[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6122699,"mediaKeyId","2694407-a4bfbcd5c5610d22b178493d0d1418e2","parentId",2694407,"title","Planning commission approves family subdivisions, Chesapeake Bay exceptions and UDO text changes; records tied vote on Harborview rezoning","audioSeconds",4857,"startMs",368000,"endMs",5225000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2694407-a4bfbcd5c5610d22b178493d0d1418e2&start=368&end=5225","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2694407-a4bfbcd5c5610d22b178493d0d1418e2/thumbnail_368000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6122699/Suffolk-City/Virginia/Planning-commission-approves-family-subdivisions-Chesapeake-Bay-exceptions-and-UDO-text-changes-records-tied-vote-on-Harborview-rezoning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122699-a52de9d64ea3c597998b1ddb2e0eaff5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771134162&Signature=b69OtejPwUFNT5SGkuw3X7jyGgXHw4P-cASh3uuM6lfM61lp1txWxGtPdpE~ficfVBODRKqaKE8oviQfsL3CSTkzo8Rw0WcMWNBAaSFgTLSJitRwkzw9a-oo7HFuRwFUCrQPt7Ke3SKmMxhFjDAoOEKowMja2h1B6knF6QiYerDRYn8k0IS4QhYHQQWh23CsvzP7egCZjYxId-y2MxgQbja0EXyxIiQmslIH-~u~TqVsKHKJ4gj4R0QBdi1O6QQ3~vhOI61JgQkH0GpeM1wz3tD~I3f1lm7jsiSk79sph1Sk~DKGtd-Vict4ZZtqWmMuFRcPq1qwSdZioTYtOussug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-19T08:27:10Z","article","Suffolk City Planning Commission members approved multiple routine and technical items at their March meeting, including two family transfer subdivision plats, two Chesapeake Bay preservation‑area exceptions and a housekeeping ordinance text amendment to update references in the Unified Development Ordinance. The commission forwarded a tied vote on a high‑profile Harborview rezoning (RZN2024‑014) to City Council for final action.

Votes at a glance

- Family transfer subdivision FTR2024‑002 (150 Horseback Lane): Approved 8–0. Staff said the 26.81‑acre parent parcel would be subdivided to create a 3.526‑acre lot and a 1.074‑acre lot for family members; staff recommended approval after confirming minimum holding periods and that setbacks meet zoning. No public opposition was recorded.

- Family transfer subdivision FTR2024‑005 (657 Loomis Road): Approved 8–0. Staff reported the 4.128‑acre parcel would yield a one‑acre family lot to the applicant’s son; a 50‑foot ingress/egress easement and deed restrictions (10‑year conveyance prohibition) accompany the plat.

- Chesapeake Bay exception CEX2025‑001 (100 Moonlight Point — retaining wall): Approved 7–1 with conditions. Staff said the proposal would allow an 83‑foot retaining wall encroaching into the 100‑foot resource protection area (RPA) buffer resulting in 86 square feet of new impervious area and 1,491 square feet of land disturbance. The applicant submitted a mitigation planting plan (4 canopy trees, 4 understory trees, 12 large shrubs and 32 small shrubs/grass areas) exceeding the required mitigation and the Nansemond River Preservation Alliance stated its support. Conditions require silt fencing, limits on additional RPA intrusion, and adherence to the approved mitigation plan.

- Chesapeake Bay exception CEX2025‑002 (2725 Nansemond Crescent — deck): Approved 7–1 with conditions. The commission approved a 12‑by‑11.6‑foot deck attached to an existing accessory structure in the 50‑foot landward portion of the RPA; the request included a buffer restoration plan providing one vegetation mitigation unit. Staff concluded the deck would not alter surface flow and recommended approval.

- Ordinance Text Amendment OTA2025‑001 (cluster subdivision standards and buffers): Approved 8–0 with a recommendation to City Council. The amendment clarifies cluster subdivision setbacks and requires the 10‑foot perimeter landscape buffer (when adjacent to existing residentially zoned property) to be placed within community‑held passive open space rather than on individual private lots. The proposal also modifies the minimum rear setback for cluster lots to 20 feet or the minimum of the underlying zoning district, whichever is less. The commission will forward a recommendation for approval to City Council on April 16.

Procedural notes and next steps

The two family subdivision plats require no further city action; applicants were congratulated. The two Chesapeake Bay exceptions include specific conditions; staff will verify compliance before issuance of any permits. The ordinance text amendment will go to City Council with a favorable recommendation. The Harborview rezoning (RZN2024‑014) resulted in a 4–4 tie and will be forwarded to City Council with a motion for denial; council will consider the application on April 16.

