Category Archives: Quality of Life

Downloadable PDF’s of Phase 3 from VB Public Works

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Thanks to Bill Purcell, Project Manager of Phase 3, for the files for Phase 3.

View CIP Status Page of Phase 3.

View the downloadable PDFs of Phase 3 from VB Public Works at Google Drive here.

A screen shot pulled from each PDF file below.

Utilities PDF of Phase 3

Signals PDF of Phase 3

Roadway & Lighting PDF of Phase 3

Frontend PDF of Phase 3

MOTxs PDF of Phase 3

MOTPlans PDF of Phase 3

Planting Plan PDF Phase 3

One of the biggest challenges you might have heard is the requirement to maintain 4 lanes of traffic during construction of P3*.

*P3 = Phase 3

Public Works Presentation from Feb 2019 Meeting

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Thank to Bill Purcell & Dave Jarman from Public Works for coming out Monday night to present what’s happening on Shore Drive soon!

View SDDC 2019-02-25 Presentation.

An idea to preserve Pleasure House Point for environmental education made the press 16 years ago today.

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RESIDENTS ANNOUNCE PLAN TO BUY PLEASURE HOUSE POINT
Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) – Tuesday, February 25, 2003 Author: SCOTT HARPER THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Neighbors fighting plans for a large waterfront development on the Lynnhaven River are organizing an environmental foundation in hope of buying the 69-acre tract known as Pleasure House Point.

The foundation will solicit public and private money and seeks to preserve the property for environmental education, said Tim Solanic, an Ocean Park resident and a leader of the fledgling group.

Pleasure House Point, located just south of the Lesner Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay, is a former tidal marsh that was covered with sand dredged from the bottom of the Lynnhaven River in the 1970s.

Its owner, F. Wayne McLeskey Jr., one of Virginia Beach’s wealthiest businessmen, has tried to develop the property for years. His latest plans, filed in January, call for 1,776 high-rise apartments, condos and assisted-living housing, as well as a marina, yacht club, restaurant and putting green.

Solanic announced the plans Monday in front of a city regulatory board studying the environmental integrity of the project, called Lynnhaven Shores. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Board deferred any action for 60 days, at the request of McLeskey, who needs more time to provide information to the panel.

McLeskey has asked the board to approve 45 variances so construction can occur closer to the water’s edge than allowed under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, a state law.

The hearing Monday was attended by a handful of neighbors fighting the proposal. More than 100 residents attended a civic league meeting last week to discuss the plans, sign petitions and plot strategy for delaying or scaling back the size of Lynnhaven Shores.

The city has attempted to buy Pleasure House Point off of Shore Drive for years; it, too, wants to conserve the land, perhaps as a wetlands park, a native plant nursery or an oyster farm. But the asking price, at $25 million, has proved to be too steep, officials have said.

Solanic would not speculate whether the unnamed foundation can generate $25 million or how long it would take to raise so much money.

“We’re just getting started,” he said, noting that neighbors decided Saturday to form the organization.

Reach Scott Harper at sharper(AT)pilotonline.com or 446-2340.

Mr Harper sadly is no longer with us.

SDCC General Meeting and Special Presentation on Shore Drive Improvement Project – Monday Feb 25th at 7:30pm

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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

VB City Council Needs Your Input – Take A Planning Survey To Help – Deadline Friday Feb 8th!!!

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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.

VB 2019 Planning and Beyond

The Virginia Beach City Council is seeking residents’ input on what they believe should be the City’s goals and priorities. The feedback will help the Council plan for and allocate resources.
Deadline for participation in this survey is Friday, February 8, 2019.

Click here to take the survey

Baylines EXTRA from BAC

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Baylines Extra February 2019

Charles J. Bodnar and Sue E. Kriebel from Virginia Beach Public Works Department’s Stormwater Engineering Center, are scheduled to brief the Bayfront Advisory Commission on the Dewberry Sea Level Rise study at its February meeting.

We are also working on an event that includes Dewberry & VB Staff to discuss their work on sea level rise, storm water & nuisance flooding.

