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.
Downloadable PDF’s of Phase 3 from VB Public Works
Thanks to Bill Purcell, Project Manager of Phase 3, for the files for Phase 3.
View CIP Status Page of Phase 3.
View the downloadable PDFs of Phase 3 from VB Public Works at Google Drive here.
A screen shot pulled from each PDF file below.
Utilities PDF of Phase 3
Signals PDF of Phase 3
Roadway & Lighting PDF of Phase 3
Frontend PDF of Phase 3
MOTxs PDF of Phase 3
MOTPlans PDF of Phase 3
Planting Plan PDF Phase 3
One of the biggest challenges you might have heard is the requirement to maintain 4 lanes of traffic during construction of P3*.
*P3 = Phase 3
Public Works Presentation from Feb 2019 Meeting
Thank to Bill Purcell & Dave Jarman from Public Works for coming out Monday night to present what’s happening on Shore Drive soon!
An idea to preserve Pleasure House Point for environmental education made the press 16 years ago today.
RESIDENTS ANNOUNCE PLAN TO BUY PLEASURE HOUSE POINT
Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) – Tuesday, February 25, 2003 Author: SCOTT HARPER THE VIRGINIAN-PILOTNeighbors fighting plans for a large waterfront development on the Lynnhaven River are organizing an environmental foundation in hope of buying the 69-acre tract known as Pleasure House Point.
The foundation will solicit public and private money and seeks to preserve the property for environmental education, said Tim Solanic, an Ocean Park resident and a leader of the fledgling group.
Pleasure House Point, located just south of the Lesner Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay, is a former tidal marsh that was covered with sand dredged from the bottom of the Lynnhaven River in the 1970s.
Its owner, F. Wayne McLeskey Jr., one of Virginia Beach’s wealthiest businessmen, has tried to develop the property for years. His latest plans, filed in January, call for 1,776 high-rise apartments, condos and assisted-living housing, as well as a marina, yacht club, restaurant and putting green.
Solanic announced the plans Monday in front of a city regulatory board studying the environmental integrity of the project, called Lynnhaven Shores. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Board deferred any action for 60 days, at the request of McLeskey, who needs more time to provide information to the panel.
McLeskey has asked the board to approve 45 variances so construction can occur closer to the water’s edge than allowed under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, a state law.
The hearing Monday was attended by a handful of neighbors fighting the proposal. More than 100 residents attended a civic league meeting last week to discuss the plans, sign petitions and plot strategy for delaying or scaling back the size of Lynnhaven Shores.
The city has attempted to buy Pleasure House Point off of Shore Drive for years; it, too, wants to conserve the land, perhaps as a wetlands park, a native plant nursery or an oyster farm. But the asking price, at $25 million, has proved to be too steep, officials have said.
Solanic would not speculate whether the unnamed foundation can generate $25 million or how long it would take to raise so much money.
“We’re just getting started,” he said, noting that neighbors decided Saturday to form the organization.
Reach Scott Harper at sharper(AT)pilotonline.com or 446-2340.
Mr Harper sadly is no longer with us.
SDCC General Meeting and Special Presentation on Shore Drive Improvement Project – Monday Feb 25th at 7:30pm
click here for a printable version of the agenda – 2.25.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday February 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 –
Shore Drive Corridor Improvement Phase 3 (CIP 2-117) – Lesner Bridge to Great Neck Rd.
Come out and see the final designs, learn when construction will start and how long the project will last. Mr. Bill Purcell, City Project Manager, will provide an update on the next big construction project for Shore Drive and will hold a question and answer session after the presentation. This project begins at Vista Circle, near the eastern end of the Lesner Bridge, and extends eastward through the Great Neck Road intersection and terminates at Croix Drive. This project will improve vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow and safety in the roadway and intersections; improve storm drainage; include a multi-use trail, 5-ft sidewalk and on-street bike lanes; and enhance the corridor with aesthetic elements such as landscaping and lighting. For more information – http://cipstatus.vbgov.com/ProjectDetail.aspx?id=1833
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Dewberry Study on Sea Level Rise & ASERT Meetings – Ms. Sue E. Kriebel, PE, Stormwater Engineering Center Department of Public Works, has agreed to attend our March meeting and present an update on the study, details on recommendations for our Bayfront area and next steps that include public engagement.
