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

June Newsletter

Green Drinks Chesapeake - Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Our next Green Drinks meeting will be on Wednesday, June 25, 6 pm at Recovery Sports Grill,1672 Sentinel Drive, (across from the Kroger's near the I-64/Battlefield interchange).  We'll discuss a new, local Chesapeake Sustainability Network.  

What is Green Drinks?  Green Drinks is mostly for people working on environmental issues, but anyone can come -- people from environmental groups, businesses, government, academia, and as individuals. There is no 'us and them'. Green Drinks is a chance to mingle, share insights, inspire and delight each other. Come out and order some food or a drink (each participant pays for their own drinks and food; if drinking, please do so responsibly!) and join the conversation. Please do share the invite with others who may be interested.

In May, our guest speaker was Cameron Kania from Tidewater Compost.  Tidewater Compost offers residential and commercial food waste composting services to Hampton Roads residents and businesses.  Residential subscribers receive a composting starter kit that includes a 5-gallon bin with airtight lid, 2-gallon kitchen caddy, compostable liners, and a Compostables List fridge magnet.  Depending on the option selected, compost is picked up weekly, bi-weekly, or can be dropped off at one of their drop-off sites.  Subscribers receive 5 gallons of compost 2x a year upon request through their “compost give-back” program. To learn more or sign up, visit Tidewater Compost | Food Waste Recycling and Compost Materials

Greenbrier Area Plan

On May 14, the Planning Commission recommend Approval of the May draft of the Greenbrier Area Plan.  It will probably be presented to the City Council at a Work Session in June and go for approval in July.  

The May draft did an excellent job of defining human-scaled neighborhoods and commercial districts that are pedestrian and bicycle friendly and balancing the needs of people while accommodating vehicular traffic.  Practically all the comments from the Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee were incorporated in the draft.  

But the Plan falls short on taking proactive steps on tree preservation, adopting healthy lighting standards, and protecting birds.   Business as usual will result in the loss of another 300 acres of tree canopy when vacant parcels are developed around Greenbrier.  The only tree preservation recommendations our group made that were incorporated were suggestions for tree planting at the highway interchanges and the edges of City Park.  They also added a mention of increasing tree canopy in Areas of Enhancement. 

Not included were recommendations to 

  • Expand Oak Grove Lake Park to preserve 94 to 110 acres of City and State-owned forested wetlands adjacent to Oak Grove Lake Park.  Although owned by City and State, the land is currently zoned for residential development.
  • Add new project: Implement a street tree planting program in medians along Battlefield Blvd, Knell's Ridge Blvd, Volvo Parkway, Greenbrier Parkway, Military Highway, and Kempsville Road.  Planting 500 trees creates about 5 acres of tree canopy which will help mitigate urban heat island effects, calm traffic, reduce runoff, improve air quality, and beautify the area.
  • Identify incentives to encourage development projects in Areas of Transformation and Areas of Enhancement to a) preserve mature trees during development and b) voluntarily plant tree canopy at coverage percentages higher than the 10% to 20% required by ordinance. 
  • Identify incentives to encourage retrofits of existing parking lots to plant new trees and implement stormwater management best practices.
Part of the rationale the Planning Department shared was that the vision was for Greenbrier to absorb more expected growth in the City and thereby reduce development pressure in the southern part of the City.   Regarding expanding Oak Grove Lake Park, they felt that required more intensive consultation with Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.  

For lighting standards, in the Design Guidelines they added that "Lighting fixtures associated with buildings should consider Dark Sky recommendations, surrounding land uses, and limit light pollution", but only as a "recommended", i.e. not required, guideline.    They did not include the level of detail found in the recently approved Virginia Commerce Park Design Guidelines.   Added to the Building Design section, it is not obvious that this applies to parking lot lighting and it wouldn't directly apply to street lighting, since there is a separate section of the document for the Public Realm and Streets.  It does not address the street lighting color temperature to recommend warmer (<3000K) lighting.  

For bird-safe window design, in the Design Guidelines they added a mention of "building materials and detailing that support the natural habitat and wildlife such as bird-friendly window designs" but with no further detail and only as a "recommended", i.e. not required, guideline.  

You can find the current draft of the documents at Greenbrier Area Plan | Chesapeake, VA

Data Center in Etheridge Manor

Another hot topic at the Planning Commission meeting on May 14 was a proposal to build a 350,000 sq. ft. data center at the corner of Etheridge Manor Blvd. and Centerville Turnpike.  The Council chambers were filled to near capacity with residents opposed to the project.  Over 50 speakers came to explain why this was the wrong place to locate this facility.  A key argument was the high level of uncertainty about the project.  It was unclear how much power or water the data center would consume and if we don't know that, how can one calculate how much noise it would generate?  Are the proffers, based on proposed ordinances in Prince William County, really strict enough to eliminate the negative noise impact?  And what would be the remedy if the data center creates more noise than allowed in the proffer and there is no practical way to reduce the noise further?   A significant comment from one resident with a medical background was how the noise issue is as much a problem of feeling the noise 24x7 as it is hearing it; and that the low-frequency vibrations travel through the ground as well as the air.  

After voting down a motion to Continue the application, the Planning Commission ultimately voted to recommend Denial of the project.  One of the Planning Commissioners suggested that the City should make data centers a Conditional Use.   In this case, the developer needs a zoning change but, if this property were already zoned Industrial, or perhaps even Commercial, under the current regs, the developer could probably build the data center by right with even less oversite. 
The City should probably develop a data center policy, like they developed a solar farm policy, to guide future approvals. 

