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Planners briefed on proposed 212‑acre Myrtle Mitigation Bank at Suffolk–Isle of Wight border
Summary
Staff presented a conceptual wetlands mitigation bank on roughly 212 acres partly in Suffolk and partly in Isle of Wight County. The bank would restore wetlands and sell mitigation credits to developers; the applicant has submitted a prospectus to the U.S. Army Corps and DEQ and will need a conditional-use permit in Suffolk.
Planning staff briefed commissioners on May 21 about a proposed wetlands mitigation bank (the Myrtle Mitigation Bank) covering approximately 212 acres at the far west end of the city near the Isle of Wight County border.
Caitlin Abbott explained the property is largely silviculture (loblolly pine farm) and that the bank would restore degraded wetlands through planting, grading and hydrologic work. She described two project footprints: a general mitigation bank where credits would be available for multiple offsite users through state (DEQ) and federal (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) authorization, and an ecological restoration project portion where restored credits would be reserved for a specified user and development.
Abbott said the applicant has submitted a prospectus to the U.S. Army Corps and that Isle of Wight currently permits mitigation banks as a matter of right while Suffolk would process the request through its conditional-use permit procedures where the property lies inside city limits. Staff noted tentative next steps include a public hearing before Planning Commission on June 16 and a City Council review on July 15, 2026. Commissioners asked technical questions and expressed general support for regional mitigation capacity.
