Norfolk City Council wants more green, fewer walls in downtown flood protection plan
A massive flood wall and levee system will transform downtown Norfolk’s waterfront over the next decade and protect the city from sea level rise and flooding. But the initial design for the plan released this week has some City Council members objecting to its affect on the city’s waterfront views.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers unveiled detailed renderings of the project at a council meeting Tuesday. Much of the plan would consist of thick, gray walls up to 10 feet tall that stretch along the downtown waterfront, while several smaller sections at Town Point Park and Harbor Park would use grassy levees to hold back the water.
Mayor Kenny Alexander and several council members objected to the wall’s appearance and requested the plan feature more green infrastructure instead. Alexander proposed replacing the walls entirely with grass-covered levees, which take up more space, to create a “massive waterfront park.” He also raised concerns about the city’s Berkley-Campostella neighborhood, which will not benefit from any flood protection infrastructure under the plan.
“The view is gone,” Alexander said after seeing the design.
Council members Courtney Doyle and Mamie Johnson agreed with Alexander’s proposal to replace the walls with grass-lined levees. Both said more green infrastructure should be incorporated into the design to improve its appearance. Doyle said the plan should “keep the waterfront as beautiful as possible.” Johnson called it the city’s “jewel.”
“Our top priority is to protect our waterfront and our city. But at the same time, it’s our jewel. Somehow we need to connect the green space,” Johnson said.
But whether those requests can be added to the plan is unclear. City Manager Chip Filer said there may be an opportunity to change the design. Aaron Edmonson, design branch chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk district, said the plan, as presented, had tried to “maximize the green space” available. He said replacing walls with levees along Waterside Drive could mean constructing a levee closer to the road.
The downtown flood protection project is the first part of a $1.6 billion plan that aims to protect much of the city from sea level rise and flooding. Norfolk has been in the planning stages with the corps since 2016. The downtown portion will stretch nearly two miles from Town Point Park to the Campostella Bridge. Additional phases will create storm surge barriers and flood walls at the Lafayette River, Broad Creek and Pretty Lake.
The federal government will provide 65% of project’s funding. The city is on the hook for the remaining 35% — a nearly $600 million investment.
The Berkley-Campostella neighborhood, if left unprotected, is particularly vulnerable to future flooding.
Flood mapping provided by city officials shows that, by 2075, the neighborhood could sustain extensive flooding from major storms. But no flood mitigation infrastructure is proposed for the area. Instead, the corps’ plan calls for home elevations, basement filling and the acquisition and demolition of homes to help mitigate future flooding.
“There’s not going to be any protection for the southside,” Alexander said. “I just want to make sure that we don’t gloss over that, because that is serious.”
Kyle Spencer, the city’s acting chief resilience officer, said building flood resiliency infrastructure in Berkley-Campostella is challenging because of the numerous shipyards and other industrial facilities there. But he said the city may look for grant funding to protect those neighborhoods.
“With the new administration in the White House, there’s a big emphasis on environmental justice, and I think this is an area where we need to take a hard look at that,” Spencer said.
Daniel Berti, daniel.berti@virginiamedia.com
