Shore Drive Corridor Improvements Phase III & Shore Drive Pedestrian Improvements

Thanks to Bill for his presentation at OPCL last week!

PW Spreadsheet update & presentation entitled “How Can We Protect Tree Canopy Through Stormwater Management” at BAC meeting Thursday. Join us!

Click on file below to view all the slides for How Can We Protect Tree Canopy Through Stormwater Management

Previously on this website about Thursday’s BAC Meeting.

Thursday May 15 ‘25 330pm BAC meeting at OPVRS. Join us!

Ocean Park Fire and Rescue Squad(OPVRS) Building
3769 E. Stratford Road. Enter door opposite Shore Drive.

The mission of the Bayfront Advisory Commission(BAC) is to review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding public and private projects and issues associated with the Bayfront area.

“Restoration” in progress at PHP.

Bayfront Business Collective Inaugural Meeting info. Join us!

Dominion Energy Burton Substation to Bains Store Substation upgrade construction info

An enormous amount of information starts here.

Project Overview
At Dominion Energy, we continually review our infrastructure to provide the reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy that powers our customers every day. We are rebuilding approximately 13 miles of 115 kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line between the Burton Substation and Virginia Beach Substation. This project will ensure the continued safety and reliability of the electric grid.

Stormwater Management Implementation Advisory Group first meeting Friday. Join us!

Start here at City’s website to learn more about the group, who’s on it & its mission.

The duties of the Stormwater Management Implementation Advisory Group shall be to:

  • Further review the topic of stormwater management and its impact and consequences on land use and redevelopment issues.
  • Identify whether there are any opportunities, advantages, or disadvantages to strengthening regulation alignment and specificity based on the City’s varied drainage basins, and a property’s land use and zoning characteristics.
  • Formalize a cost-sharing program relative to stormwater infrastructure and policy to include developing criteria for cost-sharing eligibility.
  • Determine whether there are any opportunities to …

Construction coming to 3933 & 3941 Shore Drive.

VB Property records for 3941 & 3933 Shore Drive.

News about this previously on this website. Addresses changed due to subdividing parcel.

Update on construction coming to “Pleasure House Point”

Did you know not all of Pleasure House Point(PHP) is preserved? Start here to view, sign & share petition that asks PLEASE PRESERVE 100% OF PLEASURE HOUSE POINT NATURAL AREA in VIRGINIA BEACH VA. [opens in new window]

It’s too late to preserve this corner. Clear cutting this parcel starts June ‘25.
Up next. Construction of this. Potential to preserve unknown. Sign & share petition link to hopefully preserve this area!

Bayfront Advisory Commission Meeting – Thursday April 17th at 3:30pm in Ocean Park Fire and Rescue Squad Building

Enter door opposite of Shore Drive.

1 photo of more complete blocking of sidewalks. Seems doubtful this will ever be taken seriously. Strange, especially considering ADA compliance issues.

STATE OF THE BIRDS REPORT – an email

Please add this email, the following data & reports to the record for the proposed Pleasure House Point Wetlands Mitigation Bank in Virginia Beach. 

“The release of the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was announced today at the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.”

“The downward trends in the 2025 State of the Birds report are screaming for all sectors to act with resolve to invest in recovering this important American resource.”

Link: https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2025/news-room/

Link to STATE OF THE BIRDS REPORT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2025/download-pdf-report/

Note these 4 graphics & their data: 

“NEXUS TO COMMERCE” 

“FUNCTION & VALUES” 

“SHIFTING BASELINE SYNDROME” 

“REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE” 

“UNQUANTIFIABLE RISK” 

PLEASE – ensure this proposed project is based on the most current & accurate data, uses at minimum industry best practices preferably above industry minimums – (does 3 partial samples of the material outside of proposed work area meet the industry standard “95% confidence level”?) and the most accurate science for this novel experiment proposed in a vital bird habitat. 

“What will the children learn?” 

Sincerely yours,

Tim Solanic

Princess Anne High School students are teaming up with the Ocean Park Rescue Squad to create a vibrant community art mural.

Learn more about the Ocean Park Vol. Rescue Squad Mural Project!

Our mission is to create a mural that promotes the identity of the Ocean Park area and attracts tourists as they travel down Shore Drive. First, you will see the LOVE sign followed by our postcard-inspired mural, then crossing the Lesner Bridge you spot a kayak structure, followed by the Cape Henry Lighthouses located at the edge of our neighborhood. This piece of public art will commemorate the dedicated work of the Rescue Squad as well as capture iconic and historical components of Virginia Beach.

Rendering. 🤩

START HERE TO DONATE NOW

PHPWMB public hearing Virginia Marine Resources Commission at their public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2025

View info here.

SUBJECT: City of Virginia Beach Public Works
VMRC #2024-2851
The application for permit, referenced above, will be heard by the Marine Resources Commission at their public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2025, beginning at 9:30
a.m., at 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96, Fort Monroe, Virginia.

CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH, #24-2851 requests authorization to mechanically dredge a 20-foot wide by 63-foot long subtidal area to a maximum depth of minus two (-2) feet mean low water within Pleasure House Creek to create a shallow water channel necessary to provide the hydrological connection to the proposed municipal Pleasure House Point Mitigation Bank in Virginia Beach. This project is protested by nearby property owners.

PHP Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment(ESA) and Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment

We apologize for the delay sharing these. We were offered them weeks ago and finally received them, from a FOIA request we chose to make, this afternoon.

