Letter from President Danny Murphy about the defunding of Phase IV improvements for Shore Dr.:
Dear City Council Members:
I had hoped to attend tonight’s City Council meeting on the evening of May, 9th in person but unfortunately I am not able. Please include my email to the record.
The Ocean Park Civic League requests the proposed 2024 budget include full funding for the Phase 4 Shore Drive Improvements Capital Improvement Project (CIP). This project has been delayed for nearly 20 years, and it is vital for resolving long-standing documented safety issues on one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the city.
Timeline of Phase 4 Shore Drive Improvement Delays
- 2007-2008 Project first appears in Capital Improvement Plan as CIP 2-118. January 9, 2007 the City Council established the project with appropriation of FY 2005-2006 fund balance from the General Fund.
- 2008 December Phase II, III, IV plans advance to 30%.
- 2010 July Shore Drive Phase IV funding transferred to Phase III.
- 2018 In FY2020 CIP funds were appropriated to initiate design activities. Construction to start September 2023.
- 2020 CIP funds were appropriated to this project to initiate project design activities. The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded this project $500,000 in Revenue Sharing in FY 2024-25. “As an existing Revenue Sharing Project, Shore Drive IV will receive priority in the next round of Revenue Sharing Awards. Therefore, Commonwealth funds were increased in the project and local funds in the outer years of the CIP were redirected and reprogrammed to Centerville Turnpike Phase II.”
- 2021 March “Phase IV going to construction in summer of 2025 with a 3 year duration.” Letter from William Purcell, Dept of Public Works.
- 2022 July : “The Preliminary Engineering Report and 30% Plans for Shore Dr Ph4 are scheduled to be completed Aug 2023.” Letter from William Purcell, Dept of Public Works.
- 2023 Proposed FY 2024 Budget: Phase IV CIP project is defunded and funds transferred to Phase III. again.
The Phase 4 Shore Drive Improvements CIP would widen Shore Drive from Marlin Bay Drive to Lesner Bridge, add a multi-use path and sidewalk, improve drainage and landscaping, and install new traffic signals and streetlights. This project would significantly enhance the safety, mobility, and quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors in the Shore Drive area.
The reason this project is not closer to shovel-ready is a lack of political will. The city has repeatedly postponed or reduced funding for this project, despite its high priority ranking by the Public Works Department and strong public support. The project was originally introduced in 2007 and has now laid barren through 4 five year CIP budgeting cycles.
This is unacceptable and unfair to the Shore Drive community, which has been waiting patiently for decades for this project to be completed. The city should honor the commitment made by the late Councilman Louis Jones, who represented the Bayside District for 32 years and championed this project until his passing in 2021. Councilman Jones understood the importance of this project for the safety and well-being of his constituents and the city as a whole.
I would like to address several of the reason’s city staff has indicated for defunding the project:
- 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 to fully support this documented priority. There are no other project with a longer tenure for uncompleted CIP projects while many, many others around the city have been added and completed.
- 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 nor obtain said matching funds.
- Ultimately, the decision to defund this CIP comes down to budget constraints. Our specific Shore Drive community has accounted for hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue to the city coffers since the inception of this project. Additionally, we have voted to approve the Flood Prevention Bond Referendum.
For all of these reasons, I respectfully ask you to restore and allocate sufficient funding for the Phase 4 Shore Drive Improvements CIP in 2024. This project is long overdue and deserves your full support.
Thank you for your attention and service.
Sincerely,
Daniel Murphy
President, Ocean Park Civic League
The reasons given for the delay of Phase IV in the FY 2024 budget include prioritizing projects that are early in design and a preference given to directing resources to projects closer to construction. As is clear from the chronology below, the Shore Dr. project falls into that category only because it has been repeatedly pushed back and repeatedly had its funding channeled to other projects. Shore Dr. is a major road and frequently touted as a gateway to Virginia Beach. It reflects poorly on the city of Virginia Beach that this historic and highly traveled entry is unsafe with outdated structure. No sidewalks means pedestrians are taking their lives in their hands as vehicles race by feet away.
Write to the City Council as they make the budget decisions for 2024. CityCouncil@vbgov.com.
Phase IV Chronology
- 2007-2008 Project first appears in Capital Improvement Plan as CIP 2-118. January 9, 2007 the City Council established the project with appropriation of FY 2005-2006 fund balance from the General Fund.
- 2008 December Phase II, III, IV plans advance to 30%.
- 2010 July Shore Drive Phase IV funding transferred to Phase III.
- 2018 In FY2020 CIP funds were appropriated to initiate design activities. Construction to start September 2023.
- 2020 CIP funds were appropriated to this project to initiate project design activities. The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded this project $500,000 in Revenue Sharing in FY 2024-25. “As an existing Revenue Sharing Project, Shore Drive IV will receive priority in the next round of Revenue Sharing Awards. Therefore, Commonwealth funds were increased in the project and local funds in the outer years of the CIP were redirected and reprogrammed to Centerville Turnpike Phase II.”
