Read and comment on article at Pilotonline.com:

On the other hand, if Wells Fargo held out for more money and sold to another developer, environmental permits would be needed before construction could begin and homebuyers would have to return to the market.

The following email update was sent by the President of Cape Story by the Sea.

Paving Project on Shore Drive (southern portion between Beech and Kendall Streets) in Progress —check link below and BE CAREFUL out there
Click here for more information http://capestory.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/shoulder-paving-to-begin-from-beech-to-kendall-on-south-side-of-shore-drive-monday-july-19th/

Also Cape Henry Beach raking and cleaning scheduled for 4:30 AM this Wednesday.  Per City’s Beach and Coastal Engingeer, the area between Beech and Kendall Streets will be groomed to help remove dirt clumps and unwanted plant growth.
Click here for more information http://capestory.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/city-working-to-clean-up-appearance-of-cape-story-beach/

Empsy Munden,
Pres Cape Story by the Sea
emunden@aol.com  869-5785

From The Bay Daily:

The property, known as Pleasure House Point, has been the focus of extensive community debate, with local groups such as Shore Drive Community Coalition, Lynnhaven River NOW, and CBF vigorously opposed to development proposed for the parcel.

Thank you.

Cycling info at ShareShoreDriveDay.net.

Come out and join the Circle in The Bridge from CHKD at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility at 10am to walk.

The incredible news you heard today:

“Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr.  announced today that the 122-acre property known as Pleasure House Point may be acquired and protected under terms of a deal between Wells Fargo bank and The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national environmental group.  The property has been a top city open-space priority for a decade. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Trust for Public Land plan to partner with the city to pull together funding to meet the $13 million purchase price.

Pleasure House Point, located just west of the Lesner Bridge and south of the Chesapeake Bay, is at the confluence of Pleasure House Creek and Crab Creek, overlooking the Lynnhaven River. The property’s owner, L.M. Sandler & Sons, had planned to build a large waterfront development there known as Indigo Dunes.”

… is at the very least exciting for Hampton Roads residents and future generations.

Over the next days, and weeks you will undoubtedly hear more details about the possibilities of what Pleasure House Point will be.

From housing a wildlife refuge & rehab center to being part of the Lynnhaven River Blueway and being a leader in educational programs for disabled children & adults. Pleasure House Point will be home to an inspiring facility that will not only protect a jewel of Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads – but can just as assuredly, incubate big thinking on so many levels we have not had a chance to comprehend. Yet.

If it were not for countless hard working, selfless volunteers who dedicated an incomprehensible amount of time, energy, and effort to save Pleasure House Point from development and to raise the level of awareness to the property’s value for preservation, open space, and environmental education, we would not be having this conversation right now.

Without you, dear volunteer we would not be at this place in time.

Without you, dear volunteer, this opportunity to tell your grand children you were there when… would not be possible.

We hope a thank you is enough. But we know it’s not.

We know protecting 100% of Pleasure House Point is merely a starting point for something bold and grand that you will be proud of.

And in case you haven’t heard it enough, for the work you’ve put in to accomplish this feat – thank you. Thank you dear volunteer. You do and will continue to make a difference.

City Announces Partnership to Acquire Pleasure House Point
Plans include environmental education center and preservation of open space

City News Release Date:  Tuesday, July 13, 2010 6:30 p.m.
 

…“Thanks to The Trust for Public Land, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the citizens of Virginia Beach, we have a plan to save the vast majority of Pleasure House Point from development,” Mayor Sessoms said. “The strength of this partnership gives us the best chance yet to preserve this unique property. Our persistence is paying off!”…
 

To read the entire news release, click on this link Partnership to Acquire Pleasure House Point

You can also check for additional updates on this topic at the Pilotonline’s article Virginia Beach to buy, preserve Shore Drive property

Here’s the Public Works Capital Projects Detail Sheet Official link to 2.118.000: Shore Drive Corridor Improvements – Phase IV.

Current Estimates
Start: 06/24/2010 End: 09/16/2015 Cost: 12,758,721

More Tips:
You can look up any CIP project by the following steps:
http://www.vbgov.com
Select “Online Services” (on the left side)
Select “View a Capital Project Status”
Select “CIP Project Status”
This takes you to the CIP Search Page (http://198.252.244.2/cipstatus/Search.aspx)
You can search by full name, partial name (ex. Shore) or CIP#

Thanks to David Jarman for the info.

