Norfolk staff, consultants preview draft future land use plan; open houses set for June

Norfolk planning staff and the city’s lead consultants presented a draft future land use plan to the Planning Commission, explained the new place‑type mapping approach and resilience priorities, and announced public open houses and online comment periods for the draft.

The plan’s consultant, Wil Kim, identified the delivery milestone and scale: “The document is nearly 400 pages long,” and the city team said they are in the final internal review phase before public release. City staff described the future land use section as a mapping and guidance tool—not a zoning map—and said it will be used to guide zoning updates, streetscape projects, parks and other implementation tools.

Why it matters: the draft reorients future growth toward higher, lower‑risk areas and toward transit corridors while preserving neighborhood character. That matters for property owners, developers and residents because the map will inform where the city encourages redevelopment, transit‑oriented development and where it prioritizes adaptation measures for sea‑level…