3 Mayors, 2 City Managers, 2 Delegates, 2 VB City Councilman and a lot of senior VB Staff who helped make it happen attended plus neighbors who love the new Lesner.
There was even a surprise light show by Randy Burkett Lighting Design who also attended.
Yay!
The Planning Commission will hear public comments on Agenda Item D3 regarding Ordinance changes for Short Term Rentals. To read the Staff write-up and the proposed wording changes click here Staff Write Up Short Term Rentals
D3. City of Virginia Beach – An Ordinance to Amend Sections 102, 111, 401, 501, 601, 901, 1110, 1125, 1521 and 2203 of the City Zoning Ordinance and Section 5.2 of the Oceanfront Resort District Form-Based Code and Add Sections 209.6 and 241.2 of the City Zoning Ordinance pertaining to the Definition, Requirements and Use of Home Sharing and Short Term Rentals
Planning Commission Hearing Procedures
The Virginia Beach Planning Commission Public Hearing is held at 12:00 Noon in the Council Chamber of the City Hall Building, Municipal Center. A staff briefing is held at 9:00 a.m. in the City Manager’s Conference Room, City Hall Building.
Those members of the public interested in attending the 12:00 Noon Public Hearing should be advised that, for reasons the Planning Commission deems appropriate, certain items on the agenda may be heard out of order and that it should not be assumed that the order listed in this document will be exactly followed during the public hearing.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE IN THIS CHAMBER.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION IS NOT A FINAL DETERMINATION REGARDING THE APPLICATION, BUT ONLY A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE VIEWPOINT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. FINAL DETERMINATION OF THE APPLICATION WILL BE MADE BY CITY COUNCIL AT A LATER DATE AFTER PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE VIRGINIAN PILOT/BEACON.
IF YOU ARE ATTENDING THE HEARING AND DESIRE TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM, FILL OUT A ‘SPEAKER CARD’ AT THE DESK OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL CHAMBER PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
You may remember the proposed Ocean Shore Shoppes LLC which was to be located next to Overture at Ocean Shore Ave & Cherry Tree Place near intersection on east side of Lesner Bridge.
Ocean Shore Shoppes LLC has sold the lot to Greystar, owners of Overture, for permanent preservation including 2 gorgeous live oak.
Photo from application to BZA
Planning Conference Room, Building 2. The public is invited to attend, but there will be no public comment.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING – May you enjoy your time with friends and family.
Click here for a printable version of the agenda – 11.26.18 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday November 26, 2018 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation-
Bayfront Beaches Sand Replenishment Update
Mr. Phillip Roehrs, City of Virginia Beach Public Works – Water Resource Engineer, will provide an update on current plans for sand replenishment project for Bayfront beaches. The last replenishment happened 5 years ago and our beaches are in dire need of help. When will dredging and replenishment begin? Where will the sand be placed? How long will the projects take? Will sand from the spoil sites be required as in past projects? These questions and others you may have will be discussed.
Officer’s Reports: Secretary – Kathleen Damon; Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic; Vice President – Wally Damon; President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Ocean Shore Shoppes Mixed Use Development Update – According to the current property owner, the proposed mixed use development will not be built. The property will be sold to Greystar/Overture Apartments.
Shore Drive Phase III Update – Shore Drive Phase III (CIP 2-117) is set to go out for bid in Feburary 2019 with construction to start sometime in the summer of 2019. This $26 million project will provide sidewalks, crosswalks, LED street lighting, bike lanes, improved traffic signals and landscaping. 4 lanes of traffic will be maintained during construction to minimize traffic delays. In addition to the road safety improvements, storm water upgrades will be made to some streets to help improve heavy rain collection and removal capabilities.
Lesner Bridge Replacement – The end is in sight. Paving of westbound lanes and bridge landings should be taking place soon now that the sidewalk has been completed. Updates are being posted at http://www.sdcc.info as they are received.
New Business –
Lynnhaven Municipal Wharf – Latest rumor is the site will be used as a staging site by Dominion Power for construction of offshore wind turbines. Does anyone have additional information regarding this subject?