In case you’re keeping track, here’s the numbers you want to follow improvements for Shore Drive:

CIP Project Updates:

·      Shore Drive Interim Safety Improvements (2-731):  Slideshow attached summarizing work completed to date

·      Shore Drive Demonstration Project (2-115):  Completed 2008

·      Shore Drive Phase II (2-116):  Currently at 30% design, project is on hold due to funding

·      Shore Drive Phase III (2-117):  Currently at 30% design, project is on hold due to funding

·      Shore Drive Phase IV (2-118):  Currently at 30% design, project was funded for construction in 2012, however this may be delayed to 2016. This is Ocean Park area. Marlin Bay > Lesner Bridge.

·      Lesner Bridge Replacement Project (2-168):  Approaching 90% design, no funding for construction or utility relocations

From Grace:

Good morning.

If anyone is interested in the follow-up on the proposed hookah bar at the old Foon’s location, Channel 13 did a story on it.  The link is in the forwarded email below.  Also, since I had no idea what a hookah bar is when I first heard of it, I went to my favorite 21st century reference resource.  Here is the link that explains the concept.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah_lounge

I guess before we rush to judgment about the proposed business, we ought to consider a couple of things.

Number one, we know that it is not doing anyone any good to have an idle property sitting there not creating jobs, not generating revenue, not paying much in the way of taxes.  For years this place was a successful restaurant and satisfactory neighbor.

Number two, once a variance is received for the parking, and presumably a Conditional Use Permit issued, residents have no control of what use the property enjoys.  The CUP may set the parameters of operation, but in my observation, there is little to no enforcement once the business opens, and even less, once the property has conveyed a time or two.

The BZA hearing is just about the parking space allocation, but if that hurdle is passed, I predict you will see a hookah bar at that location.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  Maybe we should mount an expeditionary force to the already-operating Nimbus.

Happy 4th.
Regards,
Grace Moran
President, SDCC

Comment from the Editor:

How much work has the proposed owners done to ensure a safe Shore Drive?

Examples: Are they lobbying for sidewalks/multi-use paths near them to
encourage people to walk instead of drive.
They are asking for less parking after all.

Are they lobbying for dedicated bike lanes to encourage people to ride?

Do they have a plan to take people home who shouldn’t drive or even to
pick people up?

Are they working on a “local shuttle” for people to take?  There are
plenty examples of that including in Richmond where local
establishments share “buses” for the specific purpose of getting
people out of their cars to travel safely and not worry about
how/where to park.

If they want to be part of the Shore Drive community safely – this is
their opportunity to set the standard on the way in.

And as always – if anything should be posted at SDCC.info email me
exactly what you want there – including the owners of the proposed
Hookah Lounge.

Tim

View story at WVEC.com.
A proposed Hookah bar isn’t the problem, it’s the location.

Have you written a letter to City Council asking them to resurrect the SDSTF? 

Posted unedited with permission:

Dear Vice Mayor Jones and Council Wood,

My name is Steve Zeligman and I am a Virginia Beach resident. I am also president of the Tidewater Bicycle Association (TBA), a 650 member bicycle club. Many of TBA’s members also reside in Virginia Beach.

I am writing because TBA would like to express it continued concern regarding safety for bicyclists and pedestrians along the Shore Drive corridor. In December 2005, the Virginia Beach City Council established the Shore Drive Safety Task Force (SDSTF), which benefited from Councilman Wood’s participation, as well as the involvement of other current Council members. The SDSTF was established to specifically advise City Council with respect to safety issues along Shore Drive and to recommend short, mid and long term safety improvements. TBA would like to join Grace Moran and the Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) in requesting the City of Virginia Beach consider reinstituting the SDSTF to recommend solutions to current safety issues plaguing the Shore Drive corridor.

It has been publicly argued on the Virginia Pilot website that Shore Drive is a major corridor that should be reserved solely for motorized traffic. This can be disputed by the fact that Shore Drive transverses through several residential and beach front communities, and the number of people who have been injured and killed while trying to enjoy the neighborhoods they call home. It is TBA’s position the new 35 mph speed limit should become permanent and additional safety improvements, as recommended by a reinstituted SDSTF, be seriously considered as well.

