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.

UPDATED 2021 Planning Commission Meeting Schedule

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

Planning Commission Meeting Videos on YouTube

Agendas & Minutes

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

 View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes

Agenda Items for September Meeting

Z-21-05 (Olde Towne) – Edward E. O’Brien requests a Rezoning of an approximately 0.139-acre property at 441 Washington Street from Historic Limited Office (HLO) to Historic Limited Business (HLB). The Future Land Use Map of the Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan designates this property for Mixed-Use Downtown. The property is owned by 441 Washington Street LLC and is further described as Tax Map 12, Parcel 84.1. 

UP-21-13 (Olde Towne) – Edward E. O’Brien requests a Use Permit for an entertainment establishment on the approximately 0.139-acre property at 441 Washington Street in the Historic Limited Office (HLO) zoning district. The Future Land Use Map of the Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan designates this property for Mixed-Use Downtown. The property is owned by 441 Washington Street LLC and is further described as Tax Map 12, Parcel 84.1.

UP-21-14 (Churchland) – Adams Outdoor Advertising requests a Use Permit to update and convert an existing back-to-back static billboard into a back-to-back digital billboard of the same size and placement (14’ x 48’ feet) on a portion of a 0.68 acre lot located at 5720 High Street in the General Mixed-Use (GMU) zoning district. The Future Land Use Map of the Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan designates the property as Commercial. The property is owned by TowneBank and is further described as Tax Map 809, Parcel 10. 

CA-21-03 (Citywide) – The City of Portsmouth proposes to amend City Code Ch. 40.2 Zoning Ordinance to exempt existing structures in the Downtown (D1) district from the minimum required density; to amend the maximum permitted height for new construction in HR, HLO, and HLB; to add the event space/banquet hall use; to remove the garage sales/residential sales accessory use; to amend the use designation of several uses in the Use Table; to amend Table 40.2-304(2) Buffer Type Application of the landscaping sub-section; to exempt townhouse residential development from the open space set-aside requirement; to allow ground signs in the UR and UR-M zoning districts; to remove the common ownership subdivision requirement in the nonconformities sub-section; and to correct scrivener’s errors throughout Zoning Ordinance. 

• Members of the public may provide comments on specific agenda items by sending an email to planningcommission@portsmouthva.gov prior to the hearing date.
• Members of the public wishing to speak on items during the meeting are asked to pre-register by email at planningcommission@portsmouthva.gov or by calling 757-393-8836 prior to the meeting.

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
•  Peter Youngblood, Vice Chair
•  Occasio Gee
•  Sherri Thaxton 
•  Donna Coleman
•  Primas Paige
•  Danielle Barnes