Join us!

Bayline February newsletter from BAC

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View Baylines February 2019 Edition.

It includes:

Strategic Plan briefing to be held

    The Bayfront Advisory Commission recommended that its officers meet city officials to forward and discuss the 2019 Strategic Plan. The plan lists highest priority project items
    • Funding Phase IV of Shore Drive improvements from the Lesner Bridge west to Shady Oaks Road
    • Water issues (stormwater drainage, Dewberry sea-level rise study, city marina development, city wharf/Osprey
    Park, pedestrian walkway under bridge from Vita Circle to Page Avenue.
    • Sand replenishment (Cape Henry, Ocean Park, Crab Creek)
    • Infill development (Future nature, look of the Bayfront; work with Planning on Comprehensive Plan revisions)
    • Landscape design of Route 13 and Shore Drive interchange.
    The plan also addresses high-priority communications items, monitoring ongoing concerns and liaisons, partnerships and city staff support.
    The full plan will be posted after city officials receive it. It was developed after citizen meetings, a BAC brain-storming retreat and committee consideration of the items. Ordinarily, the annual plan would have been forwarded to the council and city manager’s office in late summer/early fall. But with an unprecedented number of City Council seats up for election in November, the BAC agreed to wait until the new council was seated to bring the plan forward.

Monday Jan. 28th – SDCC General Meeting at 7:30pm

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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.***

Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) Presents 2019-2020 Plan to City Council and Staff

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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.

 

City’s Dewberry Study on Sea Level Rise and Flooding Recommends Average $3.0 Billion Worth of Solutions

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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

Dewberry presentation to City Council from Jan 15th ’19 Informal Session

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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.

We thought you might be interested in a simple step to help move a bill that will help increase residential and commercial tree canopy throughout VA, in the name of water quality improvement and flood mitigation.

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From Tanner:

Delegate Keam’s proposed tree canopy Bill HB 2333 is something we have been looking forward to for some time.

View Bill HB 2333 here.

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

Baylines January newsletter from BAC

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View Baylines January 2019 Edition.

News includes:

Bayfront Advisory Commission volunteers needed
Citizens and businesses interest in volunteering on BAC committees, tasks forces and special subcommittees should communicate their interest to Scott Ayers, BAC vice chairman, via the commission’s email address, bayfrontadvisorycommissionvb@gmail.com. Please indicate any special skills that you would bring to the commission’s efforts as well as your contact information

And much more!

VB City Public Schools and CBF are partnering on a new environmental science program for high school students, which will be based at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center in OCEAN PARK PEOPLE!

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What is the goal of the new environmental studies program at Virginia Beach City Public Schools, which will use the new classroom?
The Environmental Studies Program will empower students to broaden their understanding of sustainability and the environment by using the Brock Center and surrounding natural community, implementing environmental service learning projects, and integrating interdisciplinary instruction.

Learn more.

Dream impossible dreams & work on them because sometime they DO in fact come true!

SDCC General Meeting Monday Dec 17th at 7:30pm – Special Presentation “Bayside Rec Center”

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Please note the meeting is this Monday.  I apologize for the short notice, the advanced date for the meeting due to holidays snuck up on me.  Click here for a printable version of the agenda 12.17.18 SDCC Agenda

SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday December 17, 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 – Bayside Recreation Center
Mr. C.J. Gajan, City of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Department, will inform us of all the amazing activities and opportunities the Bayside Rec Center has to offer. Did you know if you are a group retiree or part of Medicare you may be eligible for a “No Cost” membership? Come learn about the many programs and ask C.J. any questions you may have about this amazing City amenity.

