Learn more at VBGov.com about YOUR role in shaping the Comprehensive Plan.
Download Comp Plan slide show. (PowerPoint is 7.9MB)
Contact info for Mr Mark Shea Comprehensive Planning Coordinator (757) 385-2908 or meshea@vbgov.com.
Category Archives: News
Open House Public Meeting to be held by the Virginia Beach Public Works Department for the Lake Bradford/Chubb Lake CIP (CIP 7-053).
The meeting will be held on Thursday, November 14th from 6:00-7:30pm at the Bayside Recreation Center at 4500 First Court Road.
Official Lake Bradford & Lake Chubb Stormwater page at VBGov.com.
Lake Bradford & Lake Chubb Stormwater
Project Manager contact info:
Matthew Richardson, P.E.
Project Manager
Department of Public Works
Stormwater Engineering Center
City of Virginia Beach
mrichardson@vbgov.com
Phone: (757) 385-8005
Thanks to Mr Richardson for the email of Open House & CIP details!
SDCC General Meeting – Mon Sept 30th at 7:30pm – Special Presentation on City’s Comprehensive Plan
Click here for a printable version of the agenda – 9.30.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday September 30, 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 –
City to Begin Comprehensive Plan Update
The City has to update its Comprehensive Plan every 5 years and will be seeking public input. Mr. Mark Shea, City of VB Comprehensive Planning Coordinator, will provide background on the Comp Plan, the update process and how the residents can have input into its modifications. He will have a Q&A after the presentation. SDCC meetings are open to the all, so bring a friend, we have cookies.
Officer’s Reports:
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Service for this year stops Sunday Sept 29th at Midnight. We will try to share ridership numbers for the months of May through August to compare with past years.
Hurricane Dorian Impacts – What type of impact did your residents see? How did the Cape Henry Beach sand replenishment hold up? Did Ocean Park Beach lose all of its protection? Was tidal flooding a concern?
Cape Henry Shore Entrance Safety Issue – The entrance/exit to CHS at intersection of Kendall and Shore Drive is being discussed in social media. There has been an increase in accidents and near misses and the residents are asking the City Traffic Engineers to once again look at fixes for this area.
New Business –
Ocean Park Beach Sand Replenishment – The City plans to replenish OP beach in 2020 and has submitted a proposed permit modification to the Army Corps of Engineers to allow the sand to be taken from the Chesapeake Beach Shoals Burrow Area. https://www.nao.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/1954541/nao-2017-01269/
Tidal Sluice Gates Automatic Operation Broken – The tidal sluice gates installed east of the Lesner Bridge have had their automatic operation temporarily disabled. The components haven’t been working correctly so they have been removed/disabled until a fix is found. Unfortunately this means the gates will have to be operated manually by Public Works during storm events. Call 385-1470 during a storm event.
New Online Weather App – A new online weather app has been found very helpful during storm events. The app can be found at www.Windy.com and has also been linked on the www.SDCC.info/safety page. It provides rainfall predictions, wind speeds and directions, tidal information and other interesting details.
Electric Scooters – At their Sept meeting, the Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) took an official position to prohibit the operation of eScooters in the Bayfront area at this time. SDCC should discuss this and take a similar position in support of the BAC decision. Be prepared to discuss and vote.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday October 28, 2019***
E-Cycling and Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Saturday Sept. 28th from 9am to Noon at Virginia Aquarium
Click here to read the entire notice
Fall E-Cycling Event Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to Noon
Fall cleaning is a great time toget rid of those old electroinics. The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, in partnership with Goodwill Industries, Virginia Beach Public Works and TFC Recycling, will offer its semi-annual E-cycling event Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. – noon at the Virginia Aquarium East Parking Lot. There is no fee to drop off items, but donations are always appreciated
Acceptable personal electronic recyclable items include:
Personal computers and laptops
Telephones, cell phones and PDA’s
Printers
Circuit boards and components
Monitors and flat screens
Fax machines
Stereo equipment and game systems
Regular recycling materials such as newspapers, bottles and cans will also be accepted.
***Note that cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) cannot be accepted***
Acceptable household hazardous waste items include:
Up to five gallons of liquids or up to 75 pounds of dry materials
Aerosol spray cans
Automotive fluids
Batteries: Boat, Car, Camera, Cell phone, Hearing aid, Lead acid, Lithium, Rechargeable, Trucks
Herbicides
Household cleaners
Gasoline (up to 5 gallons)
Fertilizer
Pool chemicals
Light bulbs – small quantities of CFLs or fluorescent tubes
Oil and water based paint
Pesticides
Propane tanks (small – up to 20 lb. capacity)
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Releases “Surging Waters” Study With Focus on Virginia Beach
According to a recent article in the Virginian-Pilot,
“Yet again Hampton Roads is being singled out by a national group as an example of the perils of rising seas. This time, it’s in a report from the American Geophysical Union that urges investment in science to find solutions to flooding caused by climate change.”
