Virginia Beach Comprehensive Plan
Renaissance partnered with the City of Virginia Beach to prepare imagineVB, an update to the City's Comprehensive Plan. The plan establishes a long-range vision to guide growth and conservation through integrated land use and transportation policies. Building on extensive public engagement and technical analysis, the plan directs growth toward strategic locations to support redevelopment, expand housing and transportation choices, strengthen economic development, and reinforce neighborhood vitality while preserving the City's agricultural lands, open space, and environmentally sensitive areas, particularly in southern Virginia Beach.
The plan aligns future development with mobility investments through an integrated land use and transportation strategy. Designated Centers direct growth in locations that can support housing, jobs, and public infrastructure. Accompanying Design Guidelines translate these policies into a development pattern that promotes walkability, multimodal transportation, and a distinct Virginia Beach character.
One signature initiative, the Linear Park / Active Transportation System, reimagines existing local and regional trail networks to better connect neighborhoods, parks, and commercial areas while becoming destinations in their own right. The plan's Trail-Oriented Design Guidelines ensure that adjacent development reinforces these corridors through building placement, public spaces, and pedestrian-oriented design. Public input also identified better transportation options as a priority, leading the plan to designate Centers and Multimodal Corridors where future growth can support higher-quality transit and a broader range of travel choices.
Renaissance worked closely with City staff, stakeholders, and residents to develop policies and implementation actions that support these goals. The resulting plan serves as the City's guiding policy document for future public and private investment, providing a framework for managing growth, guiding redevelopment, and preserving the coastal, rural, and urban character that defines Virginia Beach.
Check out the Comprehensive Plan here.
