View May 2019 Baylines Newsletter
Route 35 shuttle resumes; Light reopens
Ballyhoos makes permit presentation
Bike trail at State Park studied
and more . . .
Monday April 30th – SDCC General Meeting at 730pm – Bonaventure Apartment Development Presentation
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 4.29.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday April 29, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation –
Bonaventure Realty Group – Expansion Plans for Windsong Apartments on Pleasure House
Representatives from the Bonaventure Realty Group will present their current plans to redevelop and expand the Windsong Apartment complex located on Pleasure House Road north of Shore Drive. Previously presented plans had the old apartments being increased a total of 160 units from 272 to 432. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. As always, all are welcome to attend SDCC meetings.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – An update on the project will hopefully be available. The project has been delayed and appears to continue to be pushed to the right and will most likely take place through the summer season. When is the start date and what are the impacts to the beach during construction?
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – City Council and Staff are evaluating the request to take over the planning and execution of the show. A decision should be forthcoming after the “Something in the Water” event is over which will allow Staff to focus on the request.
Dog Leash Law for Beaches – A public hearing was held on Wed April 10th at 630pm at the City’s Law Enforcement Training Facility. City Council has request the topic be studied for a year before any changes are made to the code. A steering committee will be formed to help with this evaluation. It is SDCC plan to invite representatives of this committee to a future SDCC to present their plans and how our community can provide input.
New Business –
Parking Meters at Lynnhaven Boat Ramp – The City has installed a metered parking kiosk for public parking at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. If you plan on using this lot, please be aware of the update to avoid tickets.
Shore Drive Improvements in Ocean Park to Start Soon – $600,000 of improvement to the Shore Drive/Stratford Road intersection, is fully funded and expected to begin later this spring. This would involve a “fully functional” traffic light with pedestrian crossing signals, an emergency signal to accommodate Ocean Park Fire and Rescue
Cape Henry Ditch Volunteer Clean Out Corps Proposal – Representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will be discussing a plan to have volunteers clean out and maintain a section of the ditch behind Food Lion. The Cape Story meeting will take place on Monday May 13th at 7:30pm at Lynnhaven Colony Congregational Church.
Upcoming Chances for Civic Engagement
Tuesday April 30th City Council Budget Input – 6pm at City Council Chambers. Other ways to provide comments are posted at https://sdcc.info/2019/04/25/city-budget-public-hearings-scheduled-last-chance-for-input-on-tuesday-april-30th/
Tuesday May 14th Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Forum – 6:00pm – 8:00pm @ Brock Environmental Center (3663 Marlin Bay Drive, Virginia Beach 23455). Speakers will discuss the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint (Phase III Water Implementation Plan/WIP).
Tuesday June 11th – Primary Election – 6am to 7pm at your normal polling locations.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday May 20, 2019***
Please note the meeting will be a week early due to Memorial Day
“However, staff is conducting an analysis of the daily storm water rate with the intention of developing options that would reduce the regressive nature of a single rate for all residences across the city so that residences that generate less runoff (due to less impervious surfaces) would pay a lower rate. “
HOW GREAT WOULD THAT BE !?
The FY 2019-20 budget increases the funds designated for these areas in the six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) by 41%.
Animal Control looking for exotic cat spotted near Shore Drive
Have you seen Rocky the Serval Cat?
It’s been a few weeks since his last siting in First Landing State Park, so he may have moved on. But be on the lookout for him if you frequent the Park during runs or walks. I personally spotted him on the beach side of the Park in camping loop H which is just to the west of the visitor center.
Click here to read the Virginian Pilot article on the lost exotic animal in case you missed it.
April 10th – Virginia Beach Animal Control is looking for an exotic cat that was spotted Wednesday morning, according to a news release.They received a call about the cat at 8:15 a.m. It was spotted near the 2300 block of Shore Drive, according to the release. It’s believed to weigh about 25 pounds and has long legs, making it about 25 inches tall at the shoulders.
Brock Environmental Center Learning Series – Tues May 14th at 6pm
City Budget Public Hearings Scheduled – Last Chance for Input on Tuesday April 30th
City Budget Public Hearings Scheduled
The City Council will hold two public hearings in April. Citizens can register to speak prior to the start of the public hearing. Speakers are limited to three minutes.
• April 24 – 6:30 p.m. – Old Donation School, 4633 Honeygrove Road (note, original (March 26) release incorrectly had start time as 6 p.m.)
• April 30 – 6 p.m. – City Council Chamber, 2401 Courthouse Drive
Comment by email
To send a comment to the entire City Council, contact citycouncil@vbgov.com
To send a comment to an individual City Council member, find email addresses here.
Got a question? Send it to budget@vbgov.com.
Review the budget
To review the complete budget, visit www.VBgov.com/budget.
