OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Portsmouth City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - March 25, 2025

City CouncilTuesday, March 25, 2025
BodyPortsmouth, Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Town in the middle and at the south end of the study area, Fort Smith Boulevard, near the shipyard.

0:05

George Russian Highway was broken into Frederick Boulevard and Hanbury Abbas as sort of two different distinct solution areas, and Frederick Boulevard, we broke down into four different solution areas.

0:16

Victory just uh where across I-264 was the main problem area on Vickering, but obviously that prevents access to the interstate, which is also a goal of this is to be able to move people from the downtown area to higher ground more efficiently.

0:29

That's another goal of the study.

0:32

Next slide.

0:34

And so I'll step through the solutions that we have for Effingham, and then JD will address Portsmouth Boulevard.

0:41

And so really tonight we're presenting these are examples, these are solutions that we have for these corridors.

0:47

We also have solutions that JD just showed for the other corridors as well.

0:51

So it's just to give a flavor of what the potential solutions look like when you're raising roads, dealing with either combined flooding down at right at the riverfront versus flooding upstream where you're dealing with mostly pluvial rainfall events, flooding the surface, and trying to get that either store locally or get it out efficiently and effectively.

1:12

So here what we're seeing starting up at uh the north end of the Naval Hospital.

1:18

What you're seeing on the left again are the same maps that we've been showing, where purple is 18 inches of uh flood depth for three feet of sea level rise and a 10-year rainfall event.

1:30

You can see Effingham Street there is flooded, uh, it goes into the park and down to the river.

1:35

Um, yellow again is three inches of uh flooding locally, um, so you can get a sense of what that range is.

1:42

And then you can see on the right the potential solutions that we're trying to layer together to create something that allows for effective passage on Effingham during an event like this.

1:53

And so that means raising the road, like JD was saying.

1:57

Um so we're getting here up to six feet from two and a half, but once you raise the road, in order to allow the water that's upstream to continue to get out and not have any repercussions around it, that means you have to upgrade the the surrounding conveyance system.

2:11

And so that's the roughly 2,000 linear feet of upsizing those pipes.

2:15

But once you're you're upsizing the pipes, you want to make sure that the tide's not flowing in with three feet of sea level rise, and so adding tide gates at the downstream end on the river to make sure that it's not backing up into the system and reducing your capacity and your ability to get the rainwater out.

2:32

And so, in conjunction with that, typically we'd have a pump station next to a stormwater basin or some other local storage to be able to have some capacity.

2:42

So if you have larger more rainfall than you expect, you have a place for that to pool, and then you can get it out effectively.

2:49

Um, in this case, like JD was mentioning the constraints.

2:53

Uh so we have a super fun site here on the park, so we're not able to put in that stormwater detention basin.

2:59

But instead, we can have the pump, we can pump the groundwater that's in the stormwater conveyance system out preemptively, and then you're able to continue to pump that system dry so that during these 10-year and three-foot sea level rise events, you're able to get the water out and have that safe passage to the hot to the hospital.

3:18

Next slide, please.

3:21

As we move down, here we're looking at Old Town.

3:24

Again, it's the same panels, it'll be the same on the next slide, and the one after that.

3:29

Uh purple is 18 inches of sea level of flooding, yellow is three inches of flooding.

3:35

So you can see where it's flooding the most.

3:37

Really, we're trying to address flooding on Effingham to provide that safe passage up to the hospital and down to the shipyard.

3:43

And so we're raising the road again to get up to above that water level elevation.

3:48

So we're getting up to six feet.

3:50

That means just like we saw next to the hospital, increasing the sizing of the piping.

3:55

So in this case, it's roughly 8,000 linear feet of pipes to try and get that water out, and adding in a tide gate at the downstream end so that you're not having the tide flow back upstream into the conveyance system.