Full roll‑call results and brief notes for each vote are below.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Suffolk Planning Commission Meeting (3-18-25)","oneSentenceSummary","Suffolk City Planning Commission members approved two family transfer subdivision plats, two Chesapeake Bay exception requests and a housekeeping ordinance text amendment at their March meeting; a separate rezoning for Harborview Station was tied 4–4 and sent to City Council.","taxTitle","Suffolk City, Virginia","taxId",4193,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6122703,"Planning commission deadlocks on Harborview rezoning after debate over housing, master plan",2832,952000,3784000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2694407-a4bfbcd5c5610d22b178493d0d1418e2&start=952&end=3784","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2694407-a4bfbcd5c5610d22b178493d0d1418e2/thumbnail_952000.jpg","/articles/6122703/Suffolk-City/Virginia/Planning-commission-deadlocks-on-Harborview-rezoning-after-debate-over-housing-master-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122703-57d70d13d9d3f9fe86c51de343baeab4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771134162&Signature=PQ4wwMgNOLO9EF5Bm8X9vBWVM5oW85OkBFQi9eUhGoEbqE5nUH-H7oorkCa9jhF~AFh9JczQtev43N0MMgsU2J0nGCD-BjV6np4z~3rAnfwHQCdmkekr8-W3LDN5j8UwiK4pdSusUDV9EXZKF7BAIxaa7cd9SzcwR-GyU1o1cCcyonSw7C0-4uZ~Lvho3DNe673NYCw8-5dIGSFk0CFdQCh2BfR1-2GJoS4gwR8IZOKrN0zYTsPGGkQYg6y2KY4jBAVptExdbCcLDiPFJdD7vvtuKki0Q5ijROREZMXjsgz4GhNJVw37iD8pMLs-xz5g9a-YRWSyhEaG3Fg2D5ySYg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Suffolk City Planning Commission was tied 4–4 on Monday on a rezoning request to convert about 18.95 acres at 7250 Harbour Town Parkway from the MUD (Mixed Use Development) overlay to RU‑24 (Residential Urban 24), a change the applicant said would create a mix of townhouses and multifamily units and provide new housing choices near Harborview Station.

Staff planner Gonzalo Borges told the commission that the request, RZN2024‑014, proposes a maximum of 344 total residential units — 288 multifamily apartments and 56 townhouses — and that staff finds the rezoning “does not meet the intent of the provisions of the 2045 comprehensive plan and the Unified Development Ordinance,” in part because it would alter the Harborview Station master plan and reduce the property’s planned commercial/medical uses.

The commission heard from developer representatives and consultants who said the project would supply housing the city needs. “We are very excited to have the ability to provide additional attainable housing options to an area that we believe housing is very much needed,” said Tom Martinson, a representative for the applicant. Melissa Venable of Land Planning Solutions, who presented the application’s technical details, said the proposal would support walkability and the existing Harborview commercial base and that the applicant is offering significant school‑age proffers: “we are proffering nearly $2,900,000 in school age proffered dollars.”

Applicant consultant Grady Palmer urged commissioners to consider how the development would function in practice, not only the zoning label. “Take a little bit broader perspective on this,” Palmer said. “We believe it will function exactly the way that a mixed use development is supposed to function.”

Commissioners who opposed the rezoning emphasized land‑use consistency and the role of the master plan. Borges noted the site was identified for a mix of commercial, office, medical and assisted‑living uses in the Harborview Station master plan approved in 2006 and amended in 2013; extracting the parcel from the MUD, staff said, would conflict with the comprehensive plan’s objectives for mixed‑use master‑plan areas.

Other commissioners pressed the applicant on the jobs‑to‑housing balance and where commercial development could still occur within the MUD. Venable and staff said several undeveloped commercial parcels remain in Harborview that could provide jobs, but staff expressed reservations about relying on aggressive assumptions for future commercial job generation on parcels that are currently vacant.

After questions and public testimony, the commission moved to approve the rezoning. The motion failed on a 4–4 vote (Bauer, Creekmore, Goodman and Hicks voting yes; Everwine, Edwards, Vice Chairman Staylor and Chairman Singleton voting no). The commission clerk said the tie would be transmitted to City Council as a recommendation of denial; the item is scheduled to go to City Council on April 16.

The vote leaves unresolved whether the Harborview parcel will follow the master‑plan commercial/medical vision the city approved previously or move toward higher residential density. City Council will take the next action on the rezoning application.","The Suffolk City Planning Commission was tied 4–4 on Monday on a rezoning request to convert about 18.95 acres at 7250 Harbour Town Parkway from the MUD (Mixed Use Development) overlay to RU‑24 (Residential Urban 24), a change the applicant said would create a mix of townhouses and multifamily units and provide new housing choices near Harborview Station.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning commission approves family subdivisions, Chesapeake Bay exceptions and UDO text changes; records tied vote on Harborview rezoning

Planning commission deadlocks on Harborview rezoning after debate over housing, master plan