In this edition ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Millstone Battery Energy Storage System ● LS Greenlink Tower ● Planning Commission ● City Council ● Green Drinks ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News
Chesapeake Sustainability Network
Join the Chesapeake Sustainability Network for a call on Thursday, June 4, 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 Policy Comments, Urban Forestry Updates, We Are All Plastic Screening, City Council Candidate Questionnaire, and organizational Bylaws
Millstone Battery Energy Storage System
On June 10th, the Planning Commission will be considering a conditional use permit application to construct and operate a Battery Energy Storage System on a 31-acre portion of a 179-acre property, consisting of 4 parcels, off Centerville Turnpike, north of Hickory Middle/High School. The proposed facility will provide 150 megawatt / 600 megawatt-hour of energy storage, enough to power nearly 112,500 homes for a 4-hour period. For comparison, Chesapeake has about 95,000 households.
To speak or submit comments on the project, see the Planning Commission links below.
Greenlight America is a proponent of the project and is holding a Virtual Action Night on Wednesday, June 3, 7–8 pm, via Zoom, to discuss the project and help draft public comments to submit to the Planning Commission. To participate in this Virtual Action Night, RSVP to https://www.mobilize.us/greenlightaction/event/959455/
Learn more about the project at
LS Greenlink Tower
In May, the Planning Commission considered an ordinance change to permit the illumination of landmark buildings in Chesapeake that are at least 500' in height. This is specifically written to permit the illumination of the 660-foot-tall LS Greenlink tower being built along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, just south of Paradise Creek Park. The tower is a vertical manufacturing facility designed specifically to produce high-voltage submarine power cables for offshore wind farms.
The Cape Henry Audubon Society, along with Dark Sky Virginia, raised concerns that illuminating the tower poses the risk of turning the structure from the tallest building in Virginia into the tallest bird hazard in Virginia. Building lights, especially those of tall buildings, are a deadly hazard to migrating birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology estimates that hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in building collisions. Well-lit skyscrapers such as the Greenlink tower pose a severe threat. Chesapeake is along the Atlantic Migratory Flyway, and birds primarily migrate at night in huge flocks. Lights on tall buildings disorient and attract these migrating flocks, often causing them to circle the building endlessly until exhausted. Birds also crash into the structure and are killed. The situation becomes even worse during low cloud or foggy weather conditions.
The City Comprehensive Plan, pp. 213-214, recognizes this threat and clearly states that "while lights may be a nuisance for residents, for wildlife it can be more serious, rendering habitat unlivable or confusing animals’ natural patterns. Birds in particular may be susceptible to light pollution as most migratory birds fly at night, and can be disoriented or stressed by lights. Where there are known migratory paths, habitats, and highly natural areas, even more care should be given to lighting choices and ensuring lights are used only when necessary." Policy DES 31 calls for us to "Develop an ordinance directed towards reducing light pollution."
For wildlife, the best practice would be not to light up the tower. If the building must be lit, the Cape Henry Audubon Society strongly urged that the ordinance incorporate key safeguards to reduce the number of birds killed at the site and the wildlife disturbed in neighboring parks and along the river. Safeguards they recommended included: turning off the lights after 10 pm, minimizing the illumination levels permitted, using lighting with a warmer color temperature of 2700K or less, requiring lighting to be downward oriented to not illuminate clouds above the building, and, as per FAA standards, using flashing anti-collision lighting.
The Planning Commission did listen to the concerns and did amend the proposed ordinance to require the lights to be turned off after 10 pm, the top request. But it took no action on the other safeguards.
The request now goes to the City Council, and the Cape Henry Audubon Society will seek additional changes to the ordinance, especially to reduce the allowed brightness level. The draft ordinance now specifies a 0.5 foot-candle brightness limit on adjoining residential properties; an improvement would be to also set this limit for adjoining parkland, i.e. Paradise Creek Park.
This item is expected to be considered by the City Council on June 23.
Planning Commission
Some agenda items of interest for the Planning Commission on June 10 include:
- PLN-REZ-2025-021 in Western Branch at the western terminus of Woodland Drive, builds Low Density Residential - 22 lots, minimum 8000 sq. ft. The current tree canopy covers about 10.5 acres; the potential tree canopy loss is 7 acres.
