Category Archives: Safety

City’s holiday plans for Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility. “We can understand how frustrating this situation is for you and your neighbors.”

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Email from City Managers Office:

Thank you […] for reaching out as we navigate the upcoming holiday weekend. It is our hope that the information below addresses your concerns. We can understand how frustrating this situation is for you and your neighbors. We’ve worked to collaborate on a high-level synopsis of how the City is preparing for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer in general as it relates to the Shore Drive area and Bay Beaches.

We are excited to kick off the summer season welcoming locals and visitors alike to safely enjoy our many beautiful beaches and waterways. As always, City Departments have been planning months ahead of time in anticipation of the 2025 summer season.

What is the Public Safety plan for Memorial Day Weekend?

Police: The Virginia Beach Police Department is committed to proactively addressing the concerns surrounding the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. Following an incident in March, Captain Gordon attended an Ocean Park Civic League meeting with Director Kirschman from Parks and Recreation. This engagement allowed us to hear directly from residents about their concerns and share our constructive response. In response to the community feedback, we have significantly increased our patrols in the area, asking officers to remain visible for a period of time when circumstances allow. This includes patrol officers completing paperwork on-site of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp from prior calls for service which also enhance their presence within the community.

To further discourage any issues, we’ve strategically placed a police vehicle in the parking lot on occasions, serving as a visible deterrent. Additionally, the 3rd Precinct has conducted musters (shift roll calls) in the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Parking lot which also increases visibility. Our Traffic Safety Unit has assisted with increased presence to ensure smoother traffic flow and enhance safety around the boat ramp. We have also intensified parking enforcement to effectively address violations. The feedback from the community meeting has been encouraging, demonstrating that our increased efforts are appreciated. We have also communicated our initiatives to those who couldn’t attend via outreach from the Ocean Park Civic League president. Since the March incident and the resulting increase in our presence, we are pleased to note that no further issues have been reported to the department.

Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, we are deploying officers on ATVs, UTVs, and a Motor Carrier unit as additional resources for traffic management and beach oversight. Our marine unit, in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Police and Virginia Conservation Police, are resources that we can call upon to address boating violations. In addition, cameras at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp are being monitored by the VBPD Real Time Crime Center. We will do our best to monitor and address conditions at the boat ramp as they arise, realizing that this will be an incredibly busy weekend for the city with a significant number of events in all four precincts that will draw upon our finite resources.

Emergency Medical Services: through the Chesapeake Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad and Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, will have EMS personnel conducting ATV/UTV safety patrols on the beaches at various times throughout the summer.
In addition, the EMS Marine Rescue Team conducts weekend marine patrols off the beaches and in city waterways throughout the summer on Fridays through Sundays.

Emergency Communications & Citizen Services: ECCS is staffed 24/7/365 for informational calls, non-emergency reporting, and 9-1-1 Emergency Services.
Information: 3-1-1 or 757-385-3111
Non-emergency: 757-385-5000
Emergency: 9-1-1

Fire: Fire is upstaffing to ensure Fire boats will be staffed for the holiday weekend and most weekends throughout the summer.

How will the City address Waste Management on our beaches, boat ramps, and parks throughout the weekend?

Public Works Beach Operations | Beaches
Beach Operations is operating under normal conditions.
Regular service for all beach waste containers (barrels) is being provided at beach entrances and those on the sand.
Service for these containers occurs each morning around 5:30 a.m.
Should Beach Ops receive prior notification of a large unauthorized party on the beach, they will arrange to have roll-off containers for beachgoers to utilize.

Parks and Recreation | Boat Ramps and Parks
Boat Ramp staff are onsite from 5:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Service for the ramp’s dumpster is provided by a contracted commercial waste hauler and performed on a set schedule. If needed, they can request a special pick-up.
Parks Staff will be actively checking all parks and ensuring that waste containers are serviced as needed.

Public Works Waste Management | Residential Household Waste
Waste and Recycling Collection Services for the residential homes in the Shore Drive/Bay Beach areas occur on Wednesday.
To find when your next recycling service day will be, visit https://VirginiaBeach.gov/wastemgt and use the “Find My Trash Day” tool.
For service day reminders, residents can sign up to receive text or email notifications at VB Connect
To report a miss in service (trash, recycling, bulky or yard waste), residents can create a Service Request at https://vb311.virginiabeach.gov/assist/servicetypes

What happens if the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Reaches Maximum Capacity 