But the debate on this data center application will now move to the City Council in June.  The City Council will have the final say on whether this project moves forward.   https://www.whro.org/business-growth/2025-05-15/chesapeakes-planning-commission-says-no-to-data-center-proposal

More Planning Commission

Also at the Planning Commission in May was the application for a Virginia Natural Gas Compressor Station located off Military Highway just north of Eva Gardens/Newton Creek neighborhoods.  The Planning Commission recommended Approval.

Going to the Planning Commission in June 
  • PLN-REZ-2023-024 - a Hotel on Gum Road in Western Branch; tree canopy loss of about 2.2 acres
  • PLN-REZ-2024-009 Residential (Multi-Family – 96 units) /Commercial off Centreville Turnpike; tree canopy loss of about 5 acres; preserves 6.9 acres forested wetlands
  • PLN-REZ-2024-010 Residential (Townhouse – 26 units) off Centreville Turnpike; farm site, likely adds about 0.5 acres tree canopy.  
  • PLN-REZ-2024-018 Residential (Multi-Family – 137 units) on Elbow Road, near Centreville Turnpike; tree canopy loss about 9 acres; sets aside 9.2 acres as Conservation-Recreation zoning
  • PLN-USE-2025-004 Contractor/Storage Yard in Camelot; 0.5 acre site, does plant buffer, no significant change in tree cover.
City Council

On May 13, the City Council approved the City Budget.  See a summary of environment-related items in the Capital Improvement Budget in our post on the 2025 City Budget.  

At the Work Session before the May 13 City Council Meeting, Hampton Roads Transit provided a report on the Tier 2 Alternatives for the Connecting Chesapeake Study.  Their recommendation was to do further study on the Bus Rapid Transit options on Alignments A and B.  The next step is for the City Council to formally endorse the recommendations and ask Hampton Roads Transit to proceed with more studies in preparation for potential grant applications.  

On May 20, they approved the new Indian River Design Guidelines addressing topics such as building setbacks, spacing, orientation, façade treatment, site circulation (vehicular and pedestrian), parking, landscaping, lighting and signage in commercial areas along Indian River Road and Military Highway.  The City Council did approve an amendment to include wording on bird-safe window treatments. 

At City Council in June we will see
  • PLN-REZ-2024-019 - a Virginia Natural Gas Compressor Station located off Military Highway just north of Eva Gardens/Newton Creek neighborhoods.  Net tree canopy loss of about 1.6 acres
  • PLN-REZ-2025-002 - Data Center at corner Centerville Turnpike and Etheridge Manor Boulevard.  Net tree canopy loss of about 3.9 acres.  Planning Commission recommend Denial.  
General Assembly

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has issued its annual General Assembly Conservation Scorecard, ranking all 140 lawmakers based on how they vote on pressing conservation issues during the 2025 legislative session.  See how your lawmaker voted on key conservation issues at 2025 Conservation Scorecard - Virginia LCV - Conservation's Political Voice.

Action Alerts
Upcoming Events
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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May Newsletter

 Green Drinks Chesapeake - Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Our next Green Drinks meeting will be on Wednesday, May 28, 6 pm, AT A NEW LOCATION - Recovery Sports Grill,1672 Sentinel Drive ,(across from the Kroger's near the I-64/Battlefield interchange).    

Our guest speaker will be Cameron Kania from Tidewater Compost.  Tidewater Compost is the area’s first residential and commercial organic waste diversion and compost company.   For those who don't have the time, space, or energy to manage their own composting, Tidewater Compost offers at-home pick-up and local drop-off services to do the composting for you, while facilitating educational programs to help grow the community composting movement.

What is Green Drinks?  Green Drinks is mostly for people working on environmental issues, but anyone can come -- people from environmental groups, businesses, government, academia, and as individuals. There is no 'us and them'. Green Drinks is a chance to mingle, share insights, inspire and delight each other. Come out and order some food or a drink (each participant pays for their own drinks and food; if drinking, please do so responsibly!) and join the conversation. Please do share the invite with others who may be interested.

Greenbrier Area Plan

Mark your calendars for the Planning Commission on Wednesday, May 14, 7 pm.  The Greenbrier Area Plan will be on the agenda.  Extensive comments on the draft plan were submitted regarding environmental concerns.  As of this writing, we've not yet gotten any feedback on the comments, so we don't know if any of these comments have been incorporated into a revised draft.  If these are topics of concern to you, please come out to the Planning Commission meeting to let them know that you care.

Concerns included:

  • The continued loss of tree canopy in the Greenbrier area without any significant mitigation strategies.  Business as usual will result in the loss of another 300 acres of tree canopy when vacant parcels are developed.  Strategies that we recommended adding to the plan included:

    • Expand Oak Grove Lake Park to preserve 94 to 110 acres of City and State-owned forested wetlands adjacent to Oak Grove Lake Park.  Although owned by City and State, the land is currently zoned for residential development.
    • Add new project: Implement a street tree planting program in medians along Battlefield Blvd, Knell's Ridge Blvd, Volvo Parkway, Greenbrier Parkway, Military Highway, and Kempsville Road.  Planting 500 trees creates about 5 acres of tree canopy which will help mitigate urban heat island effects, calm traffic, reduce runoff, improve air quality, and beautify the area.
    • Add new project: Work with VDOT to reforest interchanges at I-64 and Battlefield Blvd, I-64 and Greenbrier Parkway. Creates about 15 acres of tree canopy.
    • Add new project: Reforest areas of City Park along the railroad line and along Greenbrier Parkway next to Executive Blvd. Creates about 3 acres of tree canopy.
    • Identify incentives to encourage development projects in Areas of Transformation and Areas of Enhancement to a) preserve mature trees during development and b) voluntarily plant tree canopy at coverage percentages higher than the 10% to 20% required by ordinance. 
    • Identify incentives to encourage retrofits of existing parking lots to plant new trees and implement stormwater management best practices.
    • In Areas of Enhancement, set Policy to " Preserve the existing tree canopy in already developed areas." 

