Please Purchase at least 39 acres for Open Space!
The residents of Ocean Park Civic League voted virtually unanimously to encourage City Council to purchase at least 39 acres for Open Space/natural park at Pleasure House Point.

“The city, which has had an option on the 10-acre property for several years, plans to buy it for around $6 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of September 2004, when the option runs out.”

“The city has purchased other properties in the Rudee Inlet area, but this would be the most significant, said Don Maxwell, Virginia Beach’s director of economic development.”
Read the entire article about the City purchasing more land around Rudee Inlet.

“A plan to redevelop parts of the city’s northern half with more dense, urban-style development holds both promise and peril, residents say.”

“Unless we have some significant transportation improvements, we’re going to have a bigger mess than we do right now,” said Councilwoman Reba McClanan.
Read entire article here.

What exactly is a Soil & Water Director?  See the Pilot article below if you don’t know.  You get to vote for two (2) candidates of the four (4) listed below.  Per the article, Mr. Flanagan has withdrawn.

OFFICE : Soil & Water Director       District : Virginia Dare District
PARTY NAME ADDRESS
Independent Greg     Allen   716 Churchill Dr, Virginia Beach, 23464
Independent Roy D.  Flanagan III 1705 Princess Anne Rd, Virginia Beach, 23456
Independent Brent S.  James   1085 Downshire Chase, Virginia Beach, 23452
Independent Cynthia J.  Pridmore   1140 Kings Way Drive, Virginia Beach, 23455
Independent Donald R.  Trueblood   2504 Forehand Lane, Virginia Beach, 23454

Mr. Stanley Tseng will present Fort Worth Development’s new design for the Dinwiddie project at the Shore Drive Advisory Committee general meeting.  The meeting will be held Thursday November 6, 2003 at 3:30pm in the Bayside Recreation Center.  Local Council members and City Staff will be present as well as the SDAC to listen to public input at the close of the meeting.  Please plan to attend and lend your input to this design process.  Decisions made now may set the precedence for future development in the Shore Drive corridor.

“We’ve been thrilled with the response in Virginia Beach,” said Craig Carlock, vice president of marketing for The Fresh Market, a chain of 38 stores in the Southeast based in Greensboro, N.C. “We see it as being a very vibrant market.”
Read the entire article here.

You can help the residents of the Shore Drive Community by signing the Petition to encourage City Council to buy 25 at least 39 Acres of Pleasure House Point to be used as a natural park.
Please continue…..

The following SDCC approved proposal was presented to Council.  It can be used as a tool to help focus speakers at the October 28 Council Meeting.  Please come out and show some support.  It would be nice if the Shore Drive area could receive some of the same treatment that is given to the Oceanfront/Northend.

                    SHORE DRIVE BEACH WALKWAYS  

BACKGROUND

  The attraction of the Shore Drive Area is the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and the Lynnhave Waterway.  It is primarily a high density residential area with a substantial population of retirees and young families.  At the present time it has very few developed accesses to the Bay. The sand and sand dunes at the end of each street are a considerable obstacle to many residents, seniors, handicapped individuals, mothers and fathers herding “kids”, babies in carriages, and assorted beach paraphernalia to and from the beach.  Many of our older residents, although they decided to retire here for the beach and the bay find they lack access to the very attractions that brought them here
  Over time we face an erosion problem. As people traverse the dunes they create deeper and deeper paths.  The wind and at times the water find these paths natural conduits and further erode the sand barriers.

OBJECTIVE:

  To construct walkways at the end of each street to the Chesapeake Bay in the Shore Drive corridor from Bay Lakes Pines to First Land State Park.

PROPOSAL:

  That this task be accomplished in three phases over the next nine years.  This proposal constitutes the first proposal or phase one.  This phase calls for the construction of nine walkways out of a total of 34 possible walkways. Phase one call for the construction of a walkway at the end of about every fourth street. Some specific locations have been identified and are request sites. They are: Kendell,  Sandalwood,  Rookery Way,  W Jefferson,  Powatan Albemarle, and Roanoke.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

  All walkways shall be design to permit handicapped access.  The materials, design and construction of walkways similar to those at Fort Story and at Sea Shore State Park would be ideal and reasonable in cost.

BENEFITS

  Walkways would enhance both the aesthetics of the area the real value of all types of residences. It would open the beach to all, the handicapped, families with young children and the elderly.  It would reduce the erosion of the dunes and the vegetated areas adjacent to the beach and the dunes. 

REQUEST

It is requested that the city assume responsibility for funding and construction of the walkways starting in 2004.  This proposal is submitted by the Shore Drive Community Coalition (a coalition of 22 civic leagues and condominium associations).  It is endorsed and supported by The Shore Drive Advisory Committee, The Cerebral Palsy Association, The mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities and a majority of the citizens in the area.

The Virginia Beach Planning Commission will hold a special workshop, open to the public, on Monday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. in the City Manager’s Conference Room, Room 234, second floor of City Hall, 2401 Courthouse Drive. Proposed amendments to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Ordinance will be discussed.
learn more here

The broker notes that the sale is for real estate assets only, not the Duck-In Restaurant & Gazebo, as it is formally called. Henkel said the Miller family might reconsider letting someone operate the restaurant as the Duck-In “if the offer was sufficient.”

Thanks to Jack for attending the SDAC meeting regarding the Shore Drive Demonstration Project!
Following are his notes from the meeting. We encourage you to continue reading and also to add your comments:

On October 28th the city council will hold a public hearing at 6 PM in the council chambers.  The topic will be ITEMS FOR THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE.  This is a KEY meeting.  It is our opportunity to request funds for beach walkways.

As of Oct. 1, it’s illegal to use an open-flame grill on wooden balconies or on patios within 10 feet of a combustible building, meaning just about any structure not made of brick.

We encourage you to take Hampton Roads Parnership Quality of Life Survey.
It’s only 8 questions. The Survey Results will be linked to once published from SDCC.info, local News Sites and of course the HRP site.

Click to check out the Survey.
Click to check out Hampton Roads Partnership site.

View more photos from the Oyster Roast at Images of Shore Drive.

This month’s general meeting will cover the following topics, some of which are listed below:

The Shore Drive Advisory Committee’s Design Subcommittee has scheduled a meeting with City staff and consultants concerning the Shore Drive Demonstration Project.

Well it’s official. Another year, another success.  Thanks to all who helped put this years event together.  Residents and friends gathered at the Duck-In Beach Club on a perfect day to enjoy great food, great music and a fantastic art show.  Bob Linsly and the Cox High Falcon Jazz kept the crowd entertained.  Event goers mingled as they voted for their favorite piece of art created by student from Cox High School.  Door prizes donated by local merchants were given away to the lucky winners.  Thanks again to all the volunteers, merchants and residents for making the 3rd Annual SDCC Oyster Roast a day to remember.

Developer Paul A. Galloway has sold Long Bay Pointe Boating Resort and Marina to a Maryland-based marina holding company.

The revised plans won the backing of the Ocean Park Civic League’s board of directors last week, said Billy Sykes, the league president.

Sykes said he prefers a condominium there rather than a public beach access, a possibility if the city bought the lot.