Coffee with Councilmember Chris Taylor WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 9-10:30 AM GREAT NECK PAVILION
Category Archives: VOTE!
City Council Informal & Formal sessions Nov 21 ‘23 Vacation of Easement for WCCB public hearing & vote and Wycliffe redevelopment in a lake public hearing & vote.
Vacation of Easement approved 9-1 including WCCB paying City $100,000 for future beach walkway replacement.
Wycliffe referred back to Planning Commission on 9-1 vote.
“I am speaking on behalf of my community that we oppose the closing of the public beach access at the end of Starfish Road for many reasons: First: a public right-of-way should only be closed when there is no other alternative. Westminster has admitted that they do have a plan that would not involve closing the access…”
My name is Lisa Leidig and I am the president of the Lynnshore Condominium HOA. I am travelling on business and will unfortunately not able to attend the vote on Tuesday. I am speaking on behalf of my community that we oppose the closing of the public beach access at the end of Starfish Road for many reasons:
First: a public right-of-way should only be closed when there is no other alternative. Westminster has admitted that they do have a plan that would not involve closing the access. Since this is the case, this should be an easy decision to make – deny the request. You should not have to decide who is more important – the public or residents of Westminster and who is going to be inconvenienced. The only reason that Westminster wants to close the public beach access is that a handful of people expressed concern about walking through a parking garage. I am sure that Westminster has a contingency plan to protect the residents and prevent public access to their buildings. So is it better to inconvenience the thousands of people that use the Starfish beach access to accommodate a few people by making them walk through a garage? Why is it constantly ok to impact the public and residents but not Westminster?
Second: With the pier remaining, there is a problem when we have persistent northeast winds or a storm off our coast – the winds push the waves up to the point that during the periods around high tide (2 hours before and after) the beach west of the pier is inaccessible due to the water rising and being pushed up past the fencing under the pier. This has happened 5 times this year since September (once this past week) and even resulted in significant dune loss in front of Casa de Playa.
Third: Perception. Closing this access provides the perception that the beach in front of Westminster’s property is now private. I have had conversations with residents of Westminster and they stated that they “couldn’t wait until the beach is private and THOSE people (pointing to fisherman/crabbers) won’t be able to come down here anymore”. WC is also leaving the stairs from the bulkhead to the beach, further cementing the perception that the beach is now private. Surf Rider foundation advocates that public beach access remain public – https://www.surfrider.org/pages/policy-on-beach-access – excerpts such as “Development must not be allowed to interfere with public access”, “The public should be afforded full and fair access to beaches which are public trust resources by minimizing the possibility of impediment including development”, “Should not be burdensome for the potential beachgoer to utilize”.
Fourth: Ben Unkle has said that this new beach access is more convenient to “everyone”. That is simply not true. Anyone that lives on Starfish road – the access is more inconvenient. For anyone riding HRT route 35 which drops off in front of Westminster, this is not more convenient. For anyone wanting to access the beach and are crossing Shore Drive at a crosswalk (there are two – one at Starfish, the other at Great Neck) – this is not convenient. For anyone wanting to sit west of the fishing pier, this is not convenient. Ben Unkle has also said that the beach access bisects Westminster property – while that is now a correct statement, the access was in existance long before they bought the properties. Westminster took a chance by buying these properties with full knowledge of the public access. Do not punish the public for a risky venture made by Westminster.
Fifth: The sidewalk on the south side of Ocean Shore and Starfish Road is almost impassible. It has not been maintained for years and the sidewalk is blocked by shrubs and growth. The City had also just spent public dollars to repair the beach access at Starfish road so those improvements are wasted money if you allow the access to close and be torn up.
In closing – this should be an easy decision to make as Westminster has a plan to work around the public beach access. Deny the request and keep our beach access public and open.
Sincerely,
Lisa Leidig
President, Lynnshore Condominiums
xxxx Starfish Road
757-xxx-xxxx
PLEASE CONTACT THE MAYOR & YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL NOW IN SUPPORT OF …
[T]he 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 ($1.36MM) & Shore Drive Phase III ($ 2.24MM).
Please email Mayor & City Council to support this vital funding: citycouncil@vbgov.com
City Council vote is on November 21st 2023.
Pleasure House Road Phase II
A couple more Presentations scheduled for BAC Thursday 330pm at OPVRS. Join us!
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.
City Council November 14 ‘23 Formal session including controversial Public Hearing about WCCB request to vacate a public easement.
Additional public hearing plus vote on vacating easement currently scheduled for November 21st ‘23 City Council session.
“I’m for that, but I’m not for what the applicant wants to do with the property: filling in the lakes.”
Maybe redeveloping lakes is not smart or sustainable way for a City that will be dramatically impacted by sea level rise(SLR) and attempting to keep its currently stellar bond rating & logical story telling for rating agencies.
A downgrade by ratings agencies would obviously increase interest costs for tax payers.
Learn more at SaveLakeConrad.com including a link to Petition to stop this insanity. Join thousands who have signed the Petition.
Learn more about realities of sea level rise by starting at our SLR Resources page.
Maybe only redevelopment NOT in City storm water management facilities and lakes is more intelligent considering we’re 2nd in the country for impacts from SLR.
Potentially great news about more monies for vital Bayfront projects!
