As we were informed at the regularly scheduled Bayfront Advisory Council (BAC) meeting held this Thursday, 17 March, much is in the works for our area along Long Creek. Marina Shores Marina is planning on an expansion to the east along Long Creek with the addition of several major floating docks to accommodate larger boats. We have been told that the original design that had been proposed has been reworked to meet the requirements for the channel and the estuary directly east of the marina. We are awaiting final design and dates for the required hearings for this project. This project has the potential to significantly change our current waterway and add a commercial density that may not be in keeping with our neighborhoods’ present level of enjoyment. As we have not yet seen the final design proposals, we can only guess as to what the new design will entail. The voiced and written objections expressed by many civic organizations including SDCC, Cape Story By the Sea, Bay Island and Cape Henry Shores have been acknowledged by both the city and the Marina Shores Marina owner, Ms. Gail Levine Biggs. More to come shortly.
Councilman Wood to Speak at SDCC Meeting
Councilman Wood has graciously agreed to come to our next scheduled SDCC meeting to discuss his vision for Shore Drive and Virginia Beach. Our regular monthly meeting will be held 28 March at 7:30 pm at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad station (Shore Drive and E. Stratford Rd.). This will be a good opportunity for us to exchange ideas and to discuss what our visions are for Shore Drive, our neighborhoods, and Virginia Beach.
Disaster Preparedness
March 15 was Tornado Preparedness Day across the Country, but we know that we in Virginia Beach will probably not be hit by one. Well, except for the one that hit Suffolk and the water spout that was sighted in the Chesapeake just off the beach near the Lesner Bridge. My point, we don’t think we will be impacted because most of us do not have a personal experience with one of these events, BUT this area has come close. Should we also think that a hurricane will probably not hit us here? We might want to reconsider that line of thought. I am not a weather man, but realize that the U.S. has had a very rough winter and we should most likely expect an equally rough summer. What would it take to have a simple level of preparedness? A simple kit might have three days of food and water, basic first aid kit, and some emergency supplies, all kept in a closable plastic container for easy carrying. And the MOST important part of your emergency kit? Your Family Emergency Plan. More about that next month.
Lesner Bridge Now Funded
Lesner Bridge has now been funded according to a conversation I had with a city official in Public Works. The Commonwealth of Virginia conducted an audit and found approximately $250 million dollars in unspent transportation funds. The city official stated that the bridge will have a northern alignment and the width and lane issues have been resolved. Construction should start within 12-16 months.
CIP 3 Fully Funded
Capital Improvement Project 3 (CIP3) is also now funded with the newly reconciled transportation dollars. CIP3, which is for projects east of the Lesner bridge includes sidewalks and lighting improvements. The other project, CIP4 for the west side of the Lesner Bridge is not funded, but any funds left from CIP 3 will be applied to CIP4.
Help the kids by voting for Pleasure House Point
From SavePHP.org:
Reminder: Kids need your help to save Pleasure House Point.
URGENT***URGENT***URGENT
March 7 – April 4: “CLICK HERE to Cast Your Vote.”
Students at Kemp’s Landing Magnet School have taken up the crusade to save PHP. Now, one of them, Charlie Harrelson, has been selected as a finalist for a Cox Conservation Heroes award, and will receive $1,250 -$5,000 for Pleasure House Point, based on online voting which begins March 7th.
The public can view videos of the finalists (Our Heroes) and cast their vote.
Marina Shores P1 Rezoning Ltr Councilman Wood
March 2, 2011
Mr. James L. Wood
Councilman District 5- Lynnhaven
Virginia Beach City Council
City of Virginia Beach
Municipal Center, Building 1
2401 Courthouse Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9001
Dear Councilman Wood:
Shore Drive Community Coalition is requesting your direct assistance in finalizing the administrative action to designate as P-1, the 4.221 acre estuary directly east of the present Marina Shores Marina property as previously agreed to in 1987. Due to an administrative error in that year, Virginia Beach City Council never applied P-1 zoning to this property as agreed to by the present business owner, Ms. Gail Levine-Higgs. As was specifically agreed, that subject property:
“not be developed in any manner other than a for walkways, bird nests and bird feeders, and shall be preserved as a nature conservancy. The Grantors hereby concur and give their consent to any motion which may be made by the City of Virginia Beach to rezone Parcel 1 to P-1, Preservation District. By this restriction, it is the Grantors intent that the marchlands on Parcel 1 shall be protected and that the entire parcel shall remain in a natural state, free from development other than that stated herein….”