Virginia Beach Police Department New Initiatives – Next Generation 9-1-1(texting based 9-1-1) and ePRO (electronic Police Reports Online), an interactive web application that allows public access to reported crime, traffic accident reports, and active warrants are new systems currently being used by the City. Check them out at the City’s website –
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
PLEASE NOTE REVISED MEETING DATE
Due to Christmas and New Year Eve
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday December 17, 2018***
From an email:
Regarding Lesner Bridge:
Placement of the remaining sidewalks on the north side of Shore Drive between Page Avenue and East Stratford Road is taking place this week and will be completed by next Friday (11/16/2018).
On Sunday night (11/11/2018) between the hours of 9:00PM and 5:00AM, Public Utilities will be working in the inside lane of Shore Drive installing a valve into the new 16-inch water main located approximately 350 feet west of the Page Avenue/Shore Drive intersection. After this valve is installed, McLean is on schedule to pave westbound Shore Drive between the Page Avenue/Shore Drive intersection and the WB Bridge and between the WB bridge and the Shore Drive/East Stratford Road intersection. McLean anticipates the paving of Shore Drive to take place over two evenings, 11/15 and 11/16/2018. All required jackhammering will be performed during the day prior to the nighttime work.
Once this work is completed, only the landscaping and boardwalk remains to be completed for the Lesner Bridge Replacement Project.
Thank You,
-Chris
Screen shot of construction cam shot on Nov 9 9am
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 10.29.18 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday October 29, 2018 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation –
Heads Up Emergency Disaster Preparedness Program
Ms. Tanya Barnes, Vice President Chesapeake Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, will discuss their program that helps identify residents that need special assistance and support during emergencies and disasters. She will also discuss ways that the community can better serve these individuals.
Officer’s Reports:
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Ocean Shore Shoppes Mixed Use Development Approval – The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approved the variance request to build a 4 story, 2 condo and commercial space structure at the corner of Ocean Shore Ave. and Cherry Tree Lane. Many adjacent residents attended the meeting in opposition. This was the only required approval needed and no conditional use permit will be necessary.
Lynnhaven Municipal Wharf – Updates from City’s permit request to the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Quality to keep the wharf as a permanent structure for multiple uses. The DEQ has approved of permit.
Short Term Rentals (STR) – On Sept 1st, City Council passed a resolution regarding regulations for STRs. An update on this resolution will be presented.
Lesner Bridge Replacement – Paving of westbound lanes and bridge landings will be taking place and updates are being posted at http://www.sdcc.info as they are received. A separate turning lane will be added during restriping to the eastbound landing at Vista Circle intersection. LED lighting has been installed on bridge structure and supports and is in the testing phase.
New Business –
Bus Route 35: Shore Drive to Oceanfront – Operating Season is over and was considered a success by HRT and the City. Plans to budget and operate next year are in the works. SDCC will be creating a questionnaire to gather input and suggestions to pass on to HRT/City staff to help make next years service even better.
Shore Drive Overlay Development Review Requirements– The resent approval of the Ocean Shore Shoppes brings into question a possible loophole for building development review process. It appears review of mixed use (residential + commercial) depends on the number of units and zoning. Not all projects require a conditional use permit (CUP) or board/committee/council approval at which the public has the opportunity to comment. Should this be changed?
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday November 26, 2018***
From an email:
Folks:
Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the new eastbound Lesner Bridge since its opening on Labor Day weekend. First of all, I want to apologize to all of you who live in Ocean Park that endured the noise from road work on East Stratford Road in the early morning hours of Monday 10/22 and Tuesday 10/23. Several lines of communication within the project team were broken and resulted in not just one night of disturbance, but two. For that we sincerely apologize to everyone affected.
We scheduled this night time work on East Stratford Road to minimize the disruption of operations of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and American Brew. However, in order to minimize the night time noise created by this milling and paving work, we are going to complete the paving work on East Stratford Road and Piedmont Circle during the day on Thursday 10/25/2018. Therefore, beginning at approximately 9:00 AM and ending some time near 6:00 PM on 10/25/2018 expect East Stratford Road to be CLOSED between Piedmont Circle and Shore Drive and Piedmont Circle to be CLOSED between East Stratford Road and the showers at Lynnhaven Boat Ramp while paving operations are underway.
