City Council adopted the South Norfolk Design Guidelines final document on March 18, 2025.
If you have additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the project manager, Nat McCormick at [email protected]
Project BackgroundThe community of South Norfolk is the City of Chesapeake’s oldest urban area and, in 1989, the original core of the community was listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2001, the City adopted Design Guidelines to help ensure that renovations and construction within the district were appropriate to the character and qualities of the neighborhood. While the Guidelines have been updated several times over the years, this project will provide a comprehensive review and rewrite so this tool can continue to function as a resource for property owners and the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB), which is responsible for review and approval of proposed projects within the District.
In April of 2023, the Planning Department hired an experienced consultant to manage the review and rewrite process and, over the course of the next year, worked together with City staff, the HARB and the City’s Historic Preservation Committee on this effort. The project involved coordination with community stakeholders and the public, who had multiples opportunities to share their thoughts and input.
