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2023 Middle Peninsula One-Year Progress Workshop:
The RAFT implementation year on the Middle Peninsula ran from March 2022- February 2023. On March 22, 2023, the Middle Peninsula localities came together in a virtual workshop to share outcomes, lessons learned, and plans for the future. The workshop was recorded, and the following products are available for reference:
- Full Workshop Video
- Meeting Summary (.pdf)
- Resources Document (.pdf)
- Presentation Slides (.pdf)
2022 Middle Peninsula Resilience Action Workshop:
The Middle Peninsula RAFT workshop was held virtually on January 28, 2022. The workshop was hosted by The RAFT Core Team to orient participants to The RAFT process and goals, review the region’s Scorecard results and opportunities for improving Middle Peninsula resilience, and support and guide participants through the process of developing a draft One-Year “Resilience Action Checklist” (RAC) for each locality. The RAC development process is designed to allow participants to elevate up to five specific actions to improve resilience over the next year. During the workshop, members of The RAFT Core Team provided context for The RAFT, shared Middle Peninsula resilience findings, and opportunities that surfaced through interviews and focus groups, and facilitated the development of draft resilience action checklists for each locality.
September 7, 2022 Resilience Education Workshop
The Resilience Education Workshop was held virtually on September 7, 2022. The workshop was hosted by the RAFT Core Team and featured speakers from organizations including the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) on Shoreline Erosion Advisory Service (SEAS) and the Community Flood Preparedness Fund, Bay Aging on transit services, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Middlesex County
King William County
King William County is located on the western end of the Middle Peninsula, approximately 20 miles northeast of Virginia’s capital, the City of Richmond. King William is bound by the Mattaponi River to the north and the Pamunkey River to the south. The county encompasses 275.4 square miles, including about 136 miles of shoreline. Farming and logging are the mainstays of the county’s economy. King William County also encompasses the historic lands of three Virginia Tribes, the federally recognized Pamunkey Indian Tribe, whose reservation lands are adjacent to the County, and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, which is centered near the upper reaches of the Mattaponi River. The state recognized Mattaponi Indian Tribe also has its reservation lands along the Mattaponi River.
According to the 2019 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, King William County has a population of 16,688. The median age is 40.3 years, which is 2.2 years higher than the national median age. Here, 8.4% of residents live below the poverty level, including 17.7% of children under the age of 18. The median household income is $66,987, which is $4,144 higher than the national median income. King William County residents are 79.0% white, 16.4% African American, and 2.6% Hispanic or Latino. In the county, 21.0% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 32.1%.
King William County is vulnerable to major storms and flooding, especially given its low elevation. Construction may only occur on floodplains if it complies with city guidance for safety and environmental resilience. The King William County Comprehensive Plan of 2016 also identifies implementation strategies to reduce impacts of development in water resource areas: (1) Enforce erosion and sediment control, stormwater management, and regulations governing the development of wetlands to protect the health of the county’s waterways and the Chesapeake Bay watershed; (2) Revise county ordinances for development in and around environmentally sensitive areas to include the extent of impact and clear guidelines for mitigation; (3) Offer alternative solutions to development in environmentally sensitive areas; and (4) Develop education and outreach programs to inform new residents of the regulations related to Resource Protection Areas required by the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.
Photo Courtesy of Kari Elizabeth Photography
Scorecard, Opportunity List, and Resilience Action Checklist:
King William County's Scorecard
Essex County
Essex County is a predominantly rural county located at the northern end of the Middle Peninsula, approximately 100 miles south of Washington, DC. It is bound on the north and east by the Rappahannock River, on the south by Middlesex County and on the west by Caroline and King and Queen Counties. It covers 261 square miles, including approximately 317 miles of shoreline.
According to the 2019 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, Essex County has a population of 10,998. The median age is 46.3 years, which is 8.2 years higher than the national median age. 16.8% of residents live below the poverty level, including 25.4% of children under the age of 18. The median household income is $51,954, which is $10,889 lower than the national median income. Essex County residents are 55.6% white, 39.3% African American, and 3.6% Hispanic or Latino. Within the population, 82.3% of residents have a high school diploma or a higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 88.0%.
Residential developments exist as small rural communities along the Rappahannock River or along the primary and secondary roads. With a history of gradual growth and strong land-use control regulations, 94% of the County is either agricultural land or forested area.
The Essex Comprehensive Plan of 2015 suggested establishing a revolving loan fund to help homeowners install shoreline erosion control measures because very little of the county’s shoreline is bordered by structural protection. In addition to current regulations on construction within the county’s 100-year floodplain, the plan also suggests that the county expand its current 100+ foot buffer of protection for streams to safeguard adjacent floodplain resources.
Photo Courtesy of Brad Gaidar
Scorecard, Opportunity List, and Resilience Action Checklist:
Essex County's Opportunity List
West Point
The Town of West Point is located where the Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers converge to form the York River, at the southern end of King William County. The town is approximately 6.3 square miles and is located 35 miles to the east of Richmond, Virginia.
