Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHonorary Street NamingsAddressing and Honorary Street Designations Kathy M. Warren, Director, Planning & Community Development March 17, 2026 1 OVERVIEW •Planning Department responsibility and duties •Guidelines for street naming •Honorary street naming history •Honorary street naming process •Recommendations for future honorary street designation •Discussion ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 2 PURPOSE OF PRESENTATION •Seeking guidance from City Council on formalizing the process for future honorary street designations and to establish qualifying criteria ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 3 CURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES •City Code assigns duties related to street naming to the Director of Planning and establishes street numbering standards. •The current addressing grid was established in the mid 1960s by the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Planning Commission. •Addresses are assigned based on the divide of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad and the Atlantic Ocean. •Departmental guidance document for addressing was created in 1974 and continually updated to ensure consistency. ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 4 RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES cont’d •Planning Address Technician •1 Full-Time Employee •Address Assignment •Assigns new addresses to all approved site plans •Assigns temporary addresses for new address assignments or temporary structures •Reviews and approves any new proposed street names •Address & Street Name Change Request •Reviews and processes address change or street name change requests, including honorary streets •Address Database •Maintains 7,700 streets and over 100,000 addresses •Coordinates with GIS and Emergency Services to maintain accuracy of database ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 5 GUIDELINE FOR STREET NAMES •Public, Private, and Honorary street name types •Over 7,700 street names •Names reviewed for: •Spelling accuracy •Format •Duplicate •sounds similar or •spelled similar •Inappropriate or in poor taste •All languages • Overused names •Lynn- •Little •Ocean •Discourage use of business names ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 6 HONORARY STREET NAMES•Not an official street name or address change •Honorary blades are blue, collocated with the official street name blade •Blades produced, installed, and maintained by Public Works •2018 First honorary designation •Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Virginia Beach Boulevard, Citywide •2024 •Zim Avenue, on Corporation Lane, District 9 •2025 •George L. Kimble Street, on General Street, District 1 •Andrew Fine Avenue, on Cypress Avenue, District 6 •Timbaland Way, on Bridle Creek Boulevard, District 7 •Adm Jeremiah Denton Lane, on Watergate Lane District 8 ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 7 HONORARY STREET NAMES cont’d ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 8 Street Blade Installation and Maintenance Notification to GIS/E911 Street Blade Fabrication City Council Resolution Approval Planning Staff Research Naming Options City Council Request to City Manager City Council Planning Department Public Works Department RECOMMENDATIONS Establish criteria for future Honorary designations •Designation must be sponsored by a member of City Council •To qualify, the individual or group must have a significant and positive impact on the community or nation in one or more of the following areas: •Historical – Contribution to City’s history or culture •Humanitarian – Bettered the community through philanthropic causes •Public Service – Distinction in the U.S. Armed Forces, public safety, or public office •Career – Local art, science, entertainment, or business community •Candidates must be deceased or retired from a distinguished career ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 9 RECOMMENDATIONS cont’d •Approval from honoree, honoree’s family or estate •Limit to individuals; exclude businesses •Honorary Street designations only applied to major roadways •Limit frequency to emphasize importance and value •Planning staff will review list of approved honorary street names every five years and make a recommendation to City Council to maintain or consider removing an honorary street name ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 10 DISCUSSION(Slide 1 of 2) •Seeking guidance from City Council on formalizing the process for future honorary street designations and to establish qualifying criteria •Discussion ADDRESSING AND HONORARY STREETS 11