Piedmont Circle Closure at Lynnhaven Boat Ramps for October 25, 2018
Piedmont Circle Closure at East Stratford Road for October 25, 2018
East Stratford Road Closure for October 25, 2018
Paving work is also taking place TONIGHT, 10/23/2018. Beginning tonight about 8:00 PM and lasting until 5:00 AM, road crews will be preparing to place the final asphalt surface course on eastbound Shore Drive located between the bridge and Vista Circle. This paving work will also include the intersection of Shore Drive and Vista Circle, Vista Circle between Shore Drive and Cape Henry Drive, and Cape Henry Drive between Vista Circle and the entrance to Bubba’s Restaurant.
Another update will be sent out once we have a firm schedule for the upcoming paving work for westbound Shore Drive between Page Avenue and East Stratford Road.
Thank you all again for your patience as we push through the final stages of this multi-year project.
Sincerely,
-ChrisChristopher J. Wojtowicz, PE
Engineering Construction Manager
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works
Engineering Division
2405 Courthouse Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9031
Office: (757) 385-5785
Fax: (757) 385-5668
Email: cwojtowi@vbgov.com
View article at Pilotonline.com:
Values of seemingly safe houses several blocks from the water are hurting as well.
Several recent studies have shown that impacts from flooding – from water in the basement to inundated streets – already have hamstrung property prices and cost Hampton Roads homeowners hundreds of millions of dollars in lost or unrealized values.
And:
A group of university economists published a study this summer showing that severe storms – which scientists say have become stronger and more frequent in recent years due to climate change – can have a meaningful impact on property value and how long a home spends on the market in Hampton Roads.
Properties in high-risk areas declined in value after major storms and stayed on the market longer – and not just in the initial aftermath.
In related news, UN IPCC released report illustrating we have 12 years to stop global warming at + 1.5C.
The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.
Start at The Guardian article to learn more.
It’ll be interesting to see if stakeholders in Virginia Beach find the will to mitigate climate change & sea level rise impacts so it can exist another 50 years.
Case 2018-BZA-00056
Applicant: Ocean Shore Shoppes LLC Representative: Eddie Bourdon, Sykes Bourdon, Ahern & Levy
Address: 3301 Ocean Shore Ave GPIN: 1489-89-3069
Zoning District: B-4
Staff: Kevin KempProject: Proposed Residential Duplex and Retail Building
Request:
• 15-foot front yard setback from the property line adjacent to Ocean Shore Ave, instead of 35-feet as required;
• 15-foot side corner setback from the property line adjacent to Cherry Tree Place, instead of 35-feet as required.
View BZA Oct 3 Case # 2018-BZA-00056 (16 page PDF)
Here are some opportunities for you to learn about candidates in our upcoming November City Council Elections. Fourm list provided by the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations (VBCCO).
Wednesday October 10th – Forum is for the two Mayoral Candidates and the six candidates running for the two at-large seats – Sponsored by Lynnhaven River Now. 6:30pm at the Zeider’s American Dream Theater in Town Center.
Monday October 15th – City Council Candidate Forum. Sponsored by the Sandbridge Civic League. 7:00pm at the Sandbridge Community Chapel
Wednesday, October 17th – Forum is for the candidates running for the Beach, Bayside, Lynnhaven, Centerville, and Princess Anne District seats. – Sponsored by Lynnhaven River Now. 6:30pm at the Zeider’s American Dream Theater in Town Center.
Thursday October 18th – City Council Candidate Forum. Sponsored by the Farm Bureau. 6:30pm at the Creeds Ruitan Community Complex 1057 Princess Anne Road
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 9.24.18 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday September 24, 2018 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall
(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-
Bayfront Storm/Flood Water Plans – Update on City’s long term discussion and plans for Bayfront improvements to storm and flood water. City studies and information gathering meetings have been held. City is working on solutions to present to communities. Should residents be involved in identifying solutions? If so, when?
Lynnhaven Municipal Wharf – Updates from City’s permit request to the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Quality to keep the wharf as a permanent structure for multiple uses. One of them which the community opposes is for a Dredge Material Transfer Station.
