Read May 15, 2019 Subject: Cape Henry Beach Replenishment-Project Update #1 letter (1 pg PDF)
We will be requesting that citizen’s personal property (volleyball courts, catamarans, beach furniture, etc.) be removed from the beach or safely secured and stored in its entirety on top of the dunes (where practical) before the project reaches your area.
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.
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 4.29.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday April 29, 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 –
Bonaventure Realty Group – Expansion Plans for Windsong Apartments on Pleasure House
Representatives from the Bonaventure Realty Group will present their current plans to redevelop and expand the Windsong Apartment complex located on Pleasure House Road north of Shore Drive. Previously presented plans had the old apartments being increased a total of 160 units from 272 to 432. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. As always, all are welcome to attend SDCC meetings.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – An update on the project will hopefully be available. The project has been delayed and appears to continue to be pushed to the right and will most likely take place through the summer season. When is the start date and what are the impacts to the beach during construction?
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – City Council and Staff are evaluating the request to take over the planning and execution of the show. A decision should be forthcoming after the “Something in the Water” event is over which will allow Staff to focus on the request.
Dog Leash Law for Beaches – A public hearing was held on Wed April 10th at 630pm at the City’s Law Enforcement Training Facility. City Council has request the topic be studied for a year before any changes are made to the code. A steering committee will be formed to help with this evaluation. It is SDCC plan to invite representatives of this committee to a future SDCC to present their plans and how our community can provide input.
New Business –
Parking Meters at Lynnhaven Boat Ramp – The City has installed a metered parking kiosk for public parking at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. If you plan on using this lot, please be aware of the update to avoid tickets.
Shore Drive Improvements in Ocean Park to Start Soon – $600,000 of improvement to the Shore Drive/Stratford Road intersection, is fully funded and expected to begin later this spring. This would involve a “fully functional” traffic light with pedestrian crossing signals, an emergency signal to accommodate Ocean Park Fire and Rescue
Cape Henry Ditch Volunteer Clean Out Corps Proposal – Representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will be discussing a plan to have volunteers clean out and maintain a section of the ditch behind Food Lion. The Cape Story meeting will take place on Monday May 13th at 7:30pm at Lynnhaven Colony Congregational Church.
Upcoming Chances for Civic Engagement
Tuesday April 30th City Council Budget Input – 6pm at City Council Chambers. Other ways to provide comments are posted at https://sdcc.info/2019/04/25/city-budget-public-hearings-scheduled-last-chance-for-input-on-tuesday-april-30th/
Tuesday May 14th Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Forum – 6:00pm – 8:00pm @ Brock Environmental Center (3663 Marlin Bay Drive, Virginia Beach 23455). Speakers will discuss the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint (Phase III Water Implementation Plan/WIP).
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 May 20, 2019***
Please note the meeting will be a week early due to Memorial Day
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.
CRS ?
The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements.
You may recall we’ve been lobbying for it since 2014. An article on our website here.
You may also have attended one of our meetings with reps from CoVB doing a presentation followed by a Q&A. Check out more posts about CRS on this website here.
The news about CRS at VBGov.com.
The CRS uses a 10-level (or point) scale to evaluate efforts. Each level below 10 receives a 5% discount on flood insurance premiums. The City will join the program as a Class 7 community, which reflects the significant investment being made to mitigate flooding issues throughout the city.
View the PDF of the presentation slides made to City Council.
The PDF includes contact info for the amazing Whitney McNamara if you have questions.
btw – with more work there’s a chance VB might be able to earn a 20% discount.
New scoop we just learned over the weekend after meeting one of the people whose been working on this.
Thanks to the amazing work Dewberry has done so far studying sea level rise and storm water issues in Virginia Beach, the Brock Environmental Center being located here and the fact the Shore Drive community is at the top of the list of biggest impacts to VB – a new potential solution will be tested here.
The working group will be looking for property owners who can plant trees in the Phase 3 area to help mitigate storm water. The City will also be planting more trees as well.
There’s been a breakthrough in the science of designing trees to increase Photosynthesis and surprisingly it’s palm trees that have the biggest bang for the buck.
You may remember Photosynthesis is one of the functions of a tree that pulls water from the ground – thereby mitigating the increase risk from sea level rise and storm water increasing due to more storms.
