Sec. 14-264. - Development criteria for resource protection areas.
In addition to the general performance criteria set forth in Section 14-263, the criteria in this section are applicable in resource protection areas.
(1) Approval required.
a. Land development may be allowed in the resource protection area, subject to approval by the City, only if it:
1. Is water-dependent;
2. Constitutes redevelopment;
3. Constitutes development or redevelopment within a designated intensely developed area;
4. Is a new use established pursuant to Subsection (1)e.1 of this section;
5. Is a road or driveway crossing satisfying the conditions set forth in Subsection (1)e.4 of this section; or
6. Is a flood control or stormwater management facility satisfying the conditions set forth in Subsection (5) of this section.
b. A water quality impact assessment in accordance with Subsection (6) of this section shall be required for any proposed land disturbance.
c. A new or expanded water-dependent facility may be allowed, provided that the following criteria are met:
1. It does not conflict with the comprehensive plan;
2. It complies with the performance criteria set forth in Section 14-263;
3. Any nonwatery-dependent component is located outside of resource protection areas; and
4. Access to the water-dependent facility will be provided with the minimum disturbance necessary. Where practicable, a single point of access will be provided.
d. Redevelopment, outside designated intensely developed areas, shall be permitted in the resource protection area only if there is no increase in the amount of impervious cover and no further encroachment within the resource protection area, and it shall conform to applicable erosion and sediment control and stormwater management criteria set forth in Subsections (6) and (7) of this section, respectively, of Section 14-263, as well as all applicable stormwater management requirements of other State and Federal agencies.
e. Roads and driveways not exempt under Section 14-292(b)(1) and which, therefore, must comply with the provisions of this article, may be constructed in or across resource protection areas if each of the following conditions is met:
1. The City makes a finding that there are no reasonable alternatives to aligning the road or driveway in or across the resource protection area;
2. The alignment and design of the road or driveway are optimized, consistent with other applicable requirements, to minimize:
(i) Encroachment in the resource protection area; and
(ii) Adverse effects on water quality;
3. The design and construction of the road or driveway satisfy all applicable criteria of this article, including submission of a water quality impact assessment; and
4. The City reviews the plan for the road or driveway proposed in or across the resource protection area in coordination with the City's site plan, subdivision and plan of development approvals.
f. Flood control and stormwater management facilities that drain or treat water from multiple development projects or from a significant portion of a watershed may be allowed in resource protection areas, provided that:
1. The City has conclusively established that location of the facility within the resource protection area is the optimum location;
2. The size of the facility is the minimum necessary to provide necessary flood control or stormwater treatment, or both;
3. The facility must be consistent with a comprehensive stormwater management plan developed and that has been approved in accordance with 9VAC25-870-92 of the Virginia Stormwater Management Program regulations;
4. All applicable permits for construction in State or Federal waters must be obtained from the appropriate State and Federal agencies, such as the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission;
5. Approval must be received from the City prior to construction; and
6. Routine maintenance is allowed to be performed on such facilities to assure that they continue to function as designed.
It is not the intent of this subsection to allow a best management practice that collects and treats runoff from only an individual lot or some portion of the lot to be located within a resource protection area.
(2) Exemptions in resource protection areas.
a. The following land disturbances in resource protection areas may be exempt from the criteria of this division provided that they comply with Subsections (2)b and c of this section:
1. Water wells;
2. Passive recreation facilities, such as boardwalks, trails and pathways; and
3. Historic preservation and archaeological activities.
b. The City shall establish administrative procedures to review such exemptions.
c. Any land disturbance exceeding an area of 2,500 square feet shall comply with the erosion and sediment control criteria in Section 14-263(a)(6).
(3) Buffer area requirements. The 100-foot-wide buffer area shall be the landward component of the resource protection area as set forth in Section 14-231(b)(5). Notwithstanding permitted uses, encroachments, and vegetation clearing, as set forth in this section, the 100-foot-wide buffer area is not reduced in width. To minimize the adverse effects of human activities on the other components of the resource protection area, State waters, and aquatic life, a 100-foot-wide buffer area of vegetation that is effective in retarding runoff, preventing erosion, and filtering nonpoint source pollution from runoff shall be retained if present and established where it does not exist.
a. The 100-foot-wide buffer area shall be deemed to achieve a 75 percent reduction of sediments and a 40 percent reduction of nutrients.
b. Where land uses such as agriculture or silviculture within the area of the buffer cease and the lands are proposed to be converted to other uses, the full 100-foot-wide buffer shall be reestablished. In reestablishing the buffer, management measures shall be undertaken to provide woody vegetation that assures the buffer functions set forth in this article.
