This Just In

Link to April 2023 Engineering Study for Shore Dr CIP. Shore Drive Corridor Improvements Phase IV Preliminary Engineering April 2023.

Reaction from President Danny Murphy: After two decades they now have a plan but not only did they redirect about $8 Mil already appropriated to the CIP last year, they have completely defunded it for this year and removed it entirely from the budget through 2030! It is an abject failure of leadership and commitment from the city. The Bayfront Advisory Commission was created to specifically develop and push Shore Drive safety and identity forward but they have not fulfilled their role on this issue. After our advocacy, they agreed to send a letter objecting to the CIP defunding.

Since there is no formal scoring system for rating CIP projects under consideration in the budget process, selection of what gets funded is an exercise in political power. City staff has indicated they selected CIP projects to defund based on criteria that only highlight the city’s lack of commitment, resolve and performance process: 

• One stated reason for Phase IV defunding: lack of immediacy of the project: Since 2005, despite the establishment of the Bayfront Advisory Commission and over 18 years of stated support for the Phase 4 CIP (as voted by past councils), this project has languished due to a failure of council and city staff to adhere to a 5 year process for 3 now going on 4 times!
• Another stated reason for Phase IV defunding: lack of state or federal matching funds: again, this falls squarely on the city who did not seek, request or obtain said matching funds.
• While long serving Council Members should be held to account for promoting further inaction on this long standing safety issue, new council members face a litmus test of executing and keeping past promises to the citizens of Virginia Beach.