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#WeLoveShoreDrive 
Hello there, Shore Drive Community!
We are two police officers from the 3rd precinct here in Virginia Beach.
We are conducting a neighborhood improvement project in the area of E Stratford Road, Marlin Bay Drive and Dinwiddie Road. Our goal is to help improve the environmental condition of the area but also improve the safety and security of those who live in that neighborhood. If you are a resident in that area, or frequent the parks nearby, and have concerns, we would love to speak with you! Please drop a comment on this post if you wish. We will also be out in the community conducting surveys (utilizing social distancing guidelines) within the next two weeks. If you would like to speak sooner please email us directly at mtorrance@vbgov.com or cgirvin@vbgov.com!
We look forward to working with you all. Thank you!
Hello fellow Shore Drive neighbors,
I am requesting the survey linked below be distributed to in order to get more respondents. Below is a post I made on “Next Door Safety” a few days ago and have received 55 individual person responses from communities located along the Bay Beach/Shore Drive. So far the information collected in the survey is revealing. It appears most folks have strict control of their dogs on the beach, however 90% of these same folks have encountered dogs not under control and 70% of the 90% say they have had concerns about the safety of their dog or person. 10% of the 70% have had slight or severe injury done to their dog by uncontrolled dogs. More survey respondents are necessary for this survey to provide actionable data. Not looking for opinions on what should be done. That will come after this survey data is analyzed, a committee is formed and more research is done. Looking to provide options to the City to make out beaches enjoyable for all. This is not, repeat is not, an effort to have a leash law for the beaches.
Here’s the Next Door Post:
“As a result of the dog attack and killing of Shih Tzu Macaroni reported in the Virginian Pilot linked below and the community reaction on Next Door, it is apparent that something must be done to lower the risk of having another dog killed or severely injured on our Beach. I drafted a survey that attempts to gather data and solicit for help to determine the extent of the problem. Any options presented to the City are going to have to be backed up with numbers and narratives of significant incidents that have occurred. The options we develop are going to have to be something on which all responsible dog owners can agree. It will require compromise.
Virginian Pilot online report:
https://www.pilotonline.com/life/pets/vp-nw-dog-attack-0714-20200713-zvfyl57dvng4bgvfst4ipxorwe-story.html?outputType=amp#aoh=15947659641471&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s
Here is the survey. No more posts of opinions and positions are required or desired on Next Door. If you have good intentions and are willing to back up comments with some action, please join the Committee referred to in the Survey”.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BMLTHMQ
Thanks to all that participated in the survey. A committee concerned citizens was formed to address safety on our Bay Beach. The survey helped the committee get a picture of safety concerns on our Beach. The Committee was able to get the City to install signs along beach entrances that list the rules concerning dogs on the beach. The following is a newsletter article that is being shared with the Bay Beach Civic Leagues in hope they will add this to their newsletters and other social media:
Making the Beach Safer for Everyone
Following the tragic death of Macaroni, a Shih Tzu dog, on the beaches between the Lesner Bridge and the Joint Naval Base Little Creek Fort Story, a coalition of concerned citizens, elected officials and animal control leadership joined forces to evaluate and improve dog/beach user safety. The first step was data collection that included analysis of existing animal control and police department data, citizen surveys, and researching previous actions to address dog/human interactions on beaches both locally and in other areas. Data analysis revealed that 1) not everyone was aware of existing Virginia Beach requirements and 2) negative interactions were not being reported so it was difficult to identify root causes and the frequency of negative interactions. The next step is to focus on education and reporting to improve the quality of the beach experience for all.
REQUIREMENTS:
If you are a dog owner, please ensure your pet is licensed, up-to date on rabies and required vaccinations, and that you clean up after your pet on the beach and in public areas. Dogs are allowed on the beaches anytime during the off-season, and before 10 AM and after 6 PM from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Dogs are allowed off leash on the beach as long as they are under the owner’s visual and vocal control at all times. Control means that the dog stays with the owner, and is not allowed to approach another beach user and/or another dog without the other beach user’s expressed permission. If a dog cannot be controlled in this manner, use common courtesy by leashing your dog until the other beach user passes. This would alleviate their anxiety and decrease incidents. Many surveyed citizens indicated high occurrences of being approached by unleashed dogs when their owners were on the phone, or distracted in any manner; these are examples of dogs not under the control of their owner.
