Greenbrier Area Plan

Since its establishment in the mid-1970s, the Greenbrier area has grown to become the City of Chesapeake’s main commercial hub and the largest center for employment in the city, with an average daytime employment of nearly 50,000 people. It is also a destination for shopping and restaurants and has a growing number of residential offerings.

The purpose of the Greenbrier Area Plan is to evaluate and respond to current market conditions and to develop strategies to guide future development, maintaining Greenbrier’s economic advantage in the marketplace and attracting new businesses and residents by improving the qualities that make Greenbrier a unique place in the city.

The boundaries of the Greenbrier Area Plan extend beyond the commercial and industrial core to include a variety of adjacent neighborhoods, and the City is interested in receiving input from the many different stakeholders in this area.

There will be regular opportunities for community input during the 16-month course of this project, but we welcome your comments at any time and thank you for your interest in helping Chesapeake remain an exceptional place to live, learn, work, farm, and play.

The major goals of the Greenbrier Area Plan are:

• Maintain Greenbrier’s economic advantage in the marketplace and attract new businesses and residents to the area. Maximize the potential for significant economic growth having a regional impact and expand the diversity of the economic base.
• Improve the Quality of Life for residents and workers in the Greenbrier area by strengthening the appeal and livability of the built environment and the availability and quality of services provided.
• Evaluate and respond to current and anticipated market conditions to guide responsible future development. Provide a preferred and marketable land development scenario, a supporting infrastructure plan, and aesthetic/design strategies.
• Establish policy guidelines that will strengthen the Greenbrier Commercial District as a regional employment center supporting both existing and new businesses.
• Identify strategies to ensure the health of nearby neighborhoods from both a physical and social standpoint, and for the benefit of the area at large.
• Develop a realistic plan and identify the necessary actions to implement it. The Greenbrier Area Plan will include both short-term and long-term recommendations and will be integrated with other current plans such as the city’s Moving Forward Chesapeake 2035 Comprehensive Plan and the Greenbrier TIF District Master Plan.
• Encourage robust stakeholder and citizen participation throughout. The Greenbrier Area Plan will be coordinated for approval through the City Planning Commission and City Council. All work will support the city’s focus to promote economic development and vitality and the other goals identified in the city’s Vision Statement.

Specific study components of the Greenbrier Area Plan include:

• Land Use – Work will include a review of current land use designations on the 2035 Land Use Plan, as well as current standards for the Greenbrier Planned Unit Development (PUD).
• Open Space – Opportunities to improve existing open spaces, create new open spaces, integrate existing water features and other natural resources, and expand the tree canopy will all be studied.
• Transportation – The Greenbrier area is strongly auto-oriented but also located along a planned mass transit corridor. Traffic analysis and modeling will be a part of this plan, and creative solutions will be sought for the transportation network and future transportation needs to improve congestion and connectivity. Private vehicles, public transportation, parking, bike trails, and roadway beautification will all be considered.
• Infrastructure – Consideration will be given to high-level infrastructure improvements needed to support future development within the study area, including water, sewer, stormwater, and communications.
• Resilience – The plan will address resiliency in regard to the overall environmental and economic health of the study area.
• Urban Design – Quality design is attractive to residents, visitors, and businesses and creates economic value. The plan shall include the development of design guidelines to include components such as site design, building design, place-making, branding, wayfinding, and other design components that can optimize the qualities of the Greenbrier area. A deliberate approach to streetscapes, landscaping, lighting, and sidewalks will help promote a more pedestrian-friendly environment. The role of public facilities as anchor points will also be studied.
• Place-making – The Greenbrier area is often characterized as a suburban shopping experience, but is also home to offices, residential communities, public facilities, industrial areas, and other amenities. The Plan will propose strategies for creating a unified vision of the Greenbrier area as a multi-dimensional place.

For more information about the Greenbrier Area Plan, please contact project manager Nat McCormick by email at planning@cityofchesapeake.net or call 757-382-6176