On December 18, 2024, the City of Suffolk, Virginia, celebrated a major milestone with the adoption of the Suffolk 2045 Comprehensive Plan, developed with leadership from Planning NEXT and supported by a robust team that included EPR P.C., Ninigret Partners, Clarion Associates, McBride Dale Clarion, and TischlerBise. This plan offers a new and more directive approach to future land use that identifies significant growth opportunities while emphasizing preservation of its rural areas.
Suffolk, Virgina, is a very large City by land mass of over 430 square miles. Suffolk was a town in Nansemond County until it was incorporated as a city in 1910 and merged with Nansemond County in 1974. Suffolk 2045 builds upon the Future Land Use and Growth Area maps from the City’s 2015 plan, introducing 12 more specific Land Use Types to express desired land uses, densities, and character. Additionally, the plan proposes five expansions to the Growth Areas, focusing on protecting rural spaces, planning for transportation infrastructure, and fostering vibrant, mixed-use communities.
Through this thoughtful approach, anchored by unprecedented public engagement, Suffolk has displayed its commitment to thoughtful and deliberate management of growth and change.