Any excavation of the land or development impacting the present estuary would clearly violate the original agreed to proffer. The residents of Cape Story By the Sea, and Cape Henry Shores consider the expansion of Marina Shores Marina eastward into the estuary as both a violation of the original legal agreement and a potential safety and environmental threat to their subdivisions. Any decrease to the current tidal flushing of the estuary would result in degradation of the ecosystem due to increased pollutant buildup from storm water drainage piped into the estuary. When a significant tidal event occurs as in November 2009, water flow out of the estuary would be impeded resulting in prolonged and potentially damaging residential flooding in the adjacent communities.
The members of Shore Drive Community Coalition seek your support and corrective administrative action to zone the subject 4.221 acre estuary property as P-1 as legally agreed to by all parties in 1987.
Most respectfully,
David M. Williams
President, Shore Drive Community Coalition
Letter to Mayor re/Marina Shores Marina Expansion
3 February 2011
Mr. William D. Sessoms
Mayor
City of Virginia Beach
Municipal Center, Building Number 1
2401 Courthouse Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9001
Dear Mr. Mayor:
As Water Boxes LLC (Miss Gail Levine-Higgs) seeks to expand the Marina Shores Marina by adding 184 feet of 50 foot floating docks into Long Creek, I respectfully request that the Mayor and City Council members to remember the original conditions agreed upon on June 1, 1987 by Ms. Levine to restrict the use of parcel 1 (4.221 acres) to:
“not be developed in any manner other than a for walkways, bird nests and bird feeders, and shall be preserved as a nature conservancy. The Grantors hereby concur and give their consent to any motion which may be made by the City of Virginia Beach to rezone Parcel 1 to P-1, Preservation District. By this restriction, it is the Grantors intent that the marchlands on Parcel 1 shall be protected and that the entire parcel shall remain in a natural state, free from development other than that stated herein….”
Obviously, any excavation along Long Creek adjacent to the P-1 estuary to permit large 50 foot motor boats to dock would require sufficient draft to allow adequate propeller clearance with the bottom at low tide. The amount of dredged material to permit these large boats along the north side of Long Creek and the relocation of the dredged channel to accommodate the required turning clearances will have a major impact on the P-1 parcel. The proposed excavation along the north bank will degrade the shore stability resulting in a gradual collapse of the bank unless bulkheading is provided. No bulkheading is indicated in the current permit application. If bulkheading were to be used, change to the current tidal flushing of the P-1 estuary would result in the degradation of the estuary due to increased pollutant buildup from city storm water drainage into the estuary. If a significant tidal storm event should occur as in November 2009, water flow out of the estuary would be restricted resulting in prolonged residential flooding in the adjacent Cape Story By the Sea and Cape Henry Shores communities.
Clearly, any expansion of the present Marina Shore Marina will violate the signed proffer of the original rezoning agreement, degrade the fragile ecological stability of the estuary and pose a flood threat to two major communities. The proposed expansion of the Marina Shores Marina should be rejected and the P-1 zoning for the estuary should be vigorously instated and maintained.
Most respectfully,
David M. Williams
President, Shore Drive Community Coalition
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
WTKR coverage of released speed study
Story at WTKR.com:
“If you’re going to do it, you need to do it in the spring, the summer, the fall. You need to get an overlap period. But summer’s going to be the key when it’s warm and people are parking and going out more frequently,” DeSteph says.
Related: Read the entire study.
Article in Pilot about study on Shore Drive speed limit
Read the entire article, and add to the comments – 136 at the time of this post – at Pilotonline.com.
Vice Mayor Louis Jones and Councilman Jim Wood, who pushed for the reduction, which the entire council supported, said they want to keep the speed limit at 35.
“We haven’t had a death since we implemented the 35 mile per hour speed limit,” Jones said. “I like that, and I want to keep it that way.”
Wood said the speed limit should remain 35 mph on Shore Drive east of the Lesner Bridge, which falls in his district. He said the study might not tell the full story. “At first glance, it just seems like the study didn’t occur for very long,” he said. “My interpretation was that they were going to do more analysis than what was done.”
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.
45 Speed Study has Conclusion suggesting 45 not 35
Read the entire study. [22 page PDF]
Brush Fire along Long Creek - Saturday Feb. 19th
Saturday February 19, 2011.
Strong winds, dry conditions and fire resulted in a scary situation for Cape Story and Long Creek Cove residents on Saturday. Luckily, the wind was blowing in a favorable direction to keep the fire from spreading to Cape Story and Long Creek Cove homes as well as the boats at Marina Shores. The residents are also thankful that Virginia Beach’s finest firefighters were able to put the fire out in a short period of time without incident.
Here are a few photos of the fire.
Thanks to the Pilotonline.com for sharing the Beacon article about PHP online
Read all of Irene Bowers Beacon article at the Pilotonline.com.
