The Communications Subcommittee and the Fiscal and Economic Incentives Subcommittee of the Bayfront Advisory Committee will meet beginning at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 18, at the First Landing State Park Trail Center Conference Room.  The Trail Center Conference Room is located at the end of the park road leading south from the Shore Drive park entrance where parking is located to access the nature trails. Lise Chandler-White will be working with the Communications Committee on ideas to improve visibility for BAC on the city web site.

“If we continue as we have, Virginia will develop more land in the next 40 years than we have in the last 400 years,” the governor said in a speech.
If he did not take action in this way, Kaine added, “the opportunity to do it will not be there for future governors and future Virginians.”

Only 5,000 acres of 339,000 preserved are in Hampton Roads.
Read & comment on article at Pilotonline.com.

How about adding Pleasure House Point as public open space for future generations?
Here’s one idea how to do it.

It’s now available in a new data base at VBGov.com/TCDS.

The Traffic Count Database System (TCDS) integrates the city’s traffic count data into a single database and will serve as the repository and reporting system for traffic count information. Benefits of the TCDS include:

” Improved collection, querying, and reporting capabilities of traffic count information
” Ability to make more informed decisions for predicting growth trends, conducting economic and crash analysis, evaluating traffic impacts and future needs, maintaining traffic control, and more
” Ability for Public Works to provide traffic characteristics (ex. annual daily traffic volume, average peak hour volumes, etc.) to other agencies, departments, private companies, and citizens
” Ability to archive traffic data for statistical purposes

Did you know, as an example:

Count station: 104
Shore Dr.: Northampton Blvd. > Lesner Bridge
35,427/‘05 34,495/‘06 38,609/‘07 38,066/‘08 No count for ‘09

Source from VBGov.com/TCDS.

From Marty & Dave:

Printable version of letter below. [1 pg PDF]

Temporary Speed Limit Reduction Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2009 Cape Henry Shores Civic Association

Dear friends and neighbors,

By now, you have seen the message boards announcing the reduction in the speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph beginning August 3.  This speed limit change covers our residential stretch of road of less than one mile, from Great Neck Rd. to First Landing State Park.

The following safety concerns generated this road speed reduction:
  * Families (landside) trying to cross the street to access the beach with children, carts, umbrellas, dogs, etc.
  * Excessive vehicle speeds along residential Shore Drive
  * Restricted driver’s view pulling out of the neighborhood caused by parked vehicles (and trash containers on trash day)
  * School buses, filled with our children, dealing with the above issue.
  * Bicyclists using Shore Dr. (as per federal/state laws)
  * Safety of pedestrians forced to walk on Kendall St. because there are no sidewalks to offer protection from incoming vehicles.
  * Residents (bayside) crossing Shore Dr. to use state park and bike trails
  * Local residents and hotel guests (bayside of Shore Dr.) trying to cross the street for groceries, dinner, etc.

This ten mile per hour speed reduction was recommended to promote a safer environment in our neighborhoods.  Reducing the speed limit will:
  * Allow more time for families to cross safely to the bayside or landside.
  * Allow more time for cars to pull out onto Shore Dr.
  * Create greater “reaction time” for avoidance of a person or other car if there is a need for a sudden stop

It is important to know that this 35 mph speed limit is only for the trial period from August 3 through Labor Day.  Our mayor and city council want to hear from you regarding this speed limit change during the trial period. Your feedback, especially with your experiences, is extremely critical in order to make this speed limit change permanent.

Please take the time to email Mayor Sessoms and the City Council at:  or call the mayor’s office at 385-4581.

Marty Schuman, CHSCA President                   David Williams, Project Officer

Thank you for your active support!

Yeah!
From this post.

A Chocolate Lab was found today (Thurs) at the corner of Shore Drive and Maple St.  Please contact Lee Ann at 481-1959 to claim. 

Starting Monday the city will reduce the speed limit from 45 to 35 mph on Shore Drive between the traffic signals for First Landing State Park and North Great Neck Road.
 
The change comes after increased activism from groups such as the Shore Drive Community Coalition and local civic leagues, as well as July 11’s Share Shore Drive Day awareness bike ride.

To read the entire Beacon article. please click here A slower stretch of Shore Drive on Page TXBE1 of July 30, 2009 issue of Virginian Pilot

Read & comment at Pilotonline.com:

Today’s recommendation ends a long-running dispute over private versus public beach. Since 2001, Virginia Beach officials have been negotiating with bayfront property owners for recreational easements, which allow the public to use the beach for recreational purposes.

From his email, posted with Mr. Wood’s permission:

As most of you know, after a 3 day trial, on Friday the city prevailed in preserving the Cape Henry beaches for public use and for the placement of sand from the Lynnhaven Inlet dredging project.

