The Virginia Coastal Resilience Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

tac-image1

On October 21, 2020, Governor Northam announced the release of the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework. This document, the result of a nearly two-year process, is the beginning for Virginia’s first Coastal Resilience Master Plan by the end of 2021. 

Governor’s News Release

As directed by EO-24, the Commonwealth’s Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) and the Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection (SACAP) will lead the development of the Coastal Resilience Master Plan. 

As appointed by the Governor in EO-71, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) with representatives of state agencies, coastal planning districts and regional commissions, and academic advisors, among others will facilitate the coordination and the development of the Master Plan. The CRO, SACAP, and TAC will work with localities, regional entities, citizens, and stakeholder groups to identify critical infrastructure, at-risk communities, adaptation strategies, and specific resilience projects for inclusion in the Plan.

The first Coastal Master Planning TAC meeting was held on December 14th, 2020. Given the scale and complexity of the Master Plan, seven subcommittees were created to develop robust and refined strategies:

Project Identification

Identify resilience projects that are underway or planned, and identify resilience gaps and potential solutions based on the best scientific, engineering, and socioeconomic information. 

Subcommittee Members

Project Evaluation

Develop objective protocols for evaluating and prioritizing identified projects for inclusion in the Coastal Resilience Master Plan.

Subcommittee Members

Finance

Develop a financing strategy that recommends how to leverage and align existing resilience revenue streams to maximize impact, and how to create or tap into new revenue or financing sources.

Subcommittee Members

Community Outreach

Assist in developing and executing a comprehensive outreach strategy to engage coastal communities – and particularly underserved communities – with the public master planning process, and gather input to inform development of tailored and equitable resilience solutions.

Subcommittee Members

Studies, Research, and Best Practices

Track ongoing research related to coastal resilience, recommend additional studies necessary to support the Coastal Resilience Master Plan, provide recommendations on new living shoreline and CBPA rules, strategic coastal relocation handbook, and other best practices materials.

Subcommittee Members

Federal Installation Partnerships

Strengthen relationships with DOD and other federal facility owners to coordinate and enhance resilience work and accomplish shared goals.

Subcommittee Members

Aligning Economic Development

Recommend a process by which public and private economic development activity in coastal Virginia, including transportation and other infrastructure projects, can be aligned with the principles and goals of the Coastal Resilience Master Plan.

Subcommittee Members