Commission approves small addition to shed within RPA at Rivercliff Crescent with conditions

The City of Suffolk Planning Commission on July 15 approved Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area exception CEX2025-00009 to allow a 27-square-foot addition to an existing shed at 4236 Rivercliff Crescent East.

Staff planner Isabella Reynolds said the property is 1.69 acres, established in 1986 prior to the Bay Act, and contains tidal wetlands connected to the Nansemond River, which triggers the 100-foot resource protection area buffer. Reynolds said the proposed 3-by-9-foot (27-square-foot) addition would expand the existing roughly 400-square-foot shed to about 427 square feet and would generate 27 square feet of land disturbance. The applicant provided a buffer mitigation plan showing one vegetation unit to offset the disturbance; staff concluded the request met the criteria in section 31-4-15 of the Unified Development Ordinance and recommended approval with conditions.

Applicant Gerald Mason addressed the commission and described removal of derelict boats, contaminated materials and other debris from the shoreline after he bought the property four years ago and said he had reduced impervious surface area on the lot through those efforts. Mason said previous removal work included boats, gasoline and treated lumber and that he had restored portions of the patio to gap-board decking. Mason told commissioners he intended to convert the shed into an accessory dwelling unit in the future, and he provided neighborhood support letters. No opponents spoke at the hearing.

After brief questions and a clarification that the Board of Zoning Appeals previously approved a setback variance for the shed, the commission approved the exception by an 8-0 roll call vote. Staff advised the applicant that the decision requires no further City Council action and the project may proceed subject to the staff conditions.