From Mary Lynn:
]]>Some members of Shore Drive Community Coalition and Save Lives On Shore Drive are working alongside Va. Beach Traffic Engineer’s gathering information on where and what improvements are needed (like crosswalks and brighter street lights) for a safer Shore Drive based on surveys and tests (like how much light is coming out of the street lights and do we need brighter ones) but first we need the results of this survey and we need your help.
PLEASE! We need volunteers to help count PEDESTRIANS & BICYCLISTS crossing Shore Drive even if you only can give an hour we need your help please on:
THIS COMING FRIDAY, 7/30/10 and SATURDAY, 7/31/10 we need help for the following shifts: 10 am –12 noon, 1 pm -3 pm, 5 pm –7 pm. The 11 pm-2 am shifts are covered.
PLEASE VOLUNTEER SOME OF YOUR TIME! Consider a block of time 1 hour; we really need your help to cover time this Friday and/or Saturday so please sign up!!!
Please call Mary Lynn Brown at 613-7030 or e-mail your name, phone # and preferred time(s) to marylynnb1@cox.net so schedule can be confirmed with volunteers.
Volunteers will help document results on a survey form to count pedestrians and bicyclists that cross Shore Drive this Friday and Saturday. We have been asked to do this survey to get true pedestrian counts for the traffic engineer’s so they know where to put in the new crosswalks so they would best be serving the public’s safety crossing Shore Drive.
The 2 day survey will be conducted at the intersection(s) with Shore Drive at:
1. Red Tide Rd. (To cover pedestrians/cyclists from Ebb Tide Rd. to Starfish Rd).
2. Jade St. (To cover pedestrians from the west side of Starfish Rd to CP Shuckers).Again, each block of time is 1 hour; we need your help so please sign up!!!
1. I will meet each shift person that starts that shift to provide that days form (s) for the survey.
2. You need these forms to keep count and they need to be turned over at the end of your shift (I will come pick them up from you at the end of your shift).
3. I live a couple blocks away and can always be called if there are any problems. 613-7030.
4. I have the 11:00 pm to 2:00 am Friday and Saturday shifts covered already for the pedestrian & bicyclists count survey.Special note: If you want to sit in your air conditioned vehicle that is fine as long as you have a full view of the area you are responsible for observing and documenting.
Many thanks!
Mary Lynn Brown
Please call or e-mail Mary Lynn Brown right now at 613-7030 or marylynnb1@cox.net and sign up!!!
]]>It is not sufficient to thank the present Mayor and City Council of Virginia Beach for their role in the recent negotiations to preserve Pleasure House Point, although it’s a good place to start. This effort has been underway for so long, there are others who should be recognized, as well. In addition to the sitting Council, previous Council members and past Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, are to be commended for maintaining the acquisition of this tract at the top of the Open Space wish list.
The Virginia Beach Wetlands Board of 2006-07 demonstrated great courage and wisdom in challenging the environmental claims made by the developer. Numerous respected organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Lynnhaven River NOW, bayfront civic leagues and individual professional experts joined countless ordinary citizens to document and publicize the value of this parcel. I am pleased to say that the Shore Drive Community Coalition was a part of this effort.
I, for one, do not rejoice in the difficulties the Sandler brothers are currently facing. No one should revel in the misfortune of others. The economic hardship facing many Virginia Beach residents is personal devastation. Small comfort to them, but without such financial conditions, it is doubtful that much, if any, of Pleasure House Point could remain in its natural state. We are thankful that something good might come in the midst of bleakness
.Thank you, all who have labored so diligently. Mayor Will Sessoms, Vice Mayor Louis Jones and honorable Council members, take a bow.
]]>On the other hand, if Wells Fargo held out for more money and sold to another developer, environmental permits would be needed before construction could begin and homebuyers would have to return to the market.
Also Cape Henry Beach raking and cleaning scheduled for 4:30 AM this Wednesday. Per City’s Beach and Coastal Engingeer, the area between Beech and Kendall Streets will be groomed to help remove dirt clumps and unwanted plant growth.
Click here for more information http://capestory.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/city-working-to-clean-up-appearance-of-cape-story-beach/
Empsy Munden,
Pres Cape Story by the Sea
emunden@aol.com 869-5785
]]>
The property, known as Pleasure House Point, has been the focus of extensive community debate, with local groups such as Shore Drive Community Coalition, Lynnhaven River NOW, and CBF vigorously opposed to development proposed for the parcel.
Thank you.
]]>“Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. announced today that the 122-acre property known as Pleasure House Point may be acquired and protected under terms of a deal between Wells Fargo bank and The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national environmental group. The property has been a top city open-space priority for a decade. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Trust for Public Land plan to partner with the city to pull together funding to meet the $13 million purchase price.
Pleasure House Point, located just west of the Lesner Bridge and south of the Chesapeake Bay, is at the confluence of Pleasure House Creek and Crab Creek, overlooking the Lynnhaven River. The property’s owner, L.M. Sandler & Sons, had planned to build a large waterfront development there known as Indigo Dunes.”
... is at the very least exciting for Hampton Roads residents and future generations.
