Title
Ordinance to Amend And Re-Enact Chapter 9 Of The Zoning Ordinance Of The City of Hampton, Virginia Entitled “Overlay Districts” By Amending Article 2, “O-CBP District - Chesapeake Bay Preservation Overlay”
Purpose
Background Statement:
During the November Planning Commission meeting, the Planning Commission voted to defer this item to December in order to receive options that permitted the Commission to contemplate the issue of the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing exception requests separate from the rest of the ordinance. Therefore staff has included this deferred amendment and is bringing forward an accompanying option, Zoning Ordinance Amendment No.17-00015, which maintains the responsibility of hearing exception requests with the Chesapeake Bay Review Committee.
This item was also heard by the Planning Commission in July, and the Commission recommended approval. City Council requested additional time to better understand the Chesapeake Bay Preservation District and consider options related to the amendment. At the August legislative session, City Council referred the zoning ordinance amendments back to Planning Commission. With the additional research and discussion from City Council, the proposed amendment is largely unchanged from the previous proposal.
The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 in an effort to improve water quality through land use planning practices that balance economic development and water quality protection. Each Tidewater locality must develop a water quality preservation program that meets the requirements of the Act and associated regulations. In 2016, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reviewed and determined Hampton’s program to be in compliance with the Bay Act. Out of the review process and in pursuit of a longer-term goal to update aspects of the O-CBP District, staff has drafted a proposal to reorganize and “streamline” the ordinance, making the pr...
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