Ramp Signage: Parks and Recreation (PAR) will change all four ramp signs to full to indicate no availability. These are drop down “full” signs located on Shore Drive in the east and west bound directions.
Staff at Entrance: PAR will place two staff members at the entrance to the boat ramp, equipped with radios for communication. Staff are there to assist with the notification to boaters that the ramp is full and to continue traveling on East Stratford Road to exit the neighborhood.
If upon exiting the parking lot traffic becomes a problem, staff and/or residents are asked to notify Police to assist in either flushing the traffic out onto Shore Drive and out of the neighborhood. If a vehicle is unoccupied, Police will ticket the violator.
Barricade Road: PAR will use crowd control barricades to close off Piedmont Circle access into the facility. Once open spaces are available then staff will let trailers begin entering.  
Car Lot and Trailer Monitoring: PAR is going to consistently check the car lot and trailer numbers to ensure proper parking and space utilization. 
Launch and Recovery Monitoring: PAR will ensure individuals who are launching and recovering boats are exiting the ramp area promptly and moving to the designated areas. 
Ramp Control Staff: PAR will station one staff member for ramp control to maintain order and assist with operations. 
Staffing: Parks and Recreation has hired an additional staff person to support the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Supervisors are scheduled proactively during the busiest times.

Please let me know if you need anything additional.

Thank you,

CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE

Desk | 757.385.4242 | CMOffice@vbgov.com

City Hall, Building 1, Suite 2017

2401 Courthouse Drive | Virginia Beach, VA 23456

Hopefully these plans works this holiday weekend and the entire summer before people die.

City leadership is “alert” to potential issues at Lynnhaven Boat Ramp as summer kicks off this holiday weekend.

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Neighbors who’ve been concerned of the increasing public safety issues have started sharing videos on YouTube recently.

Hopefully the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility will be fun and safe for everyone this Memorial Day weekend.

Shore Drive Corridor Improvements Phase III & Shore Drive Pedestrian Improvements

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Thanks to Bill for his presentation at OPCL last week!

OPCL 2025-05-08.pdfDownload

PW Spreadsheet update & presentation entitled “How Can We Protect Tree Canopy Through Stormwater Management” at BAC meeting Thursday. Join us!

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BAC Meeting Update (2).pdfDownload
Click on file below to view all the slides for How Can We Protect Tree Canopy Through Stormwater Management

Copy of AIA presentation .pdfDownload

Previously on this website about Thursday’s BAC Meeting.

Thursday May 15 ‘25 330pm BAC meeting at OPVRS. Join us!

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Ocean Park Fire and Rescue Squad(OPVRS) Building
3769 E. Stratford Road. Enter door opposite Shore Drive.

The mission of the Bayfront Advisory Commission(BAC) is to review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding public and private projects and issues associated with the Bayfront area.

5-15-25 BAC Meeting Packet.pdfDownload
“Restoration” in progress at PHP.

Dominion Energy Burton Substation to Bains Store Substation upgrade construction info

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An enormous amount of information starts here.

Project Overview
At Dominion Energy, we continually review our infrastructure to provide the reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy that powers our customers every day. We are rebuilding approximately 13 miles of 115 kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line between the Burton Substation and Virginia Beach Substation. This project will ensure the continued safety and reliability of the electric grid.

Shore Drive Phase 3 to start in May 2025 – Learn about this 3 year Improvement project

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The Shore Drive Phase 3 Improvement Project(SDP3), first identified as a City Capital Improvement Project (CIP) in 2007, is finally getting ready to happen. This 3 year long construction project will improve the section of Shore Drive between the Lesner Bridge and North Great Neck Road, making the road safer for pedestrians and vehicles. Construction will take place over the next 3 years and will definitely have an impact on our Bayfront area in the process.

In an effort to help provide as much information to the residents as possible, we have been working with the City and Councilman Cummings to gather as many details as possible to help answer questions regarding this project. Thanks to the City’s Public Works and Councilman Cummings, we are able to provide the following detailed drawings for construction, traffic management and storm water plans. Please see below for a link to our project page for the SDP3 project.

https://weloveshoredrive.com/phase3/

The detailed project drawing documents should be able to help answer some of the following questions we have heard from the residents.

  • What is planned for the Storm Water control at the Page Harbor Landing area?
  • What is planned for the entrances at the boat ramp parking area near Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls?
  • What is planned for the BoBo’s Fine Chicken and Lynnhaven Colony Park parking areas?
  • What is planned for the Lynnhaven Beach Condominium entrance/ Westminster Canterbury acceleration lane area?
  • What impact to Live Oak trees is planned along the entrance area to Westminster Canterbury?
  • What are the impacts to entrances for Shorebreak, Bay Local, Cape Henry Exxon and CP Shuckers?
  • What are the Shore Drive median impacts to areas in Cape Story by the Sea near Beech Street?