4:08

And just like next to the hospital, putting in a pump station to make sure that we're able to draw that down preemptively so that you're not dealing with a situation of combined flooding within the conveyance system due to the groundwater that's just taking up capacity, then you could preemptively get it out before the storm would pass.

4:27

Next slide, please.

4:30

And so, as we move down to the south, here we're calling it the south area, the south end of Effingham.

4:35

Um here we're dealing, we're farther away from the river, so we're not dealing with the combined flooding as much.

4:42

We're still talking about tide gates because there are regions to the east where we can add those, and that helps out the situation in this area.

4:50

We are raising the road to get up to six feet, get up in this case to six and a half from the existing four.

5:00

But here, since we're in the upland area, we're dealing with rainfall, we're trying to capture as much as we can so that it's not it's not all rushing downstream to uh impact the areas that are down by the river.

5:07

And so in this case that looks like adding stormwater ponds, having that storage in existing areas where we can put those basins.

5:15

Upgrading the piping just um like we talked before.

5:18

Again, you might be able to see might be a little hard to see this hatching over here is a super fun site, and so trying to make sure that we're putting our detention basins outside of that where we can and dealing with the constraints of just a historical urban area that many places have to deal with these.

5:36

Um and so it's all of those solutions working together as as a suite of layered solution to be able to handle a tenure event with three feet of sea level rise.

5:53

So moving moving closer to the shipyard here.

5:56

Uh, this is a real little problem area in a nexus of multiple corridors.

5:59

Uh we did we did have a stakeholder meeting with the the shipyard folks specifically, and and they've uh more recently voiced a little bit of concerns about our for the solution here, but it's what we've got is a placeholder for perennial pavers and a large expansive surface parking.

6:13

What we talked to them about potentially was doing like a doing a parking deck and getting some elevated parking to get the people that are parking there to work out of the flood, as well as like a mutually beneficial solution and then possibly doing a regional stormwater stormwater pond, but we really didn't want to we kind of wanted to stay in our lane, so to speak, and not get get too creative with with the solution, but just to show that a large expansive surface parking like that is a is a good candidate for a stormwater BNP retrofit or solution because it's just you know um is it the best use of space from a from an urban planning perspective as well, too, right?

6:47

So uh it seemed like a good solution to us and and come couple of that with conveyance system upgrades and elevating the roadways in this area um as well.

6:54

So somewhat more the same except for the the permeable paver parking areas for the for the shipyard.

7:00

So next slide.

7:04

Summarizing um the costs per corridor, it may be a little hard for you guys to see over on the left, but we've got this the cost broken down by study area, and then we just summarized them over there on the right and the larger larger font, larger text to see 400 million dollars with improvements to Nffingham, 18 million on George Russian Highway, 27 million victory boulevard, another 254 million at Porcent Boulevard, and that's at the shipyard nexus um of corridors, and then 60 million 67 million for Frederick.

7:34

Next slide.

7:35

So we this slide was a little bit we had submitted this a couple weeks ago.

7:40

We have prioritized solutions.

7:41

Uh we created our own prioritization scale in this study in the final report uh that that builds upon the JLUS study findings and actually reconfirms through our public meetings and stakeholder meetings and all the analyses that we've done the corridors in order in order from the JLU study are the same prioritization order that um we had.

8:02

Uh we found the same as as the JLU study found, I guess, so confirming that.

8:06

We did factor in cost as part of that evaluation of priorities as well to try to make sure that the cost which we're providing here aligns up with the level of solutions that are needed for each corridor.

8:18

Which was not part of the cost was not a factor of the J Rush study, just to be clear there.

8:22

So that's all we have.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety███████████████████19%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████11%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Personnel Matters█████████9%
Procedural█████████9%
Pending Litigation█████████9%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Miscellaneous████4%
Affordable Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Portsmouth City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - March 25, 2025

The meeting consisted of a daytime work session (beginning at 10:15 AM) featuring presentations on a flood resiliency study and a public safety update, followed by an evening regular session (reconvened at approximately 7:10 PM) that included public hearings, ordinances, resolutions, and public comments.

