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

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
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April Newsletter - Earth Month

In this edition ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Earth Month ● Green Drinks Earth Day ● General Assembly Update ● Urban Forestry ● Composting Facilities ●  Data Center Update ● Planning Commission ● City Council ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News


Chesapeake Sustainability Network

Join the Chesapeake Sustainability Network for a call on Thursday, April 2, 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 Support Letter for Composting Facilities, Earth Month Planning (Earth Day Festival, Mayor's Proclamation, Green Drinks on Earth Day), Data Center Working Group Update, and General Assembly Updates.

Earth Month

There is a ton of stuff happening in Chesapeake for Earth Month, including cleanups, Chesapeake Recycles Day, plant sales, Big Tree Tour, Fix-It-Fair, nature walks and contests.  A few events we're highlighting include
  • Saturday, April 18, Earth Day Festival @ Lakeside Park
  • Sunday, April 19, The Lorax Movie “Speak for the Trees” screening @ Central Library
  • Tuesday, April 21, Earth Day Proclamation at the City Council Meeting
For the formal Earth Day Proclamation on April 21, 6:30 pm, we would love to fill the City Council Chamber with people who care for the environment.  Come out, wear your favorite environmental t-shirt, or something green or blue, and join us in standing up for a Greener Chesapeake!

Get the full schedule of events for the entire month here and check back for updates - we keep hearing about more events!

Green Drinks Earth Day

Our next Green Drinks Meeting falls on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22.   We're brainstorming what we can do to celebrate the day. Stay tuned for details on the gathering!

General Assembly Update

A lot of strong environmental bills made ti through the General Assembly this session.   You can find disposition of various bills we've been tracking as well as links to the bills on our General Assembly page.  A few key bills include 
  • rejoining RGGI, 
  • allowing "Balcony Solar", 
  • streamlining rooftop solar permitting, 
  • requiring permitting to ensure no net loss of wetlands.  
  • enabling localities to protect more tree canopy during development.  (see Urban Forestry below).
The Governor has until April 13 to sign, amend, or veto bills. 

WHRO's Katherine Hafner wrote up a great summary of the session in her article -Virginia lawmakers passed big changes to energy and environment policy this year. Here’s a look.

Urban Forestry

Tree clearing at housing development site
Using data from TreeCanopy.US, compiled by the Arbor Day Foundation, PlanIT Geo, and the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry program, we find that the City of Chesapeake has lost over 700 acres of tree canopy between 2018 and 2023 across its urban and suburban areas.  The overall tree cover has dropped from 35% to 33.8%  across this area.

Preserving and protecting trees is essential to reversing this loss. Coming out of the General Assembly this year, pending the Governor's signature, is 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.

Composting Facilities

Composting provides significant environmental benefits by recycling organic waste into nutrient-rich soil. It reduces the amount of material going into landfills and reduces methane emissions coming out of landfills.  The use of compost in gardens and farms improves soil and reduces the need for fertilizers.  But not everyone has the space and time to compost at home.  Business have sprung up to provide composting service to residents by collecting food scraps and composting the material at a central facility.  One such business, Tidewater Compost, which is a participant in the Chesapeake Sustainability Network, has expressed interest in establishing a compost facility in Southern Chesapeake; they currently haul the material they collect to a commercial facility in Waverly.  

The challenge is that the City currently treats compost facilities as a solid waste management facility, the same as landfills.  This means that a mid-sized compost facility needs to meet all the setback, buffer, and other requirements as a large land landfill operation.  The situation has been discussed at the Chesapeake Agriculture Advisory Commission (CAAC) has draft a letter recommending that the City consider a Zoning Ordinance Review for composting facilities that would create a distinct use category for “Composting Facilities" seperate from landfills.   This review process could evaluate potential standards—such as setbacks, buffering, and operational requirements—that appropriately reflect the nature of composting operations while maintaining the City’s commitment to responsible land use planning.

At our next Chesapeake Sustainability Network call on April 2, we will consider writing a letter supporting the CAAC letter.  

