Virginia Beach Planning Commission recommends approval of consent agenda including zoning and floodplain ordinance amendments

The Virginia Beach Planning Commission recommended approval of a multi-item consent agenda at its Aug. 13, 2025 public hearing, advancing a package of technical amendments and property requests to the City Council.

Planner Madison Eichols told the commission the most substantive items included an amendment to the zoning ordinance for the Western Campus Overlay District that would differentiate minimum ground-floor heights for residential and nonresidential buildings, allowing residential ground floors of 10 feet while keeping nonresidential at 14 feet, and a change to the city's floodplain ordinance (Appendix K) to permit the floodplain administrator to grant administrative variances for functionally dependent uses as defined by FEMA and to clarify appeal procedures.

Eichols said the floodplain changes also include a provision for relief for developments that submitted plans for review before March 16, 2022, the date of a prior floodplain amendment. On the Western Campus proposal she said the change is intended to modify building form standards to better accommodate residential design in that overlay district.

Multiple property items, including a subdivision-creation variance for a parcel at 970 Whitehurst Landing Road, a request to relocate a legally nonconforming sign at 1689 Laskin Road (BP), and a signage proposal for the Funny Bone within the Pembroke Mall redevelopment area, were presented as meeting staff conditions and without public opposition. Short-term rental conditional use permit requests for properties including 42320 First Street and 213 Fourth Street were likewise read into the record and placed on consent after applicants accepted required conditions.

Commissioner Plumlee moved to approve the consent agenda as read; the motion was seconded and, by recorded vote, the commission recommended approval 10–0 with Commissioner Plumlee noting an abstention on the Aug. 7, 2025 site visit minutes. The commission’s recommendation advances the listed items to the City Council for final action.

The city clerk reminded the applicants that the Planning Commission's actions are recommendations to the Virginia Beach City Council and that final decisions rest with the council. Items approved on consent will be scheduled for an upcoming council meeting and staff will contact applicants with dates.