• Open Budget – An online app that lets citizens review, compare, download, visualize and analyze data at the line-item level. http://www.VBgov.com/budget
• Full text of the budget – In three documents: executive summary, operating budget and six-year capital plan.
Virginia Beach sees jump in Airbnb listings, more than 500 are being investigated
View article at Pilotonline.com:
Phil Kellam, commissioner of the revenue, said that’s about five times the normal rate of potential improper listings.
A city consultant is looking into every advertisement.
“In dismissing the developer’s lawsuit, the judge affirmed the council’s prerogative to factor in sea level rise and future flooding when deciding on whether to allow new construction, even if these projections are not established in city codes or ordinances. “
View article at Pilotonline.com:
After the judge’s decision, McFarland said it was too early to decide if he and his client would appeal the ruling.
Balloon sculpture at Virginia Aquarium encourages people to STOP RELEASING FLYING GARBAGE that eventually lands, litters and tortures critters both on land & water.
The FLYING GARBAGE they/we are speaking of are deadly helium balloons that are plastic garbage when they land.
Two new balloon sculptures at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center are not just works of art. The oversized sea turtle and butterfly are also displaying an ugly picture of balloon debris and its damaging effects on wildlife.
Visit & learn more about the amazing Virginia Aquarium here.
You can learn more about the FLYING GARBAGE at BallonsBlow.org here.
All released balloons, including those falsely marketed as “biodegradable latex,” return to Earth as ugly litter. They kill countless animals and cause dangerous power outages.
Balloons are also a waste of Helium, a finite resource. Balloons can travel thousands of miles and pollute the most remote and pristine places.
Starting May 1 2019 all new & renewal flood policies should reflect a 15% discount thanks to VB joining CRS! Wooo hooo!
CRS ?
The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements.
You may recall we’ve been lobbying for it since 2014. An article on our website here.
You may also have attended one of our meetings with reps from CoVB doing a presentation followed by a Q&A. Check out more posts about CRS on this website here.
The news about CRS at VBGov.com.
The CRS uses a 10-level (or point) scale to evaluate efforts. Each level below 10 receives a 5% discount on flood insurance premiums. The City will join the program as a Class 7 community, which reflects the significant investment being made to mitigate flooding issues throughout the city.
View the PDF of the presentation slides made to City Council.
The PDF includes contact info for the amazing Whitney McNamara if you have questions.
btw – with more work there’s a chance VB might be able to earn a 20% discount.
New required metered parking at beloved LBR&BF
Started yesterday.
Apparently the City was inspired to replace the honor system with the new required metered parking because of so much abuse including some ignorant users of LBR&BF mouthing off to Parks & Rec staff who work their.
For those who don’t pay, you will be ticketed and may be towed. New box is self explanatory.
Interesting new idea how to handle storm water will be tested & refined on Shore Drive.
New scoop we just learned over the weekend after meeting one of the people whose been working on this.
Thanks to the amazing work Dewberry has done so far studying sea level rise and storm water issues in Virginia Beach, the Brock Environmental Center being located here and the fact the Shore Drive community is at the top of the list of biggest impacts to VB – a new potential solution will be tested here.
The working group will be looking for property owners who can plant trees in the Phase 3 area to help mitigate storm water. The City will also be planting more trees as well.
There’s been a breakthrough in the science of designing trees to increase Photosynthesis and surprisingly it’s palm trees that have the biggest bang for the buck.
You may remember Photosynthesis is one of the functions of a tree that pulls water from the ground – thereby mitigating the increase risk from sea level rise and storm water increasing due to more storms.
You’ll be seeing a palm tree lined Shore Drive once Phase 3 is complete.
It’s too early to know exactly what they’ll look like at this point but the other benefit to the design is the ease of transplanting them to different variations as they’ll have monitoring equilement on them to test the efficiencies of the trees.
Part of the working groups public comment includes gathering input for what would work best for our area including our climate of course.
Note: I’m excited about the testing of new science here. Just not happy it didn’t turn out to be live oaks that will be studied more.
April Baylines from Bayfront Advisory Committee
News includes losing funding for Riverwalk walkway, Phase 3 update, Phase 4 being unfunded, Baylake Pines getting speed tables, fireworks and more.
City Considers Requiring Leashes for Dogs on its Beaches
The Virginia Beach Police Department will be hosting a community forum Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Law Enforcement Training Academy (411 Integrity Way) to gather public feedback.
It will be used in considering a proposed change to City Code Section 6.5 (animals on the beach and adjacent areas) for the City Council’s consideration. The proposed change would require all dogs to be leashed on City beaches at all times. Other restrictions in the code would remain unaffected.
Editors note: It would be great if fines for unleashed dogs & not cleaning up were aggressively enforced at our VB Parks too.
“Budget Director David Bradley said if the council accepts the increases, it would cost the average resident about $15 more a month, or an additional $180 per year.”
