Questions about towing, your rights, safety and studies about Shore Drive & neighborhood streets?
Tonight is the night!
Be early.
Agenda is here and more info is here.
Bring a friend!
It’s indoors in a/c.
Category Archives: SDCC Goals 2011
SDCC General Meeting – Monday, 24 FEB – 7:30-8:30 pm
Click here for a printable version of the agenda SDCC Agenda FEB2014
Shore Drive Community Coalition
SDCC General Meeting
Monday, 24 FEB – 7:30-8:30 pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station
(Intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Rd.)
Call to order:
Meeting topic:
- Election of Officers 2014
- Approval of 2014 Budget
- Goals for SDCC(Storm Flooding, Lesner Bridge, Dredging, Light Rail, etc.)
Officers’ Reports: President’s Report David Williams
Vice President’s report Rick Mercadante
Secretary’s Report Todd Solomon –JAN Minutes
Treasurer’s Report Ann Williams (acting treas.)
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn
Next SDCC- Monday MARCH 31, 2014 at 7:30pm – Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Center
Please check www.sdcc.info for forums and more information on area news and events
“”This is a legacy purchase,” Mayor Will Sessoms said in a news release. “By preserving this property, we are creating a brighter, more sustainable environment for future generations.””
The Closing for Pleasure House Point was yesterday, July 10th 2012.
Without a number of dedicated people in the community – who worked tirelessly for years – it would have been impossible for this legacy purchase to have happened.
Thanks to their hard work, the vast majority of which happened behind the scenes with little fanfare, this dream came true. Over $150,000 of consulting was generously donated since 2002 which achieved the result of developers receiving exactly -0- permits to build on Pleasure House Point.
Those people look forward to working with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the City of Virginia Beach and other concerned citizens and groups to ensure PHP becomes a leader in inspiring kids of all ages to achieve great things.
Photo Credit: KEVIN J O’HARA
A response from Mayor Sessoms re: turning the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Beach Facility into a permanent dredge spoils location for the entire Lynnhaven Watershed.
People who have been concerned our beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility will essentially close due to overwhelming safety issues if it also becomes a permanent dredge spoils station for the entire Lynnhaven Watershed have been using THIS LINK to write to City Council, The Beaches and Waterways Commission, Bayfront Advisory Committee and Shore Drive Community Coalition.
A response from Mayor Sessoms:
Subject: OPPOSITION TO USING CRAB CREEK FOR PERMANENT DREDGE SPOILS TRANSFER LOCATION
Thank you for your email expressing your opposition to using the Crab Creek site for a permanent dredge spoils transfer location.
Staff briefed the Bayfront Advisory Committee on February 16, 2012, regarding the need to create a transfer facility and material/construction lay down area at the Crab Creek/Lynnhaven Boat Launch dredged material holding area in support of the upcoming Lesner Bridge Replacement Project. This facility would operate for approximately 30 months, during which time the City would collaborate to keep the Lynnhaven Boat Launch facility available for our citizens and visitors to use. Once the co-existence had been in operation for a period of time, staff would seek public input on their performance managing the multiple uses of these public facilities. At that time, a recommendation would be made to City Council for consideration, and we would look at the advantages and disadvantages of converting the temporary use of the transfer station into a permanent facility. We would not expect to have this matter brought to us until approximately the spring of 2014.
Because of limited public accesses to the Lynnhaven to assist in accomplishing various projects, staff feels it is imperative that multiple beneficial uses be made of available properties. Your concerns are understood, and no decisions regarding a permanent spoils transfer site would be made until residents were given the opportunity to provide input.
The time you took to make us aware of your views and your interest in preserving the quality of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp is greatly appreciated. Please be assured they will be given serious consideration.
William D. Sessoms, Jr.
Mayor
City of Virginia Beach
Office of the Mayor
2401 Courthouse Drive, Building 1, Room 234
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757-385-4581 (MAIN)
757-385-5699 (FAX)
wsessoms@vbgov.com
"Based upon feedback received at the Public Meeting, alternate sites for a dredged material transfer station were evaluated. The proposed transfer facility has been moved from the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Facility to a site located near the crossing of Thalia Creek and Virginia Beach Blvd." City of Virginia Beach April 2009
It was determined by the City of Virginia Beach the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility will not become a permanent dredge spoils transfer station for the entire Lynnhaven Watershed in April 2009. Link at SDCC.info.
“It took Tom Fraim and the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission to finally convince Virginia Beach that the Long Creek site isn’t the right location.”
