Showing posts with label Newsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newsletter. Show all posts

July Newsletter

In this edition ● Data Center Ordinance and Policy ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Millstone Battery Energy Storage System   ● State Budget ●  Planning Commission ● City Council ● Green Drinks ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News

Data Center Ordinance and Policy

Save the date!  The proposed Data Center Ordinance and Policy are going to the Planning Commission on Wednesday, July 8, at 7 pm.   The proposed ordinance will continue to allow Data Centers to be built in Chesapeake with a Conditional Use Permit in Industrial zoning districts (M-1 and M-2) and also within the Fentress Overlay.  It establishes conditions and guidelines for granting such a Conditional Use Permit. 

While the draft documents included some good standards and requirements, they also raised multiple 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.   

Actions you can take:
  1. Attend the public hearing and address the Planning Commission in person on Wednesday, July 8, 7 pm at City Hall to share your concerns.   Persons wishing to speak  will need to fill out a speaker card, located at the entrance of the Council Chambers, and submit it to the Recording Secretary of the Commission prior to the 7 p.m. opening of the meeting.  Let us know you are planning to speak.
  2. Submit written comments no later than July 8, 2026, by 12:00 p.m.   These can be submitted via the Electronic Comment Form found on https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/3783/Data-Center-Ordinance-and-Policy
  3. Sign on to our letter to the Planning Commission 

Chesapeake Sustainability Network

Join the Chesapeake Sustainability Network for a call on Thursday, July 9, 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 recommended Denial for 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.  

Local residents expressed multiple concerns, including fear about fires.  The proposal now continues to the Chesapeake City Council on July 21.   Local news covered the meeting, including a story by WTKR - City commission recommends denial of proposed battery energy storage system

Greenlight America is a proponent of the project and is holding an Action Night on Tuesday, July 14, 7 pm –8 pm at the Great Bridge Community Center. Learn more and RSVP at: https://www.mobilize.us/greenlightaction/event/959987/

Learn more about the project at 

State Budget

In late June, the General Assembly approved a compromise state budget that addressed several environmental issues.
  • Creates an energy consumption tax for data centers at $.011 per kilowatt-hour used.  The total revenue raised is capped at $600 million per year.  This new tax on data centers is approved for the next two years. 
  • Directs the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to study the groundwater impacts of non-closed loop data centers.  DEQ will locate “cooling water scarcity areas” where the use of potable water for computer cooling systems could be detrimental to surrounding areas’ water quality and availability and create regulations for the scarcity areas by July 2027.
  • Directs DEQ to put in place noise abatement regulations for data centers before the end of 2029. The department will determine the lowest possible noise level for data centers and make it the standard starting in 2030.  After that date, facilities that violate the noise standard will face a fine of $32,500 per day.
  • Directs that 45% of the funds earned through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative be used for rebates back to electricity rate payers.   The balance of the fund would continue to be used for community flood preparedness projects and low-income energy efficiency projects, as per the original intent. 
  • Funds $43.5M for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) and $4M for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)
and some funding reduction impacting tree efforts.  
  • Reduces funding for Virginia Trees for Clean Water by 87% to $500,000.  Funds Department of Forestry Water Quality Grants at $500,000.   Also the budget did not include funding to support the two Virginia Department of Forestry staff members who lead the Urban and Community Forestry Program.

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. Continued from the June 10th meeting.
  • 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). Continued from the June 10th meeting.
  • PLN-REZ-2025-020 in Great Bridge on the east side of Battlefield Boulevard South, between Hessian Loop and Henry Jefferson Way.  build Low-density Residential on a 8.4 lot.  Current Tree Canopy of about 1 acre.  Potentially adds about 0.4 acres of tree canopy.
  • PLN-TXT-2026-001 - Proposed Data Center Ordinance (see above for more details)
  • PLN-TXT-2026-002 - Proposed Data Center Policy (see above for more details) 

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 July:


  • 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.  Planning Commission recommended Approval. 
  • 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.  Planning Commission recommended Denial.   (see above for more details)