REPORTING:
Data analysis of Animal Control Reports and independent surveys found that reporting sometimes does not occur when either the injuries/bites were not serious enough to require medical attention, or when the uncontrolled dog and owner left the beach before their contact information could be collected.
All human exposures (break of the skin) shall be reported to Animal Control. Reporting any other negative experience or interaction on the beach is strongly encouraged.
If you need an Animal Control Officer (ACO) to respond, please call 385-4444 and select option #1. If you determine you do not need an ACO to respond, but would like to provide information about an incident or concern, then you can send an email to vbpdac@vbgov.com.
FUTURE ACTIONS:
The coalition is pursuing additional signage at beach entrances so dog owners and citizens are aware of the requirements and the reporting procedures. Educational signs in honor of Macaroni have been installed at six beach entrances to date. The group hopes to educate more citizens about the requirements and reporting processes through many venues to improve the beach experience for all.
For more information, please contact Mr. Darryl Stubbs at dstubbs404@msn.com.
On Monday Feb. 25, 2020 the Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) voted unanimously to support the following position regarding the proposed Westminster Canterbury expansion – “The SDCC opposes the Westminister Canterbury expansion proposal as it is in violation of the Shore Drive Overlay density restrictions and the Business 901 height restrictions”
Does this proposed expansion have a legitimate hardship that should allow for variances to the 24 units per acre density requirement and the 165 ft height requirement listed in the City’s Municipal Code for B4 zoning in the SDO district? What are your thoughts?
Surely palm trees are not going to line Shore Drive! I live next door to the Virginia Beach Hotel where the scraggly palm trees have been an eyesore for years. Look at Hilltop. This is Virginia, not Florida. Please not palms.
VOTE NO TO REZONING OF MARINA AT MARINA SHORES PROPERTY. Below is a link to a petition to vote NO to rezoning of the Marina Shores Marina property to B-4 (commercial and residential) so the owner can building a 200 unit apartment complex and a second restaurant with only one ingress and egress. I appreciate your support. This is merely a request and not a debate.
http://www.getpetition.com/petitions/vote-no-to-rezoning
We apologize for missing this comment to moderate until now.
Just spoke to VB Zoning/Planning Dept. and was advised that the issue of rezoning Marina Shores is not on the schedule for June. Further advised that they have not completed all the documentation needed to be scheduled for a hearing.
I have been keeping up with the VB Zoning/Planning Department as well. My neighborhood is very much against the rezoning for residential use. If this matters does go before the VB Zoning/Planning Department, we plan to attend and object to the rezoning. I welcome as much support as we can get on this matter. Please keep me in the loop. Many thanks!
Speeding cars/vehicles down Ocean Shore Avenue. How can we stop this?
My back deck overlooks Ocean Shore Ave. I mentioned it somewhere on this forum to put in speed bumps, and someone responded that the VBFD would not allow that. SOME thing needs to be done! There is a Japanese style motorcycle (not a Harley – I know what does sound like!) that occasionally excessively speeds the length of Ocean Shore, because I can hear it racing down the street. Must be doing at least 45-50, by the sound of it.
I’ve fished the area around and under that bridge since 1969. Does anyone know if it’s the city’s intention to reopen that area after the new bridge is completed ??
SDCC
How about list discuss points latest first rather than starting with 2012 in newsletter?
Not sure what you mean Don.
When you open the “discuss” heading for comments it opens to comments from 2012, not 2015. You must read all the way to the bottom for current issues.
Don Allen Va Beach 757 286 0537 steer.us.com
>
Understood. Unfortunately, no way to change that layout with our website design.
Is there a certain topic we should start for public discussion?
Dangerous bicyclist. Sunday night, about 9:30pm an adult bicyclist, without lights, on a road bike was riding east on Shore near 7-11. He rode through Marlin Bay/Shore intersection, changing lanes back and forth but staying on the left. He continued many blocks, maybe as far as the Rescue Squad. He was impossible to see, and since he was switching lanes, impossible to avoid. He appeared unapologetic for travelling without light, after dark, on the left side of the road where drives could not see or avoid him. Beware!
