The City Is Hosting a Series of Sea Level Rise Public Meetings at VBGov.com.
Virginia Beach Public Works has announced a series of public meetings with Old Dominion University in May and June concerning the City’s efforts in developing a comprehensive flooding response plan for sea level rise. Working with Dewberry, Public Works Engineering has been conducting studies and developing long-term plans to combat the growing risks and projected effects of sea level rise throughout the city.
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 5.20.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
***Monday May 20, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm***
Meeting is a week early due to Memorial Day
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation – Attempting to confirm a presentation on Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) – This program is an urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives (usually 75%) and technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible Best Management Practices (BMP’s) in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – Contractor will begin equipment set up last week of May and begin placing sand on beach the middle of June. Additional details and concerns will be discussed.
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – Still waiting for an update from Councilman Wood and Deputy City Manager Cover on request to have City’s Entertainment Contractor take over the planning and execution of this event.
Shore Drive Improvements in Ocean Park – Contractor will begin work the week after Memorial Day
Cape Henry Ditch Volunteer Clean Out Corps Proposal – Representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation presented a plan to Cape Story by the Sea Civic Association that would create a volunteer workforce to help clean out and maintain a section of the ditch behind Food Lion. It was suggested that CBF meet with City Staff to pursue a plan that would get City support and approval.
New Business –
Dewberry Report Sea Level Rise and Stormwater – Community forums planned for public input into Dewberry’s Draft document. Unfortunately there are no meetings planned north of Virginia Beach Blvd. SDCC has asked to have an additional meeting added to list for Bayfront residents, but nothing has been done to date. Meetings are from 6 to 8 pm at the following locations. The Princess Anne HS meeting is designated for our Lynnhaven watershed.
• May 29 at the Virginia Aquarium
• May 30 at Kempsville High School
• June 3 at Kellam High School
• June 5 at Princess Anne High School
• June 6 at Creeds Elementary School
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Service will start Monday May 20th and run through Labor Day weekend. An additional stop has been added to the Fort Story gate where riders can catch another shuttle service to visit the Lighthouses. Tickets to ride HRT Route 35 can be purchased at both Food Lions on Shore Drive. Adult fares can also be bought using the new GoHRT mobile ticket app.
Upcoming Chances for Civic Engagement
Tuesday June 11th – Primary Election – 6am to 7pm at your normal polling locations.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday June 24, 2019***
View article including some of the proposed plans at Pilotonline.com:
“This is probably the biggest threat that faces our city. We really need to take this seriously,” City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson said at a meeting Tuesday night. “These are huge, huge numbers. It’s very frightening.”
The city is still months away from deciding how to move forward.
No doubt you are aware the probability of your taxes going up to pay to mitigate for sea level rise is roughly 100%.
“Dewberry” Search results at SDCC.info.
Comprehensive Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding Response Plan at VBGov.com.
June 5, 2019 – Princess Anne High School (Lynnhaven)
We are working with the City to have a Public Hearing located in the Bayfront area.
The same information will be available at each of the 5 public meetings. The presentation at the beginning (approx. 10 minutes) will be focused on the watershed (Atlantic, Lynnhaven, Elizabeth and Southern) will be tailored to the location. The revised dates and locations for the meetings are as follows:
May 29, 2019 – Virginia Aquarium (Atlantic Ocean)
May 30, 2019 – Kempsville High School (Elizabeth River)
June 3, 2019 – Kellam High School (Southern)
June 5, 2019 – Princess Anne High School (Lynnhaven)
June 6, 2019 – Creeds Elementary School (Southern)
View May 2019 Baylines Newsletter
Route 35 shuttle resumes; Light reopens
Ballyhoos makes permit presentation
Bike trail at State Park studied
and more . . .
HOW GREAT WOULD THAT BE !?
The FY 2019-20 budget increases the funds designated for these areas in the six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) by 41%.
