“The suspects then sped away from the crash and led police on a pursuit starting at Lookout Rd. in the Chic’s Beach section of the city, but officers were able to set up road spikes at Indian Hill Rd. and stopped the car.”

Coverage including video at WVEC.com.

Coverage at Pilotonline.com.

Police said the SUV was believed to have been stolen. Several firearms were recovered from the vehicle, according to the release.

Coverage at WAVY.com.

All three tried to run from the car. Police searched the area with a helicopter and K-9’s, and apprehended three suspects.

Drive Thru Appeals Tent for Assessment of Personal Property

In case you didn’t know (or read the back of your recent automobile personal property tax bill) the City has a Drive Thru appeals tent for evaluating the condition of your property.  You may be able to save $25, $50 or more on your tax bill if you have a high mileage vehicle or one in poor condition.

Check here for the NADA assessment of your vehicle and if there is a reduction due to the mileage or condition, subtract that from the assessed value on your bill.  Then multiply total by 0.04 to get your tax.  The difference between this number and the Total Tax shown on your bill is your potential savings.

Click here for NADA site

Below is the information regarding the City’s Drive Thru service.  For more details, click here

As a convenience to the taxpayer, appeals are conducted in a “Drive-thru Appeals Tent” located in the parking lot across North Landing Road from Courthouse Drive.  This annual service is available only after bills are mailed in May, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and on the last Saturday before bills are due in June from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m

 

 

Live oaks on triangle at Tazewell & East Stratford Road in Ocean Park being cut down. Teachable moment opportunities.

From City Arborist:

I wanted to let you and the SDCC know that three Live Oak trees at the intersection of Tazewell Rd. and East Stratford Rd must be removed soon by Virginia Beach Landscape Management. The city has been monitoring the trees for a few months and carried out crown cleaning. However the soil in the median where the trees are growing is extremely compacted, and this has led to the decline of the trees and canopy dieback. A strength test was performed on these trees which revealed decay within the shell walls of the trunk. We will be replacing these trees with three more Live Oak trees in our next planting season. One tree will go into the center of the median where the soil is less compacted and the other two trees will be planted nearby.

Thank you for helping us inform the neighborhood residents. Please let me know if there are any additional questions.

Best wishes,

Susan

Susan French
City Arborist
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation

Landscape Management Division | 4141 Dam Neck Road | Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Phone 757.385.4076 | Fax 757.427.1895 | sfrench@vbgov.com | VBgov.com/Parks

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A couple goals discussed includes staging the live oak lumber some place dry to cure it to create art.
You might have seen live oak lumber used in Brock Environmental Center that was saved from live oaks cut down for a development in Ocean Park to be built. (View some of the art at this link in SDCC.info.)

Other teachable moment opportunities include clearly illustrating why the live oaks had to be cut down and how to ensure yours stay healthy.

SDCC Meeting Tonight – Monday May 23rd at 7:30pm

Just a last minute reminder, SDCC will be meeting tonight Monday May 23rd instead of the last Monday due to Memorial Day observation.  Click here to read/print the agenda

Shore Drive Community Coalition General Meeting

Monday May 23, 2016 at 7:30pm

Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall

 

VBGov.com was “upgraded” recently and many, many Links we send you to are now broken. Again.

A screenshot of a 404 Error Message.

A screenshot of a 404 Error Message.

We apologize and wish there was an easy fix on our end.

When you find a broken link at VBGov.com, please Comment in our Post and we’ll do our best to fix it.

Frustrating? Yes! There are best practices that are typically followed to ensure Links are not broken when a website is “upgraded”.

Thank you for your patience.

Note: Feel free to add your conspiracy theory Comments below.

COVB heads to court over beach replenishment 

Read story at Pilotonline.com.

The filing names more than 50 property owners near the Chic’s Beach shore, but only a handful are actively contesting the city’s assertion. Many residents declined to sign paperwork to opt out of the lawsuit and accepted default status, meaning they would accept whatever the court’s decision is, Boynton said.

SDCC General Meeting – Monday May 23rd at 7:30pm

Click here for a printable version of the agenda – 5.23.16 SDCC Agenda

SDCC General Meeting Agenda

Monday May 23, 2016 from 7:30 to 9:00pm

Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall

(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

 

Special Presentations –  No scheduled presentation.  This time will be used to discuss which future presentations should be pursued.  Possibilities include:

  • City’s Urban Forest and Tree Oversight (Susan French, City Arborist)
  • Long Range Storm Water Plans for Shore Drive East of Lesner Bridge
  • Update on City’s pursuit of Community Rating System (CRS), a National Flood Insurance Program
  • Update on Shore Drive Safety – Have improvements helped reduce accidents/incidents?
  • Any other community concerns?

