National Geographic, Sea Level Rise, and Virginia’s Coasts: Part II: Navigating Economic Impacts and Solutions

Coastal Virginia:

“Tim Folger’s popular National Geographic article focuses on the dangers of sea level rise across the planet, to which Virginia’s coasts will also be vulnerable. In addition to demonstrating that our planet’s coasts will be vulnerable, Folger goes on further to point out the economic risks rising seas pose and possible solutions for mitigating those risks.

Folger thinks sea level rise is no longer a secret or something we can keep denying, but rather he thinks it’s a reality we will all need to face sooner or later.  As discussed in Part I of this Blog article, while Folger did not discuss the risks for Virginia specifically, the Virginia coasts are not immune to rising seas.  In fact, Virginia’s expansive low-lying coast with a consistently increasing population make the risks of sea level rise a very serious threat.  Further, the economic impacts of sea level rise Folger points to are equally true for Virginia’s coasts.

What remains unclear is whether the solutions being looked at by New York City, New Orleans, and the Netherlands are also solutions for Virginia’s coasts.”

~Writes Kelsey Baack of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic

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National Geographic, Sea Level Rise, and Virginia’s Coasts: Part I: The Threat is Real

Coastal Virginia:

“In a recent and popular article, National Geographic’s Tim Folger addressed the dangerous effects of rising seas across the world.   The article focused on more extreme weather events resulting from climate change and was paired with an interactive map showing the dangers of sea level rise across the world.  While the article doesn’t focus on Virginia, it’s clear from the maps and general issues discussed that Virginia will not be exempt from the dangers of sea level rise.

In the fall of 2012, the Northeast was devastated by Hurricane Sandy.  Through the course of its destruction, Hurricane Sandy managed to cause $19 billion in damages and the loss of forty-three lives. While the article focused primarily on the effects of Sandy on NY (for good reason), we should not be quick to forget that this storm also wreaked havoc on Virginia.  In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, 5,100 Virginia homes were left without power 2 and much of eastern Virginia was flooded, ultimately causing 100 closed roads”

~Writes Kelsey Baack of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic

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Planners seek to change permitting process for marinas, boatyards

Gloucester County:

“The Gloucester Planning Commission endorsed a county code amendment Thursday night that would allow marinas and boatyards to operate with a conditional use permit in several zoning districts. The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide what to do with the commission’s recommendations on this matter.

As approved by the commission during a meeting in the colonial courthouse, marinas and boatyards could seek a conditional use permit in the Bayside Conservation (C-2), Rural Countryside (RC-1), Rural Conservation ((RC-2), Suburban Countryside (SC-1) and Single Family (SF-1) zoning districts, said Anne Ducey-Ortiz, director of planning and zoning.

All the marinas and boatyards in Gloucester appear to be nonconforming in their zoning district, planner Emily Gibson said. The proposed code amendment would allow those uses in all districts on Gloucester’s shoreline, she said.”

~ Writes Bill Nachman the Gazette-Journal

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York sues Seaford resident; oyster farming permit at issue

York County:

“York County is asking a judge to shut down two oyster farms. Seaford resident Anthony Bavuso was served with an injunction Thursday that said he and his wife, Elyse Pyle, were illegally operating their commercial oyster business without a permit, which the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year the county was right to require.

Dandy resident Greg Garrett is expected to receive a similar document after County Attorney James Barnett files them in York-Poquoson Circuit Court Friday. Since the ruling in January, the two have continued to farm oysters from their homes in violation of the county's ordinance and the court's ruling, Barnett said… Bavuso, who has raised oysters at his Creek Circle home in York Point for his Seaford Oyster Company since 2010, was denied a permit in 2011. Garrett, whose operation began in 2009 on Sandbox Lane, withdrew his permit request the same night.

The two men filed separate lawsuits in Circuit Court arguing that oyster farming was an allowed use of their land under the county's land-use ordinance because their residentially zoned properties allow commercial agriculture. The Circuit Court sided with Garrett and Bavuso.”

~ Writes Ali Rockett of the Daily Press

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Shoreline Workshop

Eastern Shore:

“The Eastern Shore Resource Conservation and Development Council (ES RC&D) and The Nature Conservancy are in the final stages of installing a 1000-ft living shoreline project at Occohannock on the Bay Camp and Retreat Center (Camp Occohannock) in Belle Haven to protect property from coastal erosion. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate how marsh plants, sand, and limited rock can both effectively protect shorelines from erosion while also creating critical coastal habitats that support clean water and wildlife. We’d like to share our experience on this project with local landowners and interested citizens by inviting you to a workshop and optional volunteer work day at camp, which is located near Belle Haven. 

You are invited to a workshop about living shorelines for homeowners on Thursday, May 1st at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., including lunch, followed by an optional opportunity to help us finish planting marsh grasses along the camp’s shoreline.  The objective of the workshop is to give landowners, community members, resource managers, and other interested persons the opportunity to see and hear about the camp’s living shoreline project and learn more about what is involved in planning, permitting, and implementing living shoreline projects on private property.  Scott Hardaway, Director of the Shoreline Studies Program at VIMS, and Walter Priest, president of Wetland Design, Inc. (and formerly of NOAA) will help us to lead the workshop and will answer questions about your shorelines during the homeowner clinic portion of the workshop... 

Marsh grass planting will continue on Friday, May 2nd from 2:30 until 5:30 p.m.  Participants are welcome to come for the workshop and lunch only, and encouraged, though not obligated, to stay for the planting on either dates. 

Please note that we are requesting advanced registration for the workshops and volunteer days!  Please contact Gwynn Crichton (gcrichton@tnc.org or (434) 951-0571) or Sara Reiter (esrcd.sara@gmail.com or (757) 757-710-7266) to register for one of the workshop dates...”

~ Gwynn Crichton – Senior Project Scientist, The Nature Conservancy

~ Sara Reiter – Projects Director, Eastern Shore Resource Conservation and Development Council

Digging into the Virginia Beach dredging project

Virginia Beach:

“In 2011, Virginia Beach introduced a program to help waterfront residents dredge waterways. Currently, there are more than 20 areas in different stages of the program… In the first step of the program, residents approach the city expressing their interest.

Three sources fund the program: a city contribution, a surcharge on real estate taxes for waterfront property owners who are serviced by the channel system, and through lump sum payments by waterfront residents if they choose to have individual access channels and turning basins.

If 80 percent of potential district members consent through a petition process, Public Works presents City Council with an ordinance to create a special tax district to help fund the dredging. Residents in the district will pay the surcharge on real estate taxes for 16 years.”

~Writes Stacy Parker of The Virginian-Pilot

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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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