Flood Resiliency Study Presentation

  • Consultants presented potential solutions for five corridors (Effingham Street, George Russian Highway, Frederick Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Portsmouth Boulevard) to address flooding under a 10-year storm event with 3 feet of sea level rise.
  • Estimated costs: Effingham Street $400 million, George Russian Highway $18 million, Victory Boulevard $27 million, Portsmouth Boulevard $254 million, Frederick Boulevard $67 million.
  • Solutions include raising roads (up to 6 feet), upgrading conveyance systems (pipe upsizing), adding tide gates, pump stations, and stormwater detention basins.
  • The study confirmed the same corridor prioritization as the earlier JLUS study; cost was factored into prioritization.
  • Council members asked about grant funding (federal match typically 20% local), phasing (road elevation must be done last), and construction impacts. The timeline targets 2065–2070.
  • No formal action was taken on the study.

Public Safety Presentation

  • Chief Dickens presented an update on crime trends and department initiatives.
  • Key statistics: Crime cost per resident $867 (vs. national average $403); violent crime victim chance 1 in 121; overall crime reduction 17% year-over-year; homicides down 7.69% from 2023 to 2024; non-fatal shootings down from 128 to 89; property crime down 17%; homicide clearance rate at 70%.
  • Recruitment challenges: Goal of two classes of 25 officers; current class has 8 recruits; 450 years of experience eligible for retirement.
  • Proposed retention/recruitment incentives: signing bonuses (two-part), housing assistance, referral bonuses, shift differentials, performance recognition, and a 30% reduction in officer deficit target.
  • New technology: mobile camera units, ALPRs, gunshot detection, real-time crime center, and a public-facing crime dashboard (expected by April 30, 2025).
  • Council expressed strong support for immediate implementation of retention bonuses; a consensus was reached to bring a resolution to the next regular meeting.
  • Council also discussed legislative options to allow retired officers to work part-time without two-retirement conflict.

Consent Calendar (All items adopted 7-0 unless noted)

  • Ordinance accepting $780,395 in Shelter Plus Care funds from HUD for housing and services for chronically homeless individuals and families.
  • Ordinance establishing a personal property tax relief percentage of 50% for calendar year 2025.
  • Resolution authorizing the city manager to execute an access agreement for the U.S. Navy to construct a sewer line under Green Street and Portsmouth Boulevard to serve the Naval Shipyard (Navy bears all costs, timeline ~180 days).
  • Ordinance granting a renewal of a non-exclusive cable franchise to Verizon Virginia LLC (adopted 6-1).
  • Resolution providing workers' compensation presumption under Virginia Code for EMS personnel (heart/lung protections).

Public Hearings

  • Verizon franchise renewal: No speakers; public hearing closed.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Leon Hammonds (Bowie Court): Urged distribution of remaining gift cards (2,114 cards); noted values are decreasing. City Manager Carter responded that an audit was completed and a nonprofit will be contracted to distribute all cards within 90 days.
  • Sinese Johnson (Cavalier Manor): Expressed concern over increasing real estate taxes and stormwater fees; warned that rising taxes could push seniors out of their homes.
  • Steve Carroll: Spoke in support of protecting single-family residential zoning from apartment developments; referenced a proposal on West Norfolk Road as a threat to neighborhoods.
  • Donna Biggs (Woodvine Farms): Called for improved communication and an updated municipal organizational chart so citizens can monitor city spending; also asked about conflict resolution programs in schools.
  • Sergey O'Neill (1420 M Avenue): Raised concerns about inconsistent requirements for liability insurance when community organizations use city facilities; asked for a fair and transparent process. Councilwoman Thomas and City Manager Carter agreed to review facility use policies.
  • Walter Carter (1401 Watts Avenue): Expressed support for the new council’s collaborative approach and encouraged citizens to support council rather than criticize.
  • James Smith (Cavalier Manor, Virginia Organizer): Thanked the city for progress on homeless shelter services (overnight warming center, increased capacity, hotline, meals, pickup point); recommended expanding communication through printed flyers at key locations and establishing a backup plan for shelter overflow.
  • Andy Sutter (Freedom Boat Club): Requested revision of city tax code to tax pleasure craft at the pleasure boat rate (50 cents per $100) rather than the current commercial rate ($5 per $100), which he said hinders business growth; noted support from some council members.