Additional information regarding this CIP can be found at the City’s website link https://vbgov.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/11ca2d264a6c45aeaf6e6b4723297341

The City’s CIP data sheet can be seen below

We understand that this data is a lot to digest and we plan to help by posting drawing analysis reviews and City provided updates as best possible. Similar to the Lesner Bridge 3 year project, we can make it through the pain to get to the well deserved benefits and information will be a critical factor.

On Thursday May 1st, there will also be an opportunity to learn more about the upcoming construction project at the District 8 Councilman Cummings Community Meeting. More information on this meeting can be found below.

Stormwater Management Implementation Advisory Group first meeting Friday. Join us!

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Start here at City’s website to learn more about the group, who’s on it & its mission.

The duties of the Stormwater Management Implementation Advisory Group shall be to:

  • Further review the topic of stormwater management and its impact and consequences on land use and redevelopment issues.
  • Identify whether there are any opportunities, advantages, or disadvantages to strengthening regulation alignment and specificity based on the City’s varied drainage basins, and a property’s land use and zoning characteristics.
  • Formalize a cost-sharing program relative to stormwater infrastructure and policy to include developing criteria for cost-sharing eligibility.
  • Determine whether there are any opportunities to …

Bayfront Advisory Commission Meeting – Thursday April 17th at 3:30pm in Ocean Park Fire and Rescue Squad Building

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Enter door opposite of Shore Drive.

4-17-25 BAC Meeting Packet.pdfDownload
1 photo of more complete blocking of sidewalks. Seems doubtful this will ever be taken seriously. Strange, especially considering ADA compliance issues.

PHPWMB public hearing Virginia Marine Resources Commission at their public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2025

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View info here.

SUBJECT: City of Virginia Beach Public Works
VMRC #2024-2851
The application for permit, referenced above, will be heard by the Marine Resources Commission at their public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2025, beginning at 9:30
a.m., at 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96, Fort Monroe, Virginia.

CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH, #24-2851 requests authorization to mechanically dredge a 20-foot wide by 63-foot long subtidal area to a maximum depth of minus two (-2) feet mean low water within Pleasure House Creek to create a shallow water channel necessary to provide the hydrological connection to the proposed municipal Pleasure House Point Mitigation Bank in Virginia Beach. This project is protested by nearby property owners.

PHP Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment(ESA) and Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment

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PHPPhase1ESAReport_Final 10.pdfDownload

Pleasure_House_Point_Phase_II_Materials_Testing_Report.pdfDownload

We apologize for the delay sharing these. We were offered them weeks ago and finally received them, from a FOIA request we chose to make, this afternoon.

They are also available on paper in Brock Environmental Center 3663 Marlin Bay Drive.

Oppose Nationwide Permit 27 Pleasure House Point Mitigation Bank Instrument unless P1 & P2 ESA are completed.

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To concerned Regulators,

We believe the “purpose & need” of this fast moving project could be violating the spirit of “avoid, minimize, mitigate” in general. Therefore, we humbly request a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment are completed before approving the Nationwide 27 Permit.

Several reasons why below:

  1. Myth #1: The City doesn’t need to do this Pleasure House Point project at all; there is another wetlands project available instead called the New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank.
    Fact: Yes, another possible opportunity to buy tidal wetland mitigation credits came online last week called the New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank.
    Source: https://virginiabeach.gov/connect/blog/the-real-deal-debunking-13-myths-about-the-pleasure-house-point-wetlands-restoration-project 2.
  2. “Please provide the list of projects that have required the city to buy wetland mitigation credits since the bond referendum passed November 2, 2021 and how many wetland mitigation credits are required now for future projects.” From 11/21/2021 to To 12/23/2024.
    Your request was forwarded to Public Works. I have been advised that they do not have a list in response to your request.
    Source: FOIA Request response January 13 2025
  3. Petition asking to purchase credits & refine plan. Over 2,700 people have signed petition since only December 20, 2024.
    Source: https://www.change.org/p/please-purchase-the-newly-available-tidal-wetlands-credits-refine-phpwmb-plans
  4. Three(3) samples of material was presented at City Council public hearing which was acknowledged by the Public Works Director – a piece of pavement, concrete with gravel & an unknown petrochemical material all presumably dumped on the spoils site – Pleasure House Point in the area Wetlands Mitigation Bank is proposed – in the 1970s. Was material being tested before dumped? After it was dumped?
    Video of City Council public hearing January 7th 2025 is provided here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D_T1v0rI3A

As you know, the Brock Environmental Center and Macon & Joan Brock Classroom campus is literally feet away from this project. Pre-schoolers thru senior citizens routinely spend time there. Meetings with visitors from national & international governments & NGOs also are held routinely. However, this project rolls out. It’ll certainly garner national news. Over 140,000 people have visited the campus since it opened.