We do anticipate that people dissatisfied with the ruling will come to the VMRC hearing tomorrow to try to block the project.

If you live in the area and want to preserve the beaches for the public’s use and for the placement of sand from the federal dredge project, please consider attending this meeting and making your voice heard.

VMRC Meeting:  7/28/09, 9:30AM

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
2600 Washington Avenue
Newport News, VA 23607-0756
(757) 247-2200

The Commission Meeting Room is on the 4th Floor

Feel free to forward this to others!

Thanks,

Jim

Jim Wood
Member, Virginia Beach City Council
Lynnhaven District

We sent it Monday July 27th ‘09 11:02am EST.

The 159th Seaport Operations Company is scheduled to depart Fort Story Tuesday for a 12-month deployment.

After their ceremony on Ft Story Tuesday, their buses are heading down Shore Drive around 9pm.

Thanks to Bill DeSteph & Rosemary WIlson, Dave Hansen & Barry Frankenfield, Robert Shanks and I’m sure other city staffers who I didn’t realize came out for Tour de Virginia Beach.
Info at ShareShoreDriveDay.net.

Kayakers of Virgina Beach paddle past the site where a suspected withc was ducked, as well as other places of interest.

To resd the entire Virginia-Pilot article please click on this link Lynnhaven Kayak Tour

THIS WEEK , Virginia Beach will ask a judge to grant permanent public easements across Cape Henry’s beaches so the city can replenish the sand between the Lesner Bridge and First Landing State Park.

Check out the Virginian-Pilot article regarding this issue at Cape Henry Sand Replenishment

From CapeStory.org:

The speed limit between N. Great Neck Rd and First Landing State Park will be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph starting Monday August 3rd on a trial basis.  Local residents and civic leagues have repeatedly requested the City over the past 5 years to reduce the speed on this stretch of road.  The reduced speed will help improve safety for the 800 residents of Cape Story by the Sea and Cape Henry Shores that cross Shore Drive on foot and by vehicle without the aid of signalized intersections or marked crosswalks.

Click here for the printable version of the agenda shown below: SDCC_Agenda_July_09.pdf

Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 27, 2009

SDCC General Meeting – Monday July 27, 2009 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall (parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

Program/Presentation –            STRATEGIC GROWTH AREA?
                  SPECIAL COMMUNITY AREA?

  What’s the difference?
  Do we want to be one?

When the City of Virginia Beach updates the Comprehensive Plan later this year, we don’t want the Bayfront to be left out.  Come hear how the system works, as explained by Comprehensive Planning Coordinator Tom Pauls, of the City’s Planning Department.

The general agenda for the evening will be:
Officer’s Reports – Brief Reports
Secretary – Todd
Treasurer’s Report – Leslie

Old Business
Please visit http://www.sdcc.info for status on issues of interest.  Reports to attendees will be limited to those items which have an update since the previous meeting.  Topics covered may include:

Indigo Dunes Project
Pound Pole Fishing Nets
Beach Replenishment
Bike Path Safety
Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2009
Lesner Bridge Replacement Project

New Business

Next Meeting:  August 31, 2009:  Hurricanes coming!  Will we be ready?

Please check http://www.sdcc.info for details as they become available.

Release Date:  Thursday, July 23, 2009 12:15 p.m.

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health has lifted a swimming and wading advisory that was issued for the Chesapeake Bay from Starfish Road to Wake Forest Street. Lab results showed bacteria levels in the water meet the State Water Quality Standards.

Signs have been removed that previously alerted the public of the advisory.

Click here to read the City’s news release Swimming Advisory Lifted

Pilotonline.com coverage including map & commenting.
[Added by Tim at 1:38pm]

Release Date:  Wednesday, July 22, 2009 9:15 a.m.

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health has issued a swimming and wading advisory for the Chesapeake Bay between Starfish Road and Wake Forest Street. Recent testing conducted by the Health Department showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards. The advisory does not affect the Virginia Beach oceanfront or resort area.

Cllick here to view the City’s news release Swimming Advisory for Cape Henry Beach

Read & comment on article at WVEC.com:

“It’s just a beautiful thing,” said David Williams.  “I took my wife out to dinner last night because I was so ecstatic.”
And:
But biker Mike Combs doesn’t think the speed limit change will make a difference.
“The problem is, we’ve had a lot of crashes but they weren’t going 45, they were going 80,” said Combs.  “If the speed limit was 35, they’d still be going 80.”

Read entire article at WAVY.com:

The city’s traffic engineer Robert Gey explained, “If you’re on a bike and cars are doing 30 miles an hour versus 45 or 50, you’re going to feel a difference. Or if you’re a pedestrian and cars are coming at you at 35 miles an hour versus 45 or 50 [miles an hour], you’re going to feel a lot more comfortable in that environment.”