Discussion and Council Reports

  • Council adopted a resolution adopting the city council’s vision and mission statements (7-0) developed at the council retreat.
  • Councilman Hugo announced the next Crime and Gun Violence Task Force meeting will be April 14, 2025 (rescheduled from April 7).
  • Vice Mayor Moody recognized March 25 as Medal of Honor Day and read the names of eight Portsmouth recipients.
  • Councilwoman Bryant reported on recent community events (Coldest Night of the Year, Star Base Banquet, Cub Scout Pinewood Derby) and requested follow-up on removal of a boat near the Love sign and safety of trash trucks backing up on residential streets.
  • Councilman Tillage acknowledged Women’s History Month and listed past female council members; thanked current female members.
  • Councilwoman Thomas reported on the National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C., where the delegation met with federal legislators to advocate for Portsmouth priorities, including protecting federal grants (noting a potential $1.1 billion economic impact from a freeze), PILOT for federal entities, and innovation district grants.

Closed Session

  • Council moved into closed session pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(8) for consultation with legal counsel regarding specific legal matters involving the Southeastern Public Service Authority. The closed session was certified by roll call vote (7-0) afterward.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent agenda items were adopted (7-0 or 6-1 for Verizon).
  • The vision and mission statement resolution was adopted 7-0.
  • Council reached consensus to direct the city manager to expedite implementation of police retention/recruitment bonuses and bring a formal resolution to the next meeting.
  • City manager committed to reviewing and standardizing facility use and liability insurance requirements for community organizations.
  • The homeless outreach recommendations were acknowledged; continued collaboration between the city and faith community was scheduled.
  • The boat tax issue (pleasure vs. commercial rate) was referred for further discussion.
  • The meeting adjourned after the closed session certification.