As Virginia Beach grows, traffic congestion will continue to increase unless alternative methods of transportation, such as bicycling, are encouraged by providing on-road bicycling facilities to do so safely. For example, if Shore Drive were upgraded with appropriate on-road bicycling facilities, numerous cars would be taken off the road and out of congested parking areas at Little Creek NAB, Ft Story and the Oceanfront because it would become safer for local residents to become bicycle commuters.

Additionally, new shops and eateries and eateries could become a great magnet to bring hundreds, possibly thousands, of bicyclists to the Shore Drive Corridor if adequate on-road bicycling facilities existed to make the trip a safe one. This would enable Virginia Beach to compete with our neighboring cities, such as Norfolk and Portsmouth, which are already incorporating on-road bicycling facilities into their city rejuvenation projects. Businesses in these cities are already enjoying increased revenue from bicyclists and young professionals relocating to these cities because they use bicycles as their primary form of transportation. It is even possible that Virginia Beach could eventually host a major bicycling event similar to the first annual Coast Guard City Century, hosted by City of Portsmouth this coming August – yet another potential new source of tourist revenue. Of course this would require coordinated planning efforts and interconnections with other projects, such as a Laskin Road Gateway if it were upgraded to become bicycle friendly.

The five foot sidewalks, that Virginia Beach tends to favor for bicycles, are not a viable solution to increase revenue or encourage the additional bicycle traffic and events that would bring new tourist dollars into our city. Wide sidewalks are great for a family ride around the block, but they will never decrease automobile traffic or encourage alternate forms of transportation. They are also part of the obsolete concept that travel along Shore Drive MUST occur in an automobile. Other local cities have already begun to rejuvenate by changing this paradigm and encouraging bicycling as an alternative form of transportation that removes cars from their roads and congested parking areas. It is time for Virginia Beach to enter the 21st Century and do what we can to take cars off our congested roads.

TBA realizes that creating on-road bicycle facilities is expensive, yet roads such as Shore Drive can be made more bicycle friendly for minimal expense. Bruce Drees, TBA’s Legislation and Advocacy Committee Chairman, advocates that Virginia Beach should include painted shared use arrows, or “Sharrows”, in MUTCD terminology, on key roads that are already used by cyclists, such as Shore Drive.  His supporting reasons are that planned roads of insufficient width for cars and bikes to safely share a lane. Bicyclists are already legal users of existing roads. They will also be present as legal users of the rejuvenated roads. MUTCD “Sharrow” markings do a much better job of alerting motorists to the presence and legitimate use of a road by cyclists compared to traditional signage. Additionally, a reinstituted SDSTF could be charged with the responsibility of making recommendations that will make our roads safer for all users.

Sincerely,

Steve Zeligman, TBA President

Have you written a letter to City Council asking them to resurrect the SDSTF? 

Posted unedited with permission:

Dear City Council Members:

I am writing to thank you for lowering the speed limit on Shore Drive in the wake of several pedestrian fatalities over the past year.  I believe this is a very important step in our continued effort to make Shore Drive safer.  Many folks that I have talked to who opposed lowering of the speed limit have changed their minds when they learned that pedestrians are afforded greater protection under the law on roadways where the speed limit is lower than 45 mph.  Lowering the speed limit is not the only solution, but again, it is a very important step.  Unfortunately, we still have alot of work to do!

I urge you to resurrect the Shore Drive Safety Task Force (SDSTF), as requested by the Shore Drive Community Coalition.  Many short term improvements were made to Shore Drive as a result of the hard work the original SDSTF accomplished, but progress has waned since 2007, and we have lost at least 5 more people since the SDSTF disbanded.  In addition, several new issues have emerged, making the reformation of the SDSTF even more critical.  I know that the Bayfront Advisory Committee (BAC) would rather the issue be addressed in a BAC subcommittee, but I know from personal experience, as a former member of BAC and the SDSTF,  that BAC simply does not have the resources or the where-with-all to accomplish such an important and complex task in a timely manner.  I have told Kal Kassir I will willingly and enthusiastically work with any group who is devoted to improving safety on Shore Drive, but that this critical issue should not be relegated to volunteer groups who meet when time allows.  As hard as all of us are working out here to make Shore Drive safer, we can’t effectively do it alone.  We need you!  Please consider re-appointing a SDSTF so that we can review the previous recommendations, determine what has been done, and map out an updated plan for getting both short and longterm safety improvements to Shore Drive.  I believe that City staff can provide the resources, experience, and expertise necessary to get this done.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

June Barrett-McDaniels
Ketch Court

Please take the Poll at ShareShoreDriveDay.net – upper right corner of page.