The entire article can be found here https://www.pilotonline.com/news/environment/vp-nw-agu-flooding-report-20190924-xp2wqsahtzgwrej5drc2d5pls4-story.html
You can also read the AGU’s report by clicking this link. The section that discusses Virginia Beach starts on page 36. Click here to go straight to the report https://scienceisessential.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/09/Surging_Waters_credits_pages_web.pdf
Driftwood Arch at Brock Center Burns Down Friday Sept 20th
The popular and often photographed driftwood arch burnt down on Friday Sept. 20th. You can read about the incident in the Virginian-Pilot article at this link https://www.pilotonline.com/news/vp-nw-drifwood-arch-20190920-ejge63ggfjg6nn4gnzdls3gpn4-story.html
You can also see the story covered by Wavy TV 10 here https://www.wavy.com/news/driftwood-arch-at-brock-environmental-center-goes-up-in-flames/
KING TIDE October 27, 2019 Get Out and Track It
Learn more at KingTide.WHRO.org:
Volunteer Opportunities
Ready to help? Sign up to be a (Volunteer) King Tide Mapper, King Tide Captain, or Tide Watcher.
And:
Hundreds more of you mapped again in 2018 along with lots of other first-time volunteers and many students from science classrooms throughout Hampton Roads.
Now, in year 3, we’re gearing up for even-bigger things. We’d like to beat our 2017 record and build momentum toward 1,000 volunteers in 2020. We also welcome you to join one of our newly forming year-round mapping teams.
September Baylines from Bayfront Advisory Committee
View September 2019 Baylines Newsletter:
Next Meeting
Thursday, September 19, 2019 3:30 p.m.
Bayside Community Recreation Center
4500 First Court
***NOTE NEW LOCATION***
Lots & lots of news including:
Dredging ran out of Cape Henry sand, officials studying options
The sand replenishment project on Cape Henry Beach wrapped up short of reaching Oak Street because the contractor ran out of sand from dredging out the Lynnhaven Inlet, BAC commission member Phillip A. Davenport reported to the commission. “Nourishment is complete.”
Army Corps of Engineers’ contractors are still dredging in Long Creek and the spoils are being taken to the storage site off Maple Street. Dredging and replenishment projects involve specific sources for sand and destinations. The contract for the Cape Henry project ended Aug. 30., although city officials are looking at whether the stored sand on Maple Street can be used on eroded areas of Ocean Park or to add to the Cape Henry beach.
Decisions on that will depend on how Bay beaches fared during Hurricane Dorian.
Photo taken Saturday Sept 7 ’19 508pm. High tide was 456pm here.
“Looking like the storm surge and Friday afternoon’s high tide (4 pm here in Norfolk) will coincide – unfortunately.”
Periodically we share updates from some really hard workers.
From an email by Skip Stiles of Wetlands Watch:
Looking like the storm surge and Friday afternoon’s high tide (4 pm here in Norfolk) will coincide – unfortunately. Wind from the NE starts cranking at noon Friday around 30 MPH. 1.5″ of rain on Thurs will be followed by another ~4.5 inches on Friday. Unfortunate coincidence of events.
Newest word from Jeff Orrock at NWS Wakefield is that the tidal waters are likely to hit 6.5 – 7 feet. That’s somewhere between Matthew (6 feet above Mean Lowe Low water) and Irene at 7.6 feet. Plan on 7 feet and hope for less? But the rain will be an issue on all those poorly draining streets and those places where stormwater lines bring water back up into the neighborhood.
Closings are already happening – ODU just announced a Friday closure.
ON THURSDAY – put your cars up somewhere higher if your street floods. Looks like we’ll get a pass on the wind – 30 MPH.
ON FRIDAY – stay home
…except you, Jeff. Thanks for the long hoursSo – Friday afternoon flooding will be bad = tidal flooding up to 7′ (getting close to Irene), rain flooding will be bad everywhere. Wind will not be that strong but downed trees limbs will be a reality. Kids will probably get the day off Friday, so stay home if you can.
Skip
(yes, I know it says 6.2 feet on this chart but if you’re smart you’ll plan for higher because it will probably go closer to 7′)
Update on Broad Bay Channel Dredging with Deposit on Maple St. Spoils Site
The following is an email update from the US Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager regarding the Broad Bay Channel Dredging.
It is my understanding that the material being dredged from Broad Bay Channel with placement in Maple St. is beach quality sand. Historical maintenance dredging from Broad Bay Channel has been beach quality sand and based on recent site visits I have no reason to believe otherwise. I was out at the site last week and the material looked great for use as emergency sand on the Bayfront. A couple of pictures are attached for reference of the sand that is being stockpiled there currently.
