The City Council will hold a “Special Meeting by Electronic Communications Means” on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 3 p.m. to discuss tax deferrals; suspension of the meal tax; reduction of personal property tax rate; and areas for expenditure reductions necessitated by the pandemic. The City Council will also provide guidance to staff for preparation of any necessary resolutions or ordinances for Council’s consideration at a subsequent City Council Special Session.
Following the discussion, the City Council may consider the adoption of an item to address tax relief necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the form of an ordinance to suspend provisions of the City Code regarding penalties and interest upon certain local taxes during the pandemic, which is sponsored by Council Member John Moss.
While citizen comments will not be heard during this meeting, citizens are encouraged to submit comments to the City Council prior to the special meeting via email at CityCouncil@vbgov.com. The current Council agenda can be viewed online at VBgov.com.
The City Council will not be at City Hall (Building 1), which will remain closed to the public. The meeting can be viewed live on VBTV (Cox channel 48 & Verizon channel 45), online at VBgov.com/media and on Facebook.com/CityofVaBeach.
For the latest information, please visit emergency.vbgov.com/coronavirus and follow us on facebook.com/CityofVaBeach, twitter.com/CityofVaBeach and instagram.com/cityofvabeach.
In 1977, a Conditional Use Permit was granted to the property for a Home for the Aged, Disabled and Handicapped to operate a Continuing Care Retirement Community.
The development will be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s vision for the Suburban Area Bayfront Community, the goals of which is to preserve and protect the character, economic value, and aesthetic quality of established neighborhoods.
The proposed 22-story tower will be approximately 250’ tall.
The Property, when developed, shall not exceed a total of 674 Independent Living units, 75 Assisted Living units, 48 Memory Support units, and 108 Skilled Nursing units. Total parking provided will be 1,096 parking spaces.
The general planning goals and policies in the Comprehensive Plan include preserving and protecting the character, economic value, and aesthetic quality of the established neighborhoods.
The following request has been sent to the Planning Commission requesting they DENY the current proposed expansion of Westminster Canterbury.
Dear Ms. Oliver and Planning Commission Members,
On behalf of the Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC), we formally request that the Planning Commission “DENY” the subject request from Westminster Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay (WCCB) for a modification of conditions to build a 4 story parking garage with 22 story tower senior living facility and a 7 story memory unit facility connected by enclosed elevated pedestrian bridges over public roadways.
The SDCC is a 20 year old umbrella civic organization representing many neighborhood civic leagues, condo and homeowner associations along the Shore Drive corridor. At our February general meeting, we unanimously voted on the following motion regarding the current proposed WCCB development,
“The Shore Drive Community Coalition opposes the Westminster Canterbury expansion proposal as it is in violation of the Shore Drive Overlay density restrictions and the Business 901 height restrictions”
We understand that it’s the Planning Commission responsibility to review projects and determine if they are in accordance with existing City codes and to allow variances based on hardships. As our motion states, the proposed project is considered multi-family senior living housing that violates the following City codes and has no hardships.
• Shore Drive Corridor Overlay Section 1704- Density requirements of maximum 24 units per acre.
• Business District Section 901 – Senior housing building height restriction of 165 feet.
The SDCC feels that this project would also set a harmful precedent for future development requests of high density tower structures in Business B2 and B4 zoning that would be incompatible with the surrounding residential and lower density multi-family dwellings that make the Shore Drive Corridor unique.
Thank you for your consideration in denying the subject application,
Todd Solomon – SDCC President
Partial list of concerns being shared about current WCCB expansion plans:
Dear March 11th Planning Commission participants,
I am sure by now that all of you have sent your letters out to the Mayor, the individuals of the Planning Commission and the City Council. Now it is time for the next step in our process to limit the encroachment of Westminster Canterbury on the Shore Drive District. However, if you have not sent your letter as of yet, it is not too late. Please send your letter and encourage any of your friends and family in Virginia to write a letter opposing the expansion of Westminster Canterbury as it now stands.
There are several things that we need to do in order to continue our fight and increase the pressure on the Planning Commission and then ultimately the City Council.
1) Please make every effort to attend the Planning Commission on March 11th, 2020, 12:00 pm. The meeting will be at the Municipal Center, building #1. The meeting is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm, but I would like to encourage everyone to be there by 11:00 am. We understand that Westminster Canterbury is going to try to pack the meeting. We would like all of you and anyone else you can bring to be able to be seated in the meeting room. Also, there is a meeting at 9:00 am by the Planning Commission. The 9:00 am meeting will be in the same location as above, but we will not be able to speak at this meeting. The purpose of this meeting is for the Planning Commission to discuss the expansion. I believe it will give us great insight to their thought process. In addition, the more people the Planning Commission sees at the meetings, the more pressure it will put on their decision making process.