Date Center Update

The City has started holding stakeholder meetings to consider amendments to the Chesapeake zoning Ordinance to make Data Centers a conditional use in appropriate zoning districts when certain conditions are met.  The first two meetings have been held and the first-cut on ordinance language should be shared with the stakeholder in the coming month.  One of our network members is participating in the stakeholder meetings.

Planning Commission


Agenda items for the Planning Commission on April 8:

  • PLN-USE-2025-003 in South Norfolk for in-fill development of lots at 1413, 1417,1421, 1420 Bainbridge Blvd (north of Lakeside Park) with Single Family Homes.  

Find the full agenda at Planning Commission Agenda


City Council


At the City Council in March


  • PLN-REZ-2025-017 in Great Bridge at 1733 & 1737 Battlefield Boulevard South, to build General Business District (4.2 acres), Multifamily Residential (10.6 acres), and Single Family Residential District (11.3 acres).  Potential Canopy loss - 6 acres.  City Council Approved 
  • PLN-REZ-2025-009 in Great Bridge to build low-density residential on 25.3 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.


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.  Work Sessions and Public Hearings are planned in April, with a vote on the budget planned for May 12.

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
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March Newsletter

March Newsletter

In this edition ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Green Drinks Chesapeake - Survey ● General Assembly ● Native Plants ● Planning Commission ● City Council ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News

Chesapeake Sustainability Network

Join the Chesapeake Sustainability Network for a call on Thursday, March 5, 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, Green Drinks Review, and General Assembly Updates.

Green Drinks Chesapeake - Survey

We need your input on a 3-minute survey about our Green Drinks meetings.  Since YNot Italian closed in late 2024, we've been trying out different venues for our Green Drinks gatherings; none have been ideal and attendance has suffered.  We ask you to please take a few minutes to tell us about your preferences for meeting dates, location, and topics.  Your input is valuable to us.  Take the quick anonymous survey at  https://forms.gle/XKAzeFfGJBoooENLA

Our next Green Drinks meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2026. The location will be based on the survey input.  The theme will be Earth Day and Earth Month.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is in session.  Numerous bills have been submitted to address a variety of environmental topics, including renewable energy, data centers, invasive species, land conservation, PFAS, environmental justice, and more.  See the bills we're tracking here.  Stay tuned for various Action Alerts on bills by joining our Greening Chesapeake Facebook Group or going to our Action Alert page.  

Native Plants

The Throwing Shade Virginia program from the Virginia Department of Forestry incentivizes customers to purchase and plant native species of trees and shrubs by providing discounts of $25 on eligible purchases valued at $50 or more.   Chesapeake's Southern Branch Nursery is one of the participating nurseries.  Learn more at https://dof.virginia.gov/urban-community-forestry/urban-forestry-community-assistance/throwing-shade-va-program/

Southern Branch Nursery is also hosting a community screening of The Extraordinary Caterpillar on March 20th at A Place for Girls, the Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast headquarters in Chesapeake.  Registration required.  Suggested donation: $5 per person.  Each registered attendee will receive a free native pollinator host plant to take home.  There will also be a native plant pop-up shop.  Concessions will be available.  Register at https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML4YD83RCNXR3/checkout/U4CZG5RCFG67RMUYNCET4TOC

The Extraordinary Caterpillar film features Doug Tallamy and other leading voices exploring the essential role caterpillars play in sustaining the food web — and how native plants can help rebuild biodiversity right here in Chesapeake. This inspiring 60-minute film reveals how small actions in our own yards can make a meaningful difference for wildlife, pollinators, and the health of our ecosystems.