You’ll be seeing a palm tree lined Shore Drive once Phase 3 is complete.
It’s too early to know exactly what they’ll look like at this point but the other benefit to the design is the ease of transplanting them to different variations as they’ll have monitoring equilement on them to test the efficiencies of the trees.
Part of the working groups public comment includes gathering input for what would work best for our area including our climate of course.
Note: I’m excited about the testing of new science here. Just not happy it didn’t turn out to be live oaks that will be studied more.
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
Over the last two years, 33 incidents involving dog bites occurred on the city’s public beaches, and more than half of the aggressors were unleashed dogs, according to data provided by Conti.
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.
Thank to Bill Purcell & Dave Jarman from Public Works for coming out Monday night to present what’s happening on Shore Drive soon!
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.
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 article at Pilotonline.com.
Here’s an overview of the changes that will take effect Nov. 1:
Airbnb hosts who rent out their primary residence must be home during the guests’ stay if they want to rent without a permit.
For an owner who will not stay overnight in rentals, he or she will be required to get a conditional-use permit.
More than 2,100 rentals that have paid the transient occupancy tax and have registered with the Commissioner of the Revenue by July 1, 2018 will be grandfathered in and do not need to get permits. Sandbridge properties also don’t have to go through this process.
The permits need to be renewed every five years. If no violations happen during that time, the city will renew them. The permitting process gives the City Council an opportunity to approve or deny rental properties and provides an avenue for neighbors to tell the city about any potential concerns about the rentals.
The city may revoke permits from any properties that violate codes.
The new rules limit overnight stays to three people per bedroom.
Property owners can only rent to two different people within seven days.
One off-street parking spot will be required for each bedroom.
Special events permits will be required for more than 50 guests. A house can only have three events per year. This rule came about to help control event houses, many of which are located in Sandbridge.
Property owners will not be allowed to rent out structures such as carriage houses or garages with apartments in them.
Short-term rentals will need to carry $1 million in liability insurance coverage.
Informal City Council workshop yesterday Dewberry made an in-depth presentation on sea level rise threats and possible solutions.
This is the first tier with a tiered approach.
From Tanner:
Delegate Keam’s proposed tree canopy Bill HB 2333 is something we have been looking forward to for some time.
Why is the legislation needed?
Virginia state code currently limits the amount of canopy a locality may require a developer to plant/replace/preserve.For example, under current law, for a residential parcel zoned for 10 or fewer units per acre, the locality may not require a tree canopy greater than 20% in 20 years’ time. For a commercial parcel, the maximum tree canopy a locality can require is 10%. That’s right, there is a maximum amount of trees a locality can require to be replaced.
What does HB 2333 do?
It exempts a locality from those caps if they’re using trees to achieve a water quality (i.e. Bay TMDL) or quantity (i.e. flood mitigation) goal.See this attachment to see how it changes to existing law. (2pg PDF)
What can you do to support this common-sense legislation?
Simple. We are building a consortium of groups to add their names to our sign-on letter of support (see below how to join).We will share this list with members of the House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee to ensure it makes its way to full committee vote.
From there we think it has a good chance of making it to the floor.
To join the sign-on letter all we need is:
Organization, Lead Signatory, and Title. You can see who else is already on board and add your organization to our running list here.Or just email Tanner at CBF & let me know you are in!
View letter that will be sent that will include list of supporting organizations.
Have capacity to help?
Share this email with others who might be interested — HOAs, civic leagues, local government, tree stewards, healthcare companies, nurseries, tree care companies, botanical gardens, small and large businesses – anyone that has a stake in increasing tree canopy in the Bay watershed.What is the deadline for signing?
We’ll leave the letter open until the bill is on the House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee #2 docket, which could be as early as next Thursday.Thanks for your consideration. We hope you will join us. Please don’t hesitate to call if I can answer any questions about the bill.
Cheers,
Tanner Council
Hampton Roads Grassroots Manager
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Brock Environmental Center | 757.644.4113
View the article & photos at Pilotonline.com.
The Blackwater-based company moved the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse for the National Park Service 20 years ago and is elevating several homes in Virginia Beach through a federal flooding assistance program.
Bubba’s will be one of the most challenging, he said, because most of the work will have to be done during low tide.
More photos below.