In property acquisitions, it is customary for due diligence investigation(s) to be completed before a fee simple property transfer is finalized. It seems reasonable that such an investigation would have reported the obvious; materials of generally unknown origin were dumped on the PHP property as far back as the 1970’s.

These findings would have been followed up with Phase II soil and/or groundwater sampling and testing to screen for regulated substances (hazardous and petroleum constituents). If the investigations were completed, they should be made available to evaluate the potential effects on the proposed PHPWMB project.

Of principal concern is the transport of these dredge materials to the City’s Oceana disposal site, especially if they remain untested. Once removed from PHP, the material becomes a waste, and is subject to VDEQ regulations for transport and disposal. Secondly, possible exposures to regulated substances may result when construction workers are exposed to any contaminated soil, dust, and groundwater. Especially with workers involved in the planting process where hand work is proposed, and the incidence of physical contact with regulated materials may result.

Additionally, considerations for the sampling, testing and handling of regulated materials should be included in the project plans and specifications for the PHPWMB project. This information should be made available for public review and comment.

Therefore, we humbly request a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment are completed before approving the Nationwide 27 Permit.

What will be the “reasonably foreseeable effect” if the environmental site assessments haven’t successfully been completed for a spoils site used in the 1970s?

Sincerely yours,
Tim Solanic

January 16 330pm BAC meeting at OPVRS. Join us!

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Thursday, January 16, 2025 3:30 P.M.
Ocean Park Fire and Rescue Squad Building
3769 E. Stratford Road. Enter door opposite Shore Drive.


The mission of the Bayfront Advisory Commission is to review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding public and private projects and issues associated with the Bayfront area.

AGENDA: BAC 1-16-25.pdfDownload
Pleasure House Creek.

City Council public hearing on proposed Pleasure House Point Wetlands Mitigation Bank CIP transfer of funds including vote.

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Dec. 19, 2024 Bayfront Advisory Commission Meeting Pleasure House Point presentation.

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The video from City of Virginia Beach.

Please note: at the time of this post, currently proposed wetland mitigation bank details of the “90% design”, water budget and other info are still not available on official website.

Things learned last night: tidal wetland bank credits are available to purchase, 60,000 cubic yards (about 6,000 dump trucks) of fill will be removed, over 5,200 trees including live oaks over dozens & dozens of years old will be destroyed (number of dump trucks to move destroyed trees unknown).

Email your questions or concerns to: phpwetlands@vbgov.com

Note existing trees & tree canopy in 1958.

BAC Thursday AUGUST 15th 330pm at OPVRS. Join us!

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BAC, the Bayfront Advisory Commission meets at OPVRS, the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Thursday August 15th at 330pm. Join us!

OPVRS is located at 3769 E Stratford Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455.

Enter door opposite Shore Drive.

Also join us for:

Bayfront Advisory Commission – Special Meeting
Open to Public
DATE & TIME
Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024
2:00p.m. – 3:30p.m. (1h 30m)

8-15-24 BAC Special Meeting Packet.pdfDownload

GENERAL MEETING AGENDA 330PM:

Completely blocked sidewalk. Who enforces?

PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT UPDATE FOR BAC

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Jeremy can not attend so here is his report from an email:

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I have a conflict and can’t make the meeting today. I’m working with the city engineer on a project spreadsheet, I’ll keep you posted. Here are the updates from the PW side.

Chesapeake Beach Renourishment
Status

A contract has been awarded to Seaward Marine Corporation.

Work is underway and is to be completed by October 13, 2024.

Lynnhaven Inlet Dredging and Cape Henry Beach Placement
Status

USACE opened bids on April 3rd.

The work includes dredging the federal channel system, removing underwater debris, and placing the sand along Cape Henry Beach.

USACE intends to award the contract to Cottrell Dredging located in Norfolk, Va.

The most recent update from USACE indicated a pre-construction meeting and issuance of a Notice to Proceed sometime between late July and early August. From that point, Cottrell is required to submit a schedule within 15 days after NTP is issued.