 Officer’s Reports 

Secretary – David Williams; Treasurer’s Report -Kathy Pawlak; Vice President – Wally Damon; President – Todd Solomon

 

Old Business-

Marina Shores Proposed Development – Update on proposal to rezone the site and construct 261 apartments.  City’s Planning Department evaluation update.  When will the project go before the Planning Commission?  

Beach Event Houses – Update from the Beaches & Waterways Commission overseeing this evaluation. 

 

New Business

Bayfront Advisory Commission News – Mr. Wally Damon will update us on the actions of the Bayfront Advisory Commission. 

Community Concerns – Does your neighborhood/condo have any issues that have come up that need help or may be a warning to others?   

Next SDCC Meeting – Monday June 27, 2016

“The Brock Center intends to be an educational platform for all participants and visitors to better learn and act in responsible ways. The result is an exceptionally informed and inspired constituency that values the Bay and its watershed as a living, connected system.”

Read & view photos of Case Study entitled The Chesapeake Bay Brock Environmental Center:

This site is a fantastic location for an Environmental Education Center, as it provides a wealth of opportunities to study both the ongoing restoration of the landscape and the interface where the land meets the water. The center will be an active demonstration site for important and relevant restoration projects, including living shorelines, oyster, wetland, and other habitat restoration, as well as water quality improvement initiatives.

Photo Credit: International Living Building Institute

Photo Credit: International Living Building Institute

There are 2 errors in the Case Study.
International Living Building Institute have been notified.
Can you find them?

Anyone know who this kayaker is?

Who is this?

Who is this?

He was photographed by John Henley for Trust for Public Land a few years ago for an article about the preservation of Pleasure House Point.

Northampton Boulevard in Virginia Beach closed after crash. Fatality Crash Team at scene. 

View article & photos at Pilotonline.com


Coverage at WAVY.com.

Coverage at WTKR.com.

Congratulations to the newest Certified Living Building in the world – Brock Environmental Center on Pleasure House Point

From their Facebook page this morning:

We are incredibly excited to announce to you that CBF’s Brock Environmental Center has been named the newest Living Building in the world!

The Brock Center has officially met all requirements of the Living Building Challenge through the International Living Future Institute! Thank YOU for your support in making this happen–truly a celebration for all!

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Congratulations to everyone who helped make this achievement possible!

Learn more about the Living Building Challenge.
Not all of Pleasure House Point is permanently preserved yet.
View map at our Pleasure House Point page.

Cape Henry Beach Replenishment

The following notice was graciously sent to SDCC by Mr. Phill Roehrs, P.E. Water Resources Engineer with the City of VB Public Works Engineering.  Thank you Phill for keeping us up to date.

Dear Shore Drive Residents:

We wanted to let you know about an upcoming truck haul of sand from the City’s stockpile south of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Beach Facility to a section of Cape Henry Beach.

As you know, the sand stockpile area has been the repository for sand dredged from the Crab Creek channel in recent years.  Portions of Cape Henry Beach have experienced erosion over the previous winter, and would benefit from the placement of the sand dredged from Crab Creek.

There is also a need to remove sand from the stockpile area to create capacity for future dredging of Crab Creek and to help alleviate space issues at the staging area for the Lesner Bridge Replacement Project.

As such, the City has begun coordinating a truck haul of up to 30,000 cubic yards of material from the sand stockpile to a portion of Cape Henry Beach for purposes of beach replenishment.

Some of the details are:

Ø Trucks will begin hauling sand as early as May 9, 2016, in an attempt to finish the beach work prior to Memorial Day.

Ø The replenishment area will be the area to the west of  the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier.

Ø The Jade Street beach access will serve as the vehicular access point for trucks hauling sand  to the beach.

Ø This truck haul will result in increased storm protection for portions of Cape Henry Beach just prior to the upcoming hurricane season, and will serve to nourish the beach westward to the Lesner Bridge by natural drift.

If you have any questions or would like further details about this project, please contact Thomas Gay via email at tgay@vbgov.com, or by phone at 385-4838.

Thank you for your time and please share this information.

 

VB Library Seeks Input on Community Conversation Topics

Vaccinations? Data security? The refugee crisis? 
     Using the City of Virginia Beach’s Web-based citizen engagement tool, Virtual Town Hall,  Virginia Beach Public Library has launched a survey to ask Beach residents what topics they’d like to discuss in a civic engagement series hosted by the library called the “Community Conversation” program. Responses will be used to plan future discussions.
     Held quarterly at the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library, Community Conversations are small-group discussions on topics of national or local interest. The series brings people together for civil discourse on a given issue to share perspectives, weigh options, consider tradeoffs and attempt to find common ground.
     In addition to asking for topics of interest, the survey asks for suggested days of the week and best times to offer Community Conversations in order to attract the maximum number of 20 participants for each program. The survey will be available for public input through May 15.

Click here Community Conversations Survey to participate.