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – Has the contract for the Cape Henry Beach replenishment been awarded and what is the start time.
Community Rating System (CRS) – Update on when we will know our rating and when it will take effect.
New Business –
Shore Drive 35 MPH Speed Limit 10th Anniversary – Update on request for fatality numbers over the past 10 years. Discuss on planning an anniversary event for Summer 2019. The speed limit was reduced as part of a trial study period in 2009 then followed by permanent implementation.
Development Updates – Delta by Marriott at old Resort Hotel location and new apartment development at old Marina Shores Marina site.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday March 25, 2019.***
Special Presentation on Dewberry Sea Level Rise Study
VB City Council Needs Your Input – Take A Planning Survey To Help – Deadline Friday Feb 8th!!!
Unfortunately we weren’t given a lot of notice on this one and the survey has been broken for the past 2 days, but you still have some time to take it. It should only take 5-10 minutes and gives us Bayfront residents a chance to rank how you feel about sea level rise and storm water/storm surge flooding issues.
VB 2019 Planning and Beyond
The Virginia Beach City Council is seeking residents’ input on what they believe should be the City’s goals and priorities. The feedback will help the Council plan for and allocate resources.
Deadline for participation in this survey is Friday, February 8, 2019.
Click here to take the survey
Baylines EXTRA from BAC
Charles J. Bodnar and Sue E. Kriebel from Virginia Beach Public Works Department’s Stormwater Engineering Center, are scheduled to brief the Bayfront Advisory Commission on the Dewberry Sea Level Rise study at its February meeting.
We are also working on an event that includes Dewberry & VB Staff to discuss their work on sea level rise, storm water & nuisance flooding.
Join us!
Bayline February newsletter from BAC
View Baylines February 2019 Edition.
It includes:
Strategic Plan briefing to be held
The Bayfront Advisory Commission recommended that its officers meet city officials to forward and discuss the 2019 Strategic Plan. The plan lists highest priority project items
• Funding Phase IV of Shore Drive improvements from the Lesner Bridge west to Shady Oaks Road
• Water issues (stormwater drainage, Dewberry sea-level rise study, city marina development, city wharf/Osprey
Park, pedestrian walkway under bridge from Vita Circle to Page Avenue.
• Sand replenishment (Cape Henry, Ocean Park, Crab Creek)
• Infill development (Future nature, look of the Bayfront; work with Planning on Comprehensive Plan revisions)
• Landscape design of Route 13 and Shore Drive interchange.
The plan also addresses high-priority communications items, monitoring ongoing concerns and liaisons, partnerships and city staff support.
The full plan will be posted after city officials receive it. It was developed after citizen meetings, a BAC brain-storming retreat and committee consideration of the items. Ordinarily, the annual plan would have been forwarded to the council and city manager’s office in late summer/early fall. But with an unprecedented number of City Council seats up for election in November, the BAC agreed to wait until the new council was seated to bring the plan forward.
“On Sunday, February 10, 2019 at 4:30 pm westbound lanes on Shore Drive at the Lesner Bridge will be closed and diverted to the eastbound side of the bridge for two way traffic. The diversion will end by 10 pm.”
The diversion will move westbound traffic onto the eastbound side of the bridge at the intersection of Shore Drive and Vista Circle. Traffic will be routed back into the westbound lanes at Shore Drive and East Stratford Drive.
Official News Release from VB Police Department. (1 page PDF)
Monday Jan. 28th – SDCC General Meeting at 7:30pm
Click here to for a printable version of the agenda – 1.28.19 sdcc agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday January 28, 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 – No Presentation Planned
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Dewberry Study on Sea Level Rise & ASERT Meetings – Dewberry presented a draft plan to City Council on Jan. 15th. The plan has been posted on SDCC.info. The plan identifies alternatives that have an average cost of $3.0 Billion. One of the key components is added flood walls to the Bayfront Beaches and to add flood gates to the Lynnhaven Inlet. SDCC has asked that public engagement be a critical component as this process moves forward. According to the City, the ASERT program – Action-oriented Stakeholder Engagement for a Resilient Tomorrow, will be used but how and when hasn’t been identified.
