Virginia Beach Historic Preservation Plan

Community Engagement
Disaster Preparedness for Historic Resources
Historic Building Renovation
Historic Research
Local Design Review Consulting
Preparation of Preservation Plans
Preservation Planning
Resilience Planning
Retrofit Recommendations Development

Virginia Beach Historic Preservation Plan

Location

Virginia Beach, VA

Partners

City of Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach Historic Planning Commission

Virginia Department of Historic Resources

Client Goals

In collaboration with the City of Virginia Beach and the VDHR, CPG updated the city’s 30-year-old historic preservation plan. The goal of this plan was to provide a framework for local preservation, knowing that thousands of buildings in Virginia Beach will soon be historic age. The City wanted guidance on how to evaluate such a large number of resources.

Project Design

CPG staff summarized existing preservation challenges and opportunities, as well as risks to historic and cultural resources. Then, the team collaborated with city staff and the Historic Preservation Commission to develop recommendations for the historic preservation program using community-informed feedback. This project required various areas of expertise, including architectural history, climate change, building treatment, public engagement, and data analysis to create the document that met the needs of the community and the client’s goals.

Challenges & Accomplishment

This project occurred during the Covid-19 Pandemic. As a result, CPG staff rethought public engagement to include more virtual presentations and stakeholder interviews as well as an online city-wide public opinion survey. The project team also worked closely with the Historic Preservation Commission's Student Advisory Committee, as well as a working group developed by the city to address sea level rise. The team facilitated these group discussions and collaborated with city staff to create a ten-year plan for survey and documentation efforts. The plan also met the project partner’s goals by including examples for engaging the community in preservation and increasing awareness of the city’s historic assets.