Norfolk and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are almost done designing the first phase of a nearly 9-mile seawall meant to protect the city’s economic core from disaster.
The first piece of the planned wall will stretch from the Berkley Bridge almost to the Chesterfield Heights neighborhood. It includes Harbor Park and the planned casino development and runs behind Lyon’s Shipyard.
New renderings show what all that could look like. Officials presented proposed designs this week to Norfolk’s Architectural Review Board, which will later vote on a final version.
The city’s overall plan with the Army Corps is called Coastal Storm Risk Management. It’s part of a series of similar projects proposed up and down the U.S. coastline after Hurricane Sandy caused billions of dollars of damage in 2012.
The effort includes a range of strategies across the city to ward off catastrophic flooding during major storms like Sandy, including pump stations, levees, home elevations and surge barriers across waterways like the Lafayette River. It is not designed to address routine tidal flooding worsened by sea level rise.
The current price tag for the project is over $2.6 billion, 65% of which is covered by the Army Corps, leaving Norfolk on the hook for at least $930 million.
The seawall plan is broken into four phases, starting with the Harbor Park area. Next, the city will focus on the piece around Waterside and Town Point Park. Ultimately it would reach up to Lambert’s Point.
The proposed design for the first phase includes a 16.5-foot-high wall, punctuated by floodgates. The height is meant to protect against a severe storm as calculated for the year 2076, factoring in further sea level rise that will exacerbate storm surge.
Behind the wall, the city would build a new, elevated pedestrian trail. On the Elizabeth River side, officials envision living shorelines like marsh and oyster reefs along the wall’s exterior.
Parts of the first phase also include a grassy berm sloping downward from the new trail to Water Street and a new pump station at Harbor Park.
The city says it’s working with the Army Corps to “ensure the final project is in alignment with the city’s goals,” but that the Corps is responsible for the project design and construction.
Construction on the first section of the floodwall wouldn’t begin until at least late next year. All parts aren’t expected to be in place until at least 2032.
In the meantime, the city and Army Corps are facing headwinds on the project from multiple corners.
On Norfolk’s Southside, a group of historically Black neighborhoods are fighting to be protected by the floodwall.
Shortly before the City Council was set to approve its agreement with the Army Corps last year, Southside residents learned the wall would not be built on their side of the water. (The plan includes some non-structural measures like home elevations and potential buyouts.)
After pushback, the Army Corps agreed to ask Congress for permission to re-evaluate the approved plans. That likely won’t happen for several years.
Residents of Freemason, a wealthier neighborhood next to downtown that will be covered by the wall, are also pushing back against the project. They argue it would block waterfront views and depress property values while not addressing flooding from tides and rain.