- PLN-REZ-2025-019 in Western Branch at 4733 Charlton Drive, builds Low Density Residential on a 1.1-acre lot. The current tree canopy covers about 0.9 acres; the potential tree canopy loss is 0.7 acres.
- 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 a request to allow a height exception for 170-foot-tall silos and tanks. Parcel is 46 acres, including 20 acres of tree canopy; potential tree canopy loss of 8 acres. Note, this site is about 320' from the Reunion townhouse community (located on the other side of the railroad tracks).
- PLN-USE-2025-049 in Deep Creek at 1500 Steel Street, along the waterfront. Requests a conditional use permit to allow container stacking on 54-acre parcel. The current tree canopy is about 7 acres; the site plan keeps the existing buffers, and the tree canopy loss is ~0 acres.
- PLN-USE-2026-002 in Great Bridge at 1912 Centerville Turnpike S. A conditional use permit to construct and operate a Battery Energy Storage System on an approximately 31-acre portion of a 179-acre property covering 4 parcels. Current tree canopy of about 167 acres; potential tree canopy loss of 25 acres.
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 June:
- PLN-REZ-2025-009 in Great Bridge to build Low Density Residential on a 25.3 forested lot. The site contains forested wetlands. This is not in CBPA. The plan sets aside 3 acres for a park site and 4.2 acres for conservation. Potential Canopy loss -16 to -18 acres. Planning Commission recommended Denial, partially due to loss of open space, trees, and wetlands from development. City Council CONTINUED to the June 16, 2026
- PLN-REZ-2025-015 in Great Bridge at 1401 Battlefield Blvd S., the Great Hope Baptist Church. Requests rezoning, but with no definitive site plan. An earlier site plan showed the addition of 486 parking spaces, accessory buildings, and ball fields to the existing church. Current tree canopy approx. 0 acres; no new landscaping shown in the initial site plan.
- 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. Minimal impact to the tree canopy; Costco may add more tree islands.
- PLN-TXT-2025-004 - External Building Lighting on Structures and Sign to permit illumination of landmark buildings at least 500' in height, specifically for the LS Greenlink manufacturing tower under construction along the Southern Branch.
In May, the City Council approved:
- PLN-COMP-2026-001 Deep Creek Area Plan
- PLN-USE-2025-003 in South Norfolk for in-fill development of 1413, 1417,1421, 1420 Bainbridge Blvd (north of Lakeside Park) with Single Family Homes. Total area, 0.6 acres. Potential canopy gain of 0.06 acres.
City Council meeting details are posted to the City Council agenda page.
Green Drinks
Our next Green Drinks Meeting will be on Wednesday, June 24 at 6 pm. Location TBA.
Action Alerts
- Data Centers: Contact state legislators to hold data centers responsible for their impacts on the state's power grid and environment: https://valcv.org/actions/tell-lawmakers-to-finish-the-job-on-data-centers-2/
- State Budget: Contact state legislators today and urge them to support clean water investments - https://cbf.quorum.us/campaign/vaspecialsession/
- 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
- Oyster Gardening: Live on salt water? Want to get involved in oyster gardening? The Chesapeake Bay Foundation—Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore, VA will be hosting Oyster Gardening Seminars around Hampton Roads in June and July to get you set up. https://www.cbf.org/resources/virginia-oyster-gardening-seminars/
Volunteer Opportunities
In the News
- Community meeting held for proposed battery energy storage facility in Chesapeake - WAVY
- Wildlife advocates raise concerns about LS Greenlink building and potential danger to migrating birds - WTKR
- Chesapeake’s Deep Creek, Camelot area plan envisions future mixed-use opportunities- Virginian-Pilot
- Dominion Energy to merge with Florida company, creating a utility titan - WHRO
- Pricey transmission upgrades are stalling much-needed energy projects in Virginia, report says - WHRO
- Blue crab population booms in Chesapeake Bay by 100 million, report finds - Virginian-Pilot
- How Soil and Water Conservation Districts can help homeowners - WHRO
