Drainage Improvements Work Begins on Cape Henry Drive between Starfish Road & Ebb Tide Road
Virginia Beach Public Works is providing an update for a new Eastern Shore Drive Drainage Improvements Project Advance Section 1C.2.
The contractor will commence construction for this 2nd phased drainage project for the Lynnhaven Colony area the week of August 1-5, 2022. The work will be solely located on Cape Henry Drive between Starfish Road to Ebb Tide Road. The project will relocate a large gravity sanitary sewer which exists beneath the Cape Henry Canal, southward to underneath Cape Henry Drive. This work is necessary to widen and deepen the Cape Henry Canal beginning the summer of next year. It’s important to note that this work will not interfere with traffic at W. Great Neck Road. Cape Henry Drive will be closed for through traffic in two phases of construction between the side streets noted above, with a detour plan for each phase.
The Contractor will continue to provide access to resident’s driveways, mail, trash pickup and emergency services. The Cape Henry Trail will not be shut down and will continue to provide service during construction. The trail and Cape Henry Drive construction will be separated with a 4’ high visibility fence.
The anticipated schedule is: August 1, 2022 – July 14, 2023.
The contractor for the job is Trident Civil. For additional information, please contact Christina Tumminelli, Project Manager with Trident Civil at (757) 393-5904, or Public Works Engineering at (757) 385-4131.
“Other information of note is that we are combining these three projects into one large construction package to be advertised JULY 2023:”
The Virginia Beach City Council reviewed the nine complete applications submitted for the Bayside District City Council vacancy and shortlisted three individuals for interviews. They are:
💚 PLEASE HELP THE LAND CRITTERS & OUR WATER CRITTERS‼️
Why a PLASTIC BAG FEE makes good sense for Virginia Beach 👇🏽
🔴 Plastic bags are NOT FREE taxpayer dollars are spent cleaning up these and other nuisance plastics. The majority of the funds collected from bag fees will be returned to Virginia Beach to fund litter prevention and clean-up activities
🟢 Environment: Bag user fees reduce the plastic waste stream and protect the environment.
🟢 Reusable bags are better for the environment; many are not made from fossil fuels, but rather natural fibers, like cotton, and contrary to some misinformation, are NOT less “clean” compared to plastic bags.
🔴 Single-use bags are among the most commonly littered items in Virginia Beach and across the state (Virginians use nearly 3 billion annually!).
🔴 They end up on our roadways, waterways, and coastlines, threatening ecosystem health and creating eyesores. Reuse is also not usually an option as these bags have become thinner and tear-prone, causing grocery store baggers to double and triple bag items.
👉🏽 Please plan to attend the July 5th Council meeting at 6 PM to show your support 💚‼️
2401 Courthouse Drive, City Hall Building #1, Room 281, Municipal Center, Virginia Beach, VA.
If you want to speak in support, please call the City Clerk’s office in advance. A citizen who wishes to address the council concerning an agenda item must register with the city clerk or deputy city clerk at 757-385-4303 prior to the meeting.
If you’d rather not speak, then please consider showing up and being there for numbers and moral support. We’ll have a sticker for you to wear!
If you are unable to attend, please send an e-mail to all Virginia Beach City Council members voicing your support at CityCouncil@vbgov.com
Plastic bags ingested by a turtle. Plastic Bay Fee helps prevent this.
Senator DeSteph asked me to let folks know that we have secured meeting space so that area Civic Leagues and other interested parties can meet regarding the Oyster Reefs in the Lynnhaven River and Broad Bay. It will be held Wednesday, July 6th at 6:00 pmat Wave Church on Great Neck Road.
The subject of this Public Hearing is the ongoing Lynnhaven River Basin Ecosystem Restoration Project. This project directly affects all recreational users and residents/homeowners of and along the Lynnhaven River, including Broad Bay, the Narrows, Linkhorn Bay, Lynnhaven Bay, Pleasure House Creek, Keeling Drain and other local tributaries.
This meeting will include affected Civic Leagues, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Lynnhaven River Now, and the VMRC. The Secretary of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the Army Corps of Engineers will be invited as well.
Please inform, invite & encourage your Civic League Members/residents to attend this public hearing if they are a boater, a waterfront resident, or a concerned citizen on the future of our waterways and fragile ecosystem.
Many thanks,
Jill
If you want to help maintain & improve a clean Lynnhaven River thanks to Lynnhaven River NOW & Chesapeake Bay Foundation, you’ll want to attend. Bring your kids.
As you know, Virginia Beach and the Bayside District lost our long time serving Mr. Louis Jones recently. The citizen appointed by City Council will hold office until Dec. 31, 2022 and must reside in the Bayside District.
3 items the potential candidate might be interested in advocating for for the Bayside District and Bayfront:
Helping enhance resiliency for SLR & storm water management plus helping leverage resources at Brock Environmental Center for Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads & Virginia. Accelerating the completion of Phase 4 in Ocean Park. Actively engage with SDCC, BAC, Civic Leagues & bayfront residents.
Under the direction of the school coordinator and staff, the person will work in providing assistance to the Coordinator and Teacher of the Environmental Studies. The employee in this class is responsible for performing clerical and instructional tasks as well as participating and supporting the daily indoor and outdoor activities.
The successful candidate must be able to work collaboratively with VBCPS team members, Chesapeake Bay Foundation staff, community stakeholders, and students.
FY2022-23 budget has no increases to the solid waste fee, water service charges, sewer charges, stormwater charges, and avoids a real estate tax rate increase.