They are also available on paper in Brock Environmental Center 3663 Marlin Bay Drive.

Join us to transplant saplings from PHP!

PHP Tree Sapling Relocation Team PHP Tree Sapling Relocation Project view sign up options here!

These trees will then be managed and transplanted by The Friends of Live Oaks & Lynnhaven River NOW.

Amazing data developed by students at Environmental Studies Program (ESP).

Link to ESP tree data work.

Quick Route 35 ridership update

“As you can see, increased frequency allowed ridership to jump 177% from last year, and the only change was switching headways from 1 hour, back to 30 minutes. This past year, ridership exceeded pre-covid numbers which is rare for fixed route transit, so that’s exciting! Especially given the heavy emphasis on ridership in the State’s transit funding formula.” ~ Hank

Previous year with 1 hour headway had wrecked ridership & temporarily derailed growing R35. Hopefully with consistent marketing this year ridership will really explode. 

Oppose Nationwide Permit 27 Pleasure House Point Mitigation Bank Instrument unless P1 & P2 ESA are completed.

To concerned Regulators,

We believe the “purpose & need” of this fast moving project could be violating the spirit of “avoid, minimize, mitigate” in general. Therefore, we humbly request a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment are completed before approving the Nationwide 27 Permit.

Several reasons why below:

  1. Myth #1: The City doesn’t need to do this Pleasure House Point project at all; there is another wetlands project available instead called the New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank.
    Fact: Yes, another possible opportunity to buy tidal wetland mitigation credits came online last week called the New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank.
    Source: https://virginiabeach.gov/connect/blog/the-real-deal-debunking-13-myths-about-the-pleasure-house-point-wetlands-restoration-project 2.
  2. “Please provide the list of projects that have required the city to buy wetland mitigation credits since the bond referendum passed November 2, 2021 and how many wetland mitigation credits are required now for future projects.” From 11/21/2021 to To 12/23/2024.
    Your request was forwarded to Public Works. I have been advised that they do not have a list in response to your request.
    Source: FOIA Request response January 13 2025
  3. Petition asking to purchase credits & refine plan. Over 2,700 people have signed petition since only December 20, 2024.
    Source: https://www.change.org/p/please-purchase-the-newly-available-tidal-wetlands-credits-refine-phpwmb-plans
  4. Three(3) samples of material was presented at City Council public hearing which was acknowledged by the Public Works Director – a piece of pavement, concrete with gravel & an unknown petrochemical material all presumably dumped on the spoils site – Pleasure House Point in the area Wetlands Mitigation Bank is proposed – in the 1970s. Was material being tested before dumped? After it was dumped?
    Video of City Council public hearing January 7th 2025 is provided here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D_T1v0rI3A

As you know, the Brock Environmental Center and Macon & Joan Brock Classroom campus is literally feet away from this project. Pre-schoolers thru senior citizens routinely spend time there. Meetings with visitors from national & international governments & NGOs also are held routinely. However, this project rolls out. It’ll certainly garner national news. Over 140,000 people have visited the campus since it opened.

In property acquisitions, it is customary for due diligence investigation(s) to be completed before a fee simple property transfer is finalized. It seems reasonable that such an investigation would have reported the obvious; materials of generally unknown origin were dumped on the PHP property as far back as the 1970’s.

These findings would have been followed up with Phase II soil and/or groundwater sampling and testing to screen for regulated substances (hazardous and petroleum constituents). If the investigations were completed, they should be made available to evaluate the potential effects on the proposed PHPWMB project.

Of principal concern is the transport of these dredge materials to the City’s Oceana disposal site, especially if they remain untested. Once removed from PHP, the material becomes a waste, and is subject to VDEQ regulations for transport and disposal. Secondly, possible exposures to regulated substances may result when construction workers are exposed to any contaminated soil, dust, and groundwater. Especially with workers involved in the planting process where hand work is proposed, and the incidence of physical contact with regulated materials may result.

Additionally, considerations for the sampling, testing and handling of regulated materials should be included in the project plans and specifications for the PHPWMB project. This information should be made available for public review and comment.

Therefore, we humbly request a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment are completed before approving the Nationwide 27 Permit.

What will be the “reasonably foreseeable effect” if the environmental site assessments haven’t successfully been completed for a spoils site used in the 1970s?

Sincerely yours,
Tim Solanic

January 16 330pm BAC meeting at OPVRS. Join us!

Thursday, January 16, 2025 3:30 P.M.
Ocean Park Fire and Rescue Squad Building
3769 E. Stratford Road. Enter door opposite Shore Drive.


The mission of the Bayfront Advisory Commission is to review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding public and private projects and issues associated with the Bayfront area.

Pleasure House Creek.

City Council public hearing on proposed Pleasure House Point Wetlands Mitigation Bank CIP transfer of funds including vote.

“[T]he City Manager is to bring forward publicly a plan to mitigate tree loss for those trees that are at least four inches in diameter.”

ITEM:
CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH AGENDA ITEM
An Ordinance to Transfer Funds Within the Capital Improvement Program for the Pleasure House Point Mitigation Bank, to Provide Limitations upon the Use of
Mitigation Credits Created by the Pleasure House Point Mitigation Project, and to Provide for Efforts to Reduce Tree Loss
MEETING DATE: January 7, 2025
Background: Capital Project 100304, ” Pleasure House Point Mitigation Bank”

City Council January 7 ‘25 meeting info.

One example of “the coolest thing I’ve ever seen”.