  • The Cape Henry Audubon Society submitted comments on the need to adopt Design Guidelines that reduce bird deaths due to building and window collisions.  Their recommendations were to adopt best practices to make windows, including street-level windows, more visible to birds and reduce unnecessary nighttime illumination, specifically to:
    • Adopt Dark Sky principles like the City did for the Virginia Commerce Park Design Guidelines (at the former FT Williams site on Rt 17) .
    • Require or recommend that new buildings incorporate bird-safe window treatments which range from decals to films applied to glass to screens or nettings to specially designed glass.
    • Require street and parking lot lighting to follow American Medical Association recommendations that "encourages the use of 3000K or lower [color temperature] lighting for outdoor installations such as roadways. All LED lighting should be properly shielded to minimize glare and detrimental human and environmental effects, and consideration should be given to utilize the ability of LED lighting to be dimmed for off-peak time periods."

  • The City's Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee submitted comments on the Plan.  Overall they were pleased with the Plan's strong emphasis on creating human-scaled neighborhoods and retail areas that are walkable, safe, and welcoming to all that prioritizes the pedestrian experience while accommodating vehicles.  Street designs all included both pedestrian and bicycle facilities.  The Committee's comments focused on
    •  aligning the Greenbrier Area Plan with the Trails and Connectivity Plan adopted last November including incorporating key bike routes and paths.  
    • Design Guidelines should include requirement for bicycle parking at businesses and facilities.
    • Roadway intersection changes, such as at Jarman and Greenbrier, Battlefield and Volvo, and Greenbrier and Kempsville, must include accommodations for both pedestrian and bicycle crossings.
More Planning Commission

Also at the Planning Commission in May are two zoning/conditional use applications of interest:
  • PLN-REZ-2024-019 is a rezoning to let Virginia Natural Gas build a Compressor Station off Military Highway just north of Eva Gardens/Newton Creek neighborhoods.  This is in support of the Virginia Reliability Project which is building a replacement gas pipeline into the region. Net tree canopy loss is about 1.6 acres.  Find more info on the project at
  • PLN-REZ-2025-002 to build a Data Center at the corner of Centerville Turnpike and Etheridge Manor Boulevard.  Net tree canopy loss about 3.9 acres.


City Council

On May 13, the City Council will vote on the City Budget.  See a summary of environment-related items in the Capital Improvement Budget at our post on the 2025 City Budget

Also, at the May 13 City Council Work Session before the main meeting (check for meeting time), Hampton Roads Transit plans to brief the City Council on their recommendations on Connecting Chesapeake - A Study of High-Capacity Transit

In April the City Council approved:

  • PLN-REZ-2024-003 Southern Chesapeake, Single Family Home, loss of about 0.8 acres
  • PLN-REZ-2024-016 Great Bridge, Multi-family Residential on 21 acres of 31 acre parcel.  Preserves existing forested area.  Adds landscape buffer.  Plan drawings of 12/18/24 shows street trees; these are missing in 1/9/25 drawings,  Net canopy gain of about 2 acres with street trees (?)
  • PLN-USE-2024-033 South Norfolk, southeast corner of the Battlefield Boulevard North and Robert Hall Boulevard intersection. Fueling Station (“gas station”), loss of about 2.5 acres tree canopy
  • PLN-USE-2024-052 Great Bridge,  1217 Cedar Road, Oil Change Facility.  Add more landscaping, for about 0.2 acre gain in canopy
  • PLN-USE-2024-056 Southern Chesapeake, 657 Johnson St., Contractor Office and Gravel Storage.  Preserves existing woods.  Add more landscaping, for about 0.1 acre gain in canopy

May is Bike Month

Chesapeake is planning 3 events for Bike Month: 

  • BikeFest on Sunday, May 4 at the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail 
  • Historic Bike Ride on Saturday, May 10 at the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail
  • New this year, the Ride of Silence to honor those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways on Wednesday evening, May 21.   
Visit https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/3092/Bike-Month to get details and register for the May 10 and May 21 events.

LS Greenlinks Tower

On April 22 the City Council approved an Initiating Resolution to consider an ordinance change to permit external lighting on non-residential structures.  This was specifically to permit external illumination for the planned 700' tall LS GreenLink tower along the Southern Branch.  This industrial tower will be used to manufacture undersea power transmission cables for offshore wind farms.   The Cape Henry Audubon Society raised the concern that this lighting proposal presents the risk of turning the LS GreenLink tower into the "tallest bird hazard in the state of Virginia".

Chesapeake is along the Atlantic Migratory Flyway.  Birds primarily migrate at night and urban lights, especially lights high in the sky cause migratory bird flocks to veer off course and circle the illuminated structure, exhausting themselves and crashing into the structure.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology estimates that hundreds of millions of birds die every year in building collisions, and tall building lights are a major contributing factor.  The Cape Henry Audubon asked to be included in discussions on this proposed ordinance change so safeguards can be incorporated.  

