Virginia Coastal Program: 2003 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY2003 Task 48
Grantee:
Northern Neck Planning District Commission
Project Title:
Coastal Technical Assistance Program
Project Description as Proposed:
Three of the Northern
Neck counties (Lancaster, Northumberland, and Westmoreland) do not
have the mechanisms in place, the financial ability, nor the time
available to update their digital tax maps (created under a previous
Coastal Program Grant in the early 90’s). This project will
revise 15 tax maps of each of the 3 County’s choice. In future
grant years, additional subsets of maps will be revised until all
are updated. The Project will first undertake updating the ownership
polygons (assuring all parcels in existence are represented on the
map), and secondly, adjusting the geographic placement of parcel
lines. The Virginia Base Mapping Project’s digital ortho-rectified
aerial photos will be underlain to adjust boundaries so that property
lines do not intersect buildings, and do parallel roads and driveways.
Tax maps are THE unit of analysis for the County. The State stopped
providing tax map redrafting to localities a few years ago. Thus,
the County Hard Copy Maps are becoming cluttered with corrections,
taped in subdivisions, and notations. This project seeks to address
that problem.
Richmond County has revised their tax maps; therefore, an analysis
of three potential water access sites in the County will be conducted.
Three sites will be chosen by Richmond County, and the analysis
will use VMRC modified marina siting suitability guidelines. The
analysis to be performed is identical to the Analysis of Potential
Water Access Points completed for Northumberland County in a previous
Coastal Program Grant (FY99).
Northumberland County is currently in the process of updating their
Comprehensive Plan, and the NNPDC will assist with their Environmental
Mapping. There will be 16 maps to be produced (see the product deliverable
section for map descriptions), using the NNPDC’s GIS. The NNPDC
will provide support to the VAPDC Coastal Committee, the Rappahannock
River Basin Commission Water Allocation Group and Educational Committee.
In addition to the workplan described above, the NNPDC will continue
to provide support to the Virginia Association of Planning District
Commission’s Coastal PDC Committee. The Coastal Committee serves
to address issues that are specific to coastal localities in Virginia.
The NNPDC has, in the past, also supported various subcommittees
of the Rappahannock River Basin Commission (RRBC). The RRBC is a
watershed-wide commission made up of members of Boards of Supervisors
for the counties located within the Rappahannock River watershed.
The NNPDC will support the efforts of the RRBC Water Allocation
Group and Educational Subcommittee.
Federal Funding:
$25,000
Project Contact:
Stuart McKenzie, 804.333.1900, smckenzie@nnpdc17.state.va.us
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
The Northern Neck PDC assisted its member counties with various tasks under this Technical Assistance Grant. Northumberland County is currently revising their Comprehensive Plan, and requested that the PDC create seventeen environmental maps to include in the new version of their Comprehensive Plan. These maps included the following: Streams, Watersheds, Wetlands (Tidal and Non-Tidal), FEMA 100 & 500 Year Floodplains, Shoreline Erosion, 100 foot Chesapeake Bay Resource Areas, Hydric Soils, Limitations for Septic Systems, Highly Permeable Soils, Prime Agricultural Soils, Highly Erodible Soils (Erosion Index), Depth to Seasonal High Water Table, Sewered Areas, Topography (Elevation), Public Water Access Points and Zoning. Richmond County is seeking additional water recreational opportunities for its citizens, and the PDC is in the process of analyzing several sites in the County for possible water access points. The analysis is based on modified Virginia Marine Resources Commission Marina Siting criteria. The analysis includes maps that show the Location, an Aerial Photo, Condemned Shellfish Areas, Water Depths, Zoning, National Wetland Inventory (NWI) Wetlands, Shoreline Inventory and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Marina Siting Suitability Index. A recommendation of the most appropriate type of water dependent recreation for each site will be made from examination of the map data, adjacent property uses and other environmental factors. Analysis of one site is complete, with other sites being completed in subsequent years. Northumberland and Westmoreland Counties have used digital tax maps in their county since the late 1990's. However, there has not been a regular maintenance of this GIS data layer. The NNPDC updated tax maps in both Northumberland and Westmoreland Counties. In addition to adding newly subdivided parcels, the maps were aligned with Virginia's 2002 Base Mapping Program's Aerial Photographs. Parcels were adjusted where the shoreline had changed and parcel boundaries were adjusted to match the features shown on the up to date aerial photographs. Hard copy maps were printed, as well as digital map layers added to each County's Geographic Information System for use in site plan review and planning exercises. Subsequent grants in subsequent grant years will complete the tax map revisions.
Form C end
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