Why not issue tickets to Dimitri for blocking the sidewalk, it’s public property, come on VB cops !! That’s BS
Does anyone really believe the “staging area for the bridge” is not a spoil transfer station. See if you can get a straight answer from the city (Dave Hansen) with a time line. Take a close look at what’s being built, “it don’t look temporary”. Once those barges start moving and destroy the recently planted oyster beds and foul our pristine water, how long will it take to reverse course??
For us living in the Shore Drive area, we have many concerns about all that could impact our quality of life. Increasing construction of high density condos and apartment buildings will only add to our traffic and parking problems. And, it seems that every available piece of land that will support more apartment and condo construction is being sought and bought. As land prices go up, developers build too many “fast stick and vinyl covered” 3, 4, and 5 story cracker boxes. Is this what we want for the Shore Drive area? If we can’t have quality construction, why are we being forced to accept these high density “cracker box facades” that will not maintain a sustainable quality over the duration of a 30 year mortgage. Would the residents of Bay Island, Broad Bay, and the other quality neighborhoods accept such construction? Maybe we should let our City Council know that we don’t accept it either.
http://www.wvec.com/news/local/Man-caught-on-camera-stealing-bike-do-you-know-who-he-is-264099871.html
This happened at First Landing Autocare on Shore Dr.
Here’s the letter in Saturday’s Pilot about the unleashed dog that attacked and killed a smaller dog:
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/more-rules-needed-dogs-beach
The overwhelming majority of dog owners are profoundly convinced of their “right” to violate the leash laws, wherever and whenever they like. They are hostile, entitled and childishly defiant.
Until the laws are actually enforced, there’s nothing to stop this from happening again.
Has anyone heard about a Pitbull Attack on a small dog on the beach this week? I heard there was one near the Lynnhaven Pier?
I had a similar phone call this week. With this one, it was a guy who said he was with American Home Shield. In case you don’t know, that is the name of a reputable residential repair insurance company. When this guy started talking about security, I told him we were with Johns Brothers and very happy with them. He wanted to send someone out to do an evaluation and information visit. I practically hung up on him. But I will say that he was well-spoken and polite.
Security Risk in our neighborhoods?
My wife received a phone call from a person who said she was representing our security company who would be doing updates on our security system. The person asked if we had a security system and when it was updated last. My wife thought that if they represented our company that they would know the answer. The woman said that the update was free and that a service tech was in our area. My wife thought that they should know the answer, so my wife hung up the phone. I called our security company who verified that they don’t updates and that this was a scam.
This could be a simple scam to gain some money, or it could also be very serious if thieves want to burglarize your home. It might work like this. The “company” comes out to update your system and looks around your house “to check your sensors”. Some later time when you are not home, they would return, disable your system and quickly burglarize your home.
Heads up! Watch who is driving around your neighborhood and if service vehicles or unfamiliar car are parked in your neighbor’s driveway. Take note and copy down license plate numbers and a description of the vehicle and driver. You might even take a I-phone picture. Burglaries are on the rise. Be a good neighbor.
Any idea what part of the park? Fromt what I heard, she was lost right in the dead-center of the park property.
No idea John. Sorry.
Thanks for responding, I appreciate it. Do you know any more about what happened? Did Lady find her way home somehow, or did they locate her somewhere in the park?
Sure thing! She apparently was found there.
Does anyone know anything about the missing dog at First Landing? Apparently a dog named Lady was lost a couple of days ago–there were signs at all the trail entrances yesterday.
Has anyone heard anything about this, and whether they found their dog?
Heard from people at First Landing, thru Cape Story Neighborhood Watch, that Lady found her owners a couple days ago.
It’s possible that the “Commission” referred to is the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, isn’t it? That’s the way I heard it, but I haven’t read the bill, which is still a bad idea if it takes review away from our local Board.
Some senior members of the Virginia Beach city staff are reviewing for submission to the upcoming Virginia General Assembly, a change in state law that would remove the local “Wetlands boards” from the wetlands project review process. The change in state law would permit the cities to be the monitors of their own projects, thereby bypassing their own local wetlands boards. This may sound like just a small change, or as one senior city person called it, “a tweek”, but it obviously is not. The proposed change to state law submitted by Vice Mayor Jones and Councilman Wood will have severe impacts in my opinion. Please note that last year (DEC 2012) when Senator McWaters determined that what the city had submitted and told him was a minor change in state law was fact a major change, that he quickly removed his sponsorship from the previous bill and sent it back to committee. Now, our city wants to resurrect the bill change with expanded wording.
