The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will hold a public hearing about a new permitting process for living shoreline projects at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at its headquarters in downtown Newport News.

The purpose of the general permit regulation, Chip Neikirk said, is to provide a streamlined permitting process as an incentive to encourage property owners to take a living shoreline approach to manage shoreline erosion. In addition, Neikirk, deputy chief of the VMRC Habitat Management Division, said the new permit system will promote the planting and growth of tidal wetlands vegetation to restore or enhance ecosystems.

Neikirk said one of the most common types of living shorelines might include sand placed in intertidal areas, which can be contained by shell bags, mesh bags filled with oyster shells that help hold the sand and also provide a surface to which live oysters can attach themselves.

Coir logs are another good choice for a living shoreline, Neikirk said, as they help hold sand a...