According to the 2019 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Town of West Point has a population of 3,292 people. The median age is 43 years, which is 4.9 years higher than the national median age. In the Town of West Point, 4.4% of residents live below the poverty level. The median household income is $72,250, which is $9,407 higher than the national median income. Within King and Queen County, residents are 91.0% white, 4.5% Asian, and 4.4% African American. 26.9% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 32.1%.
The Town’s Comprehensive Plan, approved in 2000, identifies major goals as protecting environmental health and beauty in the area. In pursuit of this, the plan recommends: (1) Regulating development within floodplains; (2) Developing a stormwater management program and designing new storm drainage systems; and (3) Educating the town staff and public about the importance of protecting tidal wetlands, shorelines, and buffer areas.
Photo Courtesy of the Town of West Point
Scorecard, Opportunity List, and Resilience Action Checklist:
Town of West Point's Scorecard
Mathews County
Mathews County is located at the eastern tip of the Middle Peninsula. Surrounded almost completely by water, it is bordered by Middlesex County and the Piankatank River to the north, Mobjack Bay to the south, and the North River to the west. The 86-square mile county contains about 350 miles of shoreline from the surrounding waters. Mathews County is approximately 175 miles to the south of Washington, DC along Interstate 95. Mathews attracts many seasonal guests, with major sources of employment in the county including tourism, agriculture, and fishing industries.
According to the 2019 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, Mathews County has a population of 8,788. The median age is 54.5 years, which is 16.4 years higher than the national median age. In Mathews County, 11.4% of residents live below the poverty level, including 20.5% of children under the age of 18. The median household income is $64,273, which is $1,394 higher than the national median income. Mathews County residents are 87.8% white, 8.8% African American, and 2.5% Hispanic or Latino. 27.8% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 32.1%.
The Mathews County Comprehensive Plan, last revised in 2018, identifies three goals related to coastal resiliency: (1) Preservation of natural resources and increased environmental stewardship through promotion of best management practices and living shorelines; (2) Increased training for County Wetlands Board members, contractors, and citizens in “living shoreline” stabilization methods and development of a model certification program that can be used by other communities; and (3) Identify flood risk areas and establish planning and regulatory solutions to address flooding and mitigate impacts.
Photo Courtesy of Donald Cahoon
Scorecard, Opportunity List, and Resilience Action Checklist:
Middlesex County
Middlesex County is located on the Middle Peninsula in eastern Virginia and covers approximately 211 square miles, of which 131 square miles are land and 80 square miles are water. The county is bounded by the Rappahannock River to the north, by the Chesapeake Bay to the east, by the Piankatank River and Dragon Run Swamp to the southwest, and by Essex County to the northwest. It is about 56 miles east of Virginia’s capital, the City of Richmond.
According to the 2019 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, Middlesex County has a population of 10,675. The median age is 53.9 years, which is 15.8 years higher than the national median age. Ten percent of residents live below the poverty level, including 9.4% of children under the age of 18. The median household income is $57,438, which is $5,405 lower than the national median income. Middlesex County residents are 78.3% white, 13.9% African American, and 1.2% Hispanic or Latino. In the county, 21.5% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 32.1%.
The county is largely rural, with farming, forestry, and fishing providing the core of the economy. Middlesex is also home to one of the top boating populations in Virginia, bringing some seasonal population to the county. Seventy-five percent of the 135 miles of tidal shoreline are low or moderately low shoreline so flooding potential exists. Tidal marshes extend along two-thirds of the county's shoreline.
Located partly in Middlesex County, the Dragon Run Watershed is of critical ecological importance to the area and is identified as worthy of specific protection in the 2020 Middlesex County Comprehensive Plan. The plan recommends that Dragon Run be kept largely rural with low-intensity uses, protecting key natural areas and water quality.
Photo Courtesy of Visit Middlesex
Scorecard, Opportunity List, and Resilience Action Checklist:
King and Queen County
King and Queen County is located in the northern area of the Middle Peninsula and is bounded on the west by the York and Mattaponi Rivers. The county is approximately 327 square miles, including 71 miles of shoreline. It is situated about 32 miles northeast of Richmond, Virginia, and approximately 110 miles south of Washington, DC. The county is predominantly rural, with agriculture and forestry being the dominant land uses. King and Queen County also encompasses the historic lands of the federally recognized Rappahannock Indian Tribe whose tribal center is in Indian Neck.
According to the 2019 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, King and Queen County has a population of 7,042 people. The median age is 46.7 years, which is 8.6 years higher than the national median age. In the county, 12.4% of residents live below the poverty level, including 20.2% of children under the age of 18. The median household income is $63,982, which is $1,139 higher than the national median income. King and Queen County residents are 67.5% white, 26.5% African American, and 3.2% Hispanic or Latino. Across the county, 23.6% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 32.1%.
King and Queen County’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan includes provisions to prevent shoreline erosion, such as requiring any construction projects along shorelines to avoid impacting wetlands and disturb the existing land and vegetation as minimally as possible. Additionally, the plan includes strict limitations on development in the Dragon Run Conservation District with the goal of protecting and conserving the area’s natural landscape.
Photo Courtesy of Savannah Williams
Scorecard, Opportunity List, and Resilience Action Checklist:
King and Queen County's Scorecard