The water in the site may look cloudy which may cause confusion and create the appearance of a lack of beach quality sand. This is just attributed to the slurry mixture of material that is created during the dredging operations. The sandy material settles out of the slurry leaving the quality sand in the site while the effluent water exits the site. We have been testing the effluent water while the Contractor has been working in Maple St. Tests have shown that the Contractor is within the effluent State water quality threshold requirements. The Contractor is currently letting the site dewater and will begin pumping into Maple St. again later this week as they continue dredging in Broad Bay Channel on the west side of the Bay Island/Great Neck Bridges.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Regards,
Chris
Christopher B. Tolson
Design Section, Operations Branch
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Office: (757) 201-7012
City of Virginia Beach Asks for Citizen Input on eScooters – Take City Survey
E-scooters are a new shared mobility service in Virginia Beach that offer an additional transportation option for residents and guests. Data from your survey participation will add to the community’s voice in establishing policy that properly aligns the business of e-scooters with Virginia Beach’s expectations.
This survey will be open through Tuesday, 9/3/19.
Click here to take the City’s survey on eScooters – https://publicinput.com/E-Scooters
City Council Votes to Ban eScooters at Oceanfront
City Council voted this Tuesday to ban the use of eScooters (Lime, Bird, etc.) east of Artic Ave. For more details you can read about it in this Virginian-Pilot article
Citizen Input Still Sought Regarding Sea Level Rise Plan – Take a Survey to Help
In addition the recent public input meetings held by the City of Virginia Beach, the City is asking citizens to take an online survey to help capture your ideas and comments on the Draft Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding Plan. The survey can be found at the following link. Please feel free to share this survey with anyone else that may live or work in Virginia Beach.
Click here or on the image above to access the survey https://sites.wp.odu.edu/asert/vb2019/
City Seeks Citizen Input on Active Transporation Plan
The City is asking citizens to participate in an online survey by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department on its 2020 “Active Transportation Plan.” The plan will focus on promoting safety and accessibility of walking and bicycling in Virginia Beach. The survey invites residents to provide feedback on their bicycling and walking habits, and it also includes an interactive map that will help determine where the greatest needs exists for a pedestrian and bicycle network throughout the city. To access the survey, click here https://tooledesign.github.io/5538.02_VAB_participation_map/
Dredging of Inlet and Replenishment of Cape Henry Beach Complete. Dredging of Broad Bay Channel Started
The following is taken from an email update provided by the project coordinator….
It does not look like the Contractor will make it to Oak Street given the remaining volume they have in the turning basin in the re-dredge areas. Will have a better idea of things when I receive their daily report from today’s operations. They are quickly finishing up these areas and following the Government’s acceptance of the dredging work (may take about a week plus a couple of days max), will remove pipeline from Cape Henry Beach and be complete with this placement area.
Long Creek dredging will not be a part of this contract. We have a few dredging areas within Broad Bay Channel. The material from these dredging areas will be going to our upland placement site at Maple St. The site has been prepped to receive material and dredge pipeline is in place to being dredging in Broad Bay Channel. These operations will begin soon following the Contractor’s completion of dredging in the Basin. This will be 24/7 operations with specifications that the contractor, to the maximum extent practicable, limit or try to reduce noise from 7PM – 7AM.
There will be a dredge pipeline in Long Creek to transport dredged material from the Broad Bay Channel dredging areas, but this will be the only thing operational in Long Creek.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Chris
Christopher B. Tolson
Design Section, Operations Branch
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Office: (757) 201-7012
Milling and Paving Started – Shore Drive Between Greenwell Rd and Lesner Bridge
Virginia Beach Public Works has announced that crews began roadway improvements on Shore Drive beginning Sunday, August 11, 2019.
The project will include milling, paving and pavement marking improvements which will begin on Shore Drive, both eastbound and westbound lanes, from Greenwell Road to the Lesner Bridge
Crews will be working beginning at 7 p.m. and will end at 5 a.m. each day.
The project is expected to be completed by Friday, September 20, 2019.
The milling and paving operation is likely to 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.
Virginia Paving is the contractor for the project. For additional information, please contact Lonnie Minson with Virginia Paving at (757) 675-8714, or Dennis Simon at (757) 385-1470.
To read the official City news release, click here Shore Drive – Greenwell to Lesner – August 2019
CBF Seeks Community Input for Proposed New School Building – Tues July 30th at 7pm
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will be holding a public input session at their upcoming community meeting at the Brock Center to gather input on their proposed new classroom building. The proposal is scheduled to go before the City’s Planning Commission on Wed Aug 14th. Input can be made at CBF’s meeting on Tuesday July 30th, see below.
