From CapeStory.org:

Found a female mixed breed (Dalmatian and ?) dog.  Brownish face. Big Bark.  Sorta friendly but scared.  Found on Sandalwood Drive.

Head to CapeStory.org’s article to learn more & help out.

From Karen at LynnhavenRiverNow.org:

The 6th Annual Oyster Roast is Coming

Tickets are available for our 6th Annual Oyster Roast on Saturday, April 19th, Noon-3:00, at the home of Eleanor and Bob Stanton.  We will be serving aquacultured Lynnhaven Oysters, oyster stew, barbecue with all the trimmings and wine, beer and soft drinks.  Our favorite blue grass band, More Perfect Jones, will again be entertaining us and this year we are adding a wine tasting and an oyster shucking contest.  If you haven’t already, order your tickets today!  And don’t forget your Raffle tickets for the two beautiful Turner Sculptures, “Otter Curiosity” and “Lab on Alert”.  Oyster Roast tickets are $50 each and Raffle tickets are $10 each.  You can order tickets by returning the RSVP card in your invitation or calling our office at 757-962-5398.

Paddle for the Lynnhaven, Saturday, April 26th

The Mid-Atlantic Paddlers Association is sponsoring a 7 mile Canoe, Kayak, and Surf Ski Race and a 3 mile Fun Paddle on Saturday, April 26th at First Landing State Park.  Registration and boat set-up starts at 8:00 am; events start at 9:00 am.  For more information or to register, visit the MAPA website at http://www.mapa1.org or contact Susie Johnson at 757-575-0022, Johnston.susie@verizon.net.  All proceeds will benefit Lynnhaven River NOW.

LRNow Reusable Grocery Bags

We have great new reusable Lynnhaven River NOW grocery bags.  They are $3/each or 4 for $10 and are available in our office, at the Oyster Roast and at our Public Meetings.  Reduce your use of plastic bags and paper bags with our new reusable grocery bags and show your support of Lynnhaven River NOW.

LYNNHAVEN RIVER NOW
1608 Pleasure House Road, Suite 108
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
757-962-5398

So… what do you think about banning non-biodegradable plastic bags within “x” miles of the bay & ocean?

Received the mailer:

Discuss
Community Concerns, Virginia’s Budget, Transportation Funding

Thursday April 10th 2008 at 7pm Bayside High School Cafeteria

Contact Ashley at 757.333.2527

Article in the Pilot:

The city’s average real estate assessment has risen 2.6 percent, the City Council was told this afternoon.
The new assessments – which go into effect July 1 – end a four-year trend of double digit percentage increases.
Read and comment at Pilotonline.com.

Here’s a couple official docs too:

Neighborhood Report. [43pg PDF]
City Assessor 2009 Report to City Council [33pg PDF]

Due to the current tanking real estate market, the owners of the old Colley Marine property, which is now named Nantucket by the Bay, went to the Planning Commission in ‘07 to get some temporary changes made to the proffers agreed to in ‘05.

Here’s the scoop so far on the missing sidewalks & how it happened.

Staff report. [12pg PDF]
Planning Commission 12.07 Minutes for this. [23pg PDF]

Attempted to pull up City Council Minutes for this from the January 22 ‘08 meeting but received this message numerous times from VBGov.com:

We’ll check back and post them when we can.

Special thanks to Eddie Bourdon for pointing out the known safety issues of Shore Drive. Check out the minutes posted above.

Here’s the recap, please add your opinion, “take on the meeting”, corrections, etc using the “Discuss” link below.

Explained the request is simply a measure to bring the site into conformity with zoning regulations so the City would have the ability to lease the site to a private operator. Explained it is Parks and Recs intent to explore this option in order to improve the service delivery, reduce costs and generate revenue for the City. Advised the group that to our knowledge “Chicks” is no longer interested in using or leasing the property for their use, and that there is no one in the wings ready to lease the site. As you can imagine this brought forth a wealth of questions:

  1. Concerning the installation of fuel on the site – it is the understanding of some SDCC members that this is regulated by the City Garage, Reggie Padgett, and after the last time there was a problem with fuel leakage into Long Creek the City Garage does not want to allow or regulate fuel distribution or storage on the site. Advised was not aware that the City Garage is responsible for that portion of the request but that we would investigate and report back.

  2. Concerning our reasons for the rezoning (clarifying the zoning and permitted uses, improving service delivery, reducing costs and generating revenue for the City) the following questions were posed:
      1. What is the reason the marina exists?
      2. Is the site making a profit now?
      3. What is the cost to operate the site versus the benefit of the Corps dredging as per the 1981 agreement?
      4. Where is the staff for the site?