SPSA Alternative Waste Management Proposal

Several of us got to go on a tour of the Amp Sortation pilot facility in Portsmouth.  Today this facility takes trash collected curbside in Portsmouth and sorts out recyclable material using AI-based technology.  SPSA is negotiating to make this the primary waste management process for our area taking in all our trash and recyclables in a single bin and separating out the recyclables, the organic material from what can't be recovered.  The day we visited, the facility was doing a special pilot to only separate out plastic bags from waste stream and seemingly doing a pretty good job of it.  The photo to the right is the final output stream of plastic bags separated from the trash.  On a normal day, it would be separating out the usual recyclables - bottles, cans, cardboard.    The plant appears to function as advertised to recover recyclables and reduce the volume of material heading for the landfill.  But there is still a lot of stuff that has no recycling market.  Another concern is the amount of microplastics that will end up in the organic stream, one target market for that being the creation of biochar. 

Regardless of this technology, we need to continue to look at reducing the amount of plastic that we produce and purchase.  "AI" is not a substitute for source reduction.

Action Alerts
  • As part of its Climate Pollution Reduction Grant study, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission is investigating strategies to reduce vehicle miles traveled and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Please take this short 5-minute survey on how active transportation like walking and biking can help! https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/dfce775f333c4229a22aaee85efd8bfb
  • Chesapeake residents in the Elizabeth River watershed can receive a free native tree from the Elizabeth River Project.  Limit one tree per home; homeowners are responsible for planting and providing proof of planting within 30 days. Free Tree Program - Elizabeth River Project
Upcoming Events
  • CBF’s Climate Lecture Series "Solar Energy: Challenges and Opportunities" - Wed., May 14th - 6:30 PM - CBF’s Brock Environmental Center (Virginia Beach).  Arrive at 6:00 for a light reception. Speakers include Angela Navarro, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Quan McLaurin, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, and Jay Ford, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Planetary and CMA CGM sponsor this series. Free and open to the public. Register at https://events.cbf.org/energy
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

Green Drinks Chesapeake - Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Our next Green Drinks meeting will be on Wednesday, April 30, 6 pm, at YNot Italian in Greenbrier. Our guest speaker will be Christina Trapani, the new Program Director for Clean Virginia Waterways.  Many of us know Christina through her sustainable products company Eco Maniac and her relentless efforts to tackle plastic litter and pollution in our area.  Now, she is the new leader of Clean Virginia Waterways statewide efforts to enhance the health of Virginia’s water resources through pollution prevention.  Come out and learn about efforts to deal with our plastics problem. 

What is Green Drinks?  Green Drinks is mostly for people working on environmental issues, but anyone can come -- people from environmental groups, businesses, government, academia, and as individuals. There is no 'us and them'. Green Drinks is a chance to mingle, share insights, inspire and delight each other. Come out and order some food or a drink (each participant pays for their own drinks and food; if drinking, please do so responsibly!) and join the conversation. Please do share the invite with others who may be interested.

Greenbrier Area Plan

The draft of the Greenbrier Area Plan is now available for review through April 9th.  The Planning Department held an open house on March 24th.  You can find the Plan and Design Guidelines at Greenbrier Area Plan | Chesapeake, VA

From a pedestrian and bicycle perspective, the draft does a pretty good job.  It has a strong emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle friendly policies and projects.  It needs some tweaking to align with the Trails and Connectivity Plan, but it's starting from a good place. It also acknowledges the value of transit referencing potential projects for "micro-transit" and the Connecting Chesapeake Study, although it doesn't go into any detail on matter such as routes or frequency.

From the standpoint of preserving Greenbrier tree canopy, it falls short.  The draft Plan on p.6 sets the Goal to "create a superior connected open space and park system and enhance the existing tree canopy" and on p. 31 states a Desired Outcome to "implement guidelines that preserve existing tree canopies and strategies that leverage natural features for recreational purposes."  However, the policies and strategies in the draft Plan will fail to achieve this Goal and Desired Outcome. Business as usual will result in the loss of another 300 acres of tree canopy when vacant parcels are developed, translating to tens of thousands of tree cut down.  The draft the plan only actively preserves a single 10-acre parcel as a park, notes that Areas of Transformation will have street trees, and call for tree preservation in Areas of Preservation, i.e. residential areas not slated for re-development.  If it is to meet the stated Goals to enhance and preserve tree canopy, the Plan should adopt more proactive measures to preserve the remaining tree canopy cover, wherever possible plant new trees on streets public open space, and incentivize commercial property owners to preserve and plant more trees than the minimum required by law.   

Another area of concern are guidelines for lighting and bird-safe building construction.  The Cape Henry Audubon Society, in cooperation with multiple partners including the Elizabeth River Project, the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, Dark Sky Virginia, and the Friends of Indian River kicked off the Bird Safe/Lights Out Hampton Roads program in 2024 to make Hampton Roads safer for birds that live in our area or pass through during the annual spring and fall migrations.  Key factors in protecting birds from death and injury due to collisions with building include adopting Dark Sky protocols and promoting bird-safe window treatments.  The Plan does not address either of these factors.  The brightness and color of new LED street lighting is another issue be raised by residents in cities including in Norfolk.  The Plan should address these issues.

