DOMINION BOULEVARD CORRIDOR STUDY | Chesapeake, Virginia
44 | Existing Conditions
Existing Conditions | 45
Public Input Process
Summary on the Public Process
Creating a visionary as well as
implementable plan that is supported by
the community is an important part of
moving Chesapeake toward an exciting
future. Getting input from the citizens
of Chesapeake, especially those who
live and work in the Study Area and are
most affected by the outcome of this
planning process, is critical to establishing
acceptance and to gain positive momentum.
Creating a plan based on public input
ensures that it will leave a legacy for future
generations; will reflect the values and
identity of the Chesapeake community;
and will have lasting benefits and a strong
framework from which to build on in the
future.
The public process conducted for the
project included focus group meetings
with key stakeholder groups early in the
process; a series of community workshops
(charrettes) and public open houses that
enabled the Community and Stakeholders
to provide input into the extent and nature
of future development and preservation
within the Study Area as the plan was
being developed; and presentations
conducted by the Planning Department to
various community groups and stakeholder
organizations as requested throughout the
development of the Master Plan. In addition
to the charrettes, information was provided
to the public online so that those that weren’t
in attendance could also participate. In all,
two sets of two charrettes were held that
included “hands on” design and planning
exercises as well as questions formatted for
keypad polling. The results of the keypad
polling were captured and made available to
the planning team for use in its work.
In general, the Community acknowledged
that there is a need to allow for future
growth that will have positive impacts on
the economy, environment and lifestyle of
Chesapeake. There was clear direction to
proceed with comprehensive plans that
promoted smart growth principals, including
providing a complete network of connected
streets, open spaces, employment and
commercial centers and gathering spaces.
There was a desire for the planning team
to create comprehensive storm water
management plans that worked with the land
and existing canal system where it could.
They thought that new development should
be developed incrementally and oriented
toward existing infrastructure and access
along Highway 17 and should include mixed
use development that provides a range of
housing opportunities, while also protecting
natural assets such as the Great Dismal
Swamp Wildlife Refuge Area, existing
wetlands, agricultural land, forested areas
and canals. The Community also agreed
with the notion of tying future residential
development with a proportional addition of
jobs related uses.
Public Charrette #1
April 3, 2014
The first charrette was held at Messiah
United Methodist Church in two sessions
– one morning and one in the evening. At
the charrette, the planning team presented
mapping of the existing conditions of the
Study Area, including cultural, economic,
and environmental systems, to describe
how those patterns might influence where
future growth might occur to best fit with and
leverage the site’s assets. The team also
discussed concepts and principles related
to how the development might perform from
a smart growth standpoint, and how land
might be considered in terms of locating
centers of mixed uses and interconnected
streets and areas of agricultural or
environmental preservation. As part of
getting feedback, the planning team
facilitated keypad polling questions that
addressed the above, as well as conducted
a planning exercise with the attendees
so that their ideas about where and how
development should be located in the Study
Area could be articulated.
Keypad polling session
Several questions were asked of the
attendees that helped frame the Study
Areas strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and issues. Questions also drilled into
the overriding principles and objectives
that should guide the planning process
so that the resulting plan would meet with
community desires.
In summary, many of the attendees lived
in the Study Area area and recognized
that development was inevitable. As a
requirement of new growth, most wanted
to see smart growth, environmental
responsibility, preservation of rural
character and a proportional jobs to housing
balance. Where development was to
occur, most wanted to pursue a higher level
of connectivity between neighborhoods,
complete streets, environmentally
responsible stormwater management,
compact and walkable neighborhoods and
a higher level of land use integration and
mix of uses within the neighborhoods and
communities.
Environmental responsibility and
linking stormwater management into a
comprehensive system were also priorities
along with recognizing the importance of
the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife
Refuge Area and its potential connections
to open space and green space. In addition
to connecting to green space, providing
and adding to the amount of park space
recommended by National Recreation and
Parks Association (NRPA) standards was
considered important.
Group planning activity
Following the keypad polling, attendees
were asked to break into work groups to
create a hypothetical master plan for the
Study Area based on what they collectively
thought was most important. They looked
where to develop versus what areas may
be best to preserve. Although there were
some outliers, generally the themes were
similar from group to group which included:
smart, compact growth in the northern
areas and preservation of rural areas to
the south. Also important were walkability,
connections to transportation, having town
and neighborhood centers, and ‘greening’
up the area.
Online Survey
The same keypad polling questions were
released through an online survey in order
to reach the portion of the population that
was interested in giving feedback for the
study but did not attend the meeting. The
online survey had 568 respondents.
Citizens presented their ideas to the group and to the planning team during
the first public charette.
