Virginia Coastal Program: 2003 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
85.01
Grantee:
James River Association
Project Title:
Improving Local Building Codes and Ordinances to Protect the James River and its Tributaries
Project Description as Proposed:
James River Association (JRA) will perform an analysis of the codes and ordinances for each of the 28 counties with major amounts of land in the James River watershed by utilizing the Codes and Ordinance Worksheet developed by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP).
JRA is forming a collaborative effort with urban and environmental planning programs in the region to conduct the analysis. To date, the University of Virginia Urban and Environmental Planning Department and the Virginia Commonwealth University Urban Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute Urban Affairs and Planning Department have expressed their intent to dedicate a spring class to the project. Each university will hold a class in the 2006 Spring semester focused on conducting the analysis for approximately 10 counties. At the end of the semester, JRA and the participating universities will hold a symposium for the students to present summaries of their analyses to invited local officials and the public.
The federal grant funds will support the work done with the James River localities in the coastal zone (Henrico and Chesterfield county and east), while matching funds will support activities in the rest of the watershed. All reports, symposium materials, press releases, websites and interviews produced during this project will properly acknowledge the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Program as one of the sponsors of this effort.
Federal Funding:
$11,698
Project Contact:
Amber Foster, (804) 730-2898; afoster@jamesriverassociation.org
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
Improving Local Building Codes and Ordinances to Protect the James River and its Tributaries is the James River Association’s (JRA) first attempt at a watershed-wide analysis of development codes and ordinances. The purpose of the analysis was to assess each locality’s development codes and how they protect water quality while accommodating future growth.
Nineteen localities (cities of Chesapeake, Colonial Heights, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Suffolk & Williamsburg; and the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Isle of Wight, James City, New Kent, Prince George and Surry) were analyzed using the Center for Watershed Protection’s Code and Ordinance Worksheet (COW) and Addendum. Sixteen of the James River watershed Virginia Coastal Zone localities were assigned to students in the Legal and Legislative Foundations of Planning (URSP 635) course at Virginia Commonwealth University instructed by Aubrey W. Fountain, Esq. Dr. Avrum J. (A.J.) Shriar served as a project liaison. Three cities in the Coastal Zone were analyzed by students from the University of Virginia graduate course, Green Codes and Blue Waters (PLAC 559), instructed by Karen Firehock.
The COW review required students to evaluate local development codes and ordinances for flexibility to incorporate Better Site Design (or environmentally friendly) practices into development. The COW evaluates codes based on three major components of development: 1) Residential Streets and Parking Lots, 2) Lot Development and 3) Conservation of Natural Areas. Students were encouraged to contact a staff member from each locality to ensure all codes and ordinances were obtained.
After all the data were collected, JRA hosted a symposium at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on April 21, 2006. Approximately 100 local, state and federal government, non-profit, students, citizens and special interest group representatives were in attendance. The agenda included a James River watershed overview, a segment on watershed protection tools, the university findings and recommendations and a local government panel discussion. Overall, the symposium was successful and received positive feedback regarding content and timeliness of the issues discussed.
In May, professors from both universities submitted the students’ final reports to Ms. Amber Foster, the Watershed Scientist, at the JRA. Amber was responsible for quality assurance and quality control as well as compiling the information into a final report.
The final report was compiled by JRA entitled “Improving Local Building Codes and Ordinances to Protect the James River and its Tributaries.” The findings of the report indicate that all localities of the James River watershed could benefit from code and ordinance review to incorporate more environmentally sensitive design. The average score was 49 out of 120 potential points, or 41%. The Center for Watershed Protection recommends any locality with a score below 80% consider creating a site planning roundtable to improve development rules.
The report is available online at www.jamesriverassociation.org and will be sent electronically to all local governments reviewed in this project as well as participants of the symposium, state and federal officials and others who have expressed interest. JRA has been invited to work with the Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance to use the results in preparation for Phase III implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.
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