2) We also need to have speakers at the 12:00 pm meeting. If you are willing to speak, please let us know.Please email paulterkeltaub@me.com and let us know your intention to speak. We want you to address the Planning Commission in your own words, but we do have topics that we want to make sure are covered. Listed below are the topics we wish to have individuals talk about in front of the Planning Commission. Please pick one or two topics that you would like to address. We want to make sure all topics are covered. You will have 3 minutes to state your position. All that we ask is that you respond to Paul above and let us know what topic or topics you will be addressing. We want to make sure all of the important points are covered.
The topics that we would like to see addressed are as follows:
Reduce the height of the building from 22 stories to 14 stories.
Have the building built of the same type of brick the other buildings are built of instead of glass to keep continuity within the development.
If the building is built of glass, we would like the City to require them to do a solar study so that we will understand what the implications will be for the surrounding buildings.
If the building is made of glass, we would like to know the implications of how much light it will put out at night.
Whether the building is 22 stories or 14 stories, we would like to have a wind study done so we will understand the impact on the surrounding buildings as well as the beach.
We would like to see a shadow study done to understand the implications for surrounding buildings as well as the beach.
We would like the parking lot expanded to accommodate more cars. They need to allow two cars for each unit as well as parking for the staff. In addition, the parking lot needs to be designed to accommodate senior drivers.
The City needs to restrict parking on Starfish and turn this into a 4 lane road having a dedicated right hand turn lane.
The City needs to elongate the left hand turn lane from Shore Drive onto Starfish due to the increased traffic.
The City needs to require a current traffic study. The prior study was done before The Overture and The Chesapeake on The Bay Condos, both on Shore Drive and The Pearl off of Great Neck Road by the marina were built. None of these have been leased or sold to capacity at this time.
We would like to strongly encourage Westminster Canterbury to flip the tower with the assisted living facility.
We would like them to keep the beach access where it is or at least on their property and not next to Ocean Shore Condos. The way the beach access is being planned, Westminster Canterbury will be creating a private beach for their residents that the public will not be able to access.
3) The attorney and architect for Ocean Shore Condos will be addressing the technical parts of the project, but we need all of you to help us address the human side of such a large development. This is for all owners and renters in the Shore Drive District.
Please help us to preserve our neighborhood.
Very Truly Yours,
Each of you can change my email and sign this and send out to your perspective communities and organizations. Please feel free to make any changes you would like.
When emailing Planning Commission members, Mayor & City Council – anyone with CoVB -be sure to be respectful and truthful.
Public engagement meeting announcement from email:
We try to limit the information we send out on this website because we do not want people to ignore the emails. This email contains 3 items that need your attention. Please act upon them as appropriate.
1) In lieu of a board meeting this month, we will be having a special meeting to update everyone on the latest news about The Westminster Canterbury expansion plans. In addition, we will be offering assistance with ideas and recommendations for anyone that needs help in writing letters to the planning commission, the city council and the mayor with your opinions about the expansion and how it will negatively impact Ocean Shore Condos as well as the surrounding community. The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 27th at 5:30pm at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Hall, 3769 East Stratford Road. This meeting will be a combined meeting with Ocean Shore Condo and Ships Watch. Please feel free to invite anyone else that you know would be interested in this issue.
3) This is a meeting that we would like everyone to attend. Once again, if you have any friends or family that are residents of Virginia Beach and can make this meeting please bring them along. We want to not only pack the room for this meeting, we want an overflow crowd. We will have our attorney and are architect at this meeting representing us as well as individuals that will speak on the condos behalf. However, the most important thing is to have bodies at this meeting. Unfortunately, the planning commission meeting is on March 11th, 2020 at 12:00pm. The meeting will take place at The Municipal Center Building 1 on the 2nd Floor. We realize this is in the middle of the work day, but this is so important that I would encourage any of you that are able to take off of work to attend this meeting. If you need transportation to this meeting please contact Paulterkeltaub@me.com or at (757) 630-3774 and we will make sure you have transportation.
SDCC General Meeting Agenda Monday February 24, 2020 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 – None
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business- Westminster-Canterbury (WC) High Rise and Memory Center Expansion – Update on WC expansion project that included a 22 story high rise to be built at the Casa del Playa/Old Pier site and a memory center to be located on a current parking lot. All facilities are planned to be connected with pedestrian bridges crossing public streets at Ocean Shore Ave and Starfish Rd. Developer presented to 100 attendees at Lynnhaven Colony Civic meeting. Project will be heard by Planning Commission on Wed. March 11th at Noon. SDCC Survey on proposed development can be taken at
Sea Level Wise (SLW) Public Input – The Department of Public Works concluded their public presentations on the draft SLW plan. Thank you to all who attended. The meeting at Cox HS was largest crowd of all meetings. Next step will be formal adoption of the plan by City Council. Comments will still be accepted through the end of February and can be sent to C.J. Bodnar at CBodnar@vbgov.com
New Business – Leasing of Lynnhaven Boat Ramp for Commercial Use – City wants to lease part of property for 3 year as commercial use to support off-shore wind turbine construction. An office building, parking spots, 5000 gallon fuel tank and boat mooring are planned. Your comments and questions are needed and will be submitted to Staff for answers prior to a Council vote on Tues March 3rd.