RESOLUTION PASSES – FEB. 28TH
The Resolution to REMOVE the Maple Street site as a potential dredge spoils transfer site for the neighborhood dredge program was unanimously approved by City Council tonight.
The Resolution at SDCC.info.
From LongCreekWetlands.com.
View article and video at WAVY.com.
Pleasure House Point preservation gets another $1.54M grant !
More at SavePHP.org:
$1 million grant will add 82 acres to Virginia Beach’s park and open space system
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, partnering with the City of Virginia Beach and the Trust for Public Land, will use this grant and non-federal match of $540,000 to acquire and preserve one of Hampton Roads’ largest undeveloped waterfront properties.
“We are pleased to help preserve the largest undeveloped parcel of land on the Lynnhaven River for generations to come,” said Virginia M. Board, president of The Dominion Foundation and managing director of community affairs for Dominion Virginia Power. “Pleasure House Point provides valuable public green space and the opportunity to experience shoreline habitat, wetlands and maritime forest, and it protects the natural habitat of birds and marine life.”
Before Wells Fargo took over ownership of the property last year, developers had planned to build a large waterfront development known as Indigo Dunes. TPL intends to buy the property from Wells Fargo and sell most of the land to the Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Department for open space preservation and public access to the Lynnhaven River.
“It’s gratifying to see the progress we’ve made toward preserving this unique property,” said Virginia Beach Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. “I thank Dominion Virginia Power and the Dominion Foundation for their generosity, and for joining this partnership to save the largest piece of undeveloped waterfront property on the Lynnhaven.”
Pleasure House Point. Critical habitat for wildlife, you & future generations!
Update: In Biz Buzz at Pilotonline.com.
Communications Old and New
On 29 August, three of us, Ms Penny, Todd Solomon, and myself had a chance at the last SDCC meeting to talk about hurricanes, near misses and some “what if”s. This conversation lead into a discussion on the way we communicate these days and some generational difference. Todd feels very comfortable with a computer and using it as a tool to connect with people and express his thoughts. He does well with his research, his record keeping, and has contributed greatly to our efforts to keep Shore Drive connected and in the flow of city information.
I am less comfortable with a computer, and even less trusting. It is probably illogical, a “love-hate” relationship. Maybe it is from using computers onboard aircraft for many years that has left me weary. I would always do my own flight calculations for essential items like fuel required, half-way point, and flight time and then check my estimates against the computer’s numbers. The computer may have never been wrong, but that is not the point. I used the computer as a tool and did not rely on it to keep me going in the safe direction. Some of my fellow pilots used the computer as their only tool and it lead them away when it failed. If this hurricane had taken away our internet, where would we have found ourselves? To many, the computer is much more that a tool, almost like the closest of friends. Many would feel alone without their BFA (that’s Best friend always). If our device’s battery should fail, do we also shut down?
And then we have Ms. Penny. Intelligent, engaged, articulate, and I would respectfully estimate, a most powerful force to verbally challenge over any misplaced or misguided element of civic logic concerning Shore Drive or Virginia Beach. Citizens like Ms. Penny are the backbone and cornerstone of this city. As for communications, she is not overly fond of computers either. As an organization (SDCC), I think we are missing out on our dialogues when we think that we can accomplish all that we need to do to communicate with just a computer. Computers may be fast and save postage, but I find so much missing without the face to face. I am telling you all these things while I write on my computer. My computer is a tool, not a BFA yet. Thanks for the discussion that day after the hurricane, Ms. Penny. We will try harder to find better ways to stay connected with more people along Shore Drive.
SDCC Goals for 2011
So what is planned for SDCC and Shore Drive for 2011? We have been so busy that we have not updated our newsletter in some time. We have developed an action plan and here are our present objectives:
1. Improve our communications. Communicate more with the civic associations. Communicate more with our military community sharing Shore Drive.
2. Improve safety in the Shore Drive areas. This includes; improving Virginia Crosswalk laws, street lighting, roadway speeds, and better disaster planning.
3. Save Pleasure House Point (PHP). Find needed funding to support the purchase and preservation of the 122 acres of open space.
4. Protect the estuary adjacent to the Marina Shore Marina. Do not permit Marina Shores Marina planned expansion to endanger the estuary.
5. Improve our City’s support for our military in Virginia Beach. Military dollars earned and spent in the area have buffered this city from a sagging economy, kept our house values from declining appreciably, and supported our public school system through DoD reimbursement for each student attending our schools. If our city fails to actively and fully support our military and its missions, we the citizens will be impacted severely.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 