  3. The SDCC members are very concerned that the City property currently used as an access from Lynnhaven Drive to Vista Circle remain available to the public and would like a proffer guaranteeing that.

  4. Concerning the existing slips that are leased –
      1. According to their lease they are entitled to 1 parking space and the sharing of an adjacent parking space. Typically they park behind their slip, although parking is not assigned. They are extremely concerned with the proposal to allow for off-site parking for uses within proximity to the marina. They don’t want the excess parking available for lease as they are tired of having to deal with the patrons of adjacent establishments parking on the site now. However if the request moves forward with the off-site parking provision they want to know how many spaces will be leased and where they will be located.
      2. They are concerned with the sale of alcohol from a specialty store or the accessory retail. They state maneuvering in and out of the marina is treacherous and to add alcohol to the mix is an accident looking to happen.
      3. They were not notified by mail or otherwise of the request. They would like a pro / con list of the reasons it is beneficial for the City to rezone the site and offer it for private management.

“SDCC” was asked to provide any additional comments by April 14th. Read on the meeting is “why fix something that is not broken?” In other words what is the real reason we, the City, is doing this. Advised there is no hidden agenda, that no one is waiting in the background to come in and start operation or use a part of the site for parking, and that “Chick’s” has advised us they are no longer pursuing off-site parking on the site.

By:

Sharing our ideas…

Having a Conversation about them…

Collaborating on what interests you with others…

We can take Collective Action to make our neighborhood a little better.

Say something.

SDCC.info – What’s here & how to get the most out of it.

This site is basically a Blog.

Here’s a great place to start if you’re new here.

Check out the cool map to see where we’re located.

It’s organized under various Topics. Example.

Also by Date in the Archives.

Stay informed by joining our eNewsletter.
[Look over there in the right column. > > >]

Find stuff by using Search.
[Also in right column on every page.]

Get your Event, Meeting, etc posted at our Community Calendar. Here’s how.

Give us feedback, get help, correct us, give us news, etc.

SDCC- Love the Shore Drive neighborhood? Help us.

We meet the last Monday of the month at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad at 7:30pm. Google Map.

About us.

Contact us.

No time to donate? Please consider a financial donation.

Shore Drive 101 – The basics.

Click map to enlarge. Map from May 2006, VBGov.com.

We’re the Shore Drive Community Coalition.

There’s the City’s Bayfront Advisory Committee at VBGov.com.

Vice Mayor Jones west of the Lesner Bridge.
Vice Mayor Jones Info.

Councilman Wood east of the Lesner Bridge.
Councilman Wood Info.

Shore Drive Safety Task Force was formed in December 2005 & later reported back to City Council on short, mid and long term recommendations for improving safety along Shore Drive. Recommendations. [18pg PDF]

There’s Shore Drive Topics at VBGov.com.

Watch this space for Economic data, & more.

Definitions – What the heck does “PDF” mean & other info.

PDF = Portable Document Format. More at Wikipedia.
PHP = Pleasure House Point.
DEQ = Department of Environmental Quality.  More at DEQ.
DCR = Department of Conservation & Recreation. More at Virginia.gov.
JPA = Joint Permit Application. More at the Army Corp of Engineers website.
RPA = Resource Protection Area. Learn more about the Chespeake Bay Preservation Act.

Your questions

Use the Discuss link below or with your questions & we’ll get the answers posted here.

SDCC General Meeting – Monday March 31, 2008, 7:30 to 9:00pm

Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall (parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

Presentation on City Marina Rezoning and Privatization Plan – Faith Christie, City Planner, or designated rep. will be present to
answer questions on the new proposal for the City Marina. The request is being changed to a Conditional Rezoning. New signs will be posted shortly. The new plan contains proffers and planned to be heard the at the May 14th Planning Commission meeting. City Council hearing will be in late May or early June 2008. SDCC would like a small committee to work with the City and plan the future of this site. Representatives from Lynnhaven Colony, SDCC, Vista Circle, Boat Slip owners, BAC and City Staff are asked to participate. Proffers for this site are proposed to limit the uses of the Lynnhaven Marina Property. The only uses that shall be permitted in the requested B-2 Zoning Area are listed below.
• Commercial Marina including fuel service, subject to obtaining a conditional use permit (City operation would not require a
Conditional Use Permit)
• Off-site parking (use of parking for off-site uses not directly related to the Marina slip requirements)
• Outdoor Plaza (allows for an open area with paving, planting, and lights, benches and picnic tables also could be permitted for
casual seating and eating sandwiches and snacks purchased in the specialty shop)
• Specialty Shops/retail store of specialty goods, not to exceed 3,000 sq. ft.
• No structure on the site shall exceed thirty (30) feet in height.
Proffers NOT included: The suggested revised proffers do NOT include: Commercial Recreational Facility; Commercial Parking lot, Outdoor Café, and Personal Watercraft.