Planning Commission


Agenda items for the Planning Commission on March 11:

  • Concurrent advertising to go to the City Council on March 17:
    PLN-REZ-2025-017 in Great Bridge at 1733 & 1737 Battlefield Boulevard South, to build General Business District (4.2 acres), Multifamily Residential (10.6 acres), and Single Family Residential District (11.3 acres).  Potential tree canopy loss - 6 acres

Find the full agenda at Planning Commission Agenda


City Council


At the City Council in February



Going to City Council in March:


  • PLN-REZ-2025-009 in Great Bridge to build Low Density Residential development on a 25.3 forested lot.  The site contains forested wetlands; it is not in CBPA.  Sets aside 3 acres for park site.  Sets aside 4.2 acres for conservation. Potential Canopy loss of 16 to 18 acres. Planning Commission recommended denial, partially due to the loss of open space, trees, and wetland from development
  • PLN-REZ-2025-017 in Great Bridge (see March Planning Commission above).

Find details on the City Council agenda page.

Action Alerts
  • The Planning Department will hold informational meeting detailing a proposed new land conservation option for rural property owners on Monday, March 9, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum (1775 Historic Way).  Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is a proposed tool the City is exploring to assist with accomplishing goals to promote the preservation of agricultural and environmentally sensitive land.  The meeting will include a presentation and time for staff to answer individual property owner questions. 
  • The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) is seeking public input to identify and address congestion concerns. It includes opportunities to rate the importance of Alternative Transportation Modes, such as biking and walking, and Land Use Planning, such as building walkable communities.  Take the survey  https://www.hrtpo.org/m/newsflash/home/detail/276
  • Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) is seeking public input for Hampton Roads Horizon, a long-range regional strategic plan focused on improving the quality of life and strengthening economic competitiveness. Take the survey at  https://hrpdcva.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/280 
  • Chesapeake Recycles Day will be on March 7, 9 am - Noon, at Oscar Smith Middle School.  https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1089/Chesapeake-Recycles-Day
  • The Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC) is taking nominations for its Environmental Awards through March 16.   The Awards Program is an annual celebration to recognize those individuals, groups, or organizations that have been involved in outstanding recycling, beautification, litter control, and environmental projects in Chesapeake. https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1261/Environmental-Awards-Program
  • The Chesapeake Clean & Green Poster Contest is taking entries through March 30. https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/1255/Chesapeake-Clean-Green-Poster-Contest

Volunteer Opportunities

In the News

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

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February 2026 Newsletter

February Newsletter

In this edition ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● General Assembly ● Data Center Policy ● Comp Plan ● Renewable Energy ● HRT Microtransit Service ● 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, February 5, 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, Renewable Energy, and Earth Day Planning.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is in session.  Numerous bills have been submitted to address a variety of environmental topics including renewable energy, data centers, invasive species, land conservation, PFAS, environmental justice and more.  See the bills were tracking here.  Stay tuned for various Action Alerts on bills by joining our Greening Chesapeake Facebook Group or going to our Action Alert page.  

Data Center Policy

On January 13, the City Council approved an Initiating Resolution requesting the Chesapeake Planning Commission to consider and make recommendations concerning Data Centers.  This would start the process to make amendments to the Chesapeake zoning Ordinance to provide that Data Centers are a conditional use in appropriate zoning districts when certain conditions are met.  The associated memo from the Director of Planning states that it is anticipated that the recommendations will call for data centers to require a conditional use permit in industrial zoned areas and within the Fentress Airfield Overlay, and that they will not be permitted within business and office districts.    

We submitted comments on behalf of the Chesapeake Sustainability Network supporting the Initiating Resolution and urging the Planning Department to work with the community, hold public meetings, and seek public input on the proposed policies.   We asked that the policies address required setbacks, permissible noise and vibration levels, power and water consumption, backup power generation (e.g., diesel vs. gas turbine), landscaping, security, construction, and other such factors.  How noise analysis is done before zoning approval should be carefully defined; bad assumptions can provide misleading noise analysis.   It is also crucial that the policy address how the City will handle violations after operations begin.  For example, the City Noise Ordinance currently exempts HVAC and backup generator operation and needs to be amended.

Comprehensive Plan

The City Council approved the new, revised Chesapeake 2045 Comprehensive Plan for the City on January 20.   Overall,  the document presented a strong vision for creating a high-quality future for the City that is proactive about developing necessary infrastructure, protects green and open space, works to connect people, and respects the unique character of different parts of the City.   We should thank the Planning staff for their diligent work in developing a plan that covers so many critical areas.  

