Planning Department

Special Projects

Find out about and follow along with the Zoning Ordinance Update (including the D-2 District update) on the Special Projects Page.

Comprehensive Plan Update - Build One Portsmouth

After numerous civic engagement events and opportunities for the public to provide input, the Comprehensive Plan is available for citizens, businesses, and community partners to read and review and provide comments.

Please check out buildoneportsmouth.org/finalplan to download the plan. You can also contact Brian Swets at [email protected] or 393-8836 ext 4237 for more information.
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Review the Draft Plan

Core Services


In support of achieving this mission, the Department consists of six core service areas:
  • Current Planning (including review of site plans, subdivisions, rezonings, use permits and certificates of appropriateness)
  • Environmental Planning (including Chesapeake Bay preservation and flood plain management)
  • Transportation Planning and Implementation
  • Historic Preservation
  • Community Planning and Development (CDBG and HOME programs)
  • Long Range, Comprehensive Planning and Implementation

Staff Support


The department also provides staff support to:
  • Planning Commission
  • Historic Preservation Commission (HPC)
  • Downtown Design Committee (DDC)
  • Wetlands Board
  • Urban Design Committee
  • Cradock Advisory Group
  • Truxton Advisory Group

Services


By local, State and Federal law, the Planning Department provides the following services:
  • Processing applications for Use Permits and Rezonings,
  • Processing applications for the subdivision of land,
  • Processing applications for Code Amendments,
  • Processing applications for construction projects in Historic Preservation areas,
  • Processing applications for construction projects in the Downtown Districts,
  • Site Plan and Landscape review,
  • Administering the VDOT required 527 TIS Program,
  • Enforcement of Chesapeake Bay Protection Area regulations,
  • Enforcement of Virginia Wetlands regulations,
  • Enforcement of Historic Preservation District regulations,
  • Enforcement of the Downtown Design District regulations, and
  • Maintaining and updating the City of Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan.