Portsmouth, Virginia Form-Based Code

Portsmouth, Virginia Form-Based Code
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CLIENT: City of Portsmouth, Virginia

Portsmouth, home of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the Hampton Roads Harbor area of Virginia, is one of the oldest cities in the state. It was established in 1752. Eager to maintain the nature of the original urban fabric and historic character of its downtown, the City of Portsmouth embraced using a new form-based code for planning and zoning.  Ed Hamm, working with Ferrell-Madden Urban Design, TND Engineering, Urban Advisors Ltd. and Urban Advantage, Inc. developed the code for the D2 section of Downtown Portsmouth. The team took advantage of the late 18^th century street grid to produce a hierarchy of distinct street types. Attention was given to creating consistent building walls and setbacks to retain and enhance the integrity of the downtown area. An on-site workshop brought the team together to collaborate and focus on details, and refine the code. The D2 section of the form-based code was adopted by the city as a part of Portsmouth’s new community wide form-based approach to zoning.  The project completed while Hamm was a part of the Rhodeside & Harwell.