The Shadowlawn Civic League hosted a Q&A session with City Planning and Public Works staff today at the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Here are the key takeaways:
What the City Confirmed
- 24 units, 48 parking spaces — The development requires 48 on-site spaces. The site plan includes 51.
- 1.2 feet of flooding on Virginia Avenue during the 100-year storm at the culvert crossings.
- Virginia Avenue is less than standard width — Traffic Engineering suggested parking may need to be prohibited on one side.
- Tidal wetlands are immediately adjacent along the western property boundary, with only silt fencing proposed as protection.
- No wetland buffer is required under current ordinances.
- No tree replacement is required for the 50+ mature trees being removed.
- Evacuation capacity was NOT evaluated — City says this is "not a function of Traffic Engineering or requirement of site plan review."
- Flood damage to neighboring properties is a "private legal matter" the City Attorney cannot opine on.
- Read the full Community Review: 13 grounds documented from FOIA analysis
- Sign the petition: 922+ signatures and counting
- Contact your council member: Worth Remick (District 6) at (757) 840-5855 or wremick@vbgov.com
- Generate a public comment letter: Take Action
- Attend the next public hearing — date TBD, watch this page for updates
What This Means
The City is processing this as a ministerial by-right approval. Their role is limited to checking code compliance. Questions about public safety, environmental protection, and long-term resilience are outside the scope of site plan review.
The question for City Council is whether this framework adequately protects residents when the code has gaps — no wetland buffer, no tree replacement, no evacuation analysis, and no traffic study for a dead-end street.