
Category Archives: News
Six Applicants Shortlisted for Lynnhaven District City Council Vacancy (Updated Sept. 22, 2021)
They are:
- Christopher F. Bonney
- Linwood O. Branch
- Holly T. Cuellar
- Carla V. Hessletine
- Richard Maddox
- Kathy P. Owens
Citizens will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the City Council during the meeting on Tuesday, October 5. Following public comment, the City Council will proceed to closed session for deliberation and then return to open session to make a formal vote on an appointment to fill the Lynnhaven District vacancy.

SDCC General Meeting – Monday Sept 27th at 7:30pm
Click here for a printable version of the agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday September 27, 2021 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 – City Council approved in November 2020. Update on lawsuit filed by adjacent homeowners.
- Windsong Development – 411 units off of Pleasure House Road in Chic’s Beach. This project was approved by City Council. Residents filed suit against the City. Update on lawsuit.
- Short Term Rental Overlay Districts – City Council voted to remove Cape Story by the Sea as an STR overlay. Council voted to prohibit all future STRs from the city except for the Resort Tourist Area at the Oceanfront which will still allow approval of new STRs using the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process.
New Business –
Marlin Bay Apartment Complex – 197 units 4 story buildings are being proposed at the intersection of Marlin Bay Drive and Shore Drive. This project was opposed by the Bayfront Advisory Commission and the SDCC. The project received approval from the Planning Commission and will now be heard by City Council for final approval. Ocean Park Civic League is leading the opposition. Updates on this project will be discussed.
City of VB Stormwater and Flood Protection Program Bond Referendum – The City is placing a bond referendum on this November’s ballot asking for approval to issues bonds to raise money to expedite projects that will help prevent and protect neighborhoods from stormwater and flooding problems. The only planned in-person public information meeting is scheduled for Thursday Sept. 30th at 6:00pm in Municipal Center Bldg. 19.
Next SDCC Meeting – TBD
Public Works Announces Maintenance Work to Begin on Long Creek Bridge to begin work the week of September 27, 2021.
View official news release at VBGov.com/publicworks.
The Virginia Beach Public Works Operations Group has scheduled routine maintenance to the Long Creek Bridge on West Great Neck Road beginning the end of this month. Crews will begin work the week of September 27, 2021.
The structure is currently 60 years old (built circa 1961) and carries two lanes of traffic over Long Creek and provides vehicular access to Bay Island.
This project is considered preventative maintenance and will consist of:
- Repairs to the deck and beams
- Repairs/replacement of expansion joints
- Epoxy deck overlay
- Cleaning, painting, and waterproofing of piles, caps, and beams
- Replacement of bridge fender system
The project will require phased closures of sections of the bridge with ingress/egress to Bay Island being maintained at all times.
The work is scheduled to be completed April 2022 – weather permitting.
Additional information and schedules will be published on a regular basis as they are finalized.
For questions, information, and updates, please e-mail: jrevans@vbgov.com.


“FEMA is updating the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) risk rating methodology through the implementation of a new pricing methodology called Risk Rating 2.0.”
VB Flood Protection Program video
Presented at BAC Meeting right now.
BAC Meeting September 16th Thursday 3:30 at OPVRS
Agenda:
BAYFRONT ADVISORY COMMISSION
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad
3769 E. Stratford Drive
(enter on side opposite Shore Drive)
September 16, 2021
ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP – 12-3 pm
REGULAR SESSION CALL TO ORDER – 3:30 pm
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Review and Approval of Minutes from 8/19/21
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Welcome Guests and Introductions – Phil Davenport, Chair
STAFF REPORTS & UPDATES
COMMITTEE REPORTS & UPDATES
Design – Bob Magoon
Communications –
Public Safety, Transit, Parking & Pedestrian Access – Martin Thomas
PRESENTATIONS
Virginia Beach Flood Protection Program – Ronald H. Williams, Jr., Deputy City Manager
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
COMMUNITY REPORTS & UPDATES
ADJOURN

“The next public hearing about the Marlin Bay apartments is at a Virginia Beach City Council meeting on Oct. 19, 2021.”
News including video at 13 News Now.

“Virginia Beach leaders support apartment complex development in [OCEAN PARK] despite community outcry”.
City Council public hearing September 7th on STR
STR Public Hearing starts about 1 hour 58 minutes.
Planning Commission Meeting September 8th ‘21 re: Marlin Bay Apartments
Public Hearing for Marlin Bay Apartments starts ~ 42min 30secs.
“Future residential uses should strive to achieve the lowest reasonable density to be compatible with the existing neighborhood residential density.”
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTES 7-3 TO IGNORE VARIOUS PLANNING DOCUMENTS IN BAYFRONT.
Again.
News about Marlin Bay Apartments speculative development plan on tv tonight.

