CoVB Parks and Recreation Dept invites neighbors to an Open House at Bayside Rec Center on July 27 from 6:00- 7:30.to view concept plans for an ADA compliant kayak launch at the Pleasure House Point Natural Area .
An ADA compliant public kayak launch has been a part of the Pleasure House Point plans since its acquisition and preservation in 2012. This is the Pleasure House Point Management Plan which details the history and extensive planning for this area. The wetlands restoration envisioned in the plan was postponed for some time but is now complete.
There have been references on and off to the kayak launch project and also recently at a spring 2026 BAC meeting. We were assured ample public engagement was planned. That process has now begun with the Open House scheduled by the city for July 27th from 6- 7:30 pm at the Bayside Rec Center. Concept Plans for the launch project will be presented at that meeting and public input is sought and appreciated.
Hawk Signal coming to Great Neck where trail crosses.
Future Pump Station site on Shore Drive: “Alternative locations associated with the Shore Drive Phase IV stormwater pump station: the City is investigating other options and that evaluation is still in progress. However, the City is not prepared to discuss other sites as we do not want to harm our negotiation position for potential future acquisitions.”
Motions to Support were approved by the BAC:
The Student Committee has brought forward a proposal for rest room facilities at the Pleasure House Point Natural Area. Frank Fentress from Parks and Rec Department was present and indicated support for this proposal and willingness to work with the BAC on this project moving forward. The BAC voted to support.
The Virginia Pilot Assocation represented by Clark Nexson, Inc presented plans for their new building on the site of the old one. A Conditional Use Permit will be required. The BAC voted to support.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and City of Virginia Beach gave a presentation on the USCE Coastal Storm Risk Management Study (CSRM) Study.
At the July 14 City Council meeting the Shore Drive Condo project ( Marlin Bay) was approved 10-1 to move forward. The project will now move through the next steps of the process. Many thanks to Deputy Planning Director Carrie Bookholt for providing the following information:
“Site plan reviewers are assigned once the site plan document is received, and the Project Manager in the Development Services Center assesses who needs to review/approve. These are the expected reviews:
Planning Department – groups from Planning Administration (including Environmental team), and Development Services Center (DSC) to include Project Management, Engineering, Utilities, Landscape, Plats.
Public Works – groups from Traffic Engineering, Stormwater/Coastal, Transportation
Public Utilities
Parks & Recreation
Fire Prevention Office (Fire Marshal)
Hampton Roads Sanitation District (sewage, waste water)”
How is compliance with the Storm water regulations assessed?
“Stormwater management plans are a component of the Site Plan document and will be reviewed by the professional engineering staff. Staff completes an in-depth review of calculation packages, modeling, and plans and compares against the City’s master drainage information. The stormwater plans must be compliant with the Public Works Design Standards Manual, as well as the Erosion and Stormwater Management Ordinance (Appendix D of the City Code), before staff will issue approval.”
What inspections will be carried out?
“Inspections will occur for the entire duration of construction. Civil/Stormwater inspection teams will visit the site frequently and after measured rain events to ensure compliance with erosion and stormwater regulations. Various inspectors with the Permits & Inspections division of Planning will be assigned to the project for building inspection and inspection of all trades (electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire suppression, etc.). Inspectors from Public Utilities and Fire Marshal’s Office will also have inspection tasks during and after construction. As construction winds down and as-built drawings are submitted for the stormwater system, engineering teams will visit the site to ensure compliance with the approved site plan.”
What is the time frame?
“Time frame can vary widely and is dependent on the developer and their consultant teams’ submittals to the City. Once a site plan is received by our department, it must be reviewed within 40 days for the initial submittal, and 30 days for subsequent submittals. It’s typical for a project of this size/complexity to require 3-4 review cycles. That equates to at least 3-4 months of staff review time, without factoring in the amount of time the design consultants may need to prepare and revise drawings. With timely resubmittals from the consulting team, and based on other similar projects, I’d anticipate an +/- 8 month process for site plan review and approval.”
“Building plans for the structure can be submitted concurrently with the site plans and typically take 2-3 review cycles for approval. I’d anticipate a 2-4 month process for building plan review and approval. Note that even with approved building plans, until a site plan is approved, building permits cannot be issued.”
Has the site plan been submitted? Is that what was reviewed in the Discretionary Approvals Process?
“A site plan has not been submitted yet. What’s included in the staff report would be considered a conceptual plan. While those plans are conditioned and proffered, they are not detailed enough for construction. The final development site plan and building plans must be in conformance with those conditioned, proffered concept plans. For example, the building can’t be taller, or more units added, or the layout substantially changed – a sidewalk or parking could slide a foot or two as plans are refined, but staff will be checking that the final plans match what City Council voted on.”