City Budget

The City Manager has released his proposed budget for Chesapeake.  The headline grabbing news is a potential 2-cent increase on the real estate tax rate to fund staffing and equipment needs for the police and fire departments.  From environment and sustainability side, there are some noteworthy new projects in the Capital Improvement Program, including 

-#20-300 Urban Forestry [Master Plan] & Tree Inventory Plan - will provide the framework for managing the green infrastructure of the City for the next 20 years and beyond [and] ensure a cohesive approach towards tree management and preservation.  - budget $500K in 2026

- #15-300 Chesapeake Pedestrian Access Improvements - funds improvements to pedestrian crossings at 33 signalized intersections in the City and include high-visibility crosswalks, pedestrian signal poles, push buttons, and curb ramps with detectable warnings. - budget $4.125M in 2026 via VDOT Reimbursements.  More details at Highway Safety Improvement Program - VDOT Smart Portal

- #27-300 Wayfinding Signage - implementation of a scalable wayfinding sign ‘family’ consisting of entryway, gateway, and both pedestrian and vehicular wayfinding signage [to] connect areas in the City to a cohesive Chesapeake identity while highlighting unique community features - budget $350K in 2026

The CEIC and Tree Board have been calling for the creation of an Urban Forestry Master Plan for several years.  Safer pedestrian crossing and wayfinding signage were both in the Bicycle/Trails Advisory Committe wish list during the review process for the Trails and Connectivity Plan.  

The City Council typically acts on the proposed Budget in May.

SPSA Alternative Waste Management Proposal

We had an excellent turnout at our March Green Drinks meeting and got an informative briefing on SPSA Waste Solutions proposed Alternative Waste Disposal Solution by Director Dennis Bagley and AMP Robotics Founder Matanya Horowitz. SPSA, the Southeastern Public Services Authority is responsible for our regional waste management programs including the regional landfill. The Alternative Waste Disposal bid process is now focused on going to a single bin waste system where trash and recyclables are collected together and then sorted out using AI technology. SPSA is currently negotiating with AMP Robotics on a contract for this effort.

Here are the slides presented by SPSA to a City of Chesapeake Council Work Session in early March: 03-11-25-SPSA-Recycling-Presentation-and-PW-Recycling

WHRO just published a good article on the current state of negotiations: Hampton Roads waste authority finalizing deal that could eventually phase out curbside recycling bins

This recent news report has a good video of the operation of the pilot AMP Robotics plant in Portsmouth Portsmouth uses AI to manage waste, streamline recycling

AMP Robotics published this website to show how the process works.  This video appears to be their facility in Cleveland which is a secondary sorting facility. https://ampsortation.com/ and this article from three years ago has more information on that Amp Robotics launches two secondary sorting facilities - Recycling Today 

General Assembly Updates

The Governor vetoed many of the environmental related bills after this years General Assembly, or recommended significant modifications to them. See our post on the status of some of the environmental related bills of local interest at General Assembly Update 

Planning Commission Updates 

It's a short agenda for the April Planning Commission - Meeting Agendas & Videos | Chesapeake, VA. Of interest: 
  • PLN-2232-2025-001 - A "2232 Comprehensive Plan Review" for Converting the private road, Watts Brother Lane, to a public road that intersects with Gum Road.   Widening of this private road would likely result in loss of some tree canopy, perhaps about 0.2 acres.  This "2232 Comprehensive Plan Review" doesn't include any site plans or funding to widen the road but validates that converting this private road to a public road is compatible with the Comp Plan.  Note: funding for acquiring and widening this street is in the proposed Capital Budget.
City Council Updates

At the City Council in April are 

  • PLN-REZ-2024-003 Southern Chesapeake, Single Family Home, loss of about 0.8 acres
  • PLN-REZ-2024-016 Great Bridge, Multi-family Residential on 21 acres of 31 acre parcel.  Preserves existing forested area.  Adds landscape buffer.  Plan drawings of 12/18/24 shows street trees; these are missing in 1/9/25 drawings,  Net canopy gain of about 2 acres with street trees (?)
  • PLN-USE-2024-033 South Norfolk, southeast corner of the Battlefield Boulevard North and Robert Hall Boulevard intersection. Fueling Station (“gas station”), loss of about 2.5 acres tree canopy
  • PLN-USE-2024-052 Great Bridge,  1217 Cedar Road, Oil Change Facility.  Add more landscaping, for about 0.2 acre gain in canopy
  • PLN-USE-2024-056 Southern Chesapeake, 657 Johnson St., Contractor Office and Gravel Storage.  Preserves existing woods.  Add more landscaping, for about 0.1 acre gain in canopy
At the City Council in March, they Approved
  • PLN-USE-2024-031 Homestead Pet Crematorium.  Revised site plan does increase tree planting along road frontage.  Net tree loss is about 0.5 acres.

Action Alerts
  • Chesapeake residents in the Elizabeth River watershed can receive a free native tree from the Elizabeth River Project.  Limit one tree per home; homeowners are responsible for planting and providing proof of planting within 30 days. Free Tree Program - Elizabeth River Project
Upcoming Events
  • The Elizabeth River Project compiled a great list of upcoming plant sales - click image to enlarge.


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

 

Green Drinks Chesapeake - Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Our next Green Drinks meeting will be on Wednesday, March 26, 6 pm, at YNot Italian in Greenbrier. Our guest speaker is Dennis Bagley, Executive Director of the Southeastern Public Services Authority (SPSA) which is responsible for our regional waste management programs including the regional landfill.  Mr. Bagley will be discussing the Alternative Waste Disposal options being examined to divert trash from ending up in the landfill.   SPSA has been leading a multi-year effort to solicit proposals for such alternatives that is moving toward a conclusion.

What is Green Drinks?  Green Drinks is mostly for people working on environmental issues, but anyone can come -- people from environmental groups, businesses, government, academia, and as individuals. There is no 'us and them'. Green Drinks is a chance to mingle, share insights, inspire and delight each other. Come out and order some food or a drink (each participant pays for their own drinks and food; if drinking, please do so responsibly!) and join the conversation. Please do share the invite with others who may be interested.