According to the recent written city package information that was passed to me, the new SB926 wording will include references to the “SSD Neighborhood Dredging Project” and “subject to the Commission, rather than the local wetlands boards, if any.” I believe that the “Commission” that the proposed bill change is referring to is our city’s Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission. This is the very Commission that would not allow many of us to speak at their meetings (because we could not get on their published agenda), would not take or answer our questions in writing (We were told that there will be an opportunity for public comments and questions.) and that failed to reasonably and sufficiently respond to our formally submitted written questions at the Commission’s only public hearing. As you might recall, there was strong opposition to the city’s dredging program with 19 of the 20 speakers speaking in opposition. This Commission submitted their findings and recommendations to our City Council without responding sufficiently nor reasonably to SDCC’s questions or those submitted by the many other opponents.
Is this the same Commission (Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission) that has been resurrected and appointed by our City Council that we should permit to monitor, review and approve our city’s waterways projects? Where are the completed environmental impact studies? Where are the safety and traffic impact studies? Where are the answers to our formally submitted questions?
I view these glaring gaps with concern. The safety, the quality of life for our neighborhoods and the environmental quality of the Lynnhaven Basin is in jeopardy. More importantly, the established oversight process with citizen inputs is being removed. This is just another example of “Taxation without representation” by some of our city officials.
Why do they want to keep the bulkhead at Crab Creek? To make the area a spoil site upon completion of the bridge?
Wade,
The city would like to have a 400 foot concrete capped bulkhead at Crab Creek to support all the city and privately contracted barges while they await spoils transfers to dump trucks. I believe that the city will use the area to offload the spoils and allow them to dewater there, thereby making the spoils easier (lighter) to carry. Strict State weight limitations on dump truck loads would not permit a fully WET loaded dump truck to use our roads. Mr. Hansen says that he would have the wet loads monitored so as to not exceed state limits. I am not so sure that this can be consistently accomplished. The short answer to your question, the 400 foot bulkhead would allow many barges to cue up until the barges can be offloaded. Maybe cue up over night, weekends, holidays, or just for a reasonable duration of a week or month or two. What this would mean would be that the Crab Creek basin would become an industrial work site, vice a nice scenic area where we boat, fish, kayak, and enjoy. As for the oysters that we like to eat, don’t worry. The city will monitor their quality and notify us if there is a problem with contamination.
Does anyone know where the loud airplane noise is coming from in the Lynnhaven Pier area? It is between 9:30 pm and 11:30 pm. Primarily after 10:30 pm. I have lived here over 8 years and never heard these jets. It seems unlikely we would hear these from Oceana.
It concerns me when I encounter young teenagers riding their bikes at night in the middle of the road without lights and wearing dark clothing. First, it is dumb and asking for an encounter with a car. Second, it shows poor supervision by the parent. In a car-bike rider encounter, who loses? It should not take a serious accident to get a parent’s attention. So, where is your child tonight? Maybe mention this to a neighbor who’s kid rides the neighborhood at night? Maybe save a life.
It drives me crazy too! They always seem to wear dark clothing too.
David, I agree. This generation is very different and difficult to relate to. At times, parental guidance is not enough. Someone might need more. Aren’t the Police responsible too? Where are they? How many encounters with these kids have they had? I agree parental guidance is appropriate although I feel the Police should have a greater presence. They are giving tickets to tax paying homeowners on the beach for having their dogs out between 10am and 6pm but allow kids to ride in the middle of the street at night? Mind boggling.
Duplicate comment deleted on July 31 at ~ 12:21pm. See it here > https://shoredrivecommunitycoalition.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/most-important-sdcc-meeting/#comment-407
We are interested to find out if anyone knows that the new regulations for 9 feet above flood zone for new construction (floor joists 9 foot above the ground) means that the 35′ elevation restrictions still hold, or does the new construction limited to 26′ (35 total height). Tim suggested that I put this on the site.