From Councilman Schulman:
Good afternoon,
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
C: 757-840-1291 | JSchulman@vbgov.com
http://www.virginiabeach.gov
Bldg. 1, Suite 2047
2401 Courthouse Dr. | Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Note: Emphasis ours.
WCCB on City Council Agenda Tuesday November 14th
CITY COUNCIL INFORMAL AND FORMAL SESSIONS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023. JOIN US!
2 items:
- Resolution to APPROVE the issuance of Residential Care Facility Revenue Bonds by the Virginia Beach Development Authority (VBDA), not to exceed $525-Million, re Westminster-
Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay
Previously Fitch Downgrades Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay (VA) Rev Bonds to BB+.
And:
I 1.VACATION OF EASEMENT
20’ public access easement at 2454 Starfish Road
Vote Tuesday on VACATING easement is one step in process before beach walkway can be built.
Note: Wetlands Board unanimously approved this design recently. That approval was Appealed to VMRC. Appeal failed. After WCCB builds this walkway it’s believed their plan is to give it to VB tax payers. Who will pay for it to be maintained and rebuilt?
City Council Agenda November 14 ‘23 (488 page pdf)
Local Road Safety Action Plan. Community participation and input will be vital to the success of this plan so we encourage you to get engaged and promote awareness of the plan.
City is looking for feedback from YOU about road safety.
Start here to learn more & take the interactive survey.
Additional documents for BAC meeting Thursday Oct 19th 330pm at OPVRS.
OPVRS = Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad located at 3769 E Stratford Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455.
Please enter door opposite Shore Drive.
2040 Comprehensive Plan Update – November Public Workshops. Join us!
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!
Here’s where we are so far.
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?
BAYFRONT ADVISORY COMMISSION meeting at Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad September 21, 2023 330pm. Join us!
THE NEEDLESS DESTRUCTION OF ABOUT 6 LIVE OAKS, The City Tree, will be on the Agenda.
Bayfront Advisory Commission meeting link at City’s website.
Throw forward Thursday and the reality of sea level rise & climate change on the Bayfront
2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
Norfolk-Va Beach Joint Land Use Study
This Just In – data dump about $52M 1/2 mile Phase 4 at OPCL.org
10X MORE “MODERATE” (TYPICALLY DAMAGING) FLOODING.
Bayfront Advisory Commission Meeting – Thursday July 20 3:30pm in OPVRS
You can also join the meeting earlier!
12:00pm – 12:30pm – Lunch
12:30pm – 3:00pm – Goals/Objectives Exercise
3:00pm – 3:30pm – take a break; regroup for regular BAC meeting
OPVRS = Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad 3769 E Stratford Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455.
Enter door opposite Shore Drive.
“City Council approves all Shore Drive Safety Task Force recommendations!” #ThrowbackThursday 17 years
Equitable safety improvements for cyclists & pedestrians like contiguous sidewalks & bike lanes are coming to Shore Drive!
DELAYS since June 7th 2006!*
Read the news here where Vice Mayor Jones was quoted:
“I think the council is committed to getting the improvements done[.]”
* Remember when the powers that be tried making Shore Drive 6 LANES in the 90s?!
Remarkably, the then named Shore Drive Advisory Committee(SDAC) heard the presentation from the Shore Drive Safety Task Force at their April 20th 2006 meeting.
Highlights:
Here is the entire report from the Shore Drive Safety Task Force from April 20 2006. [LOL CITY OF VB BROKE THAT LINK. AGAIN. CUZ NEW WEBSITE. 🤡]
SHORE DRIVE SAFETY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL 2006. (PDF open in new tab)
SDAC, now named the Bayfront Advisory Commission(BAC) has their public meeting today at 330pm at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad where they will be grappling with the news of yet another PROPOSED delay in upgrading circa 1950s infrastructure in the “Gateway to the OceanFront & Virginia Beach” while the OceanFront continuously receives virtually infinite money for almost every idea proposed there.
Why do City priorities continue to ignore the infrastructure needs of this area let alone the aesthetics that it’s embarrassing & looks like shit?
Schulman added, “To see the project was delay deferred was extremely disappointing to me, because I knew it would be also extremely disappointing to our residents.”
Coverage of Shore Drive by WTKR’s Angela Bohon.
“Decades long controversy”
PUBLIC COMMENT on PROPOSED BUDGET TOMORROW
“Residents wishing to make comments during the hearings must register with the City Clerk’s Office by calling 757-385-4303 prior to 5 p.m. on the day of the hearing. If participating virtually, please also register via WebEx.”
Start here for PROPOSED Budget.
BAYFRONT ADVISORY COMMISSION Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad 3769 E. Stratford Drive (Enter on side opposite Shore Drive)April 20 2023 Thursday at 330pm
Thanks to Hank for Agenda!
“I have a saying, let’s get to yes on alotta things.”
First 27 minutes 30 seconds is discussion about why no presentation.
~ 27 minutes 35 seconds starts “Budget Reduction Options”.
~ 2 hours 53 minutes starts Presentation for Proposed CIP for Transportation Section including Phase 4 Deferred/Delay. Lower your expectations accordingly.
All you people who came out against 6 lane Shore Drive have delayed 2 miles of contiguous sidewalks in the 2nd most densely populated area in VB for 30 years.
Shore Drive, the 2nd most densely populated area in the largest city in Virginia, is getting contiguous sidewalks & bike lanes soon!
The Gateway to Virginia Beach, which is located on the Chesapeake Bay, has now become a high priority on par with the Oceanfront.
Woo hoo!
#WeLoveShoreDrive 