The general agenda for the evening will be:

Presentation/Discussion – 30 Minutes
Officer’s Reports – Brief Reports
Secretary –
Treasurer’s Report – Leslie
Vice President & President – Daphne & Todd

Old Business-

Indigo Dunes Project – Continued discussion on Botanical Garden proposal from last meeting. An SDCC vote is recommended at this meeting, so be prepared to vote your community’s view. Continued investigation by PHP committee on the possibility of a land swap with commercial property at Corporate Landing. Anyone interested in helping research and put together a proposal to submit to the City is asked to contact Todd Solomon at todd@sdcc.info. SDCC also plans on making this topic a major campaign issue for the Nov. City Council elections.

Lynnhaven River Proposed Spoils Transfer Station – Over 250 residents attended the March 19th public hearing Bayside Middle School. SDCC plans to gather ideas for alternate transfer sites for the Western and Eastern dredgings and has set up an area on http://www.sdcc.info where residents can submit their suggestions.

Cape Henry Beach Sand Replenishment – SDCC has sent a letter to City Council requesting they move ahead with a plan to implement the Cape Henry Beach Sand Replenishment resolution beginning with the next dredge cycle in 2009/2010.

R5R Proposed Code Amendments – Wed. March 12th, the Planning Commission voted (11-0) in favor of a modified proposed amendment change. The approved version limits the size of garages to 15% of lot size up to 1000 sq ft max and has some voluntary incentives changes to R5R lots. Lot sizes 6,500 sq ft. and smaller will have a reduced garage space and lots greater than 6,500 will be able to build the same as before. City Council will NOT be hearing this at the April 8th City Council session. Instead, City Council will appoint another committee to study the issue and try to find a solution that is supported by a greater majority than the modified amendment approved by the Planning Commission.

New Business –

SDCC Membership and Committee Participation – SDCC Membership forms have been mailed out. Our goal is to have 35 paid members this year. This year’s packets contained a information form which we’d really like each group to take the time and fill out. Much of the information requested will help SDCC become a better organization. One items on the form concerns committee participation. With the current number of issues that impact the Shore Drive area, we need more volunteers to help with SDCC committees. So if you have a free hour or two a week, consider signing up for a group.

2nd Annual Shore Drive Town Hall Meeting – Last year’s event held in April was attended by over 250 residents. The main topics of discussion were Indigo Dunes and Shore Drive Safety. At last month’s meeting everyone thought we should hold another Town Hall meeting. We need to determine when to hold it and what main topics should be addressed.

2008 City Council Candidate Questionnaire/Forum – Last month it was determined that we should send our a candidate questionnaire and hold an informal forum prior to the City Council elections. It was also determined to hold the forum as the October General Meeting. Should the forum be kept small or should it be moved to a larger location? If we move site from the OP Rescue Squad, where should it be held? Volunteers are needed to work on this committee. If interested contact Todd Solomon at

Fort Story Soldiers Depart – Thanks to all of you who helped provide an encouraging send off to our local service personnel on Monday March 17, 2008. The community received a wonderful email from the Fort’s PAO which can be read at http://www.sdcc.info

SDCC Oyster Roast – Does Saturday Nov 15th at the VB Resort Conference Hotel sound good to everyone? If we move forward with this, we will need a chair or co-chair for the event. If you like to throw a party, this position would be perfect fory you, who will step forward and chair the event?

Preliminary info from Planning:

The request is being changed to a Conditional Rezoning. New signs will be posted shortly. Below is a list of the proposed proffered uses –

Proffer #1 – The only uses that shall be permitted in the requested B-2 zoning of the subject site include the following uses and any conditions provided with each use listed below:

1.  Commercial Marina, subject to obtaining a conditional use permit

2.  Commercial Recreational Facility, subject to obtaining a conditional use permit

3.  Commercial parking lot, subject to obtaining site plan approval

4.  Eating and drinking establishments without a drive-through

5.  Off-site parking

6.  Outdoor Café

7.  Outdoor Plaza

8.  Personal watercraft, subject to obtaining conditional use permit

9.  Specialty Shops (retail store of specialty goods, not to exceed 3,000 square feet)

Proffer #2 – No structure on the site shall exceed thirty (30) feet in height.

We are not requiring a proffered site plan at this since we own the property. If the property is leased or sold any new development on the site would require a site development plan.
Planning is hoping to move forward at the May 14th Planning Commission meeting.
Public Notice – March 28th 2008 [2pg PDF]

Please to be part of this process from the beginning.

Congrats to Chris & most recently Nancy for their award, and in particular for helping us with our FOIA requests!

