The City of Virginia Beach, home to more than 450,000 people, is the largest city in the
Commonwealth of Virginia and the 39th largest city in America. Located in the southeastern corner of
Virginia, along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach covers an area
of 310 square miles and is known as “The Resort City”.
In 2013, the City of Virginia Beach celebrated its 50th anniversary. Although a relatively young city,
Virginia Beach has seen robust growth throughout much of its history. Since the 1960’s, sea level has
increased by almost one foot. Virginia Beach’s economy depends upon tourism, the military and
agriculture. Each of these areas plays an important role in the quality of life of the City’s residents and
their futures, and each is potentially seriously impacted by sea level rise.
In 2015, the Virginia Beach City Council provided $3 million in funding to begin developing plans to
address repetitive flooding and future impacts of sea level rise. The City received an $844,000 grant –
the Regional Coastal Resiliency Grant – awarded by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, to
augment the public participation process. The City is currently increasing their capital improvement
investment to combat public enemy number one – Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding. It has also
invested $8 million to prepare a Master Drainage Plan, which includes detailed stormwater models for
the City’s four major watersheds and 31 sub-watershed areas. The City’s Comprehensive Sea Level
Rise and Recurrent Flooding Response Plan is an effort to collect, sort, interpret, and understand the
science of sea level rise, how it is affecting the City, and how to best adapt and respond.