(4) Permitted encroachments into the buffer area.
a. When the application of the buffer area would result in the loss of a buildable area on a lot or parcel recorded prior to October 1, 1989, encroachments into the buffer area may be allowed through an administrative process, in accordance with the following criteria:
1. Encroachments into the buffer area shall be the minimum necessary to achieve a reasonable buildable area for a principal structure and necessary utilities.
2. Where practicable, a vegetated area that will maximize water quality protection, mitigate the effects of the buffer encroachment, and is equal to the area of encroachment into the buffer area shall be established elsewhere on the lot or parcel.
3. The encroachment may not extend into the seaward 50 feet of the buffer area.
b. When the application of the buffer area would result in the loss of a buildable area on a lot or parcel recorded between October 1, 1989, and March 1, 2002, encroachments into the buffer area may be allowed through an administrative process in accordance with the following criteria:
1. The lot or parcel was created as a result of a legal process conducted in conformity with the City's subdivision regulations;
2. Conditions or mitigation measures imposed through a previously approved exception shall be met;
3. If the use of a best management practice was previously required, the best management practice shall be evaluated to determine if it continues to function effectively and, if necessary, the best management practice shall be reestablished or repaired and maintained as required; and
4. The criteria in Subsection (4)a of this section shall be met.
(5) Permitted modifications of the buffer area. In order to maintain the functional value of the buffer area, existing vegetation may be removed, subject to approval by the City, only to provide for reasonable sight lines, access paths, general woodlot management, and best management practices, including those that prevent upland erosion and concentrated flows of stormwater, as follows:
a. Trees may be pruned or removed as necessary to provide for sight lines and vistas, provided that, where removed, they shall be replaced with other vegetation that is equally effective in retarding runoff, preventing erosion, and filtering nonpoint source pollution from runoff as specified in the Riparian Buffer Modification & Mitigation Guidance Manual, 2003, published by the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Division of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and as may be amended by the State from time to time.
b. Any path shall be constructed and surfaced so as to effectively control erosion.
c. Dead, diseased, or dying trees or shrubbery and noxious weeds (such as Johnson grass, kudzu, and multiflora rose) may be removed and thinning of trees may be allowed, pursuant to sound horticultural practices.
d. For shoreline erosion control projects, trees and woody vegetation may be removed, necessary control techniques employed, and appropriate vegetation established to protect or stabilize the shoreline in accordance with the best available technical advice and applicable permit conditions or requirements.
(6) Water quality impact assessment. A water quality impact assessment shall be required for any proposed development within the resource protection area consistent with this division and for any other development in Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas that the Administrator determines may warrant such assessment because of the unique characteristics of the site or intensity of the proposed use or development.
a. The purpose of the water quality impact assessment is to identify the impacts of proposed development on water quality and lands in the resource protection areas consistent with the goals and objectives of the Act, this article, and the City's programs, and to determine specific measures for mitigation of those impacts. An approved water quality impact assessment shall demonstrate the following:
1. The absence of significant adverse impacts of nonpoint source pollution on topography, soils, environmentally sensitive areas, hydrology, and the quality of State waters; or
2. That any such adverse impacts are mitigated. Calculations shall be performed in accordance with guidelines developed by the City pursuant to Section 14-263 or in accordance with generally accepted engineering methods approved by the City.
b. The water quality impact assessment shall be of sufficient specificity to demonstrate compliance with the criteria of the City's program.
(7) Buffer area requirements for intensely developed areas. In intensely developed areas, the City may exercise discretion regarding whether to require establishment of vegetation in the 100-foot-wide buffer area. However, while the immediate establishment of vegetation in the buffer area may be impractical, the City shall give consideration to implementing measures that would establish vegetation in the buffer in these areas over time in order to maximize water quality protection, pollutant removal, and water resource conservation. Where buffers are to be established, they shall be designed in accordance with the standards established in the Riparian Buffer Modification & Mitigation Guidance Manual, 2003, prepared by the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Division of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and as may be amended by the Commonwealth of Virginia from time to time.
(Code 2004, § 50-332; Code 2015, § 14-264; Code 2020, § 14-264; Ord. No. 2014-116-89, § 2, 5-27-2014)