A team of Kemps Landing Magnet School eighth-graders and the sixth-grade class at Cape Henry Collegiate School have a shared vision: to preserve the last 10 acres of land at Pleasure House Point through the sale of monument trees.
Be sure to read the entire article:
According to Carol Collins of Shore Drive Community Coalition, the young live oaks are already in the city’s nursery inventory.
“We are striving for $100,000 per monument tree,” Collins said. “But all donations are welcome.”
Cape Henry student Hunter Ramirez targeted New York Mets third baseman David Wright.
“He’s from here, so he might help,” Hunter said.
Goof on link to January 31 2011 Printable Agenda in eNewsletter
I goofed when sending this week’s eNewsletter.
The printable Agenda link in the emailed eNewsletter did not work – you can download it here, or at this link in our Blog or this link in the eNewsletter Archive.
I apologize for not testing it, and for the inconvenience.
Tim
Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) General Meeting Agenda - Monday Jan. 31st
Click on this .pdf link for a printable version of the agenda SDCC_Agenda_Jan_2011.pdf
Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) General Meeting Agenda
Monday, January 31, 2011
7:30pm to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station (Intersection of Shore Drive and E. Stratford Rd.)
Call to Order
Presentations:
– Pleasure House Point Grant Project; Funding and Support Possibilities by Ann Fitzgibbon
– Pleasure House Point’s Special Biodiversity by Peter Doherty
Officers’ Reports
President’s Report – David Williams
Vice President’s Report – Thomas Cantwell
Secretary’s Report – Todd Solomon – Minutes of December meeting
Treasurer’s Report – Carol Collins
Update on issues:
Marina Shores Expansion Withdrawn
Dredge Spoils Transfer Sites Lynnhaven Bay
Kroger Proposed Fuel Station
Old Business:
New Business:
Dates to remember:
Tuesday, 15 Feb: Bayfront Advisory Subcommittee at Bayside Rec Center,
3 pm, 4500 First Court Rd – Important Topic,Hurricane Evacuation
Thursday 17 Feb 3:30 pm Bayfront Advisory Committee- at Bayside Rec Center,
3:30 pm 4500 First Court Rd
Adjourn
Next Meeting: 7:30 p.m. FEBRUARY 28, 2011.
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Station
Cape Story Resident Attacked On Bike Path - 1/21/11
The following notice was received from the Cape Story by the Sea Neighborhood Watch.
On Friday night, 1/21, at approximately 12:30 a.m., a resident was walking home on the bike path behind Bloom when he was attacked by 2 males, one black and one white, probably in their early to mid 20’s. They tried to get his wallet but the resident was able to throw a few punches of his own and got away from them. One of the attackers was somewhat injured (by the victim) and the other ran away. This is the second incident of this kind in the past few months. Warning: please be aware and do not walk alone on the bike path at night.
Please remember to call 911 if you see a crime in action and call 385-5000, option 1, to report crimes after they have occurred or to report any suspicious activity.
Woman attacked in Va. Beach after declining dance
Woman attacked in Va. Beach after declining dance
By Kathy Adams
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 21, 2011
VIRGINIA BEACH
Police are looking for a man who attacked a 20-year-old woman after she refused to dance with him at a local bar.
The man asked her to dance at Cabo Cafe, at 2301 Red Tide Road off Shore Drive, but she declined, said Officer Adam Bernstein, a police spokesman.
Then, as the woman was leaving at about 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, he confronted her in the parking lot, Bernstein said. They argued, and the man pulled out a knife and attacked her. She suffered injuries requiring stitches and staples to her forehead, he said.
The man fled, Bernstein said. He’s described as black, between 21 and 28 years old, and 6 feet 3 inches tall with a muscular build. He was wearing a gray skullcap and a gray T-shirt with a black design on it.
Police ask that anyone with information on this case call Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP
Welcome Friends of Shore Drive Virginia Beach Va
We’re moving the Shore Drive Community Coalitions website to WordPress – in the meantime – please continue to keep up with happenings in the Bayfront at www.SDCC.info, and subscribe to this blog by RSS or Email.
Thanks for joinin us to make the Shore Drive community better!
Marina Shores Marina Wetlands Hearing WITHDRAWN…..for now.
The application for expanded wetslips and a permanent dredge spoils transfer station has be WITHDRAWN. See email excerpt from City below.
This is to advise you that the applicant’s agent has requested that the Joint Permit Application, (VB09-101) for Marina Shores Marina be withdrawn. The project will be redesigned for a future submittal of a new Joint Permit Application.
Accordingly, this is to advise you that the application will not be considered by the Wetlands Board at the January 18, 2011 Wetlands Public Hearing.
Lonnie Warren
Coastal Zone Inspector
City of Virginia Beach
Environment and Sustainability Office
#WeLoveShoreDrive 