- 2021 March “Phase IV going to construction in summer of 2025 with a 3 year duration.” Letter from William Purcell, Dept of Public Works.
- 2022 July : “The Preliminary Engineering Report and 30% Plans for Shore Dr Ph4 are scheduled to be completed Aug 2023.” Letter from William Purcell, Dept of Public Works.
- 2023 Phase IV CIP project is defunded and funds transferred to Phase III. again.
What is Phase IV?
Phase IV refers to a city Capital Improvement Project (CIP) designed to make improvements to the west end of Shore Dr. (Phase III concerned Shore Dr. east of the Lesner Bridge). The project has been postponed a number of times.
“This project begins at the Marlin Bay Drive/Sandy Oaks Drive intersection and ends at the west end of the Lesner Bridge. This project will improve vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow and safety in the roadway and intersections; improve storm drainage; include a multi-use trail, 5-ft sidewalk and on-street bike lanes; and enhance the corridor with aesthetic elements such as landscaping and lighting. It will include improvements at the East Stratford Road intersection.”
This is the latest update from Mr. Purcell on July 18, 2022 in response to President Danny Murphy’s email.
“We resumed design work on the Shore Dr Ph 4 project last year, after the project was placed on hold for several years. The schedule shown in the Project Details sheet that you provided is close, but not current. Unfortunately, the legacy system used to populate those reports is no longer working; a replacement system is in the works by the City’s IT staff.The current schedule has this project going to construction in the Summer of 2025, with a three year duration. Design, real estate acquisition, and private utility relocations will occur between now and 2025. We will certainly reach out to the public, to include OPCL, as we advance through the design milestones.Please contact me with any additional questions/comments.” Regards, William M. Purcell, P.E.City of Virginia BeachDepartment of Public Works – EngineeringTransportation Division”
Email reply about the status of Phase IV March 21, 2021 to board member Susan Lawson:
“Yes, the CIP info on the vbgov.com website is a bit dated. Shore Dr Ph 4 is currently in design. It was restarted recently after being paused for several years. The design is being performed concurrently with the Ocean Park Stormwater Master Plan, which will identify stormwater improvements required for the new roadway infrastructure (and to address current drainage issues). The Preliminary Engineering Report and 30% Plans for Shore Dr Ph4 are scheduled to be complete Aug 2023.”
-Bill, William M. Purcell, P.E.
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works – Engineering, Transportation Division
WPurcell@vbgov.com“
Details from the 2018 City Council Briefing on plans for the Shore Dr. Phase IV CIP:
How Long Have Shore Drive Residents Been Waiting? Jill’s Story
When I moved to this neighborhood, my dad couldn’t believe I bought a house next door to a condemned home with a tree growing through the hole in the roof. It was surrounded by several similar old cinder block buildings. He saw it as a poor investment. I had heard there were plans for the area, and I could see the older, less-maintained buildings around me slowly being replaced by decent residences and businesses. I was excited to see the changes and watch my investment grow in value, not just monetarily, but as a neighborhood as well. Many other people started seeing the potential in our area. As I started a family I thought, “Wow, with these plans for structural improvements, one day my children will have a great place to walk, bike and enjoy the area. It would be safer, family friendly and would show off our wonderful community. Every year it got pushed off. My children learned to walk, then bike and later drive. Other things took priority for this city leadership (including a bike path through First Landing State park that barely gets used compared to the amount of pedestrian and bike traffic our dense area could have but somehow found immediate funding upon proposal). Well, my children grew up and went away to college. They never saw the improvements to our phase of Shore Drive. But we will have a fine surf park and some amazing music festivals that will help the restaurant and hotel businesses at the oceanfront (which has received some significant improvements since I bought my first home). I’d like to propose that I owe no more taxes to this city until leadership can figure out how to evenly allocate its attention. By choosing this wonderful neighborhood and believing in its potential, I invested in this city in so many ways but quite a bit financially. It hasn’t returned the investment.
News article from The Virginian Pilot from 2018 “Changes Planned on Shore Dr in Virgin Beach where a woman died”https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/article_06adc768-3f39-11e8-b277-53763f59e489.html
What is a Capital Improvement Project?
Planning capital improvement projects involves a complex series of steps. The land acquisition, construction, expansion, maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading of important public assets such as roadways and sidewalks; schools and city buildings; parks; bridges and other infrastructure are all organized from conception to construction by the Public Works Department. Executing these public projects places significant demands on the city’s financial resources and, as a result, they must be carefully planned and budgeted well in advance of breaking ground for construction.
For these reasons, the City Council annually outlines a six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to define needs, set priorities, plan funding and anticipate impacts of the city’s needs on the municipal operating budget.
Each CIP project outlines a related set of activities that result in either the purchase or construction of a capital asset or major improvement. To be considered a “capital project,” the total scope of work must cost at least $50,000.
The details of each capital project the city has defined are available to the public for review at vbgov.cip-project-search.
Ocean Park Civic League 