Over the next days, and weeks you will undoubtedly hear more details about the possibilities of what Pleasure House Point will be.
From housing a wildlife refuge & rehab center to being part of the Lynnhaven River Blueway and being a leader in educational programs for disabled children & adults. Pleasure House Point will be home to an inspiring facility that will not only protect a jewel of Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads - but can just as assuredly, incubate big thinking on so many levels we have not had a chance to comprehend. Yet.
If it were not for countless hard working, selfless volunteers who dedicated an incomprehensible amount of time, energy, and effort to save Pleasure House Point from development and to raise the level of awareness to the property’s value for preservation, open space, and environmental education, we would not be having this conversation right now.
Without you, dear volunteer we would not be at this place in time.
Without you, dear volunteer, this opportunity to tell your grand children you were there when… would not be possible.
We hope a thank you is enough. But we know it’s not.
We know protecting 100% of Pleasure House Point is merely a starting point for something bold and grand that you will be proud of.
And in case you haven’t heard it enough, for the work you’ve put in to accomplish this feat - thank you. Thank you dear volunteer. You do and will continue to make a difference.
]]>To read the entire news release, click on this link Partnership to Acquire Pleasure House Point
You can also check for additional updates on this topic at the Pilotonline’s article Virginia Beach to buy, preserve Shore Drive property
Current Estimates
Start: 06/24/2010 End: 09/16/2015 Cost: 12,758,721
More Tips:
You can look up any CIP project by the following steps:
http://www.vbgov.com
Select “Online Services” (on the left side)
Select “View a Capital Project Status”
Select “CIP Project Status”
This takes you to the CIP Search Page (http://198.252.244.2/cipstatus/Search.aspx)
You can search by full name, partial name (ex. Shore) or CIP#
Thanks to David Jarman for the info.
]]>CIP Project Updates:
· Shore Drive Interim Safety Improvements (2-731): Slideshow attached summarizing work completed to date
· Shore Drive Demonstration Project (2-115): Completed 2008
· Shore Drive Phase II (2-116): Currently at 30% design, project is on hold due to funding
· Shore Drive Phase III (2-117): Currently at 30% design, project is on hold due to funding
· Shore Drive Phase IV (2-118): Currently at 30% design, project was funded for construction in 2012, however this may be delayed to 2016. This is Ocean Park area. Marlin Bay > Lesner Bridge.
· Lesner Bridge Replacement Project (2-168): Approaching 90% design, no funding for construction or utility relocations
]]>Good morning.
If anyone is interested in the follow-up on the proposed hookah bar at the old Foon’s location, Channel 13 did a story on it. The link is in the forwarded email below. Also, since I had no idea what a hookah bar is when I first heard of it, I went to my favorite 21st century reference resource. Here is the link that explains the concept.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah_lounge
I guess before we rush to judgment about the proposed business, we ought to consider a couple of things.
Number one, we know that it is not doing anyone any good to have an idle property sitting there not creating jobs, not generating revenue, not paying much in the way of taxes. For years this place was a successful restaurant and satisfactory neighbor.
Number two, once a variance is received for the parking, and presumably a Conditional Use Permit issued, residents have no control of what use the property enjoys. The CUP may set the parameters of operation, but in my observation, there is little to no enforcement once the business opens, and even less, once the property has conveyed a time or two.
The BZA hearing is just about the parking space allocation, but if that hurdle is passed, I predict you will see a hookah bar at that location. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe we should mount an expeditionary force to the already-operating Nimbus.
Happy 4th.
Regards,
Grace Moran
President, SDCC
Comment from the Editor:
]]>How much work has the proposed owners done to ensure a safe Shore Drive?
Examples: Are they lobbying for sidewalks/multi-use paths near them to
encourage people to walk instead of drive.
They are asking for less parking after all.Are they lobbying for dedicated bike lanes to encourage people to ride?
Do they have a plan to take people home who shouldn’t drive or even to
pick people up?Are they working on a “local shuttle” for people to take? There are
plenty examples of that including in Richmond where local
establishments share “buses” for the specific purpose of getting
people out of their cars to travel safely and not worry about
how/where to park.If they want to be part of the Shore Drive community safely - this is
their opportunity to set the standard on the way in.And as always - if anything should be posted at SDCC.info email me
exactly what you want there - including the owners of the proposed
Hookah Lounge.Tim
]]>A proposed Hookah bar isn’t the problem, it’s the location.
Posted unedited with permission:
]]>Dear Vice Mayor Jones and Council Wood,
My name is Steve Zeligman and I am a Virginia Beach resident. I am also president of the Tidewater Bicycle Association (TBA), a 650 member bicycle club. Many of TBA’s members also reside in Virginia Beach.
I am writing because TBA would like to express it continued concern regarding safety for bicyclists and pedestrians along the Shore Drive corridor. In December 2005, the Virginia Beach City Council established the Shore Drive Safety Task Force (SDSTF), which benefited from Councilman Wood’s participation, as well as the involvement of other current Council members. The SDSTF was established to specifically advise City Council with respect to safety issues along Shore Drive and to recommend short, mid and long term safety improvements. TBA would like to join Grace Moran and the Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) in requesting the City of Virginia Beach consider reinstituting the SDSTF to recommend solutions to current safety issues plaguing the Shore Drive corridor.