That’s additional $180 / year.
About 23 percent of the proposed budget would go toward funding stormwater. To compare, in 2017 — the year Hurricane Matthew hit — the city had set aside just 9 percent.
SDCC General Meeting and Special Presentation on City’s Sea Level Rise/Flooding Study – Mon March 25th at 7:30pm
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 3.25.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday March 25, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation –
Virginia Beach Comprehensive Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding Planning Study
Charles J. Bodnar and Sue E. Kriebel of the city’s Stormwater Engineering Center will discuss the results of the $3 million City funded study being worked by Dewberry consultants. The study shows seven major areas of the City that could have heavy financial impact from future SLR and flooding. Suggested solutions include storm surge walls along the beach from Fort Story to Little Creek with gates at the Lesner Bridge. This along with others projects could cost the upwards of $2 billion. Mr. Bodnar and Ms. Kriebel will also discuss next steps for this study which will include public input and conversations regarding funding and project ranking.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – The bid has been awarded to dredge the Lynnhaven Inlet and to use the sand to replenish the Cape Henry Beach. Updates on the project start and finish dates will be provided as they are shared.
Community Rating System (CRS) – Official release of Virginia Beach status and initial ranking will be provided in April. Estimates show we should be in the 10% to 20% cost savings to a property’s annual flood insurance premium.
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – Cape Story by the Sea Civic Association officers and the Bayfront Advisory Commission Chairman met with Councilman Jones, Deputy City Manager Cover and City Entertainment contractor IMG to request that the 35 year old annual event become a City managed and operated show. State Fire Marshal regulations, lack of pyrotechnic company support and insufficient funding have become too restrictive for the event to continue to be held at the State Park and coordinated by residents.
New Business –
Windsong Apartments Redevelopment – The 14+ acre site located between Pleasure House Road and North Hampton Blvd. currently contains 272 units and are approximately 40 year old. The developer, Bonaventure, is requesting a rezoning to allow the number of units to increase by 160 to a total of 432. Along with the new units, the developer plans to renovate the old units that it will keep. A presentation of this project by the developer has been scheduled for our April 29th SDCC meeting.
Dog Leash Law for Beaches – The City’s Animal Control Department is asking for a change to the City’s Dog Leash Law that will require all dogs to be on a leash when on any City’s public beach. On Bayfront beaches, dogs would need to be leashed at all times during the off-season (Labor Day to Memorial Day) and between 6pm and 10am during the season (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Dogs are prohibited to be on the beach at all from 10am to 6pm during the season. A public hearing will be held on Wed April 10th at 630pm at the City’s Law Enforcement Training Facility.
Meeting of Three Commanders – A Virginia Historical Highway Marker commemorating the Sept. 18, 1781 meeting of Washington, Rochambeau and De Gasse was placed in the Lynnhaven Colony Park along Shore Drive and dedicated this past Wed. March 6th.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday April 25, 2019.***
Special Presentation – Windsong Development Plans by Bonaventure
Historic Highway Marker Dedicated to 1781 Meeting of Three Commanders
A Virginia Historical Highway Marker commemorating the Sept. 18, 1781 meeting of Washington, Rochambeau and De Gasse was placed in the Lynnhaven Colony Park along Shore Drive and dedicated this past Wed. March 6th.
Read more about this dedication in the Virginian-Pilot article by clicking here
“Animal Control officers want to require those pets to be leashed on city beaches at all times.”
Over the last two years, 33 incidents involving dog bites occurred on the city’s public beaches, and more than half of the aggressors were unleashed dogs, according to data provided by Conti.
Baylines March Newsletter from BAC
View Baylines March ’19 Edition.
A proposal to redevelop the Windsong Apartment complex off Pleasure House Road would increase the number of units by nearly 60 percent, but update the 40+-year-old complex with new amenities, developers told the Bayfront Advisory Commission.
The proposal, on a 14.85-acre site between Pleasure House and Northampton Boulevard north of Shore Drive, is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission in April for a series of proposed rezonings that would increase the complex from 272 units to 432*. Of those, 216 would involve renovated apartments and 216 new units.
Emphasis ours.
*Note: Zoning request increase could create potential for more than 432 units total.
2 interactive VB websites to set a budget and see where your tax dollars go.
Start here to create your Virginia Beach Budget.
Have a voice in your government. Show your elected officials how you’d balance the budget.
“Want a receipt for your Virginia Beach taxes?
Answer a few questions to find out how much you paid.”
Start here to plug some numbers in to see how much you pay for various VB services.
The Virginia Beach Taxpayer Receipt creates an estimate of the local taxes you pay to the City of Virginia Beach and illustrates the services that are funded. The information is from the city’s interactive budget simulation and includes only the revenue allocated to the City’s General Fund.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 