Email: Bill Hayden
Tidewater Regional Office community meeting, September 27, 2005
Issues concerning community involvement in land use decisions and environmental permitting
- In light of recent issues affecting wetlands in the southeast, how can we get more momentum to protect wetlands in Virginia?
- Consider cumulative impacts of development
- Must consider potential impact of project proposals, which are not necessarily the final product
- More public education is needed about wetland importance; developers need to be advised of necessary permits
- Create “build-out scenarios” – envisioning all likely consequences of a single project leading to other projects, more development – to envision the full impact of proposals
- Identify all stakeholders, educate public
- Virginia Coastal Program workshop in October 2005 will examine social marketing to affect people’s behavior regarding coastal protection
- Agencies need to be proactive/identify sensitive properties/property owners; include wetland buffer protection.
- How to address zoning variances
- Applicants must show hardship; decided at local level
- How to get public to better understand development/wetlands issues
- Education of public about runoff, best management practices
- How to make science/regulations understandable to public; work with developers on low-impact development; Eastern Shore workshop on shoreline protection alternatives
- Transportation system drives growth patterns, need for rail transit
- Comprehensive plan considers road alternatives; population density management can encourage use of alternatives to roads
- Some alternatives have their own environmental impacts
- Public can become involved in alternatives through pre-application meetings
- Balancing technical regulatory decisions with political pressures
- Affect political decision making through the elective process, educate people as much as possible
- Permit process is often politically charged, with many opposing views. However, the Virginia wetlands law is more stringent than most, and it was created in a political atmosphere
- Regulatory process is explicitly defined and limited by laws and regulations
- For the public, it is often difficult to protest permits – how to make the process more friendly and accessible to public
- There is no single solution; best approach is for the public to get involved
- Citizens can have an impact on the outcome of projects
- For example: Chesapeake citizens became involved and directly affected development decisions in the city
- About 50 percent of Virginia wetlands have been lost; development decisions being made now are critical to the future
- Current laws are effective at stopping further losses and potentially reversing losses
- Be proactive, talk to legislators, take advantage of matching federal dollars to conserve wetlands; work with private property owners