It has been publicly argued on the Virginia Pilot website that Shore Drive is a major corridor that should be reserved solely for motorized traffic. This can be disputed by the fact that Shore Drive transverses through several residential and beach front communities, and the number of people who have been injured and killed while trying to enjoy the neighborhoods they call home. It is TBA’s position the new 35 mph speed limit should become permanent and additional safety improvements, as recommended by a reinstituted SDSTF, be seriously considered as well.
As Virginia Beach grows, traffic congestion will continue to increase unless alternative methods of transportation, such as bicycling, are encouraged by providing on-road bicycling facilities to do so safely. For example, if Shore Drive were upgraded with appropriate on-road bicycling facilities, numerous cars would be taken off the road and out of congested parking areas at Little Creek NAB, Ft Story and the Oceanfront because it would become safer for local residents to become bicycle commuters.
Additionally, new shops and eateries and eateries could become a great magnet to bring hundreds, possibly thousands, of bicyclists to the Shore Drive Corridor if adequate on-road bicycling facilities existed to make the trip a safe one. This would enable Virginia Beach to compete with our neighboring cities, such as Norfolk and Portsmouth, which are already incorporating on-road bicycling facilities into their city rejuvenation projects. Businesses in these cities are already enjoying increased revenue from bicyclists and young professionals relocating to these cities because they use bicycles as their primary form of transportation. It is even possible that Virginia Beach could eventually host a major bicycling event similar to the first annual Coast Guard City Century, hosted by City of Portsmouth this coming August – yet another potential new source of tourist revenue. Of course this would require coordinated planning efforts and interconnections with other projects, such as a Laskin Road Gateway if it were upgraded to become bicycle friendly.
The five foot sidewalks, that Virginia Beach tends to favor for bicycles, are not a viable solution to increase revenue or encourage the additional bicycle traffic and events that would bring new tourist dollars into our city. Wide sidewalks are great for a family ride around the block, but they will never decrease automobile traffic or encourage alternate forms of transportation. They are also part of the obsolete concept that travel along Shore Drive MUST occur in an automobile. Other local cities have already begun to rejuvenate by changing this paradigm and encouraging bicycling as an alternative form of transportation that removes cars from their roads and congested parking areas. It is time for Virginia Beach to enter the 21st Century and do what we can to take cars off our congested roads.
TBA realizes that creating on-road bicycle facilities is expensive, yet roads such as Shore Drive can be made more bicycle friendly for minimal expense. Bruce Drees, TBA’s Legislation and Advocacy Committee Chairman, advocates that Virginia Beach should include painted shared use arrows, or “Sharrows”, in MUTCD terminology, on key roads that are already used by cyclists, such as Shore Drive. His supporting reasons are that planned roads of insufficient width for cars and bikes to safely share a lane. Bicyclists are already legal users of existing roads. They will also be present as legal users of the rejuvenated roads. MUTCD “Sharrow” markings do a much better job of alerting motorists to the presence and legitimate use of a road by cyclists compared to traditional signage. Additionally, a reinstituted SDSTF could be charged with the responsibility of making recommendations that will make our roads safer for all users.
Sincerely,
Steve Zeligman, TBA President
Posted unedited with permission:
]]>Dear City Council Members:
I am writing to thank you for lowering the speed limit on Shore Drive in the wake of several pedestrian fatalities over the past year. I believe this is a very important step in our continued effort to make Shore Drive safer. Many folks that I have talked to who opposed lowering of the speed limit have changed their minds when they learned that pedestrians are afforded greater protection under the law on roadways where the speed limit is lower than 45 mph. Lowering the speed limit is not the only solution, but again, it is a very important step. Unfortunately, we still have alot of work to do!
I urge you to resurrect the Shore Drive Safety Task Force (SDSTF), as requested by the Shore Drive Community Coalition. Many short term improvements were made to Shore Drive as a result of the hard work the original SDSTF accomplished, but progress has waned since 2007, and we have lost at least 5 more people since the SDSTF disbanded. In addition, several new issues have emerged, making the reformation of the SDSTF even more critical. I know that the Bayfront Advisory Committee (BAC) would rather the issue be addressed in a BAC subcommittee, but I know from personal experience, as a former member of BAC and the SDSTF, that BAC simply does not have the resources or the where-with-all to accomplish such an important and complex task in a timely manner. I have told Kal Kassir I will willingly and enthusiastically work with any group who is devoted to improving safety on Shore Drive, but that this critical issue should not be relegated to volunteer groups who meet when time allows. As hard as all of us are working out here to make Shore Drive safer, we can’t effectively do it alone. We need you! Please consider re-appointing a SDSTF so that we can review the previous recommendations, determine what has been done, and map out an updated plan for getting both short and longterm safety improvements to Shore Drive. I believe that City staff can provide the resources, experience, and expertise necessary to get this done. Thank you.
Sincerely,
June Barrett-McDaniels
Ketch Court