NORTH VIRGINIA BEACH
CIVIC LEAGUE NEWS
North Va. Beach Civic League Fletcher Bryant©
Post Office Box 1676 Email: info@ nvbcl.org
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
APRIL 2009
UPCOMING MEETING DATES
*General Membership* Board of Directors
April 21, 2009 June 9, 2009
July 21, 2009 September 8, 2009
October 20, 2009 December 8, 2009
*General meetings are now set on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.*
Board meetings will remain on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. All meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. in the ARE library auditorium at 67th Street and Atlantic Avenue. Please mark your calendars now and plan on attending. We hope to see you there.
A NOTE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT:
Well, we are certainly having a busy year at the North End – pump stations, marathons, 67th Street Officer Club proposals, ARE modifications, graffiti, side yard parking (DSC #125) and, of course, zoning issues.
These are all good reasons to be a member of the civic league (or join) and even better reasons to get involved. I will say we do have a very good Board and the board members have spent a lot of time trying to make the best decisions for our neighborhood but we could always use more help. The old saying goes “10% of a group does 90% of the work” and we are no different. The vast majority of the time we (the Board) spend working on issues is very rewarding and provides a sense of accomplishment. Give it a try, probably more satisfying than trying to figure out the stock market.
At our upcoming general membership meeting on April 21, you will learn such exciting things as – “Why the sea of telephone poles on 61st Street?” – “How can I legally create more parking for my family and friends?” – “What will happen to the old Officers’ Club at 67th Street and Oceanfront?” – and finally, “Will I be able to leave my house during the Shamrock Marathon next year or am I better off just running in the race?”
Stay tuned and come to the April 21st meeting.
Dave Jester
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MARCH 2009 BOARD MEETING:
TREASURER’S REPORT
Kaye Harris reported that paid membership dues increased to 455 residents so far this year. At the present time there is $2,283 in our checking account, $15,211 in our money market account, and our Wachovia CD totals $21,118.
ZONING REVIEW COMMITTEE (ZRC)
The economy has apparently slowed down the pace of variance requests. Most of the requests the civic league’s zoning review committee now receives are dealing with small to medium size renovations and expansions. The ZRC will continue to monitor all planning and variance items within the boundaries of our civic league in 2009. A narrative was submitted to the City’s Planning Department outlining the civic league’s position on the Comprehensive Plan Update which is in process. That narrative may be viewed on the NVBCL website [posted under “Hot Topics” on October 8, 2008].
RESORT LIAISON
31 Ocean District: The City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works is moving forward with the design phase of the 31 Ocean infrastructure improvements, including the connection of 32nd Street to Laskin Road near where the 30th Street split is located now. This will provide a third left turn option for North End travelers turn onto 32nd Street with northbound movements at Holly Road, Arctic Avenue, or Pacific Avenue. 32nd Street is planned for two lanes westbound and one lane eastbound, which is the opposite movement of 30th Street. 31st Street will be designed as two lanes, eastbound and westbound with parallel parking on both sides. Significant private sector development is planned to begin as early as next Fall on the 31st Street corridor.
Dome Site Entertainment Venue: The City has granted an exclusive agreement for preliminary conceptual design, program development, and economic analysis of a new entertainment venue for the Dome site to Leisure and Recreation Concepts, Inc. (LARC) of Dallas, Texas. Their study is due to the City in March 2009. You can learn more about the development company (LARC) at http://larcinc.com.
Headquarters Hotel Project: Proposals for a new headquarters hotel directly adjacent to our new convention center were submitted in mid-January 2009. Two developers were selected to continue the submission process. Both Hyatt and Marriott are keenly interested in this project which is essential to the long term success of our convention business. Conventions bring business to the resort primarily in the shoulder and winter seasons which are vital to the long term success of our hospitality and restaurant industries.
STREETS, PUBLIC SAFETY & UTILITIES
The following streets were recently milled and paved at the North End: 65th Street - East dead end to west dead end; 68th Street - East cul-de-sac to Atlantic Avenue; 76th Street – East dead end to Atlantic Avenue; 78th Street – Atlantic Avenue to west dead end; 80th Street – East cul-de-sac to west dead end; and, 81st Street – Oceanfront Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
OCEANFRONT, BEACHES AND RECREATION
The long-delayed projects at the 42nd Street pump station and the 79th Street pump station should be completed and the equipment off the beach before the end of April. The equipment from 42nd Street will come off the beach at 57th Street so there will be a fenced off area there.