Short Term Rentals (STRs) – On Jan 15th, City Council approved the Planning Commission’s recommendations for changes to the City Code regarding STRs. Council did remove the requirement for a log and set the Grandfathering date back to July 2018. More details of the code changes can be found at SDCC.info.
Bayfront Beach Replenishment Update – On Jan. 22nd, City Council was briefed on Bayfront Beach Replenishment plans. We will discuss the upcoming work schedule and identify which beaches will get sand and when. Cape Henry Beach is next on the list.
Community Rating System (CRS) – Big news is coming soon. This is the Federal Govt. plan that allows localities to apply for the system which results in a reduction in resident’s flood insurance premiums. SDCC asked City staff several years ago to join this program since we were one of the only cities in Hampton Roads not participating. According to City Manager Hansen, we will be pleasantly surprised at the level we achieved.
New Business –
Tree Canopy Bill – HB2333 – Replacement of trees during development process; exceeding requirements to meet certain water goals. Authorizes a locality to adopt an ordinance exceeding the minimum tree canopy requirements for tree preservation, planting, or replacement during the development process in order to assist in achieving certain specific water quality or water quantity goals identified in the ordinance.
Shore Drive Community Coalition Future – What should be our future model for SDCC? Will new leaders step forward to help continue as is? Is cutting back to every other month or quarterly meetings a possibility? Would a website presence with emergency meetings model work? We will discuss this issue to help us move forward.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday February 25, 2019.***
Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) Presents 2019-2020 Plan to City Council and Staff
Per email from BAC Chairman, “After many weeks of refinement and awaiting final results of Council election, we presented our 2019-2020 plan to Councilmen Jones and Wood, City manager and his deputy and Director of Public Works.” The entire document can be found by clicking the following link. 2019-2020 bac plan
A highlight of the BAC high priority project items has been copied below.
City’s Dewberry Study on Sea Level Rise and Flooding Recommends Average $3.0 Billion Worth of Solutions
On January 15th, Dewberry consultants presented a draft strategies plan to City Council identifying various projects to help prepare Virginia Beach for a Sea Level Rise (SLR) of 3 feet. The draft plan was created with input from City Staff, a SLR Working Group and consultants. One of the key recommendations in the plan is to build flood walls all along the Bayfront Beaches and flood gates at the Lynnhaven Inlet.
The following timeline identifies stakeholder outreach and input sometime in 2019. It is SDCC’s hope that a meaningful community dialogue can be held that will allow residents a chance to discuss implementation priorities and potential funding methods for the large price tag of $3.0 Billion.
To read Dewberry’s slide show presentation to City Council, click here https://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/public-works/comp-sea-level-rise/Documents/slr-rf-plan-study-policy-strat-council-brief-1-15-19.pdf
After more than three years of wrestling with how to regulate short-term rentals through sites like Airbnb, the City Council [Tuesday] passed sweeping new laws that could dramatically alter the industry.
View article at Pilotonline.com.
Here’s an overview of the changes that will take effect Nov. 1:
Airbnb hosts who rent out their primary residence must be home during the guests’ stay if they want to rent without a permit.
For an owner who will not stay overnight in rentals, he or she will be required to get a conditional-use permit.
More than 2,100 rentals that have paid the transient occupancy tax and have registered with the Commissioner of the Revenue by July 1, 2018 will be grandfathered in and do not need to get permits. Sandbridge properties also don’t have to go through this process.
The permits need to be renewed every five years. If no violations happen during that time, the city will renew them. The permitting process gives the City Council an opportunity to approve or deny rental properties and provides an avenue for neighbors to tell the city about any potential concerns about the rentals.
The city may revoke permits from any properties that violate codes.
The new rules limit overnight stays to three people per bedroom.
Property owners can only rent to two different people within seven days.
One off-street parking spot will be required for each bedroom.
Special events permits will be required for more than 50 guests. A house can only have three events per year. This rule came about to help control event houses, many of which are located in Sandbridge.
Property owners will not be allowed to rent out structures such as carriage houses or garages with apartments in them.
Short-term rentals will need to carry $1 million in liability insurance coverage.
Dewberry presentation to City Council from Jan 15th ’19 Informal Session
Informal City Council workshop yesterday Dewberry made an in-depth presentation on sea level rise threats and possible solutions.