At the City Council meeting, we raised concerns that the Staff did not give itself enough time to consider inputs to the final draft last year.  The draft document was out for review for two months late last summer, but the staff only gave itself 4 or 5 working days to incorporate any feedback before delivering the final draft to the Planning Commission.  Several of our comments were not acted upon.    When the City Council was voting on the Plan, Council Member Amanda Newins made a statement that the City should do more about conservation landscaping and environmental education; these were two key policy recommendations we had been making all along.   But ultimately, the document was adopted as presented.    



Renewable Energy

Renewable energy has been in the news this month.  In late December, the Trump administration issued a 90-day stop-work order to five major East Coast offshore wind projects, citing national security risks regarding radar interference.  This included the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.   Like the other developers, Dominion Power filed suit to resume work, citing a cost of $5 million per day as the specialized installation vessels were idled by the stop-work order.  By mid-January, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction allowing work to resume.   The first of the 176 turbine towers and blades was installed a few days later. The first power is expected to flow from the farm in the coming weeks.  

Meanwhile, in Richmond, Governor Spanberger has started work to have Virginia rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).  While Virginia was operating in the RGGI framework from 2020 to 2023, carbon emissions declined by 22% according to the Environmental Protection Agency, a reduction that was mostly reversed between 2023 and today after we exited the program.  Leaving RGGI was ruled illegal by a judge in 2024, although the ruling was appealed.  In parallel,  HB397 is now making its way through the General Assembly to remove any future ambiguity on whether Virginia shall participate in the program. 

Locally, Eastport Energy has been holding information meetings about its plans to build a Battery Energy Storage System facility, named the  Mill Stone Energy Center, in Chesapeake.  This facility would be able to store 600 megawatt-hours of energy from the offshore wind project.  At peak output, this project will be able to provide the electricity necessary to power all the homes in Chesapeake, and then some, for a 4-hour period.  The project will sit on approximately 112 acres,  most of which will remain forested, along the existing 230 kV power transmission line, approximately two miles south of the Fentress Substation on the western side of Centerville Turnpike South.




Hampton Roads Microtransit


Hampton Roads Transit and the City of Chesapeake have initiated a pilot program to provide microtransit rides.  Residents can get $2 on-demand rides from HRT across central Chesapeake (area in the map below).  The pilot program will be operational through October, at which point both Chesapeake can evaluate usage and participation.  Learn more at https://gohrt.com/ondemand/


Planning Commission


Agenda items for the Planning Commission on February 11 include:

  • PLN-REZ-2025-009 in Great Bridge to build Low Density Residential on 25.3 forested parcel. This parcel contains forested wetlands but is not in the CBPA.  Aerial photos indicate the parcel was clear-cut in 2009 and has regrown since.  Sets aside 3 acres for park site.  Sets aside 4.2 acres for conservation. Potential Canopy loss - 16 to 18 acres.
  • PLN-COMP-2026-001 - Deep Creek Area Plan

Find the full agenda at Planning Commission Agenda


City Council


In January, the City Council approved


  • PLN-REZ-2025-008 in Great Bridge to build Low Density Residential at the south side of Hanbury Road West between Kingsbury Drive and Madison Lynn Way.

and denied
  • PLN-REZ-2025-014 in Western Branch at 5028 Portsmouth Blvd. to build Gas Station.  Includes landscaping. 

The Parks, Recreation and Tourism Master Plan is expected is expected to be on the City Council agenda in February.


Green Drinks Chesapeake - Wednesday, February 25, 2026

The next Green Drinks meeting will be on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the Black Pelican at the Greenbrier Mall, 1625 Ring Rd.  Our speaker will be Dylan Mason, Public Policy Manager for LRNow.  He will talk about his work on Offshore Wind, including workforce development, and Single-use Plastic reduction, abatement, and alternatives.

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

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, e-mail greeningchesapeake@gmail.com with Unsubscribe in the subject line.
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