CEIC Environmental Awards

The CEIC is seeking nominations for its annual Environmental Awards Program.  Chesapeake businesses, groups, and individuals may be nominated in categories for Business & Industry, Community & Communications, Community Organization - Adult, Community Organization - Youth, Educational Institution, Government Agency, and Innovation in Recycling, Reducing and Repurposing.  Submit nominations at Form Center • Environmental Awards Nomination

Tree Canopy Losses in Chesapeake

There is a new tool developed through a collaboration between the Arbor Day Foundation, PlanIT Geo, and the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry program. that shows the percentage of tree canopy cover and canopy cover changes over time for all urban areas in the United States. The tool is available down to the Census Block level.

Unfortunately, it documents what we already know, we're seeing a steady loss in tree canopy in Chesapeake.  Digging into the data, it looks like we lost over 700 acres of tree canopy between 2018 and 2023 in the urban census blocks of Chesapeake, reducing the overall tree canopy cover in this area from 35% to 33.8%.   

More resources, data and information will be added to the website in 2025, including a downloadable National Baseline Canopy Assessment Report detailing the state of tree canopy in urban areas across the country and in-depth reporting on the impact of strategic investments in trees in cities nationwide.

Overview: https://hub.treesatwork.org/          Mapping Tool: https://treecanopy.us/

Images shown here are snapshots of the current (2023) tree canopy cover and change in canopy cover since 2018 in the urban areas of Chesapeake.  Highlighted Census Block is in Greenbrier.




General Assembly Updates

The 2025 General Assembly Session wrapped up in February and the ball now moves to the Governor's court to see which bills he signs, vetoes, or recommends amendments to. A couple of the bills that passed address tree canopy loss. See our post on some of the environmental related bills of local interest that passed the General Assembly this session, pending signature from the Governor at General Assembly Update 

City Planning Updates

The Planning Department is working to finalize a draft of the Greenbrier Area Plan for presentation to the Planning Commission and City Council later this Spring.  They have scheduled a Community Meeting for Monday, March 24, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Greenbrier Middle School.  They will also open a Public Comment Period from March 12 through April 9th with a formal Public Hearing targeted for the summer.  Get all the details at Greenbrier Area Plan | Chesapeake, VA

The Indian River Design Guidelines are scheduled to be presented to the Planning Commission at their March 12 meeting - Meeting Agendas & Videos | Chesapeake, VA.  After reviewing and commenting on the latest draft, the Friends of Indian River are supporting approval of the document.  They found the document to be very positive and, especially for the Indian River Road corridor describing a path to transforming the community to a more pedestrian-friendly shopping street with landscaping, trees for shade, and sidewalks.  The Guidelines support efforts to implement urgently needed pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements along Indian River Road and Military Highway. It also adopts Dark Sky and Bird Safe lighting and window standards.

The word is that a draft of the City's updated Comprehensive Plan document will come out around the summer, but there is no formal announcement yet.  Community Meetings for the Deep Creek Area Plan should be starting up in the spring.  Learn more about the City's Planning efforts at Planning Department | Chesapeake, VA

The next Advisory Committee meeting for the Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism Master Plan is still pending.  

Planning Commission Updates 

Several projects of interest are at Planning Commission in March - Meeting Agendas & Videos | Chesapeake, VA:
  • PLN-REZ-2024-003 Southern Chesapeake, Single Family Home, loss of about 0.8 acres
  • PLN-REZ-2024-016 Great Bridge, Multi-family Residential on 21 acres of 31 acre parcel.  Preserves existing forested area.  Adds landscape buffer.  Plan drawings of 12/18/24 show street trees; these are missing in 1/9/25 drawings, Net canopy gain of about 2 acres with street trees (?)
  • PLN-USE-2024-033 South Norfolk, southeast corner of the Battlefield Boulevard North and Robert Hall Boulevard intersection. Fueling Station (“gas station”), loss of about 2.5 acres of tree canopy
  • PLN-USE-2024-052 Great Bridge, 1217 Cedar Road, Oil Change Facility.  Adds more landscaping, for about 0.2 acre gain in canopy
  • PLN-USE-2024-056 Southern Chesapeake, 657 Johnson St., Contractor Office and Gravel Storage.  Preserves existing woods.  Add more landscaping, for about 0.1 acre gain in canopy

City Council Updates

At the City Council in March is 

  • PLN-USE-2024-031 Homestead Pet Crematorium would have a net loss of about 0.6 acres of tree canopy.  Planning Commission recommended Denial 8-1.  Continued from the February City Council meeting.
The agendas are not posted yet, but at the February 25 meeting, there was discussion that the City Council would get a briefing on the SPSA Alternative Waste Disposal options at their March 11 Work Session.  Also, the Budget season will kick off with a budget presentation by the City Manager in late March.  The Connecting Chesapeake presentation did not happen at the February 25 Works Session and there is still no word for when it will be rescheduled.  