With the exception of a few fee increases for permits within the department of Planning and Community Development, the FY2022-23 budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) are supported through natural growth in citywide revenues. Below are some of the key elements in the upcoming budget.
The following document is being provided as additional background information for the planned City public information meeting to be held on Wednesday May 11th to update the residents on planned storm water projects for Eastern Shore Drive.
Please check the links contained in this document to get to the detailed plans for each project. They will explain engineering processes for how designs were chosen as well as detail possible site/home acquisitions or eminent domain alternatives.
Va Beach Public Works to Hold Public Meeting Update on Eastern Shore Drive Drainage Project
The Virginia Beach Public Works – Stormwater Engineering program has scheduled a public meeting for the Eastern Shore Drive Drainage on Wednesday, May 11th, 2022, between 6 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the Bayside Recreation Center, 4500 First Court Road.
This will be an informal public meeting, beginning with a 30-minute update presentation on the Eastern Shore Drainage Project – Phase (CIP 7-151) – as well as group discussions about key issues in the project area. Representatives from Public Works will be available to answer questions following the presentation and group discussions.
Attendees will also be asked to complete an online survey to provide feedback on the presentation, as well as any comments or concerns.
On January 19, 2021, over objections of our Civic League, City Council approved (7 to 3) Collier’s application to rezone the 15-acre Windsong Site, and to redevelop it increasing the number of residential units there from 272 to 411, a 51% increase, decreasing the amount of land capable to absorbing stormwater, providing fewer parking spaces than standard zoning rules require, permitting construction of two 4-story apartment buildings 10 feet from Northampton Boulevard, and one 3-story apartment building 5 feet from Pleasure House Road.
Approval was made with scant consideration as to whether the approved redevelopment would urbanize and transform the character of our long-established community, impair the efficacy and safety of our roadways, and cause stormwater runoff damage to our roads and our residences.
In February 2021, about 40 of us filed an action in Circuit Court seeking to have approval of the Windsong Site rezoning and redevelopment plan declared unlawful. We contended that approval violated specific provisions of the Virginia Beach Zoning Ordinance and its Comprehensive Plan.
The City Council and Collier challenged our right to judicial review.
On August 5, 2021, without any explanation, Circuit Court dismissed our action denying us access to judicial review of City Council’s approval.
On December 13, 2021, we filed our petition for appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court, asking the state Supreme Court to permit us to appeal.
The City Council and Collier challenged our right to judicial review.
On August 5, 2021, without any explanation, Circuit Court dismissed our action denying us access to judicial review of City Council’s approval.
On December 13, 2021, we filed our petition for appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court, asking the state Supreme Court to permit us to appeal.
On March 9, 2022, the Supreme Court scheduled a 10-minute period after 9 a.m. during the morning of April 5, 2022, for us to make oral argument in Richmond to support our petition. George Squires will argue. Although they prohibit the in-person attendance of observers, except attorneys for City Council and Collier, they permit anyone to hear a live feed of the argument by using the following link:
Highly recommended reading for FPP (Flood Protection Program) geeks.
FPP Governance Team: The City Manager created an internal team that is working together to: 1) ensure the FPP is successfully delivered, 2) meet City Council and stakeholder expectations, and 3) coordinate with all City departments to work cohesively toward the common goal of delivering the program on schedule and in budget. The FPP Governance Team integrates all program activities, and as such is comprised of leadership from Public Works, including the Director, the City Engineer and the Stormwater Engineering Center; Finance; Budget; Purchasing; Communications, and the Office of Performance Accountability. The City Manager leads the group, which meets monthly to resolve issues, make decisions, and provide feedback and direction related to the FPP.
Process Improvements: Assistance and support is required from multiple City Departments to successfully implement the FPP. It is important to identify opportunities to improve internal processes necessary to implement the FPP. Working groups were established to identify gaps, improvements, and enhancements related to project management, real estate, master schedule, and strategic communications. The preliminary findings and initial recommendations from the working groups are summarized in Section 2 of this white paper and provide valuable input to our implementation plan and final report.
In September, City Council unanimously approved a resolution saying they would make the change within three weeks if voters approved of the city raising real estate taxes to borrow $567.5 million to fund 21 flood protection projects. The referendum passed by nearly 73%.
The Virginia Beach Department of Planning and Community Development, in partnership with consultant Work Program Architects (WPA), will host the meeting to gather community input and recruit volunteers to serve on focus groups to help develop various components of the guidelines. It will allow for in-person and virtual audiences.
What is the CRG and why do we need it? Along with many other major cities, Virginia Beach is experiencing changing demographics, shifting residential and retail market preferences, environmental changes, and technological advances. These changes are impacting the form and function of our major commercial shopping centers and corridors. Neighboring residential communities are present along these major commercial areas and are also impacted by these changes. These impacts warrants strategic plan and action by us to keep our major commercial shopping areas beautiful and functional, while maintaining the stability of our neighborhoods.
General Public Engagement Schedule Meeting 1: February 2022 (Hybrid: In-person and Virtual) Citywide community input through a hybrid meeting
Meetings 2, 3, & 4: March 2022 (In-person/Virtual) Individual focus group meetings
Meeting 5: May 2022 (In-person/Virtual) Combined meeting with focus groups to present Draft Report
Meeting 6: July 2022 (Ideally In-Person) Community presentation of final document Draft
August –October 2022 Formal Planning Commission/City Council Adoption
#WeLoveShoreDrive 