Planning Commission

City offices are now open to the public.

Electronic/digital submission of applications and other materials is encouraged whenever feasible. Consult the Staff Directory or the specific subject page for staff contact information.

Mailed items can be sent to:

CITY OF PORTSMOUTH
PLANNING DEPARTMENT ATTN: (STAFF MEMBER NAME)
801 CRAWFORD STREET
PORTSMOUTH, VA 23704

Credit card payments can now be accepted over the phone. Please call the Planning Department at 757-393-8836 for more information. Please note that a signed credit card authorization form is required to be submitted before a credit card payment can be processed.

Applicants are encouraged to contact staff via email or phone.

Staff Directory

Planning Commission Meeting

1:30 PM

1st Tuesday of each month 

Meetings are held in the City Council Chamber on the 6th Floor of the Portsmouth City Hall Building at 801 Crawford Street, Portsmouth, Virginia.

Planning Commission 2022 Meeting Schedule and Deadlines

Note: Applications and all supporting materials must be received eight (8) weeks prior to the meeting.

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

 View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes

Agenda Items for June Meeting

CBE-22-03 (Century Homes) – Sam Artis requests a Chesapeake Bay Exception for a 10’ x 15’ detached shed, approximately 150 square feet, within the 50-foot landward buffer at 70 Foxgrape Road. The property is zoned Urban Residential, UR, and is further described as Tax Map 437, Parcel 10. The Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use Map recommends low to medium density single-family residential development for the property. 

Z-22-02 (Downtown) - Don Scott requests to rezone approximately 5.38 acres at 0 Effingham Street from Downtown D1 T5 sub-district to Conditional General Mixed-Use (GMU-K) in order to develop a self-service storage facility. The applicant is concurrently requesting a Use Permit for the self-service storage facility use (UP-22-09). The Future Land Use Map of the Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan designates this property as Mixed-Use Employment. The property is owned by the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority (PRHA) and is further described as Tax Map 29 Parcel 9. 

UP-22-09 (Downtown) - Don Scott requests a Use Permit for a three-story, 103,350 square-foot self-service storage facility with 793 units on the approximately 5.38 acre property at 0 Effingham Street. The property is currently zoned Downtown (D1) in the T5 sub-district. The applicant is concurrently requesting a Rezoning of the property to Conditional General Mixed-Use (GMU-K) zoning district (Z-22-02). The Future Land Use Map of the Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan designates this property as Mixed-Use Employment. The property is owned by the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority (PRHA) and is further described as Tax Map 29 Parcel 9. 

UP-22-10 (Lincoln Park) - Timmons Group requests a Use Permit for a 106-unit, multi-family dwelling development on approximately 7.3 acres of land at a density of 14.5 dwelling units per acre. The property is located at 1 Lexington Drive and is in the Multi-Family Urban Residential (UR-M) zoning district. The Future Land Use Map of the Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan designates this property as Multi-Family Residential. The property is owned by the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority (PRHA) and is identified as Tax Map 145, Parcel 1.

Mission Statement

The Commission’s primary responsibility is to make recommendations to the City Council on matters related to comprehensive and current planning and land use development

Planning Commission Members

  •  Albert Williams, Chair
  •  Sherri Thaxton, Vice Chair
  •  Donna Coleman
  •  Primas Paige
  •  Danielle Barnes
  •  Rev. Keith Curry

Past Planning Commission Meeting Videos

Video recordings of Planning Commission meetings can be viewed on YouTube here.