Chesapeake council approves rezoning for Virginia Natural Gas compressor station after heated public hearing

Chesapeake City Council voted 6–3 to approve a conditional rezoning that would convert roughly 23.2 acres at 2512 South Military Highway to M‑1 light industrial, a step VNG says is needed to build an electric compressor station to shore up natural gas deliverability during extreme cold.

VNG representatives told council the company has operated at the site for decades and is investing in local operations. Shannon Pierce, president and CEO of Virginia Natural Gas, said the proposal is intended to improve reliability after a colder‑than‑normal recent winter and to reduce reliance on on‑site propane by using electric compression during the coldest days of the year.

Supporters including company engineers, compliance staff and representatives of regional employers and military facilities argued the electric units have low on‑site emissions, are subject to federal and state pipeline safety oversight, and would reduce the likelihood of extended outages that could affect hospitals, military installations and major employers in Hampton Roads.

Opponents—residents, physicians and community advocates—urged council to deny the rezoning, saying the site sits near historically overburdened neighborhoods in South Norfolk and raising health, noise and property‑value concerns. Doctor Charlotte Worley, a lifelong Chesapeake resident, asked the council to make an “evidence‑based” decision and cited studies and prior public testimony she said linked compression stations to negative health outcomes. Other speakers called the proposal an example of environmental injustice and questioned whether the primary economic beneficiary was a distant industrial customer rather than Chesapeake residents.

Speakers on both sides referenced filings and reviews at the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). VNG officials noted that the company’s SCC application and state regulators’ oversight are separate processes that examine need, safety and technical compliance; VNG said the chosen site already hosts transmission infrastructure and that adding electric compression would reduce net on‑site emissions relative to the current propane peaking equipment.

Council members who voted for approval said staff and the planning commission had recommended approval with proffers that limit and shape future development at the site. Those who opposed the rezoning emphasized constituent health and fairness concerns and said they were not persuaded the proffers sufficiently addressed local risk. The recorded vote was 6 in favor, 3 opposed.

Next steps: the rezoning clears the local land‑use hurdle; state and federal technical and safety reviews—including the SCC proceeding—remain the venues for detailed permitting, equipment specifications, and operational rules. The Council’s approval does not itself permit construction; any construction and operation would be subject to the SCC process and applicable DEQ and PHMSA oversight.