In this edition ● Follow us on Facebook ● Data Center Ordinance and Policy ● Chesapeake Sustainability Network ● Planning Commission ● City Council ● Green Drinks ● Action Alerts ● Volunteer Opportunities ● In the News
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Data Center Ordinance and Policy
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed ordinance and policy on July 8. In the pre-meeting, Planning reported they had received over 140 comments and emails raising concerns about data centers. In the hearing, 26 people spoke about their concerns with the proposed ordinance.
The Planning Commission listened thoughtfully and afterwards asked excellent questions of City Staff. They ultimately approved the proposal but with multiple important amendments to address the concerns shared by so many. The amendments advanced included increasing the allowable setback from 100' from a property and 500' from an existing residence to 1320' (1/4 mile) from the property line and 2640' (1/2 mile) from existing residences. They also reduced the allowable low-frequency noise levels to 55 dBC at night and 60 dbC during the day, and made this noise limit applicable to all types of neighboring properties, not just residential properties. They also made additional language changes to emphasize the importance of protecting existing communities and minimizing infrastructure impacts.
On July 14, the Planning Department briefed the City Council in a Work Session on the outcome of the Planning Commission meeting. They reported that the setback and noise limit amendments made by the Planning Commission would "effectively prevent data center development anywhere in the City". The council members expressed a desire to go ahead with closing the By-Right allowance for data centers in current city zoning but to defer action on opening new areas to data centers, i.e. Fentress, or defining the setback, noise, and other policy regulations, to allow time for more public meetings.
At the July 21 City Council meeting, the Council voted to effectively put a temporary, 8-month data center moratorium in place to allow work to continue on the final city policy. The resolution voted on at the meeting only talks about deferring the Comp Plan related policy. It does not directly address the Ordinance Change to close the existing By-Right allowance for data centers. This will be addressed in an Ordinance change expected at the August 18 City Council meeting. However, we have not seen the wording for this interim Ordinance, and it is not clear what changes will be implemented and which will be deferred for future action.
Save the date! The August 18 City Council meeting is the next opportunity to come out and let the City Council know how you want the City to deal with data centers. We will post action alerts when we learn more about the final wording of the Ordinance going to City Council that day.
Learn more about the City's proposed policy and the various 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.
Chesapeake Sustainability Network
Join the Chesapeake Sustainability Network for a call on Thursday, August 6, 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, We Are All Plastic Screening, and organizational Bylaws.
Planning Commission
Some agenda items of interest for the Planning Commission on August 12 include:
- PLN-REZ-2025-010 in Grassfield at 2113, 2117, & 2115 Grassfield Rd & a portion of 860 West Rd - Builds Senior Housing on 9.6-acre lot. Parcel currently has about 6 acres of trees; potential loss of 4.5 acres of tree canopy.
- PLN-REZ-2026-001 in Rivercrest at 727 Wickford Dr., 853 & 845 Great Bridge Blvd. - Build Multifamily Residential. Parcel currently has 2.2 acres of tree canopy; potential loss of about 1 acre of tree canopy.
Find the full agenda at Planning Commission Agenda
To submit comments to the Planning Commission online, visit https://cityofchesapeake.jotform.com/210536857544057
In July, the Planning Commission also Continued:
- 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 June 10th meeting. Continued to September
- PLN-REZ-2025-020 in Great Bridge on the east side of Battlefield Boulevard South, between Hessian Loop and Henry Jefferson Way. Builds Low-density Residential on an 8.4-acre lot. Current Tree Canopy of about 1 acre. Potentially adds about 0.4 acres of tree canopy. Continued Indefinitely.
City Council
Some agenda items of interest at the City Council in August:
- 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. Continued from June City Council
- 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.
- Data Center Ordinance - see above for details.
At July City Council meetings
- 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. Approved by City Council 7/21/2026
- 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. Withdrawn by Applicant.
City Council meeting details are posted to the City Council agenda page.
Green Drinks
Our next Green Drinks Meeting will be on Wednesday, August 26 at 6 pm. Location TBA.
Action Alerts
- Chesapeake Data Center Ordinance and Policy - Speak out at the August 18 City Council Meeting. Learn more.
- 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
- Would you like to learn more about the environmental issues impacting the Chesapeake Bay watershed and ongoing restoration efforts? The next Chesapeake Bay Foundation Chesapeake Stewards (VoiCeS) class, a highly recommended multi-week adult education course, will be held in Portsmouth (near Camelot) from September 15 to October 20. Learn more and Register
- Friends of Indian River Volunteer Opportunities
- Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council Volunteer Opportunities
In the News
- Chesapeake City Council approves 8-month hold on data center applications - WHRO
- Developers withdraw application to build battery energy storage system in Chesapeake - WAVY
- Virginia groundwater report highlights areas of concern for Hampton Roads – The Virginian-Pilot
- Virginia adopts group-buying program to reduce solar installation costs - Virginian-Pilot
- Virginia has gotten millions to address PFAS water contamination. Actually tackling the problem could cost hundreds of millions. - WHRO
- Styrofoam food containers now banned at all Virginia restaurants - WHRO
- A hotter climate could make roads more expensive - NPR
- Hampton Roads recycler is concerned about shift away from blue bins - WHRO
- Ex-NOAA employees re-create a valuable climate data site shut down by Trump - WHRO
- Habitat for endangered species in Virginia will no longer be federally protected - WHRO