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Thirty-day comment period opened for Virginia coastal resilience planning documents

Rebecca Barnabi
virginia beach
Photo Credit: abemos/Adobe Stock

Public comment is sought on key documents for Virginia’s coastal resilience planning.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation previously released the documents without public comment, according to a press release.

From October 17 through November 18, 2022 public comments are welcome at townhall.virginia.gov.

The core principles of Virginia’s approach to coastal adaption and protection are in the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework. The document, released in October 2020, also contains the goals that guide the development and implementation of Virginia’s first Coastal Resilience Master Plan.

Future coastal flooding and its impact on the coastal regions’ community, critical and natural resources are projected in the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan – Phase 1, which was released in December 2021.

“The Framework and the Plan are important documents that provide a baseline for future resilience efforts,” DCR Director Matthew Wells said in a press release. “As a part of the Youngkin Administration’s commitment to transparency, it is critically important that the public have an opportunity to weigh in on these documents. We hope to use this feedback to guide us as we begin planning for Phase II of the Coastal Resilience Plan.”

DCR has until December 2024 to complete phase II of the master plan, which will build on phase I’s hazard analysis and project inventory, as well as expand the Coastal Resilience Web Explorer and Database beyond the coastal region to encompass statewide resilience planning needs.

 

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.