Project seeks to smooth way for offshore Va. winds

Coastal Virginia:

“The state is teaming up with Dominion Virginia Power in a research project that is intended to smooth the way for the development of an offshore wind industry. The Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advance Project proposes putting two 6-megawatt wind turbines on platforms designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. The turbines would be located 24 nautical miles (27 statute miles) off Virginia Beach.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Thursday it is seeking written public comment on the project as it prepares an environmental assessment. It scheduled a meeting for April 3 in Virginia Beach for the public to speak out on the proposal. Last September, Dominion submitted a successful bid of $1.6 million bid to lease nearly 113,000 offshore acres for the development of wind power. Full development of the area could produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 700,000 homes. Besides the turbines, the project would also include cable linking the turbines to the electric grid in Virginia Beach. The project is expected to be operational by 2017. The so-called demonstration project received a $4 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department.”

~Writes The Associated Press

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Maryland’s CoastSmart Community Scorecard: A Community Self-Assessment

Coastal Communities:

“With varying technical capacity and the demands placed on local planning staff, providing resources to identify and implement adaptation strategies is essential. Our goal is to help local governments determine how well they are currently positioned to plan for coastal hazard impacts through a simple, practical self-assessment. The Scorecard also provides a mechanism for planners, natural resource managers, emergency management professionals and other local officials to identify specific, realistic ways that they can prepare for these impacts by integrating coastal hazards into existing planning, management, and regulatory programs. Because each Maryland community is unique, the Scorecard is intended to identify areas that need improvement, not serve as a basis for ranking or comparing among communities.”

~University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Click here for the Scorecard

Rudee Inlet path will connect to Va. Beach Boardwalk

Virginia Beach:

“Picture walking to the Boardwalk from the Rudee Inlet marina district without dodging cars on Atlantic and Pacific avenues. Then, imagine catching a ride on a water taxi to visit the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. That vision is expected to become a reality in June. Construction is to begin the week of March 17 on a 10-foot-wide path connecting Rudee Loop, the gem of the resort’s south end, to the Boardwalk. The $1.4 million project includes a dock for a water taxi and a park where those waiting for the boat can relax.

The taxi, to be managed by the city, will take passengers from Rudee Inlet through Lake Rudee to the aquarium, on Owls Creek. It may be expanded in the future to include destinations along the marina district and Marsh View Park, said Dan Adams, city project manager.The handicapped-accessible path will meet the Boardwalk near 1st Street and Grommet Island Park, a playground with equipment for people with disabilities. A metal guardrail that runs along Rudee Loop will be replaced with wood, and LED pedestrian and street lights will be installed. Carolina Marine Structures is the general contractor on the project, which is scheduled to be completed some time in June.”

~Writes Stacy Parker of The Virginian-Pilot

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Hearing set on massive zoning overhaul for Northampton

Northampton County:

“Northampton County’s Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will hear what the public thinks about its proposed massive overhaul of the zoning ordinance at a joint hearing scheduled for March 11 at 7 p.m. at Northampton High School. Economic Development Director Charles McSwain received marching orders from the Board of Supervisors shortly after being hired just over a year ago to streamline zoning requirements as a way to promote business development. ‘The Board (of Supervisors) wanted a new code that is more enabling,’ McSwain said last October.

One provision garnering significant public interest is a modification that would effectively cut in half the area regulated under the Chesapeake Bay/Atlantic Preservation district, which applies Chesapeake Bay Act requirements to the entire county. McSwain, who also oversees the county’s planning department, noted the shoreline would still be protected on the sea side by 100-foot-wide ribbon of conservation zoning along the shore, except ‘where there are existing, developed, water-dependent communities,’ such as Willis Wharf and Oyster.

The proposal would no longer regulate properties east of U.S. Route 13, unless they drain into the Chesapeake Bay. The proposal would also delete the district as an zoning overlay district, and place it in a separate section of the land use code with a different name: Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area.”

~Writes Connie Morrison of Delmarva Now

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Living Shoreline Workshop

Living Shoreline Workshop:

On Thursday, March 13 a partnership of coastal organizations will hold a Living Shoreline Workshop for Landowners. The workshop will be located at Occohannock on the Bay Camp and Retreat Center in Belle Haven. Advanced registration required. Workshop from 10am-1pm and optional volunteer planting 1pm-5pm. The workshop topics cover:

• Shoreline design, permitting process & timeline
• Planting, materials and installation
• Costs and contractors

Please contact Sara Reiter (esrcd.sara@gmail.com or (757) 757-710-7266) or Gwynn Crichton (gcrichton@tnc.org or (434) 951-0571) to register

The workshop is brought to you by:

• The Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation
• The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund, and
• The Chesapeake Bay Trust

$1.5M available for historic property damaged by Sandy

National Park Service:

“The National Park Service is making $1.5 million available for owners of historic properties that sustained damage when Hurricane Sandy lashed Virginia in October 2012. The grant money is available to private property owners, organizations or local governments. The properties must be within the disaster areas that were declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Owners of historic properties can seek reimbursement funds for repairs they have already made or are planning.

The grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. FEMA declared 29 jurisdictions in Virginia post-storm disaster areas. They include portions of northern Virginia, the Northern Neck, Eastern Shore and areas of the Shenandoah Valley, among others. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources will disburse the funds. Applications are due by March 28.”

~Writes the Virginia Pilot

View Hampton's Flood Map

City of Hampton:
To view the flood map for Hampton, click here. This map shows the flood marks for various hurricane categories.