Short Term Rentals (STR) – Update on City Council’s recent actions. Council has been focusing on the legal issues and applications of STRs.
Bus Route 35: Shore Drive to Oceanfront – Operating weekends only until Sunday September 30th. If you haven’t tried it, Neptune Festival is a great opportunity before the service stops until next season.
New Business –
Lesner Bridge Replacement – Both sides of the bridge are finally open. Any concerns? We will be collecting any issues and submitting them to the Project Manager for answers.
Shore Drive Area Properties LLC request to build 2 single family homes along Shore Drive – Shore Drive Area Properties LLC is requesting to build 2 single family homes along Shore Drive in Ocean Park. The request to build in the Resource Protection Area (RPA) will be presented to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Board on Monday Sept. 24th. Updates will be presented at our SDCC meeting.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday October 29, 2018***
View article at Pilotonline.com:
Hansen said during Wednesday’s briefing that the current forecast shows conditions equivalent to “less than a nor’easter.” He said that wind conditions are not expected to reach hurricane level and “will be on the low end of tropical storm, at best,” giving him more optimism for vulnerable areas like Sandbridge and the rural areas.
“An informed citizen would probably have waited to the last movement of the storm before making that decision” to evacuate, he said.
Visit NOAA Hurricane Center for Florence.
“This graphic is created by the NWS/NCEP Weather Prediction Center (WPC) and shows rainfall potential for the United States when a tropical cyclone threatens land. The graphic is displayed as a Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF), which shows rainfall totals for a specified time period, based on forecaster discretion.”
In case you missed Monday night’s presentation by Jennifer Huggins, Chief Ranger at First Landing State Park, here is a copy of her informative slideshow from that evening.
And as we learned from Jennifer, the coyotes are here to stay, so like all wildlife, please respect them, don’t feed them and just enjoy them from a distance.
And more importantly, watch out for errant golf balls and champagne corks (look for the details in Jennifer’s slides)…
Click here for the slideshow file Our Neighbors the Coyotes
From email from Wojo:
I want to post another Bridge Update for today to alert folks what to expect during this evening’s traffic switch.
The traffic switch that will take place tonight, August 30th on Lesner Bridge will be performed in several stages with a lot of activity taking place at the intersections of Shore Drive/Vista Circle/Page Avenue and Shore Drive/East Stratford Road. Here are some additional details to let you all know what to expect.
Beginning at 8:00 PM this evening single lane closures will be set up at both the Shore Drive/East Stratford Rd and Shore Drive/Vista Circle/Page Avenue intersections. At this time Shore Drive will be reduced to A SINGLE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION as crews work in the intersections and median areas to eradicate old pavement markings and place the new ones. Workers will also be in bucket trucks adjusting traffic signal heads and preparing for the removal of the old traffic signal pole located at Shore Drive and Page Avenue.
Stage 1 of 8/30/2018 the Lesner Bridge Traffic Switch
PLEASE DRIVE CAUTIOUSLY through these two intersections while this work is taking place. Since there will be a short time that both traffic signals will be down while we switch to the new signals. During this time Virginia Beach Police will be assisting in maintaining the flow of traffic on Shore Drive on both ends of the bridge.
The single lane of eastbound Shore Drive traffic will be moved onto the new eastbound bridge once the new pavement markings have been placed. The westbound single lane of traffic will be maintained on the westbound bridge through this next stage of the traffic switch. Again, workers will be eradicating old pavement markings and placing new ones in preparation for the new traffic pattern.
Stage 2 of 8/30/2018 the Lesner Bridge Traffic Switch
Once all of the new pavement markings are down and the new traffic signals adjusted, the eastbound LEFT LANE will be re-opened to traffic and allowed to cross the new eastbound bridge. The LEFT LANE of the westbound traffic will also be re-opened and SHIFTED along with the RIGHT LANE to the southernmost lanes on the westbound bridge. THESE LANE SHIFTS WILL BE COMPLETED BY 5:00 AM FRIDAY, AUGUST 31st. Both bridges will remain in this traffic condition for the next several months while the new 10-foot wide multi-use path is built across the westbound bridge.