“This was a slower weekend with a total of 346 launches. Overall, very hot and humid weekend with periods of rain Saturday and rain all day on Sunday.
Friday, July 10 – 134 total launches, car parking was not full and remained available throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for 12 vehicles with trailers. The main trailer lot did not fill. Barricades were not deployed. Weather was warm, humid with some wind.
Saturday, July 11 – 186 total launches, car parking did fill up around 920am and had limited availability throughout the day full. The overflow lot was used for approximately 35 vehicles with trailers. We did not have to close the facility to trucks and trailers. Weather was hot, humid and some wind. Some rain fell throughout the day.
Sunday, July 12 – 26 total launches, car parking did not fill up. The overflow lot was not used. Barricade operations were not implemented this day. Rain all day and very overcast.
Incidents:
None to report this week.
Notes:
We have added a stand at the foot of the launch ramps for staff to utilize for ramp operations. This will allow staff to have a higher vantage point and help control launching and recovering issues. This will be the first weekend coming up. “
The Shore Drive Condo project ( Marlin Bay) is on the agenda for the July 14 City Council Meeting. Anyone wishing to speak either in favor or against the project can find information here on how to do that.
The Ocean Park Civic League has been encouraging residents to make their views known as this project has been reviewed by the Bayfront Advisory Commission and the Planning Commission. Discussion has reflected a range of viewpoints among Civic League members, with no clear consensus emerging.
On Wednesday, June 10 the Planning Commission voted 9-1 ( and one abstention) to recommendapproval of the project to the City Council.
The applicant added two proffers prior to the May 21 BAC meeting in response to BAC Design Committee recommendations: addition of a Pet Relief Station and prohibiting ‘noxious’ or unwelcome uses of the commercial space: bars, nightclubs, vape shop. At the last minute before the Planning Commission Meeting on June 10, the application was further amended by the applicant to include more of the conditions that the Bayfront Advisory Commission attached to their qualified recommendation for approval.
The changes: the building height on Shore Drive was reduced by 10 ft and the strongly vertical design features were changed to be more horizontal as called for in the Shore Drive Design Guidelines.
The last condition of the BAC approval was for additional use of permeable materials on site and that is still under consideration by the applicant.
Here is the CoVB Planning Department Staff Report and a complete list of proffers (voluntary actions) by the applicant.
Proffer #1 : The Property shall be developed in substantial conformity with the conceptual site plan entitled “SHORE DRIVE CONDOMINIUM PROJECT CONCEPTUAL SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN”, prepared by Timmons Group dated May 12, 2026 (“Conceptual Site Plan”), which has been exhibited to the Virginia Beach City Council (“City Council”), is on file with the Virginia Beach Department of Planning & Community Development (“Planning Department”) and is included herein by this reference. Significant changes to the Conceptual Site Plan may be made to accommodate environmental, engineering, topographical or other development conditions or site/subdivision plan requirements as required by the law and/or regulations or in connection with a fully engineered site plan and subject to reasonable approval of the Director of the Planning Department.
Proffer #2 : The architectural design, appearance and exterior building materials of the building to be built on the Property shall be substantially compatible with the architectural design, appearance and exterior building materials depicted on the building renderings entitled “SHORE DRIVE CONDOMINIUM PROJECT CONCEPTUAL RENDERINGS”, dated December 19, 2025, prepared by Cox, Kliewer & Company, P.C. and the building elevations entitled “SHORE DRIVE CONDOMINIUM PROJECT MATERIAL SAMPLE ELEVATION”, dated January 28, 2026, prepared by Cox, Kliewer & Company, P.C., which have been exhibited to City Council, are on file with the Planning Department and are included herein by this reference.
Proffer #3 : The Property shall be landscaped in substantial conformity with the conceptual landscape plan entitled “SHORE DRIVE CONDOMINIUM PROJECT CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE PLAN” prepared by Timmons Group dated May 12, 2026 (“Landscape Plan”), which has been exhibited to City Council, is on file with the Planning Department and is included herein by this reference. Significant changes to the Landscape Plan may be made to accommodate environmental, engineering, topographical or other development conditions or site/subdivision plan requirements as required by the law and/or regulations or in connection with a fully engineered site plan and subject to reasonable approval of the Director of the Planning Department.
Proffer #4 : All lighting on the Property shall be limited to that necessary for security purposes and to comply with applicable laws and shall be shielded to prevent glare and spillover onto adjacent properties.
