Comprehensive Plan Draft Policies
The City of Virginia Beach is updating its comprehensive plan. The plan is a formal document that is updated every few years and projects Virginia Beach 20 to 25 years into the future.
Over the summer and fall of 2023, the Planning Department met with residents and stakeholders to determine a vision for the future of Virginia Beach. The Comprehensive Planning staff used the feedback they gathered to develop the 2040 Comprehensive Plan update.
The following draft policy ideas are intended to guide future development throughout the City.
The Framework
Themes, context areas and place types make up the framework for the comprehensive plan update.
Themes
The plan’s themes are a reflection of the vision articulated by residents during the early public input stages. Themes are the commonly held goals for Virginia Beach that were shared when the community talked about their values and desires for the future. These include:
- Environmental sustainability
- Balanced growth
- Economic & cultural diversity
- Sense of community
- Multimodal access
Context Areas
Context areas are the City’s four distinct landscapes which are a new addition to the comprehensive plan.
Rural Context Area
South of the Blue Line (Indian River Road) and portions of the Green Line (Princess Anne Road) – to remain rural and agricultural.
Transition Context Area
Between the Green and Blue Lines – to remain low density development.
Inland Context Area
North of the Green Line - to absorb most of the city’s growth as redevelopment within major corridors and centers.
Coastal Context Area
Found along Virginia Beach’s Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean coast lines. These areas would grow to enhance unique coastal character and activities.
Place Types
Place types are the way that the City will organize and manage growth in the future.
Corridors and Centers
Areas planned to undergo transformative change. Corridors are major thoroughfares like Virginia Beach Blvd and Lynnhaven Parkway. Corridors and centers will be vibrant, mixed-use areas that can support walkability and transit.
Special Use Areas
Single-use, large areas of the city that can support economic growth, like military bases and business parks.
Communities and Neighborhoods
The backbone of place types in Virginia Beach. The comprehensive plan will identify the character of each and take steps to protect what makes these places special.
Environmental Framework
An environmental framework will wrap around all of these place types and context areas to ensure that the local environment is protected.
- Sea Level Wise strategies would be implemented as a core component of the City’s actions towards improving resiliency and reducing risk.
- A wildlife corridor program would be initiated to identify opportunities for connecting and protecting natural and preserved lands and waterways.
Linear Park System
- The comprehensive plan would initiate a linear park system program that identifies, acquires, and develops greenways for recreation and flood protection.
- The Virginia Beach Trail (City-owned Norfolk Southern right of way) and the Southeastern Parkway right of way would become system spines.
- System connectors, such as the Thalia Creek Greenway, would be improved.