“It’s just the latest actions in what has become a perennial and frustrating issue in the coastal community.”
News at WAVY.com about yet another change in STR regulations.
Mayor Bobby Dyer, council members John Moss, Aaron Rouse and Sabrina Wooten voted against the new requirements for all current and future short-term rental operators.
“City Council Seeks Candidate to Fill Vacant Lynnhaven District Seat”
Many have an opinion which neighborhood they should live in. The Bayfront!



“The BAC passed a motion to not support the project stating that it did not meet the density recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan or the . . .”
View current plan for Marlin Bay Apartments.
Choices will be made at Planning Commission Meeting September 8th 2021 that will affect future generations – not only in Virginia Beach.
Is 197 apartments adjacent to Pleasure House Point the best land use of this parcel in The Gateway to Virginia Beach located near the internationally renowned Brock Environmental Center in a City that is 2nd nationally for impact from sea level rise after only New Orleans?
View details about Planning Commission Hearing
A Public Hearing of the Virginia Beach Planning Commission will be held on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, Building 1, 2nd Floor at 2401 Courthouse Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. Members of the public will be able to observe the Planning Commission meeting through livestreaming on http://www.vbgov.com, broadcast on VBTV, and via WebEx. Citizens who wish to speak can sign up to speak either in-person at the Council Chamber or virtually via WebEx by completing the two-step process below. A Staff briefing session will be held at 9:00 a.m.. All interested parties are invited to observe.


Road work on Pleasure House Road starts tomorrow, Wednesday September 1
From official News Release:
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2021
VA Beach Public Works Announces Road Work on Pleasure House Road
Virginia Beach Public Works has announced that a road improvement project on Pleasure House Road will begin on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
The work will be on Pleasure House Road from Independence Boulevard to Northampton Boulevard – both northbound and southbound lanes.
The work will include milling, paving, and pavement marking improvements.
The work hours will begin at 7 p.m. each evening and end at 5 a.m. The project will likely produce traffic delays, congestion, and some construction noise.
Advanced warning signs will be clearly posted advising motorists of lane closures. Citizens are urged to use alternate traffic routes when possible.
All scheduled work is weather permitting. The project is scheduled to be completed by September 16, 2021.
Virginia Paving is the contractor for the project.
For additional information, please contact Dennis Simon at (757) 385-1470, or Lonnie Minson with Virginia Paving at (757) 675-8714. ### News Releases: VBgov.com/PW/News City of Virginia Beach | Public Works Department | Virginia Beach, VA 23456

“Resolution to AUTHORIZE the issuance of Residential Care Facility Revenue Bonds not to exceed $110-Million by the City of Virginia Beach Development Authority (VBDA) re Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay”
View public comment & discussion at City Council Formal Session that starts at about 1 hour 3 minutes.
View discussion at Virginia Beach Development Authority August 17th.
“Judge Anne Bonwill Shockley in late July, Shockley dismissed all but two of the seven counts brought by several condo associations against the City of Virginia Beach and Westminister-Canterbury.”
The judge did leave open the possibility for the condo owners’ legal team to amend one of their counts and come before the court again.
“It’s not over, not yet,” Jeanne Lauer, the attorney for the condo owners, said Tuesday.

Virginia cannot achieve this vision of coastal resilience without the cooperation and invaluable insight of coastal plain residents, localities, and stakeholders.
Planning Approach
To complete the first Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, and to lay the groundwork for future coastal adaptation and protection, we need your help. The Commonwealth is leading a coordinated public planning effort that leverages the creativity and ingenuity of our state’s many diverse coastal region communities to chart a comprehensive and inclusive path forward.

PLEASE TAKE NOW:
Flood Protection Program Funding Being Put to a Vote.Residents will vote on referendum during November General Election.
Learn more about this crucial vote at VBGOV.com:
Shall the City of Virginia Beach issue general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $567,500,000 pursuant to the City Charter and the Public Finance Act to fund the design and construction of flood mitigation measures as part of a comprehensive citywide flood protection program that includes the following Phase 1 projects:
Chubb Lake/Lake Bradford Outfall, Church Point/Thoroughgood Drainage Improvements, … , Eastern Shore Drive – Elevate Lynnhaven Drive, Eastern Shore Drive – Phase I, Section 1F Improvements, Eastern Shore Drive – Phase I, Section 1G Improvements, Eastern Shore Drive – Poinciana Pump Station …


Chubb Lake / Lake Bradford Area project at VBGOV.com .
Eastern Shore Drive – Phase I at VBGOV.com.

The newly formed Citizen Review Panel Task Force is seeking public comments on the issue of civilian oversight of law enforcement activities.
Residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinions at two public meetings to be held Monday, Aug. 9 and Monday Aug. 16 starting at 6 p.m. in building 19 at the Municipal Center, 2416 Courthouse Drive.
Community leaders invited by the task force will receive five minutes to speak. All other citizens will receive three minutes.