Eastern Branch Lynnhaven River (EBLR) Dredging
Status

The City’s ongoing dredging project of the EBLR is going well with the contractor scheduled to complete Keeling Drain dredging this summer.

Crab Creek/Long Creek
Status

The next dredging cycle is being planned for winter 2024/2025.

Pleasure House Point Trail Breach
Status

Work has been completed to construct an elevated crossing over a flood-prone area.

These improvements will make the path more accessible after heavy rain events.

Comprehensive Safety Action Plan
Status

A draft of the City’s first Comprehensive Local Road Safety Action Plan will be publicly available for review and comment in August. The Plan identifies and prioritizes countermeasures to address roadway safety issues throughout Virginia Beach. Stakeholders, including members of the Bayfront Advisory Commission, were briefed on the Plan on March 22nd and provided feedback to staff on current safety challenges. Public Works Engineering staff will brief City Council on the Draft Plan on August 27th, and the Plan is anticipated to be adopted in September or October.

Lake Bradford / Chubb Lake projects

We typically do not provide updates to the BAC, but since the BAC provided support letters for the BRIC grant, we thought an update was needed.

Lake Pleasure House Outfall – construction complete
Lake Bradford Ditch Dredging – construction complete
Lake Bradford-Chubb Lake Stormwater Pump Station and Outfall

STATUS

The city is currently in the process of selecting a Design-Build team. The expected selection will take place in the first quarter of 2025.

The city applied for a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant worth $35 million, but unfortunately, was not successful in receiving it.

Church Point-Thoroughgood BMP and Drainage Improvement – The City awarded the design contract to RK&K. Anticipated construction is in 2028.
STATUS

Design NTP – May 21, 2024

SCHEDULE

Advertise for Bids: February 2028

Estimated Construction Start Date: August 2028

Estimated Construction Completion: May 2031

Eastern Shore Drive Drainage Improvement Projects

Cape Henry Canal Phase II – Relocation of Sanitary Sewer Gravity Mains, 1C.2
The project was completed on October 2, 2023. The project was on time and Under Budget by $185,682.

Eastern Shore Drainage Improvements Phase I – Section I – $35.9M Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Projects:

Eastern Shore Drive – Lynnhaven Colony Park Pump Station, 1B
Cape Henry Canal Phase II – Widening and Deeping, 1C.2
Eastern Shore Drive – Lynnhaven Drive Pump Station, 1D
Eastern Shore Drive – Elevate Lynnhaven Drive, 1E

STATUS

90% Design Completed January 2024 Project #1-3.

60% Design Completed March 2024 Project #4.

SCHEDULE

100% Design Submittal for all 4 projects – August 2024

Advertise for Bids: January 2025

Estimated Construction Start Date: May 2025

Estimated Construction Completion: May 2028

Eastern Shore Drive – Vista Circle Pump Station, 1A
STATUS

PER Completed. Project detailed design has not begun.

SCHEDULE

Advertise for Bids: October 2026

Estimated Construction Start Date: April 2027

Estimated Construction Completion: December 2029

Eastern Shore Drive – Poinciana Pump Station
STATUS

60% Design Submittal Received and compiling City and Peer Review Comments

SCHEDULE

Advertise for Bids: April 2025

Estimated Construction Start Date: August 2025

Estimated Construction Completion: May 2028

Eastern Shore Drive – North Shore Drive Street Drainage Improvements, 1F & Eastern Shore Drive – Cape Henry Drive Street Drainage Improvements, 1G
STATUS

60% Design Submittal Received March 2024

SCHEDULE

Advertise for Bids: June 2025

Estimated Construction Start Date: September 2025

Estimated Construction Completion: June 2027

Shore Drive Corridor Improvements Phase III
STATUS

No change. Real estate acquisition and private utility relocations are underway.

SCHEDULE

Advertise for Bids: September 2024

Estimated Construction Start Date: January 2025

Estimated Construction Completion: July 2028

Shore Drive Pedestrian Improvements
STATUS

90% Design Submittal Received July 2, 2024

SCHEDULE

Advertise for Bids: June 2025

Estimated Construction Start Date: October 2025

Estimated Construction Completion: April 2026

Shore Drive Corridor Improvements Phase IV
STATUS

No change. Final Preliminary Engineering Report received 11/15/2023. The project is not funded

Jeremy Kline

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

Deputy Director

757.385.8420 | jekline@vbgov.com

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New bridge on PHP. In my estimation, based on 20 years of experience, potentially 4 to 7 more bridges before 2034 will be needed or choices made to leave sea level rise take over. Educational opportunities!