City Budget Public Hearings Scheduled
The City Council will hold two public hearings in April. Citizens can register to speak prior to the start of the public hearing. Speakers are limited to three minutes.
• April 24 – 6:30 p.m. – Old Donation School, 4633 Honeygrove Road (note, original (March 26) release incorrectly had start time as 6 p.m.)
• April 30 – 6 p.m. – City Council Chamber, 2401 Courthouse Drive
Comment by email
To send a comment to the entire City Council, contact citycouncil@vbgov.com
To send a comment to an individual City Council member, find email addresses here.
Got a question? Send it to budget@vbgov.com.
Review the budget
To review the complete budget, visit www.VBgov.com/budget.
• Open Budget – An online app that lets citizens review, compare, download, visualize and analyze data at the line-item level. http://www.VBgov.com/budget
• Full text of the budget – In three documents: executive summary, operating budget and six-year capital plan.
News includes losing funding for Riverwalk walkway, Phase 3 update, Phase 4 being unfunded, Baylake Pines getting speed tables, fireworks and more.
That’s additional $180 / year.
About 23 percent of the proposed budget would go toward funding stormwater. To compare, in 2017 — the year Hurricane Matthew hit — the city had set aside just 9 percent.
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 3.25.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday March 25, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation –
Virginia Beach Comprehensive Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding Planning Study
Charles J. Bodnar and Sue E. Kriebel of the city’s Stormwater Engineering Center will discuss the results of the $3 million City funded study being worked by Dewberry consultants. The study shows seven major areas of the City that could have heavy financial impact from future SLR and flooding. Suggested solutions include storm surge walls along the beach from Fort Story to Little Creek with gates at the Lesner Bridge. This along with others projects could cost the upwards of $2 billion. Mr. Bodnar and Ms. Kriebel will also discuss next steps for this study which will include public input and conversations regarding funding and project ranking.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – The bid has been awarded to dredge the Lynnhaven Inlet and to use the sand to replenish the Cape Henry Beach. Updates on the project start and finish dates will be provided as they are shared.
Community Rating System (CRS) – Official release of Virginia Beach status and initial ranking will be provided in April. Estimates show we should be in the 10% to 20% cost savings to a property’s annual flood insurance premium.
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – Cape Story by the Sea Civic Association officers and the Bayfront Advisory Commission Chairman met with Councilman Jones, Deputy City Manager Cover and City Entertainment contractor IMG to request that the 35 year old annual event become a City managed and operated show. State Fire Marshal regulations, lack of pyrotechnic company support and insufficient funding have become too restrictive for the event to continue to be held at the State Park and coordinated by residents.
New Business –
Windsong Apartments Redevelopment – The 14+ acre site located between Pleasure House Road and North Hampton Blvd. currently contains 272 units and are approximately 40 year old. The developer, Bonaventure, is requesting a rezoning to allow the number of units to increase by 160 to a total of 432. Along with the new units, the developer plans to renovate the old units that it will keep. A presentation of this project by the developer has been scheduled for our April 29th SDCC meeting.
Dog Leash Law for Beaches – The City’s Animal Control Department is asking for a change to the City’s Dog Leash Law that will require all dogs to be on a leash when on any City’s public beach. On Bayfront beaches, dogs would need to be leashed at all times during the off-season (Labor Day to Memorial Day) and between 6pm and 10am during the season (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Dogs are prohibited to be on the beach at all from 10am to 6pm during the season. A public hearing will be held on Wed April 10th at 630pm at the City’s Law Enforcement Training Facility.
Meeting of Three Commanders – A Virginia Historical Highway Marker commemorating the Sept. 18, 1781 meeting of Washington, Rochambeau and De Gasse was placed in the Lynnhaven Colony Park along Shore Drive and dedicated this past Wed. March 6th.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday April 25, 2019.***
Special Presentation – Windsong Development Plans by Bonaventure
View Baylines March ’19 Edition.