Officer’s Reports: Secretary – Kathleen Damon; Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic; Vice President – Wally Damon;
President – Todd Solomon

Old Business-
Lesner Bridge Replacement – The official ribbon cutting dedication ceremony for the completion of the bridge was held on Wednesday Dec. 12th. Check out the amazing photos taken by Tim Solanic on our website http://www.sdcc.info

Sea Level Rise & ASERT Meetings – Dewberry, continues to assist Public Works in the long term potential solutions/planning for the four major watersheds in the City: 1) Atlantic Ocean and Vicinity 2) Lynnhaven Inlet 3) Elizabeth River 4) Southern Watersheds. Analysis uses a combination of the EPA software and MIKE21, another dynamic modeling tool primarily used for the Southern Watersheds that includes analysis for wind based tides. The ASERT program – Action-oriented Stakeholder Engagement for a Resilient Tomorrow, had many Open-House offerings this past winter. There are many different strategies, some of which could include larger scale Dredging, Seawalls and Tide Gate structures. City Council will be reviewing these strategies in the January/February 2019 timeframe and then will re-engage the ASERT meetings with the public following that review.

Short Term Rentals (STRs) – The Planning Commission on Wed. Dec. 12th approved a list of regulations and code changes regarding STRs. These changes will be sent to City Council for review and approval. The City Council hearing date has not been set. Some of the highlights (Conditional Use Permits for new STRs; Two contracts per seven day period; Minimum one on-site parking spot per bedroom with overflow parking off street only)

New Business –
Pleasure House Point (PHP) Wetlands Mitigation Bank – Updates regarding the upcoming project that will convert parts of PHP into wetlands. Learn about plans for the parking lot, walkways, live oak tree removals.

Shore Drive Community Coalition Future – In preparation for the start of a new year, we will discuss ideas for the future of SDCC. Will new leaders step forward to help continue? Is cutting back to quarterly meetings a possibility? Would a website presence with emergency meetings model work? Let’s bounce some ideas around.

Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.

***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday January 28, 2019***

 

#LESNERBRIDGE Ribbon Cutting yesterday at beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility

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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!

“Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement Wednesday in the sustainable Brock Environmental Center”

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View article at Pilotonline.com:

He proposed dedicating $90 million each year starting in fiscal 2020 to a cost-sharing program to help farmers make their properties more environmentally friendly and a one-time $50 million deposit into the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund. The plans require General Assembly approval.

[Emphasis ours.]

More about Stormwater Local Assistance Fund here.

Wed. Dec. 12th at Noon – VB Planning Commission Public Comment on Short Term Rentals (STRs)

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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.

 

 

#LESNERBRIDGE update about paving from Project Manager

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ConCamScrnShotNov27

Screen shot of construction cam on Nov 27 ’18 at noon.

Update from email:

Folks,

We are at a point where the last of the surface pavement is ready to be placed on the project. Beginning at on Tuesday, 11/27/2018 paving work will take place on WB Shore Drive between Page Avenue and East Stratford Road and is expected to be completed by 11/29/18. Since nighttime temperatures are expected to be below 40°F, this work will take place during the day between the hours of 9:00AM and 3:00PM. The paving schedule is as follows:

11/27/2018, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
WB Shore Drive between the Bridge and East Stratford Road (in front of 3556 On The Bay Condominiums)
Pave the LEFT TURN lane and the INSIDE thru lane on Shore Drive

11/28/2018, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
WB Shore Drive between the Bridge and East Stratford Road (in front of 3556 On The Bay Condominiums)
Complete paving of the INSIDE thru land on Shore Drive then pave the OUTSIDE thru lane on Shore Drive and East Stratford Road (between Chesapeake House and 3556 On The Bay Condominiums)
WB Shore Drive between Page Avenue and the Bridge (in front of Overture Apartments)
Pave the INSIDE thru lane

11/29/2018, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
WB Shore Drive between the Bridge and East Stratford Road (in front of 3556 On The Bay Condominiums)
Place permanent pavement markings
WB Shore Drive between Page Avenue and the Bridge (in front of Overture Apartments)
Pave the OUTSIDE thru lane

11/30/2018, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
WB Shore Drive between Page Avenue and the Bridge (in front of Overture Apartments)
Place permanent pavement markings

This schedule may change due to weather.

Please drive carefully when travelling this portion of Shore Drive!

-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

Trees are the answer for Overture at the Lesner Bridge

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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.

The property will NOT be developed.  Thanks to all who helped make this happen.

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