This is the first tier with a tiered approach.
E-cycling January 19, 2019 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Virginia Aquarium
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, in partnership with Goodwill Industries, the City of Virginia Beach Public Works and TFC Recycling, will offer its semi-annual E-cycling event Saturday, January 19, 2019, from 9a.m. to 12 noon, at the Virginia Aquarium East Parking Lot. There is no fee to drop off items, but donations are always appreciated.
***Note that cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions cannot be accepted.***
Acceptable personal electronic recyclable items include:
Personal computers and laptops
Telephones, cell phones and PDA’s
Printers
Circuit boards and components
Monitors and flat screens
Fax machines
Stereo equipment and game systems
Regular recycling materials such as newspapers, bottles and cans will also be accepted.
***Note that cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions cannot be accepted.***Acceptable household hazardous waste items include:
Up to five gallons of liquids or up to 75 pounds of dry materials
Aerosol spray cans
Automotive fluids
Batteries: Alkaline (AA, AAA, C, D), Boat, Car, Camera, Cell phone, Hearing aid, Lead acid, Lithium, Rechargeable, Trucks
Herbicides
Household cleaners
Gasoline (up to 5 gallons)
Fertilizer
Pool chemicals
Light bulbs – small quantities of CFLs or fluorescent tubes
Oil and water based paint
Pesticides
Propane tanks (small – up to 20 lb. capacity)
We thought you might be interested in a simple step to help move a bill that will help increase residential and commercial tree canopy throughout VA, in the name of water quality improvement and flood mitigation.
From Tanner:
Delegate Keam’s proposed tree canopy Bill HB 2333 is something we have been looking forward to for some time.
Why is the legislation needed?
Virginia state code currently limits the amount of canopy a locality may require a developer to plant/replace/preserve.For example, under current law, for a residential parcel zoned for 10 or fewer units per acre, the locality may not require a tree canopy greater than 20% in 20 years’ time. For a commercial parcel, the maximum tree canopy a locality can require is 10%. That’s right, there is a maximum amount of trees a locality can require to be replaced.
What does HB 2333 do?
It exempts a locality from those caps if they’re using trees to achieve a water quality (i.e. Bay TMDL) or quantity (i.e. flood mitigation) goal.See this attachment to see how it changes to existing law. (2pg PDF)
What can you do to support this common-sense legislation?
Simple. We are building a consortium of groups to add their names to our sign-on letter of support (see below how to join).We will share this list with members of the House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee to ensure it makes its way to full committee vote.
From there we think it has a good chance of making it to the floor.
To join the sign-on letter all we need is:
Organization, Lead Signatory, and Title. You can see who else is already on board and add your organization to our running list here.Or just email Tanner at CBF & let me know you are in!
View letter that will be sent that will include list of supporting organizations.
Have capacity to help?
Share this email with others who might be interested — HOAs, civic leagues, local government, tree stewards, healthcare companies, nurseries, tree care companies, botanical gardens, small and large businesses – anyone that has a stake in increasing tree canopy in the Bay watershed.What is the deadline for signing?
We’ll leave the letter open until the bill is on the House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee #2 docket, which could be as early as next Thursday.Thanks for your consideration. We hope you will join us. Please don’t hesitate to call if I can answer any questions about the bill.
Cheers,
Tanner Council
Hampton Roads Grassroots Manager
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Brock Environmental Center | 757.644.4113
Baylines January newsletter from BAC
View Baylines January 2019 Edition.
News includes:
Bayfront Advisory Commission volunteers needed
Citizens and businesses interest in volunteering on BAC committees, tasks forces and special subcommittees should communicate their interest to Scott Ayers, BAC vice chairman, via the commission’s email address, bayfrontadvisorycommissionvb@gmail.com. Please indicate any special skills that you would bring to the commission’s efforts as well as your contact information
And much more!
Marina Shores Marina demolition update
Learn more at Marina Shores Marina blog post here.
We have learned of a few more updates regarding the demolition of the two main buildings on our property. Demolition will officially begin next week, January 7th. Heavy equipment has already begun to be moved on to the lot in preparation. Starting on Monday, the small kiosk buildings and the Yacht Club building (former admin office) will be the first to be demolished.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 