A proposal to redevelop the Windsong Apartment complex off Pleasure House Road would increase the number of units by nearly 60 percent, but update the 40+-year-old complex with new amenities, developers told the Bayfront Advisory Commission.
The proposal, on a 14.85-acre site between Pleasure House and Northampton Boulevard north of Shore Drive, is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission in April for a series of proposed rezonings that would increase the complex from 272 units to 432*. Of those, 216 would involve renovated apartments and 216 new units.
Emphasis ours.
*Note: Zoning request increase could create potential for more than 432 units total.
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click here for a printable version of the agenda – 2.25.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday February 25, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation –
Shore Drive Corridor Improvement Phase 3 (CIP 2-117) – Lesner Bridge to Great Neck Rd.
Come out and see the final designs, learn when construction will start and how long the project will last. Mr. Bill Purcell, City Project Manager, will provide an update on the next big construction project for Shore Drive and will hold a question and answer session after the presentation. This project begins at Vista Circle, near the eastern end of the Lesner Bridge, and extends eastward through the Great Neck Road intersection and terminates at Croix Drive. This project will improve vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow and safety in the roadway and intersections; improve storm drainage; include a multi-use trail, 5-ft sidewalk and on-street bike lanes; and enhance the corridor with aesthetic elements such as landscaping and lighting. For more information – http://cipstatus.vbgov.com/ProjectDetail.aspx?id=1833
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Dewberry Study on Sea Level Rise & ASERT Meetings – Ms. Sue E. Kriebel, PE, Stormwater Engineering Center Department of Public Works, has agreed to attend our March meeting and present an update on the study, details on recommendations for our Bayfront area and next steps that include public engagement.
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – Has the contract for the Cape Henry Beach replenishment been awarded and what is the start time.
Community Rating System (CRS) – Update on when we will know our rating and when it will take effect.
New Business –
Shore Drive 35 MPH Speed Limit 10th Anniversary – Update on request for fatality numbers over the past 10 years. Discuss on planning an anniversary event for Summer 2019. The speed limit was reduced as part of a trial study period in 2009 then followed by permanent implementation.
Development Updates – Delta by Marriott at old Resort Hotel location and new apartment development at old Marina Shores Marina site.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday March 25, 2019.***
Special Presentation on Dewberry Sea Level Rise Study
Unfortunately we weren’t given a lot of notice on this one and the survey has been broken for the past 2 days, but you still have some time to take it. It should only take 5-10 minutes and gives us Bayfront residents a chance to rank how you feel about sea level rise and storm water/storm surge flooding issues.
Charles J. Bodnar and Sue E. Kriebel from Virginia Beach Public Works Department’s Stormwater Engineering Center, are scheduled to brief the Bayfront Advisory Commission on the Dewberry Sea Level Rise study at its February meeting.
We are also working on an event that includes Dewberry & VB Staff to discuss their work on sea level rise, storm water & nuisance flooding.
Join us!
View Baylines February 2019 Edition.
It includes:
Strategic Plan briefing to be held
The Bayfront Advisory Commission recommended that its officers meet city officials to forward and discuss the 2019 Strategic Plan. The plan lists highest priority project items
• Funding Phase IV of Shore Drive improvements from the Lesner Bridge west to Shady Oaks Road
• Water issues (stormwater drainage, Dewberry sea-level rise study, city marina development, city wharf/Osprey
Park, pedestrian walkway under bridge from Vita Circle to Page Avenue.
• Sand replenishment (Cape Henry, Ocean Park, Crab Creek)
• Infill development (Future nature, look of the Bayfront; work with Planning on Comprehensive Plan revisions)
• Landscape design of Route 13 and Shore Drive interchange.
The plan also addresses high-priority communications items, monitoring ongoing concerns and liaisons, partnerships and city staff support.