There is a strong possibility that some of the stimulus money will be given to the City to replenish the sand on our beach. Additionally, we are still waiting for the City’s response to keeping our crosswalks clean. Ron Pearson hopes to be able to provide a status report at the April general membership meeting.
PROPOSED A.R.E. EXPANSION PROJECT
The ARE, through an interactive process with resident of 68th Street, re-evaluated their parking requirements for their campus and was able to delete the 68th Street parking lot from their development plans. With this revision the ARE Plan of Development, which was an expansion and modification of a non-conforming use, was approved by the City Council on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Minor revisions to the 67th Street parking lot were requested by the City’s Public Works engineering staff that resulted in two entrances from 67th Street being shifted slightly from where they exist today.
HELP KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN
Graffiti increased in the North End and resort areas over the past winter season. Complaints were made about graffiti on the pump stations, media boxes, city signs, and real estate company signs. Captain Tony Zucaro, Va. Beach Police Department – 2nd Precinct, recently advised that the police department has assigned personnel to specifically address and investigate graffiti issues in the resort area. One of the better ways to address the graffiti issue is to get the community engaged for the accurate reporting of the incidents and related suspicious activities. Sergeant Frank Luitich is one of the police department’s supervisors who is actively involved with these concerns,
BEACH RULES
While enjoying our beach please remember the following rules that are in effect Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend:
* Bicyclists on the beach access road that parallels Pacific Avenue need to yield to oncoming cars.
* Dogs are not permitted on the beach any day of the week between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm.
* Surfing is PERMITTED all day long Monday through Thursday.
* You can only surf BEFORE 11 AM and AFTER 4 PM Friday through Sunday and on holidays.
* Surfers must wear a leash when surfing (up to $250 fine for not doing so) and surfing is prohibited within 30 feet of the shoreline.
* If Red Flags are flying (indicating limited or no swimming) then surfing is permitted regardless of the time or day of the week.
* It is illegal to buy, sell, possess, transport or ignite any type of fireworks, including sparklers, anywhere in Virginia Beach.
* Golf carts and skateboards are not permitted on the beach or crosswalks.
Presort Standard
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Norfolk, VA
Permit No. 508
NORTH VA. BEACH CIVIC LEAGUE
POST OFFICE BOX 1676
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23451
*Return Service Requested for All Except “Temporarily Away”
Last Year Dues Paid:
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS FOR 2009
Officers
President: Dave Jester 200 63rd Street 437-1677
Vice-President: Kimberly Goold 311 49th Street 428-7537 kimberly.goold@troutmansanders
Treasurer & Membership: Kaye Harris 108 60th Street 425-0883
Directors
Zoning: Billy Almond 209 70th Street 422-9522
Streets, Public Safety,Utilities: David Grochmal 219-A 68th Street 422-1511
Beaches & Recreation: Ron Pearson 6204 Oceanfront Ave. 428-6634
Budget, Assessments &Taxes: Bob O’Connor 204 52nd Street 428-0902
Beautification: Jim Spruance 200 78th Street 425-1225
Meetings/Publicity: Buddy Matthews 217 68th Street 422-6151
Hospitality:
Area directors
42nd – 49th Streets: Patricia Vakos 310 49th Street 491-7780
50th – 59th Streets: Bob O’Connor 204 52nd Street 428-0902
60th – 69th Streets: Buddy Matthews 217 68th Street 422-6151
70th – 79th Streets: Sue Bowser 223 77th Street 422-5204
80th – 89th Streets: Larry Staunton 212 84th Street 428-1514
Crystal Lake:
Princess Anne Hills: John Wilson 444 Goodspeed Road 491-8953
Directors at-large
Mark Chase 111 57th Street 491-1729
Danna Cullen 203 64th Street 428-0380
Mary Lee Harris 216 55th Street 428-0737
Gene Lanning 206-A 50th Street 437-1395
Luke Newcomb 118 76th Street 428-5446
Vincent O’Brien 6111 Atlantic Avenue 428-8479
Virginia Rader 307 55th Street 425-2943
Cecelia Soscia 215 68th Street 428-2384
Polly Tuck 508 Wilder Road 437-8745
Holli Wachtmeister 209 43rd Street 425-7644
Martin Waranch 111 66th Street 491-3343
DON’T FORGET OUR NEW WEBSITE: WWW.NVBCL.ORG