We learned a lot about the work of Lynnhaven River Now. from Karen Forget, Executive Director. While their work has a lot in common with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, they are solely focused on restoring Virginia Beach waters. In 2002 when they were founded, no oysters or fish could be eaten from the Lynnhaven due to bacteria levels. The change today is huge. Karen talked about what LRN offers to homeowners and neighborhoods to safeguard and enhance the waters we all enjoy.

• Sustainable Yards Program. You can contact LRN and they will come to your house and walk your yard with you to give you suggestions on resolving drainage issues and conserving waters.
• 130 gallon rain barrels that cost $500 can be provided to eligible homeowners for $100.
• Waterway Cleanups Single use plastics pose a particular threat to ocean life.

In the business part of the meeting, President Danny Murphy had updates:

• Lynnhaven Boat Ramp: he will meet June 12 with head honchos.
• Ocean Park Baptist Church Renovation/ Restoration: possible change in new zoning request
• FIREWORKS: DONATE NOW: less than a month to go!! Jill says money raising campaign starts in earnest now and donation envelopes going out. Baylake Pines is our partner in this effort and for the second year, Chic’s Beach has committed to also raise funds.

Are you a business owner in Ocean Park or who lives in Ocean Park or nearby? We are looking for sponsors for a July 4th Parade! There has been a tradition of a neighborhood 4th of July Walk for a long time. We would like to make this a legit event so we can include everyone but there are considerable costs for the city permit and the police needed for public safety. We need to raise $800 to be able to have a parade. Time is short but if you would like to help make this dream a reality: please contact : president@opcl.org.

Contributions from anyone are welcome!!

Do you know what a Pearl Home is? “PEARL HOMES are places where people care about our community and our environment and want to do what they can to live responsibly and help protect our resources. So much of the progress we have made in restoring our waterways is a result of the great work our residents are doing to change their practices and adopt more sustainable behaviors.” If you can check off just 15 actions: you can have a Pearl Home too! If we get 30% of the homes in Ocean Park, we would become Pearl Neighborhood which considering we have PHP right here, would be great! So if you do things like recycle, turn off unused lights, use LED bulbs, only run full washing machine loads, etc: you are on your way to being a Pearl Home and supporting our waterways! Application here!

From our Fireworks master Jill Doczi comes the second installment of how the Independence Day Fireworks funded by individual contributions came about:

“July 2011: Our first authorized show in 2010, organized by our Ocean Park Civic League president, Rick Mercadante, was a huge hit. In his words,“We started the summer by celebrating our nation’s birth with a fantastic fireworks display that exceeded all expectations. I was proud of the way our neighborhood came together in a grassroots effort to make this happen. What a great country to live in, and even better,what a great neighborhood we live in.“

Rick’s accomplishment set the ball in motion for our new, safer tradition, and it did indeed accomplish the goal of curbing the night-long illegal fireworks along our beach. However, at the end of his commitment to our country, he received his final call — to Djibouti. Before he left, Rick asked me to take on his project. If someone didn’t keep it rolling, we wouldn’t have a fireworks celebration of our country’s independence anymore on our beach.

As a child, fireworks seemed magical to me. The anticipation of the explosions followed by the surprise of colorful displays were a once-a-year treat in Roanoke if we were lucky enough to have someone drive us downtown, find parking, squeeze into bleachers with thousands of others and watch our city display over a football field. At the time Rick asked me, I had small children who had only ever known the un-hassled Independence Day tradition of walking down to the beach with family and friends to watch fireworks with reflections on the water and the sound of waves as the backdrop to our “Ooooos” and “Ahhhhhs.” I wanted them to grow up with those memories. I agreed with hesitation. Little did we know, this would be a learning year.”

Donate: www.opcl.org

The current zoning is residential and the parcel was platted originally into 4 lots. Meaning if the church were sold and the religious CUP were removed a developer could, without rezoning, build 4 duplex (8 units) there assuming all other requirements could be met.

Here are some terms that factor in the discussion about the Ocean Park Baptist Church restoration project.