Action Alerts
  • Chesapeake residents in the Elizabeth River watershed can receive a free native tree from the Elizabeth River Project.  Limit one tree per home; homeowners are responsible for planting and providing proof of planting within 30 days. Free Tree Program - Elizabeth River Project
  • The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has set up a reporting tool to report of an Invasive Species to their office. Invasive species that VDACS monitors include Imported Fire Ant, Spotted Lanternfly, Asian Longhorned Beetle, Box Tree Moth, Northern Giant Hornet (aka 'Asian Giant Hornet'), Yellow-Legged Hornet, and Tier 1 Noxious Weeds.  Report an Invasive Species
  • Did you miss the Story of Plastic movie at the Naro in February?  This 4-minute animated short hits many of the key takeaways from the movie. The Story of Plastic (Animated Short)
Upcoming Events
  • 2025 Virginia Marine Debris Summit - co-hosted by Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and Clean Virginia Waterways. This 3-day event will focus on solutions to measurably reduce plastic pollution from entering Virginia’s freshwater and tidal rivers, estuaries, wetlands, beaches, and ocean. Cost: Registration is only $55 for students and $95 for individuals.  March 18-20th, 2025 at Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
  • Climate Lecture Series Featuring Senator Tim Kaine - Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Join CBF at Slover Library for the kickoff of the Brock Climate Lecture Series, featuring Senator Tim Kaine, as he discusses 'Climate Change: Keeping Our Community Safe and Prosperous.' They will also be joined by Hilary Harp Falk, President & CEO of CBF. Registration is required at the link above.  Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 6:30PM - 7:30PM
  • The South Hampton Roads Master Gardeners are hosting the Green Thumb Gardening Series 2025 at Green Acres Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth on Tuesday evenings from March 11 to April 8.  Topics include Veggie & Herb Companions - Harmonious Collaboration, Small Space Greenhouses,  “Natural Garden Treatments” ~ Fact or Fiction?, Seven Principles for Sustainable Landscaping, and Spice up your life with Herbs! $25 for the 5-week series. Green Thumb Gardening Series 2025 Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
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 Newsletter


Green Drinks Chesapeake - Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Our next Green Drinks meeting will be on Wednesday, February 26, 6 pm at YNot Italian in Greenbrier. Speaker is TBD.

What is Green Drinks?  Green Drinks is mostly for people working on environmental issues, but anyone can come -- people from environmental groups, businesses, government, academia, and as individuals. There is no 'us and them'. Green Drinks is a chance to mingle, share insights, inspire and delight each other. Come out and order some food or a drink (each participant pays for their own drinks and food; if drinking, please do so responsibly!) and join the conversation. Please do share the invite with others who may be interested.

Story of Plastic

The Norfolk Environmental Commission and Sierra Club will be sponsoring an airing of the "The Story of Plastic" at the Naro Cinema on Saturday, Feb 8, 10 am. Come out to learn why we are drowning in plastic and why plastic recycling is ultimately not a solution.  Space is limited; register for this free event at The Story of Plastic

"The Story of Plastic is a searing exposé revealing the ugly truth behind plastic pollution and the false solution of plastic recycling. Different from every other plastic documentary you’ve seen, The Story of Plastic presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it. From the extraction of fossil fuels and plastic disposal to the global resistance fighting back, The Story of Plastic is a life-changing, Emmy-winning film depicting one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. A discussion with local experts will follow." - Sierra Club post.

Citizens for Responsible Lighting

We had a great presentation at our January Green Drinks meeting by Liz Paiste from Citizens for Responsible Lighting, a grassroots organization lobbying for healthy LED light options started Norfolk.  This is an issue that affects all our area cities.  As street lighting are being upgraded, there is a real need to avoid going for the bright, blue lighting and sticking with the warmer, yellower lights for both human and wildlife health.  It's important to keep the LED color temperature at 3000K or lower. Learn more on their Facebook page.


General Assembly Updates

Cross Over Date for the General Assembly is Tuesday, February 4th.  This is the date by which all bills introduced in one chamber need to be passed in that chamber (e.g. the House) and then "cross over" to the other chamber (e.g. the Senate) to be considered.   From the Virginia Conservation Network and other sources, here are the status of some bills of interest:

HB 1883 - Passed House 96-0; referred to Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor
SB 1040 - Passed Senate 26-14; sent to House

  • Modifies the renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) program for electric utilities, specifically expanding the definition of "behind-the-meter solar" to include solar electric generation and battery storage systems connected on the customer's side of the utility meter. The bill increases the requirement for Phase II utilities to meet a portion of their RPS program requirements with behind-the-meter solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of three megawatts or less, starting at 3% in 2026 and increasing to 5% in 2028. It also removes the previous 50-kilowatt minimum requirement for solar or wind generation facilities to qualify for third-party power purchase agreements. 
HB 1941 - Passed House 66-33; referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
SB 1166 - Passed Senate 29-9; sent to House
  • Mandates that retailers must post conspicuous signage near each invasive plant display that identifies the plant as invasive, educates consumers about invasive plant species, and encourages them to ask about alternative plant options.
HB 1950 - Assigned to House Appropriation Committee, Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee
  • Establishes a new Living Shoreline Grant Fund to be administered by the Marine Resources Commission, with the purpose of providing grants to local governments or federally recognized tribes in Virginia to match federal or other funding sources.
HB 2638 - Reported from House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources 22-0; sent to full House, vote on Monday, Feb 3.
  • expands local government authority to conserve and replace trees during the development process, increasing tree canopy percentage requirement particularly for low density developments.  Allows hardship exceptions.  Allows localities to monitor tree canopy conditions for up to 20 years after planting. Provides detailed provisions for how tree canopy can be preserved, replaced, or credited, including allowances for off-site tree planting, preservation of existing trees, and bonus credits for planting trees that provide environmental benefits like pollution reduction or wildlife habitat. Additionally, the bill enables localities to establish tree canopy banks or funds to facilitate tree preservation and planting efforts
SB 823 - Passed Senate 21-19; sent to House
  • Requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to develop comprehensive plans for renewable energy facility construction that prioritize local economic development and workforce opportunities. Specifically, when constructing renewable energy facilities, these utilities must submit a plan to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) that addresses (1) utilizing local workers, (2) demonstrating economic development benefits for Virginia including capital investments and job creation, (3) advancing workforce development goals through apprenticeship and training programs, and (4) prioritizing hiring and training of local workers, workers from historically economically disadvantaged communities, and veterans.
SB 960 - Reported from Senate Finance and Appropriations with substitute, 11-4, sent to full Senate
  • Directs the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to investigate whether the current method of allocating electricity costs unfairly requires non-data center customers to subsidize the electricity costs of data centers.
SB 1077 - Senate Commerce and Labor Hearing on Feb 3
  • (Recommend Oppose) Repeals several existing provisions related to carbon dioxide emissions regulations and renewable energy portfolio standards. 
See more environmental bills and details at Virginia Conservation Network Bill Tracker

