Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles data shows just this year, there were three pedestrian-involved crashes on Shore Drive, one of which ended with a fatality. “I hope that we actually see some action on these throughout the city… because safety is the biggest priority, I think within all of our communities,” Murphy said.
Some dangerous choices pedestrians get to make navigating this. How is blocking safe pedestrians access approriate!?
That blockade to pedestrians & cyclists to safely navigate is at southeast corner of Shore Drive & Pleasure House Road where there is NO contiguous sidewalks on north side of Shore Drive. Minimum of dozens of pedestrians & cyclists commute through this area daily.
PRESENTATIONS/PROJECT BRIEFINGS 1) Skip the Stuff Presentation by Molly Jones and Lexi Bradshaw 2) Update from JLL re: beach access at Westminster Canterbury by Amanda Logsdon 3) Cape Henry Trail update from David Plum
OPVRS = Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad. Please enter at door opposite Shore Drive.
Also it seems WCCB is closer to guarantee their controversial approved beach walkway maintenance & probable rebuild since “we have reviewed the plans and are in support of the design as proposed”. Previously on this website.
Mr. Morrison spoke with Morgan Whayland from Virginia Natural Gas and provided her with the Shore Drive Corridor Plan and Design Guidelines to assist with their re-planting efforts at their property on Shore Drive. o VNG will share the planting plan with BAC when it is completed
Change 1: Route 35 Trolley
Change headways from 60 minutes to 30 minutes daily between May and Neptune Fest.
Headways were changed to 60 minutes for FY24. This change returns Route 35 to previous service levels
Additional revenue hour change: 3,741 hours (97% increase to FY25
Cost for FY24: $183,626.00 BAC supported the proposed change to 30 minute headways, but stipulated that the line needs to be promoted for use by locals, employees, and tourists.
⬆️ Greats news!
Some dangerous choices pedestrians get to make navigating this. 😐
You are receiving this message because you are a civic league or HOA president in a neighborhood in close proximity to Shore Drive in District 9.
As you may recall, due to inflation, supply and labor challenges, stormwater requirements, and other factors, the estimated cost to complete the projects in our Capital Improvement Program grew by nearly $180MM as the Council considered the 2023-2024 Budget. Consequently, the Council made the difficult decision to delay/defer several roadway projects, including Shore Drive Phase IV (Marlin Bay Drive to the Lesner Bridge) and Pleasure House Road Phase II (Shore Drive to Lookout Road). Money that was originally budgeted for these projects was redirected to other projects (like Shore Drive Phase III, to the east of the Lesner Bridge) in order to lessen the impact of additional cost escalations, because they were closer-in-time to construction.
Over the last 7 months, I’ve been working with City Staff to impress upon them the importance of these projects to our residents – and I’ve been challenging them to find ways to re-resource these projects so that they do not slip further away from us in both time and projected cost.
Thankfully, the City is set to realize about $20MM in proceeds from the sale of easements to Dominion Energy for their Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, and Staff is recommending that nearly half of those proceeds be appropriated to Shore Drive Phase IV ($6.98MM) and to Pleasure House Road Phase II ($1.36MM). Although we still have a ways to go to get these projects fully-funded, this is a very significant development because it gets us back on track after the setback we experienced earlier this year. We are also working on some interim pedestrian safety improvements along Shore Drive that are meant to last until Phase IV is constructed. These funds will help with this initiative as well.
The reason I am contacting you is because the appropriation of these sale proceeds requires the passage of an ordinance with the affirmative vote of a majority of the Council. There will be a public hearing about the appropriation of these funds tomorrow night at 6pm during our City Council’s formal session. The Council will vote on the ordinance and the appropriations at our November 21st meeting.
While I do not think we need speakers at the public hearing or for the vote on the 21st, I think it would be extremely helpful if your organizations would consider sending a letter to the Council supporting the ordinance and the appropriations made therein. You can feel free to send a letter on your organization’s letterhead, and you can also encourage your residents to email the Council at citycouncil@vbgov.com to voice their individual support. Additionally, if you have relationships with other members of the Council, I would encourage you to express your support to them as well.
A copy of the public hearing notice, some background information and the ordinance itself are attached for your reference.
If you have any questions, or require additional information, please let me know.
Thank you!