Lesner Bridge Lighting Issues – Repairs will be made over the next 60 days to fix lighting problems with the overhead road pole lights, the under bridge pier lights and the Canoes sculpture accent lights.
“Your Speed” Sign – Public Works Engineer Phillip Koetter informed the Cape Story Civic Association that City Traffic engineers plan to install a “Your Speed” radar sign near the intersection of Shore Drive and Kendall Street for cars coming from the State Park heading west. Installation should be this summer/fall.
Shore Drive Community Coalition Future Structure – Revisions to the SDCC Bylaws were presented and reviewed at Jan meeting. The proposed changes are posted online and will be voted upon at this meeting.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
Civic Engagement Opportunities
Sea Level Wise Draft Input – Comments on the draft can be sent to City Public Works Stormwater Engineer C. J. Bodnar at CBodnar@vbgov.com Deadline is Feb. 29th.
Leasing of Lynnhaven Boat Ramp – City Council Meeting Tues March 3rd at 6:00pm in Building 1
Proposed Expansion of Westminster-Canterbury – Planning Commission Meeting Wed March 11th at Noon in Building 1 City Council Chambers. Briefing is held at 9:30am in City Managers meeting room. Take the SDCC Survey at . Survey closes March 10th.
City Budget Citizen Discussion – Councilman John Moss will be holding public information sessions in the Bayfront area at the following dates and locations. Both meetings are held from 6:30pm to 8:00pm
• Wed March 4th at the Bayside Rec Center & Wed March 18th at Great Neck Rec Center
Bayfront Advisory Commission
Commission meets Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 4500 First Court Road
Bayside Recreation Center
3:30 p.m.
Tentative Agenda:
CALL TO ORDER
ELECTION OF OFFICERS 2020
MINUTES OF 1/16/20
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – Charles Malbon, Vice Chairman
STAFF REPORTS & UPDATES
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Design
Communications
Public Safety, Transit, Parking & Pedestrian Access
BRIEFINGS
Comprehensive Plan update – Mark. E. Shea
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
COMMUNITY REPORTS & UPDATES
ADJOURN
Including more updates like:
Briefly…
The City Council has appointed William Hearst to the Bayfront Advisory Commission, replacing Scott Ayers, who retired …
Lynnhaven Colony Civic League Meeting will have a presentation by Westminster Canterbury of their proposed expansion. They propose building a 22 story building at the former Lynnhaven fishing pier with additional construction.
All welcome, need not be a member to attend.
Sat, Feb 8, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Dockside Seafood & Fishing Center
SDCC General Meeting Agenda Monday January 27, 2020 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 – Storm Water Projects East of the Lesner Bridge Public Works Engineers, Mike Mundy and Brad Vanderwarker, will provide an update and answer questions regarding improvement projects planned for the communities between the Lesner Bridge and First Landing State Park. Lynnhaven Colony, Cape Story by the Sea, Areas along Cape Henry Trail and Condos north of Shore Drive will be specifically discussed. Come learn if you area will be included in improvements and if not, what you can do to help influence Councilmembers to allocate a portion of the possible $430mil bond monies to support.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business- Bonaventure/Windsong Development – Project update and when it go before the Planning Commission.
Electric Scooters – E-scooter will be coming back to the Bayfront area starting April 1st. Rules for operation will be restricted from last year. Learn more about the new requirements.
New Business – Westminster-Canterbury High Rise and Memory Center Expansion – At the Nov. BAC meeting, WC presented an expansion project that included a 22 story high rise to be built at the Casa del Playa/Old Pier site and a memory center to be located on a current parking lot. All facilities are planned to be connected with pedestrian bridges crossing public streets at Ocean Shore Ave and Starfish Rd.
Shore Drive Community Coalition Future Structure – SDCC officers met and have put together a revision to our Bylaws. Some of the key changes include: tri-annual (3 times) meetings instead of monthly meetings; eliminating $25 membership dues; making officer positions flexible from minimum 2 to 4. These revisions will need to be voted on at the next upcoming meeting TBD.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
Civic Engagement Opportunities
Cape Henry Trail Kendall St. Retention Pond Meeting- Monday Feb. 10th the City will discuss this retention pond at the Cape Story by the Sea General Civic meeting. The meeting is held at the Lynnhaven Congregational Community Church on West Great Neck Rd at 7:30pm, all are welcome.
Sea Level Wise Public Input – The Department of Public Works will be holding six public meetings regarding the Sea Level Wise Adaptation Strategy. The closest meeting to the Bayfront will be:
February 15, 2020 – Cox High School – 2425 Shorehaven Drive – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
City Budget Citizen Discussion – Councilman John Moss will be holding public information sessions in the Bayfront area at the following dates and locations. Both meetings are held from 6:30pm to 8:00pm
• Wed March 4th at the Bayside Rec Center
• Wed March 18th at Great Neck Rec Center
#WeLoveShoreDrive 