Chesapeake Bay - Cape Charles, Virginia

Recreational Amenities and                            Harbor Master Plan
The Town of Cape Charles is located on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It was established in 1884 and boasts a deep-water port to the Bay, with daily rail barge service to Norfolk, VA. With much of the town designated as a historic district and placed on the National Registry of Historic Places, Cape Charles is rapidly becoming a nature and heritage tourism destination.

The project stems from a tri-fold of needs. First is the need to enhance community facilities for the local residents. Second is the need to support Cape Charles' new found identity as a nature and tourism destination. Third is the need to showcase innovation and an efficient use of resources through sustainable design.

The site consists of a breakwater jetty structure which provides protection to the deep foreign trade channel on one side and a shallow wading recreational beach on the other. The existing pier, constructed on top of this breakwater, is in need of repair and currently does not provide fishing access to the channel. Residents and tourists walk out over the rocks of the breakwater and past the pier's end to enhance fishing opportunities. This has lead to a dangerous "public safety" condition for the town; hence studies for a new fishing pier to improve accessibility, fishing, crabbing opportunities, and safety are defined.

Our team's role was to provide strong leadership and interface with various authorities such as: the Chesapeake Bay Review Board (CBRB), Army Corp of Engineers (COE), Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC), Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Other local entities include Town Planning and Accomack County Department of Economic Development. Additional expertise from our team provided the Town with the insight to available Public Funding Resources through NOAA, VDOT 21 funds and gateway grants.

Our design proposals presented the use of innovative technical approaches which considered wave climatology, artificial reef enhancement, timber, vinyl coated and fiberglass piles, federal channel requirements and special harbor lighting considerations. Four concept layouts were developed to address various site benefits for each configuration. Scheme 'C' provided the best utilization of the site for access to better fishing on the channel side. It also provided the opportunity to develop a coastal "iconic" pavilion on the shallow side as a visual focal point to the Station Street vista. This urban planning component is "value added" to the project that greatly exceeds the project expectations.