“Help is on the way, as surveying is complete on a $1 million project to alleviate flooding in several neighborhoods south of Shore Drive. Installation of three sluice gates in the Cape Henry Ditch will commence shortly.”

Check article and photos at Pilotonline.com:

When the project is complete in January 2017, sensors that monitor water height along the ditch will signal the gates to move up or down, a process that typically takes 10 to 15 minutes, according to Mike Mundy, water resource program manager for the city. Though the gates are primarily for protection from tidal water, they will also be monitored to prevent heavy rainfall from causing flooding when they’re closed.

Graphic Credit: Virginian-Pilot

Graphic Credit: Virginian-Pilot

“These funds have allowed us to build 58 acres of sanctuary oyster reef in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers in the Lynnhaven River and stock them with 20 million spat on shell oysters. These sanctuary reefs have contributed greatly to the resurgence of our native oyster population and to the improvements in water quality and habitat.”

Obviously a clean Lynnhaven River makes the world a much better place for all of us!

Learn more about the Virginia Beach Oyster Heritage Fund at LRNow.org:

The shells that have accumulated at the landfill over the past six years are slated to be used to build a 1.5 acre sanctuary reef in Eastern Branch of the Lynnhaven River in spring 2017.

Pelicans on Athey Oyster Reef

Baylines Newsletter of the City Council-appointed Bayfront Advisory Commission May edition is out

Check out the 4 page PDF Baylines here:

Bayfront Advisory Commission meets Thursday, May 19, 2016
3:30 – 5:30
Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center
City Council Appointed Advisory Board
2800 Shore Drive (Subcommittees, when they meet, convene 2-3:30pm)

“Have you ever seen a site like this anywhere in the world?” McAuliffe asked.

Check out terrific article and photos of Virginian-Pilot article Earth Day and every day, Brock Center soars past expectations:

Everett said the Brock Center has exceeded her expectations most in drawing people to it. The foundation invites visitors to come inside, and in its first year 24,000 did – four times more than predicted.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe looks at art made of a live oak tree during a tour . . .   Photo Credit: Steve Early | Virginian-Pilot

Gov. Terry McAuliffe looks at art made of a live oak tree during a tour . . . Photo Credit: Steve Early | Virginian-Pilot

A bunch of us have always thought the “site” had great potential. ;-)
Article in Virginian-Pilot Feb 2003.

Monday April 25th SDCC General Meeting Agenda – Special Comprehensive Plan Presentation

Click here for a printable version of the agenda – 4.25.16 SDCC Agenda

SDCC General Meeting Agenda

Monday April 25, 2016 from 7:30 to 9:00pm

Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall

(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

 

Special Presentations –  City Comprehensive Plan Update – City staff members Jeryl Phillips, Comprehensive Planning Coordinator, and Steven White, City Planning Evaluation Coordinator, will provide an update of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan with a focus on the Bayfront area.  The Comp Plan is the City visioning document that guides progress in 5 year increments.  In 2015, Bayfront residents provided a large number of comments to the plan at an open house held in John B. Dey ES.  Come out to hear how your comments made a difference to this important planning document.

 Officer’s Reports

Secretary – David Williams; Treasurer’s Report -Kathy Pawlak; Vice President – Wally Damon; President – Todd Solomon

Old Business-

Shore Drive to Oceanfront Bus Loop – First Landing State Park and City are working on a plan to create a stop on the beachfront parking area.  This plan looks possible and if executed will allow the test route to take place in 2017. 

Marina Shores Proposed Development – Update on proposal to rezone the site and construct 261 apartments.  City is evaluating parking requirements.  Eastern access road doesn’t look possible due to environmental/Army Corps impact.  

New Business

Bayfront Advisory Commission News – Mr. Wally Damon will update us on the actions of the Bayfront Advisory Commission.

Beach Event Houses – The City is evaluating an ordinance to control the use of rental property that is being used for short term events.  Single family homes are being rented for durations less than a week and being used for large events without following current event permit requirements.  Sandbridge is the biggest impact area, but what impact would this have on the Bayfront area? 

Community Concerns – Does your neighborhood/condo have any issues that have come up that need help or may be a warning to others?

Civic Engagement Opportunities-

Comprehensive Plan Comments

  • City Council Hearing – Tues. May 17th, 6pm City Council Chambers 

City Budget Comments

  • Public Hearings –Tues. April 26th, 6pm City Council Chambers
  • Online Opportunities – Virtual Town Hall, Balancing Act (links at www.sdcc.info) 

Common Ground for Action – National Issues Forum – Climate Choices online dialogue opportunity.  There will be 2 opportunities to participate in an online conversation regarding Climate Choices.  Wednesday April 27th from 10am to Noon and Friday April 29th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.  Go to www.sdcc.info to sign up.  The event is free.

Next SDCC Meeting – Monday May 23, 2016

PLEASE NOTE MEETING DATE MOVED ONE WEEK DUE TO MEMORIAL DAY