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Chesapeake Bay Board grants exception for two retaining walls at 236 Jefferson’s Hundred
Summary
The Chesapeake Bay Board approved a Chesapeake Bay exception allowing two retaining walls and a landing at 236 Jefferson’s Hundred after staff found impacts to the RPA were minor and the applicants proposed more mitigation than required.
The James City County Chesapeake Bay Board on March 12 granted an exception allowing the construction of two retaining walls and a landing at 236 Jefferson’s Hundred in the Kingsmill subdivision.
Amanda Frazier, watershed planner, told the board the lot is 0.57 acres with about 63% inside the Resource Protection Area (RPA). She said the total impervious impact to the RPA would be 216 square feet; county mitigation guidance requires half a planting unit for that amount of impervious disturbance (equivalent to six shrubs), and the applicants’ mitigation plan provides 29 shrubs, exceeding the requirement.
“Staff has reviewed the application and exception request and has determined the impacts associated with the proposal to be minor for the proposed development,” Frazier said, and recommended approval with conditions. Staff’s recommended conditions included obtaining all required federal, state and local permits; submitting a $2,500 surety to guarantee mitigation plantings equal to 2.5 planting units (29 shrubs); and recording an affidavit at the Williamsburg–James City County courthouse before building permit issuance.
Joe Crowlinger, the engineer with The Structures Group, told the board the site suffers “significant sheet erosion” and that access constraints and steep slopes require removing several trees to get equipment in; he described a proposed second, lower retaining wall to lift and stabilize a portion of the slope and noted plans to route downspouts through the wall to riprap.
Board members asked questions about erosion, wall design and tree removals. After public comment and board discussion, a motion to adopt the staff-recommended resolution passed 5–0, granting the exception for CBPA-25-0005 at 236 Jefferson’s Hundred.
Conditions include the surety and affidavit, and the exception approval will become null and void if construction has not begun by March 12, 2026; extension requests must be submitted to the Stormwater & Resource Protection Division by Jan. 29, 2026.
