Just a reminder for those who noticed there was no public notice today in the Beacon for the hearing Monday – it is confirmed, deferred items, like Indigo Dunes, are not re-advertised in the paper.

See you all down there Monday.

In the 2400 block, where the curves are most dramatic, everybody’s got a story about the time a car landed in the front yard. Or, in the case of the Conner and Wagoner families, the time a car landed inside the house. “The problem is not the 94 percent who drive the speed limit,” Mary Wagoner said. “It’s the rest of them; they all end up in my yard.”
Read entire Pilot Warrior article.

Meeting canceled. New date not yet chosen. The citizens of Virginia Beach are invited to the Bayside Public Library on Wednesday, May 30, at 7 p.m. for an informational briefing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? Norfolk District?s plans for native oyster restoration in the Lynnhaven River. 

The Army Corps, in conjunction with its federal, state and local partners, plans to embark on the first phase of the multi-year restoration efforts this summer. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the so called R5R Debate has been changed to a presentation & questions & answer forum. The Building Area Ration or B.A.R. will be presented from inspiration behind the idea to the current details of the proposed changes. Public information & discussions related to the process & current results will also be discussed. Plan on attending this month’s meeting to learn more.

A mostly silent City Council cut the real estate tax rate to 89 cents Tuesday night over the pleas of 19 residents and two council members who wanted to slash the rate further. The council agreed to the rate as it adopted its $1.7 billion budget for fiscal 2008.

Read entire article & comment at Pilotonline.com.

In Virginia Beach, contact the Voter Registrar’s O ffice, 2449 Princess Anne Road, Municipal Center, Building 14. Call (757) 385-8683 or e-mail voter@vbgov.com. Office hours are 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Read entire article at Pilotonline.com.

In an effort to provide the community information on both sides of an important issue, please check out the following information related to this years budget and tax rate.  The City staff initially suggested a 6 cent reduction which has now changed to a 10 cent reduction.  As mentioned in the second write-up below, City Council has stated that they haven’t heard from anyone regarding the 10 cent reduction recommendation.

Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC)- General Meeting, Monday May 21, 2007,  (note this is a week early due to Memorial Day) at 7:30pm to 9:00pm in Ocean Park Fire & Rescue Hall.

Please note, there was an error in this month’s program on the agenda.  The discussion on R5R will only be presented by a committee representative that supports the proposed change (Mark Walker/John Wilson).  Their was some miscommunication and the agenda was sent out before the representatives opposing the change had a chance to confirm.  After the agenda was sent out, we learned that they could not support the debate. 

You are still encouraged to attend, ask questions and become informed.  The SDCC may be asked to take a vote on this issue in the future.

Thursday – May 17th
Time:  12 – 6 pm
Place:  Sandpiper Recreation Center at Fort Story

There will be free prizes, giveaways, snacks, face painting and lots more fun for the entire family.  A drawing will be held every hour. 

For more information, call 422-7472 or [encode=rmmaphis@cox.net]email[/encode].

Thanks!
Rog Maphis

The City Council is poised to shave a dime off the real estate tax rate – to 89 cents per $100 of assessed value – giving Virginia Beach the lowest rate in South Hampton Roads.

Read entire article at Pilotonline.com.

Thanks to Mr. Robert Perrine for sending in his opinion to be posted here:

[Please note: posting your comments in Comments/Opinions does not necessarily mean SDCC endorses, agrees or disagrees with them. It is posted with the intention of furthering dialog on subjects you find important to the Bayfront Community.]

In reference to questions on Cape Henry Beach and obtaining perpetual
public easements, the city has not done a very good job of providing
consistent informative information to beachfront home owners.

OPCL is selling their real estate by a sealed bid process.

*New info on this page! Links at the bottom to several bands websites so you can check them out. Thanks Carter!

Plans for the Concert being held from 3pm-10pm on Sunday May 20th are coming along nicely.

^ 13 local bands are playing & Choice is being shown ^

Stay tuned.

Or better yet, check out Facebook to see who’s coming.

Oh yeah…the show is at Relative Theory Records & it’s only $5 at the door.

Thanks to Maddy Woodson for The Poster Art!

Thanks to everyone who volunteered this morning!

The City has a staff member, Nancy Bloom, who can help with FOIA [ Freedom of Information Act ] requests.

According to Virginia State Law, it is not required to contact Ms. Bloom with FOIA requests. Any Virginia Beach citizen has the legal right to ask virtually any staff member for public records.

Tragic accident on Indian Hill Road in mid-March that killed the driver also caused damage to Dominion Power & Verizon lines. A month later a home owner in Baylake Pines contacted the Pilot Warrior as nothing had been repaired yet.
If you have trouble resolving an issue with a utility company, let The Warrior take a crack at it.
Read entire Pilot Warrior article.

At this evening’s SDCC meeting the debate continued on the proposed R5R changes.

A public meeting for the dredging project will be held on June 5 from 6-8 pm at the Bayside Recreation Center.

Previously at SDCC’s blog.

Additional info [6pg PDF] for Indigo Dunes JPA 06-2601.
Responses to questions by VIMS [7pg PDF] that we also had asked well before February 2007 hearing.

Some highlights:
There is a need for high quality residential housing in the Shore Drive as demonstrated by the rapid development of condominiums…

And:
Accordingly, an economic analysis of the feasibility of building less than 1,063 units is not required. Do you know how much Indigo Dunes is projected to make the developers?

And as hard as it is to believe:
No information on avian habitats has surfaced in consultations with DCR and VCG&IF. If VIMS has site specific information regarding the use of the site by wading birds and shorebirds for foraging, nesting and breeding, the Applicant requests this information as soon as possible.

Interestingly birds of prey like Bald Eagles have been photographed near Pleasure House Point along with at least hundreds of wading birds & shorebirds.

Atlantic Flyway migratory route at Wikipedia.org.

Verbatim transcript of the Indigo Dunes portion [13pg PDF] of the Feb 19th 2007 Wetlands Board Hearing.

SDCC was charged $300.00 for this FOIA request.