Stage 3 of 8/30/2018 the Lesner Bridge Traffic Switch
Pedestrians/cyclists who wish to use the new 10-foot wide multiuse path on the eastbound bridge located next to the new scenic overlook will be allowed to cross the new eastbound Lesner Bridge after 5:00 PM today, August 30th 2018, once crews finish sweeping and clearing the pedestrian areas. Please note that after the traffic switch, pedestrians will not be allowed to use the westbound bridge until construction of the new sidewalk/path is completed.
Finally, we want to make sure that everybody understands that the paving of the bridge approaches is not yet complete and that there may be some minor items of work taking place after the traffic is switched (i.e. painting, handrail adjustments, joint sealing, light adjustments, etc). The asphalt surface mix still has to be placed on both bridge approaches and is why you will notice a small lip of concrete along the concrete gutter pans and a small wedge of asphalt as you cross onto the concrete bridge deck. The pavement markings on eastbound Shore Drive at Vista Circle are also temporary and does not reflect what the ultimate travel lanes will look like once the project is complete (the RIGHT THRU LANE and RIGHT TURN LANE ONLY LANE have been combined into a single THRU RIGHT LANE). The reason for this is that we need still perform some median work before building out this fourth lane.
[This] figure shows how these lanes will look on eastbound Shore Drive at Vista Circle once we complete the project:
Finally, this is a word of caution to users of East Stratford Road who are leaving the Chesapeake House or 3556 On The Bay Condominiums. For the past several years drivers have gotten used to the temporary traffic pattern and have been making a LEFT TURN from southbound East Stratford Road onto eastbound Shore Drive and crossing the WESTBOUND LESNER BRIDGE. After this traffic switch drivers making this same LEFT TURN have pay attention to the new pavement markings and make sure that they enter eastbound Shore Drive and cross the EASTBOUND LESNER BRIDGE. Habits are sometimes hard to change, even with the new signage and pavement markings, so we just want to put this word of caution out there so that nobody ends up the wrong way on the westbound bridge!
PLEASE USE SLOW DOWN AND USE CAUTION TONIGHT WHEN TRAVELLING THROUGH THE LESNER BRIDGE CORRIDOR!
Have a Safe and Happy Labor Day Weekend!
-Chris
Christopher J. Wojtowicz, PE
Engineering Construction Manager
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works
Engineering Division
2405 Courthouse Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9031
Office: (757) 385-5785
Fax: (757) 385-5668
Email: cwojtowi@vbgov.com
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 8.27.18 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday August 27, 2018 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Officer’s Reports:
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Lynnhaven Municipal Wharf – Ocean Park and SDCC opposition letters sent to the US Army Corps of Engineers taking exception to the proposed use of the site as a dredge material transfer station and asking for a public hearing. USACE’s response letter accepted comments, but decision has been made to not hold a public hearing on this permit.
Short Term Rentals (STR) – The Planning Commission has been given action to continue work on this topic. A public hearing and hopefully more opportunity for public comment will be available this Fall.
Bus Route 35: Shore Drive to Oceanfront – Ridership numbers for July should be available. May and June numbers were double 2017 ridership. Will the trend continue?
Lesner Bridge Replacement – New eastbound span was originally scheduled to be opened the weekend of August 25/26. We will try to provide updates on this progress/delay and any new details from the City.
New Business –
Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) Fireworks Study – The BAC is conducting a feasibility study for having a 4th of July Bayfront fireworks show sponsored/operated by the City. We welcome you input/thoughts regarding this idea.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday September 24, 2018***
SDCC and Ocean Park Civic League have sent letters of opposition to the US Army Corps of Engineers regarding the City of Virginia Beach’s permit request to make the existing temporary wharf permanent and to use this permanent wharf as a dredge material transfer station to support the City’s neighborhood dredging program.
Click here to read the SDCC letter – SDCC LMW Permit Opposition Letter to Corps
Click here to read the OPCL letter – Letter to ACOE regarding wharf August 2 2018
You are welcomed and encouraged to send letters of your own to the Corps, but unfortunately they need to be sent by the Monday August 6th deadline. If you can make the deadline, send your letters to scharlene.a.floyd@usace.army.mil