Proffer #5 : All onsite signage shall meet the requirements of the City Zoning Ordinance, unless otherwise approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals. The proposed sign package will be submitted to the Zoning Administrator for review and approval prior to the issuance of a sign permit.
Proffer #6: A designated pet relief area will be provided on the Property for residents.
Proffer #7 : Prior to final site plan approval, GRANTOR will convey to GRANTEE a public access easement for portions of the multi-use trail along Shore Drive that are located outside the existing public right-of-way.
Proffer #8 : The following uses will be prohibited on the Property whether by right or with a conditional use permit: bars and nightclubs; liquor stores and the sale of vape products.
Proffer #9 : The Effective Date of this Agreement shall be the date this Agreement is approved by City Council; provided, however, in the event that this proposed amendment to the Zoning Map with respect to the Property is overturned by subsequent judicial determination, this Agreement shall be null and void.
OPCL President Danny Murphy was one of 9 speakers at the June 10 Planning Commission meeting. There were 6 speakers against the project, 2 in favor and 1 neutral.
The 6 speakers who oppose the project noted that there have been 57 letters of opposition to the project citing density, building height, potential environmental impacts, increased traffic and associated safety issues, overflow parking into surrounding neighborhoods, and potential flooding impacts.
Terry Browning owns the adjacent property and business: Browning’s Marine Sales which was part of the 2021 Marlin Bay project. He spoke in favor of the project and noted that ownership of the property and business has changed since the first Marlin Bay Project. He spoke to address speculation that his property might also soon be developed. He has bought out his brothers and owns both now outright and stated that his and his son will continue to operate the boat sales business.
President Danny Murphy’s statement:
“Good afternoon, Chairman Coston, Commissions and staff. My name is Danny Murphy, and I serve as the President of the Ocean Park Civic League.
I am here to formally state that the Civic League has chosen not to take an official position for or against the Shore Drive Area Condo project application. Over the past five years of my tenure, this site and adjacent parcels have been the focus of redevelopment projects. The Civic League and community have strongly opposed those previous plans, as some of you on this commission may recall. Our community remains divided on this proposal, as confirmed at our recent June meeting. We believe it is important to prioritize residents’ voices by stepping back and allowing them to present their individual perspectives directly to you.
According to our Bylaws, the Civic League’s mandate is to ‘inform residents of issues of neighborhood importance, to provide a forum for discussion of concerns, and to promote participation in public affairs,’ such as this hearing. We operate ‘for the mutual beneficial interests of the Ocean Park community’ and promote ‘safety, and natural resource stewardship for the protection of property values of Ocean Park so it may continue and flourish.’ As noted, redevelopment of these parcels has been discussed at numerous meetings (recap) and open houses. I would like to thank the City of Virginia Beach Planning Department, especially Deputy Director Carrie Bookholt and staff planner Marchelle Coleman, for dedicating an evening to educate our members on land use and redevelopment as it relates to this project. The Q&A portion was extremely valuable, and the city of VB should be proud of their representation.
I also thank the developer, McLeskey Assoc., for addressing past concerns, working to mitigate them where possible, and continuing to seek input throughout this process. They will likely outline their community outreach, pre-project meetings, concept reviews, and efforts to incorporate feedback from the Civic League and Bayfront Advisory Commission, including features such as the designated pet relief area. Their good-faith effort is evident.
Redevelopment is inevitable, necessary, and welcome. As the Civic League observes the future of Shore Drive, we respectfully ask that you evaluate this application within the context of the long-term vision Virginia Beach has adopted for the corridor. We emphasize that this project is unique and should not set a precedent for other nearby redevelopment proposals, several of which may soon arise. All projects must meet the standards of the Comprehensive Plan, the Shore Drive Overlay District, the Shore Drive Corridor Plan, and design guidelines. A wise councilman once told me these represent the contract with the city’s citizens.
There are concerns that many of us share, regardless of our position on the project. I ask that these concerns accompany your recommendation to the City Council, which will make the final decision.
Scale, density, and massing are significant, documented concerns. To reach nearly 24 units per acre, the applicant is requesting variances to reduce the required 30-foot setback on Clipper Bay Drive to 15 feet and lower step-down height 33 feet adjacent to existing townhomes. We ask the Commission to consider these requests carefully before granting approval.
Neighborhood character and corridor alignment. The key consideration is whether the project reflects Ocean Park’s identity as a historic coastal community and aligns with the City’s adopted corridor plan.