Grace,

As of this morning, 7 of the 9 Beach Accesses are substantially complete and currently being utilized by the public.

Whaler Ct. will be completed today – remaining work is debris clean up.

Sandalwood Rd.  & Great Neck Rd. Accesses – Still waiting for the railing fittings to be delivered to install the ADA handrail & non-skid strips on the ramping at Sandalwood Rd. and the steel handrail and fittings at Great Neck Rd.

Velzey Ave. – Construction to begin tomorrow and should be completed by this weekend.

Delays have been due to specialized material deliveries from manufacturers and , specifically this week, contractor equipment breakdown.

Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Very truly yours,

Karl L. Smithson, APM
PW/Operations – Technical Support
385-1540 (Office)
403-3821 (Cell)

From VCAN:

Link to Pier opening at Pilotonline.com.

And as an extra added bonus the first 10 VCAN members that show up this Friday June 25th (between 4-5pm) for the pier’s re-opening, we will pay for your pier pass to fish.

Our non-profit will also cover the walk-on sight seeing fee for both the first dozen VCAN members and non-members/the general public that just want to check things out.

We look forward to seeing you all this Friday at the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier!

Tights lines,

VCAN

Please take the Virginia Beach Bikeways & Trails Survey now:
Please take it right now at VBGov.com – make a difference.

Last time it was done, guess which road ranked #1 by far for more bike lanes?

…increased!

Can you imagine how much it will increase thanks to 35?

How about when there’s bike lanes and multi-use paths on all of Shore Drive?

More about FHA’s report at The Hampton Roads Cyclist:
“This report demonstrates what we’ve been saying here at the Department,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  “Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving. And by making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities.”

Cross posted at ShareShoreDriveDay.net.

What is CASPER?

CASPER = Coastal Action Storm Plan Emergency Response

Stay tuned.

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                            MEDIA CONTACT:

June 7, 2010                                                         Faith Christie, (757) 385-4621

                                                                  Marc Davis, (757) 385-4308

Bayfront Advisory Committee to Meet June 17, 2010

The Bayfront Advisory Committee will hold its annual retreat on Thursday, June 17th, at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel & Conference Center, 2800 Shore Drive, from 11:00am to 3:00pm. The Committee will be continuing discussions regarding recommendations for revisions to the Shore Drive Corridor Plan, the Shore Drive Design Guidelines, and private encroachments on City right-of-way, pedestrian access issues, parking issues, and related matters.

The meeting will be open for the public to observe; however, there will not be an opportunity for the public to participate in the Committee’s deliberations.

The Bayfront Advisory Committee will then hold its regularly scheduled meeting at 3:30 p.m., at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel & Conference Center, 2800 Shore Drive.

The agenda for the meeting will include the following:

Ø    Update on Public and Private Projects in the Bayfront Area

Ø    Update on Committee Activities in the Bayfront Area

There will be an opportunity for presentations from the public on projects in the Bayfront area. The Committee generally concludes its deliberations around 4:30 p.m. The meeting is then opened to the public for comments.

For additional information or to obtain a copy of the draft agenda prior to the meeting, call Faith Christie in the Planning Department at (757) 385-4621 or email at fchristi@vbgov.com.

For more information regarding the Bayfront Advisory Committee please visit vbgov.com/Bayfront

From Cape Story Neighborhood Watch:

On Friday morning, June 11 at 3:00 a.m., a house in the 2700 block of Ocean Shore Ave was burglarized.  A white male, approx. 5’10 – 6’, thin build, dark hair, suntanned, wearing dark shorts and no shirt removed the electric meter from the box and cut cable and telephone wires from the side of the house, then went to the back of the house and broke a window to gain access.  Two flower pots on the inside window ledge fell on the floor which woke the owner.  When the burglar saw the owner, he ran and did not enter the house.  A police report was filed and the electric meter was not found.  If anyone has any information, or finds the electric meter (don’t touch, it may have fingerprints), please call the police.

Please remember to call 911 if you see a crime in action and call 385-5000, option 1, to report crimes after they have occurred or to report any suspicious activity.