The document discusses regional planning efforts in Virginia through the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) and Stafford County. It outlines various projects supported by state agencies to analyze land use change, develop planning tools, and engage stakeholders. It also provides recommendations to improve water quality modeling, policy support, and resource needs to better address nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

1. The GWRC & Stafford Co Experience
Kevin F. Byrnes
Director , GWRC Regional Planning & Demographer
Steven Hubble
Environmental Programs Manager
Dept. of Public Works
County of Stafford, Virginia

2. Regional Planning in Virginia
 Regional planning commissions are creations of
local government encouraged by the state
 Regional planning is a voluntary local initiative
 Independent Cities & Counties = no overlapping
taxing or land use authority, separate school
systems
 Mission:
"...to encourage and facilitate local government cooperation and state-local cooperation in
addressing on a regional basis problems of greater than local significance. ……… to facilitate
the recognition and analysis of regional opportunities and take account of regional
influences in planning and implementing public policies and services.
….(to) promote the orderly and efficient development of the physical, social and economic
elements of the district by planning, and encouraging and assisting localities to plan, for the
future."

3. CZM & MPO-Supported Efforts
 CZM Supported Efforts:
 Animated flyover of imagery mosaic along Rapp. River
 Database of local development ordinances
associated with local response to Virginia Ches Bay
Preservation Act
 Local review and re-ranking of State-developed
conservation lands needs assessment (VCLNA) dataset
 Regional Urban Ecosystems Analysis: 1996-2009 trends in land
cover change and associated environmental impact
 Testing of impervious surface estimation models
 Development of regional greenway corridor siting tool
 Development of regionally-adopted Green
Infrastructure Plan

4. CZM & MPO-Supported Efforts
 CZM Supported Efforts: Significant Finding
 Comparison of 30-meter LANDSAT-based
land cover imagery with 1-meter, NAIP-
based imagery for City of Fredericksburg*
 30-meter imagery over-estimates
impervious surface area (in urban area)
by 34%
 30-meter imagery under-estimates tree
canopy area by 40%
* 10 square miles

5. CZM & MPO-Supported Efforts
 MPO-Supported Efforts:
 Development of regional land use scenario planning
tool in Community Viz…a local parcel-based inventory
of current and future land uses generalized to regional
map to inform regional travel demand model on TAZ
allocation of population, housing and employment
 Integration of environmentally-sensitive and
conserved lands into regional “greenprint” scenario
 Public opinion research to measure public preference
among 3 alternative scenarios: greenprint preferred over
status quo and “jobs/housing balance” scenarios

6. Challenging Inter-Govt . Environment
 Federal Actors:
 Army, Navy & Marine Military Bases
 National Park Service
 State Actors & Dynamics:
 1-term Governor under Virginia Constitution
 Dillon Rule legal environment
 4 key State agencies with differing administrative geography
 Sub-State Regional Actors:
 Multi-regional Rappahannock River Basin Commission
 GWRC – regional planning agency for Planning District 16
 2 SWCDs in Planning District
 Local Actors:
 3 urban MS4 & 2 rural non-MS4 localities, 2 institutional
MS4s

7. Finding a Workable Regional Process
 Key: find the common interest that overshadows the
autonomous & independent actions of local govts.
 Chesapeake Bay Preservation commitment by federal and
state governments
 Inventory the stakeholders and map out regional
engagement strategy
1. Identify individual program goals and ways to support
2. Start small…build on successful track record
3. Draw on the expertise of other regions and associations
4. For GWRC: be a facilitator, a “recording secretary” to
assemble local points of view, generate
consensus, leverage the many voices into one common
voice and program recommendations

8. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Planning Research & Bay Model Revisions:
1. Regional work on land cover information documented
the short-comings of the Bay model land cover data
2. Need better land cover estimation, change detection
system
3. Need a wider network of water quality monitoring
stations to understand urban run-off impacts better
4. Need better reporting and tracking system for
BMPs, both urban and rural
(see handout for complete list of all recommendations)

9. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Policy Support: General
1. Don’t re-invent the wheel…use the Tributary
Strategies already developed to prioritize TMDL
actions
2. Expand the Nutrient Credit Exchange program.
3. Expand the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA)
to the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed.
4. Expand septic system pump‐out requirements
statewide, require retrofits for failing systems, and
grant counties the authority to require sanitary sewer
system connections where appropriate.
5. Amend the Virginia Code to allow all Virginia localities
to adopt an ordinance containing a set of tree canopy
preservation requirements based on development
density.

10. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Policy Support: Agricultural BMP Strategies
1. Better Coordination of State Stormwater
Planning and E&S Programs
2. Evaluate Inter-Applicability of Urban and Rural
BMPs
3. Promote Greater Collaboration between
regional Planning Commissions and
Conservation Districts
4. Evaluate and Promote New Technologies which
Show Promise for Cost-Effective Reductions

11. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Policy Support: Alternate BMP Strategies
 Committee recognized 12 strategies not
incorporated in Bay model which could
reflect local practices not being given
credit for water quality benefit
 Some of these practices are recognized
and used under MS4 programs, why not in
the Bay model?

12. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Policy Support: Nutrient Management Strategies
1. Targeting Impaired Stream Segments
2. Consider Sub-Regional Nutrient Management
Planning as a Guiding Framework for Urban Nutrient
Management Plans
3. Encourage Innovate (e.g. urban-rural) Nutrient
Trading Partnerships
4. Promote Nutrient Recycling and Reuse Strategies that
Promote Reduced Water Demand
5. Promote Wastewater Treatment Plant Efficiency
Optimization

13. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Policy Support: Stormwater / E&S Strategies
1. Regional Coordination of Local Stormwater Programs
2. Targeting Urban BMPs on Redevelopment
3. Statewide or Regional Coordination of BMP Tracking
4. DCR Program Administration Improvements for Greater
Efficiency
5. Stormwater Management Regulatory Support for
“Regional and Watershed Approaches”
6. Continued Promotion of LID & Smart Growth Development
Practices
7. Expanding BMP Eligibility for Undeveloped and
Undevelopable Lands
8. Encouraging Conservation Easements by Providing
BMP Credit for lands placed in cons. easement

14. Regional WIP-2 Recommendations:
 Regional & Local Resource Needs:
 Funding & Resource Needs (9)
 Planning & Programmatic Needs (13)
 Legislative and Regulatory Needs (10)
(see handout for full list by heading)

15. Challenges Ahead & Next Steps
1. Continued Facilitation of Regional Committee Meetings
2. Testing methodology of using 1-meter NAIP imagery for better
land cover estimation at Bay model river segmentshed level
3. Capacity Building for local SWCD: NFWF technical assistance
application to develop better District business model to
support local govts
4. Integrating New State Stormwater Management Regs into
Local Ordinances
5. Developing Process to Produce Farm Assessments, Nutrient
Management & Conservation Plans for Rural Areas
6. Building Nutrient Credit Exchange Partners in the Region &
Beyond

16. Contact Information:
Kevin F. Byrnes, AICP (byrnes@gwregion.org)
Director of Regional Planning & Regional Demographer
George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC)
406 Princess Anne St, Fredericksburg VA 22401
Ph (540) 373-2890 (ext 18) Fax (540) 899-4808
Steven Hubble (shubble@co.stafford.va.us)
Environmental Programs Manager
Department of Public Works
County of Stafford
P.O. Box 339
Stafford VA 22555
540-658-4559