Virginia Beach wants to require developers to factor in sea level rise for new projects
VIRGINIA BEACH -- For city staff to approve upcoming projects, developers might soon have to plan for 3 feet of sea level rise, more intense rainfall and higher groundwater levels.
The more stringent standards would be an effort to protect new properties from the increasing risk of flooding in Virginia's largest city as sea level rise is set to accelerate in the coming decades. The changes are part of the city's proposed guidelines for future development, which have not been approved.
"Our goal, as engineers, is to prevent flooding," said Phil Pullen, the city engineer who is leading the effort. "We're treading new waters here — no pun intended."
More, and better, information on a proposed development's stormwater management plan could help prevent costly mistakes that were made in the past, he said. The often-cited example is Ashville Park, the Princess Anne subdivision that badly flooded during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and will cost the city millions to fix.
Read more: https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/article_77b5f87c-71ec-11e9-976c-0b4e867353bd.html
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