Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Chesapeake Bay Exception topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission grants exception to allow pool in RPA buffer after split vote and reconsideration
Summary
After an initial 4-4 tie on a staff-recommended denial, the Suffolk Planning Commission approved exception CEX2025-00006 to permit a pool within the Chesapeake Bay resource protection area buffer at 1120 Lake Mead Drive, voting in favor 6-2 and attaching staff conditions.
The Suffolk Planning Commission on Aug. 19 approved an exception to allow construction of a private swimming pool within the 100-foot resource protection area (RPA) buffer at 1120 Lake Mead Drive, after an initial denial motion tied 4-4 and a subsequent motion for approval carried 6-2.
Matthew Madariaga, staff planner, presented the application and staff’s recommendation for denial. He told commissioners the property borders Lake Cahoon Reservoir and that the applicant originally proposed both a pool and a detached garage within the RPA; the garage was removed after staff discussions. Madariaga said the applicant proposed mitigation in the form of buffer plantings consistent with the riparian buffer modification and mitigation manual and would remove an existing concrete fire pit in the 50-foot seaward portion of the buffer. Staff concluded the application did not meet UDO exception criteria—specifically that the request was not the minimum necessary because there is
