the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council, continues to seek new ways to educate communities about the many benefits of trees. The City is currently reviewing bids to hire consultants to develop an Urban Forestry Master Plan.

Meanwhile, development pressures result in continued losses. In many ways, the City's options are limited by state laws that set strict limits on how many trees the City can require developers to restore post-construction - maximums as low as 10% tree canopy for commercial development, 15% for multi-family development, and 20% for single-family development. The General Assembly did increase this maximum to 30% for low-density single-family development, but the City has not yet adopted this increased limit.

We intend to advocate for the 30% tree restoration requirement for low-density development. We also hope the Urban Forestry Master Plan will set strong goals for growing more trees in Chesapeake. And we expect more action on trees in the General Assembly in January. Stay tuned for information.

In the meantime, if you want to get your hands dirty, come out and help Parks, Recreation and Tourism plant new trees at Bells Mill Park, Edinburgh Park, and Sawyer's Mill Park and/or help manage invasive plants that threaten existing trees.

Chesapeake Sustainability Network

The next Chesapeake Sustainability Network planning call will be on Thursday, October 8, 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, Legislative priorities, and the calendar for the rest of the year.

Upcoming Events

VOTE! Now through November 3 for US Congress, Chesapeake City Council, Chesapeake School Board, and 3 Virginia Constitutional Amendments. See details above.
Saturday, October 3 - Chesapeake Recycles Day @ Greenbrier Sentara College of Health Sciences,1441 Crossways Blvd, 9 am - Noon -
Thursday, October 15 - CBF Learning Series: The Changing Chesapeake: Impacts of a Warming Bay - Chesapeake Bay Foundation @ Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, 6 pm
Wednesday, October 28 - Green Drinks - Come join the conversation. We will discuss the latest happenings in Chesapeake and next steps on data centers. 6 pm, location TBD.
Saturday, November 7 - Chesapeake Recycles Day @ Tidewater Community College - Chesapeake Campus, 9 am - Noon -
Wednesday, November 11 - CBF Learning Series: Powering Virginia's Clean Energy Future - Chesapeake Bay Foundation @ Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, 6 pm

Planning Commission

Some agenda items of interest for the Planning Commission on October 14 include:

PLN-REZ-2025-020 Great Bridge East side of Battlefield Boulevard South, between Hessian Loop and Henry Jefferson Way. Rezoning to build single-family residential on 8.4 acres. Current tree canopy is about 0.5 acres. Potential tree canopy increase of about 1 acre.
PLN-REZ-2025-022 in Great Bridge at 1412 Mount Pleasant Rd. Rezoning to build Single Family Residential on 16.4 acres. Current tree canopy is 3.2 acres. Potential tree canopy gain after reforestation: +0.3 acres.
PLN-REZ-2025-023 in Deep Creek at 4168 S. Military Hwy for a Towing and Storage facility on a 42-acre property. About 20 acres are forested wetland, with additional trees in the upland area. Wetland areas are not being developed; about 16 acres are being rezoned C-1 Conservation; and the remaining 4 acres would be M-2 Industrial. The plan does include new perimeter plantings. Overall, it appears to be minimal tree canopy impact.

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 October:

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). Planning Commission recommended Approval.
PLN-USE-2025-049 in Deep Creek at 1500 Steel Street, along the 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. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
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. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
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 the perimeter. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
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. Planning Commission recommended Denial.
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. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
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. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
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. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
PLN-TXT-2026-003 - Ordinance Change due to State Code Updates. Modify local regulation of solar and battery energy storage facilities. Planning Commission recommended Approval.
PLN-COMP-2026-003 - Comp Plan Change due to State Code Updates. Modify local regulation of solar and battery energy storage facilities. Planning Commission recommended Approval.

At September City Council meetings:

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. Approved by City Council

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

Green Drinks

Our next Green Drinks Meeting will be on Wednesday, October 28 at 6 pm. Location TBA.

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

Saturday, October 3 - Tree Planting @ Bells Mill Park, 9 am - 11 am
Friends of Indian River Volunteer Opportunities
Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council Volunteer Opportunities
Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism volunteer opportunities

In the News

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October Newsletter