Meeting Transcript

Town in the middle and at the south end of the study area, Fort Smith Boulevard, near the shipyard. George Russian Highway was broken into Frederick Boulevard and Hanbury Abbas as sort of two different distinct solution areas, and Frederick Boulevard, we broke down into four different solution areas. Victory just uh where across I-264 was the main problem area on Vickering, but obviously that prevents access to the interstate, which is also a goal of this is to be able to move people from the downtown area to higher ground more efficiently. That's another goal of the study. Next slide. And so I'll step through the solutions that we have for Effingham, and then JD will address Portsmouth Boulevard. And so really tonight we're presenting these are examples, these are solutions that we have for these corridors. We also have solutions that JD just showed for the other corridors as well. So it's just to give a flavor of what the potential solutions look like when you're raising roads, dealing with either combined flooding down at right at the riverfront versus flooding upstream where you're dealing with mostly pluvial rainfall events, flooding the surface, and trying to get that either store locally or get it out efficiently and effectively. So here what we're seeing starting up at uh the north end of the Naval Hospital. What you're seeing on the left again are the same maps that we've been showing, where purple is 18 inches of uh flood depth for three feet of sea level rise and a 10-year rainfall event. You can see Effingham Street there is flooded, uh, it goes into the park and down to the river. Um, yellow again is three inches of uh flooding locally, um, so you can get a sense of what that range is. And then you can see on the right the potential solutions that we're trying to layer together to create something that allows for effective passage on Effingham during an event like this. And so that means raising the road, like JD was saying. Um so we're getting here up to six feet from two and a half, but once you raise the road, in order to allow the water that's upstream to continue to get out and not have any repercussions around it, that means you have to upgrade the the surrounding conveyance system. And so that's the roughly 2,000 linear feet of upsizing those pipes. But once you're you're upsizing the pipes, you want to make sure that the tide's not flowing in with three feet of sea level rise, and so adding tide gates at the downstream end on the river to make sure that it's not backing up into the system and reducing your capacity and your ability to get the rainwater out. And so, in conjunction with that, typically we'd have a pump station next to a stormwater basin or some other local storage to be able to have some capacity. So if you have larger more rainfall than you expect, you have a place for that to pool, and then you can get it out effectively. Um, in this case, like JD was mentioning the constraints. Uh so we have a super fun site here on the park, so we're not able to put in that stormwater detention basin. But instead, we can have the pump, we can pump the groundwater that's in the stormwater conveyance system out preemptively, and then you're able to continue to pump that system dry so that during these 10-year and three-foot sea level rise events, you're able to get the water out and have that safe passage to the hot to the hospital. Next slide, please. As we move down, here we're looking at Old Town. Again, it's the same panels, it'll be the same on the next slide, and the one after that. Uh purple is 18 inches of sea level of flooding, yellow is three inches of flooding. So you can see where it's flooding the most. Really, we're trying to address flooding on Effingham to provide that safe passage up to the hospital and down to the shipyard. And so we're raising the road again to get up to above that water level elevation. So we're getting up to six feet. That means just like we saw next to the hospital, increasing the sizing of the piping. So in this case, it's roughly 8,000 linear feet of pipes to try and get that water out, and adding in a tide gate at the downstream end so that you're not having the tide flow back upstream into the conveyance system. And just like next to the hospital, putting in a pump station to make sure that we're able to draw that down preemptively so that you're not dealing with a situation of combined flooding within the conveyance system due to the groundwater that's just taking up capacity, then you could preemptively get it out before the storm would pass. Next slide, please. And so, as we move down to the south, here we're calling it the south area, the south end of Effingham. Um here we're dealing, we're farther away from the river, so we're not dealing with the combined flooding as much. We're still talking about tide gates because there are regions to the east where we can add those, and that helps out the situation in this area. We are raising the road to get up to six feet, get up in this case to six and a half from the existing four. But here, since we're in the upland area, we're dealing with rainfall, we're trying to capture as much as we can so that it's not it's not all rushing downstream to uh impact the areas that are down by the river. And so in this case that looks like adding stormwater ponds, having that storage in existing areas where we can put those basins. Upgrading the piping just um like we talked before. Again, you might be able to see might be a little hard to see this hatching over here is a super fun site, and so trying to make sure that we're putting our detention basins outside of that where we can and dealing with the constraints of just a historical urban area that many places have to deal with these. Um and so it's all of those solutions working together as as a suite of layered solution to be able to handle a tenure event with three feet of sea level rise. So moving moving closer to the shipyard here. Uh, this is a real little problem area in a nexus of multiple corridors. Uh we did we did have a stakeholder meeting with the the shipyard folks specifically, and and they've uh more recently voiced a little bit of concerns about our for the solution here, but it's what we've got is a placeholder for perennial pavers and a large expansive surface parking. What we talked to them about potentially was doing like a doing a parking deck and getting some elevated parking to get the people that are parking there to work out of the flood, as well as like a mutually beneficial solution and then possibly doing a regional stormwater stormwater pond, but we really didn't want to we kind of wanted to stay in our lane, so to speak, and not get get too creative with with the solution, but just to show that a large expansive surface parking like that is a is a good candidate for a stormwater BNP retrofit or solution because it's just you know um is it the best use of space from a from an urban planning perspective as well, too, right? So uh it seemed like a good solution to us and and come couple of that with conveyance system upgrades and elevating the roadways in this area um as well. So somewhat more the same except for the the permeable paver parking areas for the for the shipyard.

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