In May, the City Council approved:
  • 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 Approved on June 16, 2026
  • 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. City Council Approved on June 16, 2026
  • 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.  City Council Approved on June 16, 2026.   The new ordinance does include turning off the lights from 10 pm to dawn to protect wildlife.
  • An INITIATING RESOLUTION asking the Planning Commission to consider amendments to the City's Zoning Ordinance and Solar Energy Policy in response to changes mandated by the General Assembly.   Specifically, HB711 and SB347 add requirements for a use permit for solar farms; specific setback and other design requirements; and updating decommissioning plans at least every five years; requiring a use permit for energy storage projects, and a requirement to report to the SCC with a record of such use permit decisions.  HB891 and SB443 provide that battery energy storage projects are a permitted accessory use on any parcel of land that has an approved use permit for a solar facility.   The City Council approved initiating this effort on June 23, 2026.
and the City Council Continued
  • 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.   Continued to an August 2026 meeting.  
City Council meeting details are posted to the City Council agenda page.


Green Drinks

Our next Green Drinks Meeting will be on Wednesday, July 29 at 6 pm.  Location TBA.




Action Alerts
  • Chesapeake Data Center Ordinance and Policy - Speak out at the July 8 Planning Commission meeting.  Learn more about the proposed changes.
  • 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

Stay on top of the latest news and join the conversation in our Facebook group at Greening Chesapeake.


at
Labels:

June Newsletter

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.  

The project is being built in a wooded area adjacent to the existing 230kV transmission line running south from the Fentress Substation, which in turn is the primary distribution substation for the 2.6 gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.  While the project would clear about 25 acres of trees, it keeps about 140 acres of trees as a buffer between the site and adjoining properties.  

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

Stay on top of the latest news and join the conversation in our Facebook group at Greening Chesapeake.
at
Labels:

May Newsletter

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

On Thursday, April 30th, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, local energy professionals, union workers, and environmental advocates will hold a free community information meeting to discuss utility-scale battery energy storage.  They'll cover what battery energy storage is, how it affects grid reliability and energy costs, local jobs and tax revenue, fire safety and first responder preparedness, construction and runoff standards, and wildlife and conservation protections.  No technical background needed.  This meeting is organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Appalachian Voices, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, IBEW Local 80, and Greenlight America.   The meeting will be held at Hickory Middle School in Chesapeake.

Chesapeake Sustainability Network

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.

Bike Month

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 

Tree clearing at housing development site
The Governor has signed HB 549, a bill that will allow localities to increase the tree canopy that needs to be preserved or established after low-density development.  The current law limits how much tree canopy developers are required to preserve or replace to no more than 20% of a residential site zoned 10 units or less per acre.   The new law would increase this to preserving or replacing 25% tree canopy for a site zoned for more than 2 but less than 5 units per acre, and 30% tree canopy for a site zoned 2 or fewer units per acre.

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

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters hosted an Environmental Town Hall on Monday, April 27th.  Citizens were able to meet with local Delegates Bonita Anthony, Kacey Carnegie, Cliff Hayes, and Nadarius Clark to learn about the environment-related bills that passed in the General Assembly and are now signed by Governor Spanberger.   Read more about the event in this article from the Virginian-Pilot. 


Date Center Update
City Staff briefed the City Council on the progress of stakeholder meetings to consider amendments to the Chesapeake zoning Ordinance to make Data Centers a conditional use at the City Council Work Session on April 21st.  You can view the slides presentation at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/DocumentCenter/View/30964/04-21-26-Data-Centers .  You can watch the meeting video at https://chesapeake.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=29&clip_id=9895 ; Council member questions are between the 27-minute and the 42-minute marks. Planning Director McNamara hoped to bring the text amendment to the City Council in the coming months.
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 Council meeting details are posted to the City Council agenda page.

Action Alerts

Volunteer Opportunities

In the News

Stay on top of the latest news and join the conversation in our Facebook group at Greening Chesapeake
at
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)