• What is R5D Zoning? The underlying zoning the Church operates under is R5D with a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for religious use. R5D Zoning Definiton: “The R-5D Residential Duplex District is created in recognition of the existence of developed areas where single-family and semidetached
  dwellings exist on lots averaging five thousand (5,000) square feet in area and where duplexes exist on lots of ten thousand (10,000) square feet in area.“
• What is B2 Zoning? The zoning change would be to B2 (business) WITH a Conditional Use Permit restricting its use to the terms of the permit.
• What is a Conditional Use Permit? Conditional Use Permit places restrictions on a general zoning category. Definition: “A conditional use permit is needed in zoning districts where the location, design or configuration of a proposed use could negatively impact neighboring properties. A conditional use permit (CUP) allows use on a property that’s not already allowed by right and requires additional review to ensure the requested use is appropriate for the proposed site. Applications are submitted to Planning & Community Development and then considered by the Planning Commission, which makes a recommendation to the City Council.“

Here are opportunities for residents to express concerns and get information about the Ocean Park Baptist Church Project:
1. Join the OPCL working group which will examine the project application, proffers and Conditional Use Permit attached to the zoning change request. Email President Danny Murphy to join in: president@opcl.org. 2. Bayfront Advisory Commission Agenda for June 20 Meeting 3:30 at OPVRS includes a presentation by Mr. Dubay. Visitors welcome!

Mr. Dubay circulated a petition at the March Meeting of OPCL after his presentation about the church restoration project and many attendees signed it, afterwards realizing that while they wanted to express support in general for the project, the petition did not have specific information. If you would like your name withdrawn from that petition please contact Mr. Dubay and he would be glad to do that: derekmdubay@gmail.com.

Update: the Ocean Park Baptist Church Project has been moved to the July Agenda of the Planning Commission. The project will also be reviewed by the Bayfront Advisory Commission prior to that hearing. Mr. Dubay is planning to host a Community Meeting/Forum for the neighborhood. Details will appear here as soon as we have them.

Be a part of the solution! If you have concerns, information and would like to be part of a constructive discussion in a work group, Ocean Park Civic league members are invited to volunteer for a committee to review the application for the Ocean Park Baptist Church rezoning and Conditional Use Permit. Email president@opcl.org to participate.
Why it matters: Participate in a small work group to review the current zoning, application, impacts and benefits of the rezoning/CUP application and contribute to an unbiased, thoughtful analysis. This civic league review is merely one component of a broader community advisory review process. This members’ review will evaluate several aspects including the historical importance of the church, the potential advantages and consequences of the rezoning/CUP, as well as the economic and aesthetic implications for the community.
No mind readers here! We cannot take your views into consideration or represent them if we are not aware of them!

The Conditional Use Permit application for rezoning from R5D to B2 is a public document. The City Planning Staff Report will be available 5 days before the Planning Commission meeting. Presentation about the project by Mr. Dubay.

From 6:00 pm on Friday of the Memorial Day Weekend until 6:00 pm on Labor Day dogs are allowed on the beach only before 10:00 am and after 6:00 pm. According to Beach Rules Virginia Beach Gov.com : “Dogs can be off leash on the beach so long as they are firmly under their caretaker’s control so as not to disturb other people or dogs”.

Some reminders about “golf carts” in our community. Although some communities in the area are designated golf cart communities, Ocean Park is not a designated or approved golf cart community. Because of this, to drive lawfully on the streets of Ocean Park golf carts must be street-legal electric vehicles as defined by state and city law. This means they must meet all the vehicular requirements, be titled, registered with low-speed license plates from DMV and covered by minimum insurance requirements. They may only be operated by drivers with a valid license or learner’s permit and the driver must follow all the same rules of the road as a normal vehicle. (Virginia Beach Codes of Ordinance: Sec. 7: 65-68 ).

It’s growing! The newly planted dune grass is looking beautiful! But it serves a very important purpose: to catch the sand to build and maintain the dunes. The deep roots also anchor the dunes and help preserve the dunes. Please stay off the dunes and allow the grass to get established!