Coastal Resilience Master Plan

Coastal Resilience Master Plan

Timeline

Executive Mandate (November, 2018)

As a part of Governor Northam’s Executive Order 24, the Commonwealth was charged with developing a Coastal Resilience Master Plan. The Master Plan was designed as the guiding document for the state’s coastal adaptation and protection efforts. Virginia’s Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), along with the Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection (SACAP), were responsible for the Plan’s development and implementation.

Framework Completed (October 22, 2020)

Governor Northam announced the completion of the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework. This framework outlines the goals, principles, and actions that will be used to develop the full Coastal Resilience Master Plan. On March 18th, 2021, Governor Northam announced the selection of Dewberry, a planning and engineering firm, as the contractor that will aid state officials and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in the development of the Coastal Resilience Master Plan. As stated in the announcement, Dewberry is joined by The Water Institute of the Gulf and Virginia-certified small, women-, and minority-owned subcontractors GKY & Associates, Vision Planning and Consulting, and The Miles Agency.

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Phase I (2020) and Phase II (2022)

Executive Order 71: The Virginia Coastal Resilience Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was established to support the CRO and the SACAP in coordinating development of the Master Plan, as well as developing recommendations for specific coastal adaptation and protection strategies and project prioritization. The TAC convened under both Governors Northam (Phase I) and Youngkin (Phase II). Wetlands Watch served through both phases, since it’s establishment in 2020. You can view the meeting minutes, agenda, and meeting slides for each of these meetings here.

Master Plan Phase I Released (December 7th, 2021)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation announced the release of Virginia's Coastal Resilience Master Plan. The first iteration of the Master Plan identifies both current and future areas that are at risk of coastal flooding hazards, along with how the social, natural, and built assets in those areas will be impacted. The Master Plan also outlines resilience initiatives that should be prioritized by communities so that they can adapt to current and future flood hazard events. This is an integral first step in flood resilience planning, and we hope to see this work extended to the rest of the state in the coming years.

You can view the full Master Plan document here.

Master Plan Phase II (Youngkin Administration) (2022)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has been tasked with updating the Coastal Resilience Master Plan (CRMP) to address sea level rise and climate change adaptation, which includes precipitation, by 2024. This second phase of the CRMP's development will be preceded and informed by a state-wide Community Outreach and Engagement Plan to be published by the end of 2024. This plan, supporting extensive outreach and community engagement, will also be a critical step in the development of Virginia's Flood Protection Master Plan (state-wide plan, due by the end of 2025).