Revising Codes and Ordinances - Warsaw, Virginia
In Virginia's rural Northern Neck, between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers, lies the Town of Warsaw. Historically, the town has had strong ties to the surrounding land and water because of the vital role of agriculture and oyster farming in the local economy. Recently, the Town has seen many changes in the landscape and economy because of increased growth pressures in the surrounding area. The oyster harvest has declined and new development has increased. Because of these changes, citizens became concerned about the aesthetic and environmental impacts associated with their Town's growth.
Goals
Two town officials expressed an interest in Low Impact Development (LID) strategies after seeing presentations at various local government and watershed management conferences. They saw LID as a way to address their aesthetic and environmental concerns and reduce impacts to local water quality.
Process
In 2001, Friends of the Rappahannock, a non-governmental organization, in coordination with the Low Impact Development Center, Inc., received a Chesapeake Bay Program Small Watershed Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to work with Warsaw to build LID practices into the Town's planning process. Project staff and Town and County officials evaluated local codes and ordinances, comparing them with Virginia's Best Management Practices (BMP) design manual and Stormwater handbook.
The review revealed barriers in both local policies and the state guidance for certain LID practices that would keep the town from allowing new development consistent with their low impact development interests. An Action Plan was developed as a result of the evaluation of codes and local government needs. Action items included:
- Develop policy language for instituting LID as the standard practice for project site designs and stormwater management.
- Create easy to use LID review guidelines for local plan review staff.
- Create a reference document for developers to use in designing LID plans.
- Create an LID educational brochure targeted to citizens.
- Develop a list of specific recommendations for changes to Commonwealth stormwater design guidelines to better support LID at the local level.
Outcome
The Action Plan resulted in development of new policy language for the Town establishing LID as the standard required approach for managing stormwater for new development; the Town adopted the new policy language as an ordinance. While other localities make LID optional and incentive based, this required approach was the first of its kind in Virginia. LID guidelines were designed to lead a developer through the process of a viable LID site design; various LID options are presented as well. A chronicle of the LID development process, as well as a full tutorial on LID, was prepared on CD.
In addition, a demonstration project to model the LID design approach (rain garden and pervious pavers) is planned for a Virginia Department of Transportation commuter lot.
More Information
Warsaw Low Impact Development Project(Friends of the Rappahannock)
Town of Warsaw, VA