Parking and traffic. The trade-off between building height and ground-level parking is significant, and neighbors are concerned that resident and guest vehicles may spill onto Marlin Bay Drive and nearby streets. As for traffic, Shore Drive already exceeds its designed capacity. The Shore Drive Corridor Improvements (Phase IV) project is not scheduled to begin until 2032. Additionally, without proper light cycling, Marlin Bay Drive remains a significant concern as it serves as a main conduit for the area.
Stormwater Management and the Lynnhaven watershed. This section of the Bayfront is already vulnerable to flooding. Any new development must demonstrate that it will not increase runoff or drainage issues, nor hinder the potential need for the west Shore Drive Phase IV Stormwater Pump Station.
Pleasure House Point Natural Area. This property is adjacent to the city’s crown jewel, which the entire community values. With 52 new units, increased use of the area is inevitable. We request meaningful & thoughtful protection for the habitat and trails.
We respectfully request that, regardless of your recommendation, these concerns be included in the record and forwarded to Council, and that residents continue to have a full and fair opportunity to be heard.
July OPCL meeting at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Brock Center at 7 pm on July 9.The OPCL meetings will be at the CBF Brock Center in July, August and September. We thank them for their generous support of the civic league! Meetings will return to OPVRS in October.
Parks and Rec Report for last weekend: “This was a super busy holiday weekend with a total of 580 launches. Weather was very hot each day.
Friday, July 3 – 213 total launches, car parking did was full by 9am and remained sporadically available throughout the remainder of the day. The overflow lot was used for 41 vehicles with trailers. The main trailer lot was full by 840am, and the overflow lot was full by 930am. Barricades were deployed, signs changed to full and the text alert was activated at that time. Staff also called dispatch to inform VBPD that the ramp was full. Weather was very hot with little wind.
Saturday, July 4 – 212 total launches, car parking did fill up around 815am and had limited availability throughout the day full. The overflow lot was used for approximately 40-45 vehicles with trailers. We did close the facility to trucks and trailers around 11:15am using the barricades and reopened around 2:10pm. VBPD was notified that the ramp was closed to trucks and trailers. All signage was changed at that time to indicate we were full. Text alert system was utilized.
Sunday, July 5 – 155 total launches, car parking did fill up around 10am and there was limited available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for approximately 12-19 vehicles with trailers. We did have to close the facility, and barricade operations were not implemented this day
Incidents:
Friday – A person that was recovering their trailer drove their vehicle at a high rate of speed through the boat ramp recovery area. Staff stated that the area was full of pedestrians and this created a safety issue. Staff asked the person, which ended up being a teenager, to slow down and the teen claimed he was not driving too fast. His father later came over, and staff tried to speak to him, but he was verbally abusive and threatened staff before recovering his boat and leaving.
Friday – When facility was closed staff witnessed a vehicle with trailer try and make a U-turn on East Stradford and Tazwell Roads.
Notes:
The VBPD officers on ATV’s continue riding through our facility and talking to staff regarding any issues as part of the VBPD summer ops plans.
According to staff, the new Text Alert system and digital signs are helping with the overall issues at the facility. As of July 6, approximately 400 people have opted in to receive the alerts. Out of the 580 launches we had over the holiday weekend, staff feel that we had about approximately 30 trucks and trailers, for that same period, that were turned away that had turned from Shore Drive without paying attention to the full signs.
Staff continue to deal with uncooperative boaters when the boaters are launching and recovering their boats.
Parking Enforcement:
Date Range: Friday, July 3 to Monday, July 6, 2026
Total Citation Count: 35
Total Read Count: 378 (this is the number of vehicles scanned during enforcement visits)“
Thank you all the wonderful neighbors who donated to make the fireworks happen! If you haven’t donated- please make a donation if you love the fireworks! We will make the second payment this week and we also raise money now for the payment that is made in the winter (when no one is thinking about fireworks!!) . It’s very much a year to year thing whether or not fireworks over the bay can happen. This year was greatly affected by tariffs and huge demand due to 250 yr celebrations. We don’t know what next year will bring. So donations now are still very important!
Thank you to Baylake Pines– our partners! Thank you to our neighbors who leave the beach clean! It looked great out there this morning! Thank you to all the volunteers who put the donation envelopes on every single mailbox and door knob! Thank you to all our first responders, OPVRS, the US Coastguard, the Fire Marshall who keep us safe! Thank you to the Ocean Park Civic League who keeps track of donations and helps get the word out!
And of course- HUGE thank you to Jill Doczi who coordinates it all and without whom the fireworks would not happen. We love you JILL!
Ocean Park Civic League 