HPPDC Climate Action

At their January 16th meeting, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) board approved updated Resilient Design Standards advising local governments to factor in increases in rainfall and sea level. The planning commission recommends that local officials plan for
  • plan for at least 1.5 feet of relative sea level rise by 2050, 3 feet by 2080 and 4.5 feet by 2100,
  • plan for precipitation levels that account for projected climate change, adopting a standard that increases NOAA Atlas 14 values by a minimum of 10%,
  • incorporate "tailwater elevations" used for stormwater management calculations and design standards accounts for sea level rise based on projected project lifespan.
  • should account for sea level rise based on projected project lifespan. 
  • adopt design storm requirements that account for this sea level rise and increased rainfall.
On January 22nd, the HRPDC held a Zoom meeting on its effort to create a regionwide Comprehensive Climate Action Plan.  They are collecting community input on mitigation and greenhouse gas reduction strategies.  Question 14 is an open-ended question where you can provide any additional input you'd like to share about the creation of this climate plan; it's a good place to share your thoughts on what needs to be done.  The survey is at EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) | Hampton Roads, VA and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Note - at the end of the survey it says you can print your responses AFTER you submit, but you'll actually need a Microsoft Account to do that.

Virginia Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP)

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is hosting public outreach meetings across the Commonwealth to solicit community feedback on strategies and actions for DEQ’s development of a statewide Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). This plan will focus on identifying Virginia-specific opportunities and challenges, as well as evaluating potential paths to reduce climate pollution.  The Tidewater public meeting will be held at 6pm on February 5, 2025, at the DEQ Tidewater Regional Office, 5636 Southern Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. Meeting materials will be provided prior to the meeting date via the CPRG Bulletin, DEQ's website (https://www.deq.virginia.gov/CPRG), and Virginia Regulatory Town Hall. Materials will also be distributed in-person.   There will be a virtual listening option via Webex for those unable to attend in-person.  CCAP Tidewater Regional Office Community Listening Session | Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Calendar | Virginia DEQ

Connecting Chesapeake

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), in collaboration with the City of Chesapeake, held several public meetings on high-capacity transit options that improve connectivity, enhance the economy and align with future growth plans in Chesapeake.  This study looks at options for bring Express Bus, Bus-Rapid Transit, or Light Rail to Chesapeake.  They've narrowed the study to four route options running from Summit Point or the Chesapeake Regional Hospital to downtown Norfolk.  See the latest meeting materials at Winter 2025 Updates — Connecting Chesapeake

Because of the configuration of our roadways, including chokepoints created by waterways and highways, much of the proposed Connecting Chesapeake routes overlap with the designated Core Network routes in the Trails and Connectivity Plan approved by the City Council in November.  This includes the routes along Military Highway, Battlefield Blvd/Atlantic Avenue, and Indian River Road.  The City has approved funding for bike lanes on Indian River Road and is currently doing design work.  Likewise, the City of Norfolk has SmartScale funding to implement bike lanes on Indian River Road, Campostella Road (north extension of Atlantic Ave), and Wilson Road with implementation expected to start next year.   Volvo Parkway with its existing 7' to 8' sidewalk/multiuse path is another critical connection in Chesapeake for bicycles and the Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee is advocating to extend this path all the way to Battlefield Blvd. 

Feedback has been provided to HRT regarding the need to incorporate these bike route plans into their design work.  Transit and bike lanes can and do co-exist in many cities.  It is not and should not be an either/or proposition.   HRT will be providing a briefing to the City Council at their Work Session on February 25.

City Planning Updates

Haven't heard much new information on City efforts to update the Comprehensive Plan.  No new public meetings have been announced.  

The Greenbrier Area Plan is planning on holding a public meeting, perhaps in March, to share the draft plan with a target of getting the plan approved by mid-summer.  

The Deep Creek Area Plan should start public engagement in the spring.  

The Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism Master Plan update is expecting to have its next Advisory Committee meeting in February.

Planning Commission Updates 

In December, the Planning Commission acted on the following.  These should go before City Council in January:

  • (Recommended Approval) The South Norfolk Historic District Design Guidelines focusing on guidelines to help ensure that renovations and construction within the district were appropriate to the historic character and qualities of the neighborhood. 
  • (Recommended Denial) Homestead Pet Crematorium that would have a net loss of about 0.6 acres of tree canopy in the Sunray area.
The Raceway Fueling Station on the corner of Battlefield and Robert Hall Blvds. on a currently undeveloped wooded lot that would have a net loss of about 2.5 acres of tree canopy was Continued Indefinitely (no new date set for review).

In January, the Planning Commission Meeting Agenda has no projects of significant impact.  

City Council Updates

In January, the City Council  

  • Approved Tow Yard on a 1.1 acre lot in Camelot
Action Alerts
  • Chesapeake residents in the Elizabeth River watershed can receive a free native tree from the Elizabeth River Project.  Limit one tree per home; homeowners are responsible for planting and providing proof of planting within 30 days. Free Tree Program - Elizabeth River Project

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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