How will the community be involved in the process?
CBF will seek local input on the proposed classroom in several ways, including hosting public discussions at the Brock Center, and holding meetings with community leaders, civic associations, and other community groups.
CBF’s next community meeting will be held at the Brock Center on Tuesday, July 30, from 7-9:00 p.m. Individuals can also provide input by contacting CBF Brock Center Manager Chris Gorri directly at cgorri@cbf.org.
Additional information can be found at https://sdcc.info/2019/01/01/vb-city-public-schools-and-cbf-are-partnering-on-a-new-environmental-science-program-for-high-school-students-which-will-be-based-at-cbfs-brock-environmental-center-in-ocean-park-people/
And from the following documents supplied by City Planning Department
BROCK CUP EXHIBIT-CUP – RENDERED
Monday July 29th @7:30pm SDCC Presentation – Lime Scooters at the Bayfront – 2nd/3rd Precinct Police Captains Will Discuss
Lime Scooters have made there way on to the Shore Drive landscape. Social media has blown up with comments praising and condemning them. The Virginian-Pilot recently discussed the resulting impact of scooters with an increase in hospital injury visits https://pilotonline.com/news/local/article_747ba370-ad59-11e9-b1d1-4b34e57df79f.html
Police Precinct Captains Wichtendahl-2nd and Hatfield-3rd have graciously offered to attend our Monday July 29th SDCC meeting to talk to us about our concerns. They will also provide the current City requirements governing electric scooters in the Bayfront area. They will also update us on any City plans regarding the their future.
So if you have questions about rules of operation, parking requirements, who to call with problems, what can and can’t be done to regulate them, what can be done to make them safer for users and the community. Please come out Monday evening to discuss.
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 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)
SDCC General Meeting – Monday July 29th at 7:30pm – Lime Scooter Presentation
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 7.29.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 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 – Lime Scooters and Their Operation in the Bayfront Area
Police Precinct Captains Reo Hatfield-3rd and Shannon Wichtendahl-2nd will discuss the recent inundation of electric scooters along Shore Drive. Come find out What is and isn’t legal for their operation? Does the City plan to regulate their operation? Who can residents and business owners call with issues? Where can electric scooters be legally operated? These and other questions you may have will be addressed.
Officer’s Reports:
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Cape Henry Beach Replenishment – We have asked the USACE project manager for an update on project. Issues, Estimated Completion Date, etc.
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – The City never responded to the community request to take over the event, so as a result the show did not happen this year.
Shore Drive Improvements in Ocean Park – Updates and estimated completion date will be discussed.
New Business –
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Service will continue to operate until the end of September. HRT and the City have shared ridership numbers for May and June. We will discuss.
Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) – An urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives (usually 75%) and technical and educational assistance to property owners. SDCC is working with local VCAP organizers to have a presentation at our August meeting.
Dewberry Report Sea Level Rise and Stormwater – Community forums have been rescheduled. The remaining four meeting are listed below and more information can be found on our website. * are closest for Bayfront residents.
Monday, July 29, 6-8 PM — Creeds Elementary School, 920 Princess Anne Rd
*Tuesday, July 30, 6-8 PM — Thalia Elementary School, 421 Thalia Drive
Wednesday, July 31, 6-8 PM — Kellam High School, 2665 West Neck Road
*Saturday, August 3, 10 AM – 12 PM — Cox High School, 2425 Shorehaven Drive
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday August 26, 2019***
New Sea Level Rise (SLR) Meetings Scheduled – Please Attend One To Make Your Voice Heard
City of Virginia Beach — Comprehensive Flooding Response Plan Meetings
Four Meetings, Each in a Different Area of the City
The City Wants Your Input
When it comes to Sea Level Rise…
What actions can we take as a community?
City Staff Members are teaming up with ODU to get your input at a series of community meetings!
What will you learn?
What is your flood risk?
What are the options for city wide response?
What can you do on your property that could help?
Hear about what the city is considering.
Give the City Your Opinion!
There will be interactive information plus children’s activities
and a drawing for a $50 and a $25 Amazon Gift Card
Meetings in red below are closest for Bayfront residents
Monday, July 29, 6-8 PM — Creeds Elementary School, 920 Princess Anne Rd
Tuesday, July 30, 6-8 PM — Thalia Elementary School, 421 Thalia Drive
Wednesday, July 31, 6-8 PM — Kellam High School, 2665 West Neck Road
Saturday, August 3, 10 AM – 12 PM — Cox High School, 2425 Shorehaven Drive
Can’t come in person? Participate online at http://shorturl.at/chKO8
Find out more about the flooding response plan at www.vbgov.com/pwslr
Email questions and comments to SLR-comments@vbgov.com
#WeLoveShoreDrive 