Meeting for volunteers, Saturday, January 20th at 3pm.

Check out the flyer for details: Volunteer for 2007 Activities in First Landing State Park [1pg PDF]

Howard Weinberg, new Prez of Ocean Park Civic League, had his poem about Indigo Dunes published in today’s Beacon.

Check it out!

On Shore Drive, Walk, Bike and Drive Like Your Life Depends On It is the main article.
Check out the 1 page PDF version if you missed it in the mail.

Two police officers pulled a man from Little Creek Reservoir about 100 yards from Shore Drive on Thursday morning.
Read entire article in Pilotonline.com.

As requested at the BAC meeting on December 21, this is to inform you that the City Council is tentatively scheduled to vote on how to appropriate the FY 2005-2006 budget year end balance at its meeting on January 9.

Following are the meeting dates for all monthly general meetings for 2007.
Meetings are in all likelyhood held at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad and usually start at 7:30pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Google Map to Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad building on Shore Drive at flashing amber lights about a mile west of the Lesner Bridge.

Enter at back of building at door with cypher lock.

The backups in the mornings are brutal, readers tell me. That’s because many of the folks in the neighborhoods off Great Neck hang a right on the boulevard in order to hook up with Interstate 264 on Lynnhaven Parkway.
Read entire Road Warrior article.

How about the obvious solution? A 264 interchange at Great Neck Road.

Thanks to the City Clerk’s office for getting us the transcripts so quickly!

This summer, with the walkway a certainty, the Kendall Street folks met with city coastal engineer Phillip Roehrs. They say they were assured the dune would be stabilized with vegetation so the sand wouldn’t blow toward their homes.http://sdcc.info/pm/index.php?sx=&m=weblog&p=new

Read entire Pilot Warrior article written a couple days ago.
Previously at SDCC.info.

December 15, 2006

Re:  Pleasure House Point, also known as proposed project Indigo Dunes.  GPIN-1489-47-2243.  District-Lynnhaven.

Lynnhaven River 2007 is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and substantially improving water quality in the Lynnhaven River for the benefit of current and future generations.

To preserve and enhance the river?s health, we work (1) to protect and restore valuable habitats such as riparian buffers, wetlands and oyster reefs that filter polluted runoff and improve water quality for the river and its marine life; (2) to identify and reduce the sources of nutrients, sediment, bacteria and chemicals entering the Lynnhaven River; and (3) to raise citizen awareness of the river?s problems and engage the community in the restoration effort.

Saturday, January 20,2007, 8 PM ? 1 AM

Open Bar, Martini Bar, Beer, Wine, Well Drinks

& Heavy Hors d?oeuvres all included

A Creative Black Tie Event!  Black Jack Tables!

Tickets $75.00/Person

($85 per person if sold AFTER January 1, 2007)

Apparently the Wetlands Board, and City Staff supporting them, have adopted an automatic 60 day deferral policy.

In the past it’s been found 30 days is not enough time for the applicant to make adjustments to their application, have City Staff receive the new info, analyze it, and then comment on it.

Indigo Dunes’ Attorney requested it be heard in 30 days at the January meeting however.

The next meeting of the Bayfront Advisory Committee will be held at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, December 21, at the Bayside Community Recreation Center.  The center is located on the north side of First Court Road between Shore Drive and Pleasure House Road.

Excerpt: Despite any rumors you may here that this project is a done deal, there is a mountain of justification supporting denial of this project.  So keep up the good work and thanks for your continued involvement.

An excerpt of their official, public statement:

Open space provides critical ecological benefits to the Lynnhaven River, such as water filtration, pollutant removal, water percolation and habitat provision.

They’ll be releasing the entire document Monday.

Indigo Dunes has asked for the December 18th Wetlands Board Hearing to be deferred.

Letter to Planning Director asking for deferal. [1 page PDF]

Dear Bayfront Area Residents,

The time has come for the first of many public hearings that will be required for approval of Indigo Dunes, the proposed development at Pleasure House Point in Ocean Park. 

The first public hearing regarding this project is scheduled to take place at the Wetlands Board on Monday Dec. 18th at 9:30am in City Council Chambers. 

The Wetlands Board is a 7-member body, appointed by the City Council, responsible for the review of requests for permits for the use alteration or development of wetlands, coastal primary sand dunes and beaches. The Board also reviews violations of these regulations and has the option to assess civil charges and/or order restoration of the site.

The proposed Indigo Dunes project fails the following 2 major regulation sections that the Wetlands Board has jurisdiction over.

  1) The proposed development is not water dependent.  Meaning, it’s main purpose is not strictly dependent on water access.  An example of a water dependent project would be a marina.   

  2) The proposed development does not display a legitimate hardship to allow filling in and mitigating existing site wetlands.  The sole purpose of filling in wetlands is to create the necessary acreage to fit 1096 new residents. 

ACTION SECTION

There is an excellent chance that this project could be denied at this meeting, but it will take everyone’s help to make it happen.  You can not afford to sit idle.  Get involved.  Everyone needs to do one or more of the following actions:

  *(Greatest Impact)  Attend the Dec. 18th Wetlands board meeting.  You don’t have to speak.  Just stand in opposition when acknowledged.  If you need a ride to the meeting, a 55 passenger bus is being provided on a first come first serve basis and will depart the Ocean Park Fire Station at 8:30am.  Please contact Liz Dyer edyer1@cox.net if you need a ride. 

  *(2nd Greatest Impact) Send an email to the City Planners Mr. Wayne Couch at wcouch@vbgov.com and Ms. Carolyn Smith at caksmith@vbgov.com .  Tell them why you don’t want this proposed development.  The email needs to be sent before 4:00pm on Friday Dec. 15th.  This way City Staff can make copies and deliver them to the Wetlands Board Committee Members. 

  *Visit http://www.noindigodunes.com and purchase some items or make a donation to help the fundraising efforts to stop this development.

  * I would also like to thank the thousands of residents that have taken the time to sign a hard copy or electronic version of the No Indigo Dunes petition.  If you haven’t done so, please visit http://www.noindigodunes.com and sign up today.

Sincerely,

Todd Solomon
President, Shore Drive Community Coalition

Thanks to Craig R. Corey for submitting his Letter to the Editor which was also recently published in the Beacon.

To the Editor:

Several weeks ago, a local firefighter and EMT was tragically killed on
Shore Drive.  An elderly driver cut in front of him while she was making
a left turn from Shore onto Jack Frost Road.  This accident occurred at
an unprotected intersection just outside of Gate 4 of the Little Creek
Amphibious Naval Base, and highlights several problems that the city and Navy have failed to address with respect to safety along Shore Drive.

[Submit your letter to the Editor]

Thanks to the City’s Waterfront Operations Department, in particular Dave Compton & also our Vice Mayor Jones for inspiring Bayvista to rebuild the partially destroyed primary sand dune on their property.

[Photo hosted by Flickr.com]

June Barrett-McDaniels has written to Planning in opposition to Bayvista’s proposal to close a City’s ‘paper street’ to make it private parking.

Do you think City property should be acquired for private parking?

Please read on to view her letter. We encourage you to write your own.