The full plan will be posted after city officials receive it. It was developed after citizen meetings, a BAC brain-storming retreat and committee consideration of the items. Ordinarily, the annual plan would have been forwarded to the council and city manager’s office in late summer/early fall. But with an unprecedented number of City Council seats up for election in November, the BAC agreed to wait until the new council was seated to bring the plan forward.
Click here to for a printable version of the agenda – 1.28.19 sdcc agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday January 28, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation – No Presentation Planned
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Dewberry Study on Sea Level Rise & ASERT Meetings – Dewberry presented a draft plan to City Council on Jan. 15th. The plan has been posted on SDCC.info. The plan identifies alternatives that have an average cost of $3.0 Billion. One of the key components is added flood walls to the Bayfront Beaches and to add flood gates to the Lynnhaven Inlet. SDCC has asked that public engagement be a critical component as this process moves forward. According to the City, the ASERT program – Action-oriented Stakeholder Engagement for a Resilient Tomorrow, will be used but how and when hasn’t been identified.
Short Term Rentals (STRs) – On Jan 15th, City Council approved the Planning Commission’s recommendations for changes to the City Code regarding STRs. Council did remove the requirement for a log and set the Grandfathering date back to July 2018. More details of the code changes can be found at SDCC.info.
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – On Jan. 22nd, City Council was briefed on Bayfront Beach Replenishment plans. We will discuss the upcoming work schedule and identify which beaches will get sand and when. Cape Henry Beach is next on the list.
Community Rating System (CRS) – Big news is coming soon. This is the Federal Govt. plan that allows localities to apply for the system which results in a reduction in resident’s flood insurance premiums. SDCC asked City staff several years ago to join this program since we were one of the only cities in Hampton Roads not participating. According to City Manager Hansen, we will be pleasantly surprised at the level we achieved.
New Business –
Tree Canopy Bill – HB2333 – Replacement of trees during development process; exceeding requirements to meet certain water goals. Authorizes a locality to adopt an ordinance exceeding the minimum tree canopy requirements for tree preservation, planting, or replacement during the development process in order to assist in achieving certain specific water quality or water quantity goals identified in the ordinance.
Shore Drive Community Coalition Future – What should be our future model for SDCC? Will new leaders step forward to help continue as is? Is cutting back to every other month or quarterly meetings a possibility? Would a website presence with emergency meetings model work? We will discuss this issue to help us move forward.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday February 25, 2019.***
Per email from BAC Chairman, “After many weeks of refinement and awaiting final results of Council election, we presented our 2019-2020 plan to Councilmen Jones and Wood, City manager and his deputy and Director of Public Works.” The entire document can be found by clicking the following link. 2019-2020 bac plan
A highlight of the BAC high priority project items has been copied below.
On January 15th, Dewberry consultants presented a draft strategies plan to City Council identifying various projects to help prepare Virginia Beach for a Sea Level Rise (SLR) of 3 feet. The draft plan was created with input from City Staff, a SLR Working Group and consultants. One of the key recommendations in the plan is to build flood walls all along the Bayfront Beaches and flood gates at the Lynnhaven Inlet.
The following timeline identifies stakeholder outreach and input sometime in 2019. It is SDCC’s hope that a meaningful community dialogue can be held that will allow residents a chance to discuss implementation priorities and potential funding methods for the large price tag of $3.0 Billion.
To read Dewberry’s slide show presentation to City Council, click here https://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/public-works/comp-sea-level-rise/Documents/slr-rf-plan-study-policy-strat-council-brief-1-15-19.pdf
View Baylines January 2019 Edition.
News includes:
Bayfront Advisory Commission volunteers needed
Citizens and businesses interest in volunteering on BAC committees, tasks forces and special subcommittees should communicate their interest to Scott Ayers, BAC vice chairman, via the commission’s email address, bayfrontadvisorycommissionvb@gmail.com. Please indicate any special skills that you would bring to the commission’s efforts as well as your contact information
And much more!
#WeLoveShoreDrive 