Joash
Joashua F. “Joash” Schulman VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL District 9 Representative
NEW BUSINESS 1) Proposed HRT Transportation Service Plan (TSP) for FY25 – Proposed service adjustments for Bayfront HRT lines and requested changes for Route 35 Trolley.
The Public Workshops will consist of a short recap presentation on themes developed in the Focus Groups and the Vision Mapping process. We will then proceed to break out into small groups to provide more direct, specific feedback on each of the draft themes. The Vision Map will take the draft themes of balanced growth, sustainability, connectivity, diversity, and wellbeing, and apply them to areas of the city to create a framework of how the city should grow and develop over time. There will be an interactive planning exercise in our small groups.
The workshops will be held at these times and locations:
Saturday, November 4th at 2pm: College Park Elementary School Cafeteria – 1110 Bennington Road
Monday, November 6th at 6pm: Kellam High School Cafeteria – 2665 West Neck Road
Wednesday, November 8th at 6pm: Bayside Recreation Center – 4500 First Court Road
Thursday, November 9th at 6pm: Virginia Beach Convention Center, Suite 3 (2nd Floor; Middle of the Building) – 1009 19th Street
There is no need to RSVP to these workshops. We estimate this meeting to run about 1.5 to 2 hours. Please pass along the information to your friends, family, neighborhoods, colleagues, youth groups, civic leagues, faith groups, etc.
The more engagement we have from the community in this process, the better the plan will be! City Staff and the Consultant Team are eager to hear from as many residents as possible, so we hope to see you there!
As always, for more information or if you have any outstanding questions, please reach out to me at RacMiller@vbgov.com or Hank Morrison, the Comprehensive Planning Administrator, at JMorrison@vbgov.com.
You are aware about the reality of sea level rise(SLR) correct?
Mistakes were made! This is how many mistakes were made.This was VIOLATED Thursday night and Friday.
Coincidentally, the VNG Director of Government Affairs made a Presentation Tuesday. Councilman Schulman asked her about the needless destruction, lack of respect by VNG and how to move forward having discussions how VNG, a PUBLIC utility is going to fix this.
Thanks to Mickey Toll, owner of Chesapeake Tree Service, for explaining that the larger live oak pieces being cut down will be hauled away by North Landing Firewood & Hauling Inc and milled for USE AS LUMBER for furniture & other potential uses well beyond mulch & firewood. Hooray!
Phil Pullen from Public Works informed me that his team will be presenting on the Shore Drive Projects at next month’s BAC meeting. …He also informed me that they are still scoping out the interim sidewalk improvements and will have a cost/schedule for the improvements soon. The attached status report will be placed on the BAC webpage by the end of the week.
As summer draws to a close, there is no better way to conclude this season of growth, connection, and adventure than by giving the gift of life. Donating blood is a small sacrifice that yields a profound impact, resonating far beyond the confines of a single moment. Your decision to donate blood is a reminder that compassion knows no season, and your gesture will serve as a beacon of hope for those in need.
Two victims, one juvenile and one adult, were struck by gunshots, but were driven to the hospital before officers arrived on scene.
Gunshots 140am Saturday, fortunately not at time of this photo. Also fortunate, both victims expected to recover. Screenshot of coverage pulled offline.
There is some cleanup to do at the beach and the contractor is completing the construction of the perimeter dike at the DMMA site. The cleanup and equipment removal at the beach should wrap up this week. The perimeter dike at the DMMA site will be completed by mid-August.
Facts about the project: +Sand hauling to Cape Henry Beach began on May 2, 2023 +Sand hauling to Cape Henry Beach was completed on July 26, 2023 +Cape Henry beach was nourished between the Point Chesapeake +Condominium gazebo and just west of the Jade St beach access (approximately 1,800ft in length) +Volume of sand placed within the Cape Henry Beach project limits = 70,200cys (or 38cys/ft) +Number of trucks that hauled the sand = 5,220 +Average trucks per day = 93 +Average volume of sand transported in a single truck load = 13.5cys +The base elevation at the DMMA site is +10ft above sea level +The highest elevation at the DMMA site prior to the start of construction was +35ft above sea level +The new sand perimeter dike at the DMMA site will have a crest elevation of between +15ft and +18ft above sea level
#WeLoveShoreDrive 