From the Virginia Coalition for Open Government:
Most recent award winners include: The City of Virginia Beach’s Freedom of Information Office Virginia Beach, the state’s first local-government FOI office in August 2003. The office has handled nearly 3,000 FOI requests, produced more than 46,000 requested documents and aided inspection of thousands more, and provided space for easy record review just a few steps from City Council’s meeting chambers[.]

How to nominate for this year:
Call for 2007-2008 VCOG FOI Award Nominations
Nominations are now being accepted for VCOG’s 2006 Freedom of Information Awards.
Entries should be submitted by April 22nd to
VCOG, Box 1293, Warrenton, VA 20188 or .

Awards are given for outstanding efforts by citizens, media and government to keep government meetings or records open to the public.

Before reading another editorial pitching the idea to use the beloved & award winning LBR&BF as a permanent public & private dredge spoils transfer station, may I suggest reading the FOIAed docs related to the project?

Start here to read the official docs made public so far, Hot Topic: Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility.

Assuming the city monitors the project to make sure it’s meeting all safety requirements, the recommendation, while far from ideal, makes more sense than the few other possibilities on the river.

There are far more safer, cost effective, creative long term solutions available for the handling of dredge spoils from the Lynnhaven.

Share even your craziest ideas here: The Lynnhaven needs your help in developing a long term solution for moving dredge spoils

Read & comment on editorial at Pilotonline.com.

Front page of the Beacon today:

“This is a recipe for disaster, mixing the barges with recreational boaters right here at the Lesner Bridge,” contended Joe Ferrara, a boat captain who attended the rally.

Read article at Pilotonline.com.

SDCC is gathering ideas that will provide a long term solution to moving dredge spoils dredged from the Lynnhaven Watershed.

Have an idea? Use “Discuss” link in this post.

Why? Check out this Topic.

As you know, there is a plan to build a permanent dredge spoils transfer station at the LBR&BF that would be used, for free, to accept spoils from public & private projects throughout the entire Lynnhaven Watershed.

“I just don’t think it needs to be at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp.”
Ferrara said he also worried about the boaters, some of them inexperienced, who will have to maneuver around these barges in the river.
Other speakers raised fears about a barge getting loose and hitting the Lesner Bridge.

Read & comment on article at Pilotonline.com.

Tragically & unbelievably sidewalks have not been installed on Shore Drive.

Hopefully the sidewalk that was required on a previous Conditional Use Permit will be installed next to the plantings.

The old Colley Marine property:

Email response from Chief of Finance & Technology, David Hansen:

…That assessment is an engineering estimate stating that at worst case a barge could hit a Pier, damaging it such that it may have to be replaced during which we would shut down one of the bridges (recall the Lesner is two) for 4 to 6 weeks.  Nowhere do we believe the size and velocity create the mass to collapse one of the bridges. This assessment was generated though engineering discussions to include bridge consultants. Should you have a certified professional engineer opinion that differs we would be very receptive to entertaining a professional discussion on the matter.

For those of you who’ve been asking, we have a couple open FOIA requests for docs relating to Safety & the Lesner Bridge.

In particular, Cape Story:

Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Empsy,

  I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for the support shown by the
Cape Story by the Sea Civic League last night as the 241st went down
Shore Drive. I followed the buses out and I saw people standing by the
road with ‘thank you’ signs, and it really meant a lot. I know it meant
a great deal to those Soldiers on the buses to see the support from the
local community. Again, thank you for all your support and all that the
CSBTS Civic League does.

Best,
Monica

Monica K. Miller
Fort Eustis Command Information Officer/Fort Story Public Affairs
757-878-4920 Fort Eustis Office
757-878-4928 Fort Eustis Fax
757-422-7101 Ext. 225 Fort Story Office
757-422-7706 Fort Story Fax
monica.k.miller@us.army.mil

Some fascinating reading in these final documents submitted to DEQ.

I believe this completes their application, so DEQ will more than likely be moving forward with issuance of a draft permit.

ID-DEQ-Mar08-Nov-07JPA-FinalDocs [47pg PDF]

Remember the solar powered flashing yellow safety lights that were going to be installed about 3 years ago on Shore Drive?

He said the money will come from a federal Highway Safety Improvement Program grant. The $40,000 grant is for eight signs – two in each direction of Shore Drive west of the park; and four on Atlantic Avenue.
Read & comment on Pilot Warrier article.

You know how the North End at Atlantic Avenue has a number of safety measures added to slow down speeders & Shore Drive has none?

Norfolk pulled $500 in city money to post solar-powered flashing lights atop speed limit signs at the intersection. Residents told The Warrior the lights helped slow drivers.

Contact Councilman Jim Wood at VBGov.com & ask him to make this part of Shore Drive safer.