Tag: history

Shore Drive Condo (Marlin Bay) Project

Update: Proposed Condominium Project on Shore Drive

Statement from the Ocean Park Civic League
As the proposed 52-unit McLeskey condominium project on Shore Drive moves through the City of Virginia Beach’s approval process, including Planning Department review, Planning Commission consideration, and a final City Council vote, the Ocean Park Civic League has not reached a clear consensus. Resident sentiment is considerably mixed, and we respect the sincerity in each position.


The project — which also includes a small commercial component and requires a rezoning that would increase allowable density from 4.25 to nearly 24 units per acre — raises several concerns we believe warrant close attention. We also recognize that some residents see potential value in new housing inventory and added investment along the corridor, and we take that perspective seriously as well.

  • Scale, Density, and Height: We’re closely watching how a nearly 62-foot building fits along this section of Shore Drive- Ocean Park. The developers have taken community input into consideration as this plan for the building is stepped down to 34 ft (three stories) adjacent to the townhouses behind it. Beyond those neighbors, we’re also considering how this structure changes the view and feel of Shore Drive and the adjacent Pleasure House Point Natural Area — affecting everyone who lives, walks, or drives through this stretch of the corridor.
  • Neighborhood Character and Alignment: Does this project reflect who Ocean Park is — a historic coastal community with a distinct identity — and does it align with Virginia Beach’s own long-term vision for the Shore Drive Corridor? We think that’s a fair and necessary question.
  • Traffic and Parking: Getting in and out of this site safely on Shore Drive is one concern. We are equally focused on what happens to on-street parking along Marlin Bay Drive. There is a real trade-off: limiting building height can reduce space for ground-level parking beneath the structure, pushing resident and guest vehicles onto already tight neighborhood streets. We want a design that solves the parking problem without worsening the height issue.
  • Stormwater Management: Every new Bayfront development must demonstrate it will not worsen flooding, runoff, or drainage for surrounding properties. This corridor is already vulnerable, and that must be part of the conversation.
  • Protection of Pleasurehouse Point Natural Area: Adding 52 residential units next to this natural preserve will bring more people and pets. Off-leash dogs and inadequate waste disposal already pressure the area’s wildlife habitat, nesting grounds, and trails. Many new residents living steps away could accelerate damage to a resource the whole community treasures.

We encourage all residents — whether supportive or skeptical — to stay engaged and make their voice heard.
The project is expected to come before the Virginia Beach Planning Commission on June 10, where it will receive a formal recommendation before advancing to City Council for the final decision, likely later this summer. There are two straightforward ways to make your voice heard now:

Everyone who would like to express concerns or support of the project is encouraged to write a letter to the Planning Commission (PlanningCommissioners@vbgov.com) and/ or speak at the June 10  meeting (details below). Another opportunity will come when the project is considered by the City Council. Your input is welcome and important.

Your input matters at this stage. The OPCL will continue to share updates as the process moves forward.

Shore Drive Condo Project ( Marlin Bay)

Shore Dr Condos – Bayfront Advisory Commission – 2026-02-19Download
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Shore Drive Condo (Marlin Bay) Project

Update: Proposed Condominium Project on Shore Drive

Statement from the Ocean Park Civic League
As the proposed 52-unit McLeskey condominium project on Shore Drive moves through the City of Virginia Beach’s approval process, including Planning Department review, Planning Commission consideration, and a final City Council vote, the Ocean Park Civic League has not reached a clear consensus. Resident sentiment is considerably mixed, and we respect the sincerity in each position.


The project — which also includes a small commercial component and requires a rezoning that would increase allowable density from 4.25 to nearly 24 units per acre — raises several concerns we believe warrant close attention. We also recognize that some residents see potential value in new housing inventory and added investment along the corridor, and we take that perspective seriously as well.

  • Scale, Density, and Height: We’re closely watching how a nearly 62-foot building fits along this section of Shore Drive- Ocean Park. The developers have taken community input into consideration as this plan for the building is stepped down to 34 ft (three stories) adjacent to the townhouses behind it. Beyond those neighbors, we’re also considering how this structure changes the view and feel of Shore Drive and the adjacent Pleasure House Point Natural Area — affecting everyone who lives, walks, or drives through this stretch of the corridor.
  • Neighborhood Character and Alignment: Does this project reflect who Ocean Park is — a historic coastal community with a distinct identity — and does it align with Virginia Beach’s own long-term vision for the Shore Drive Corridor? We think that’s a fair and necessary question.
  • Traffic and Parking: Getting in and out of this site safely on Shore Drive is one concern. We are equally focused on what happens to on-street parking along Marlin Bay Drive. There is a real trade-off: limiting building height can reduce space for ground-level parking beneath the structure, pushing resident and guest vehicles onto already tight neighborhood streets. We want a design that solves the parking problem without worsening the height issue.
  • Stormwater Management: Every new Bayfront development must demonstrate it will not worsen flooding, runoff, or drainage for surrounding properties. This corridor is already vulnerable, and that must be part of the conversation.
  • Protection of Pleasurehouse Point Natural Area: Adding 52 residential units next to this natural preserve will bring more people and pets. Off-leash dogs and inadequate waste disposal already pressure the area’s wildlife habitat, nesting grounds, and trails. Many new residents living steps away could accelerate damage to a resource the whole community treasures.

We encourage all residents — whether supportive or skeptical — to stay engaged and make their voice heard.
The project is expected to come before the Virginia Beach Planning Commission on June 10, where it will receive a formal recommendation before advancing to City Council for the final decision, likely later this summer. There are two straightforward ways to make your voice heard now:

Everyone who would like to express concerns or support of the project is encouraged to write a letter to the Planning Commission (PlanningCommissioners@vbgov.com) and/ or speak at the June 10  meeting (details below). Another opportunity will come when the project is considered by the City Council. Your input is welcome and important.

Your input matters at this stage. The OPCL will continue to share updates as the process moves forward.

Shore Drive Condo Project ( Marlin Bay)

Shore Dr Condos – Bayfront Advisory Commission – 2026-02-19Download
0

Saturday, July 26 Ocean Park Incident

On Saturday, July 26th there was a large gathering on the Ocean Park beach near the Lesner Bridge with many people and cars in the parking lot at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. On Sunday afternoon, July 27th, OPCL President Danny Murphy sent a request for information to the 3rd Precinct Captain Gordon. This is the response from VBPD and the City Manager’s Office.

“On Saturday evening, at approximately 9:30 PM, a large number of individuals began to park at the Lynnhaven boat ramp and gather on the beach. By 10:00 PM, a concerned citizen reached out to report the event, expressing concerns about the crowd size and the presence of a limited security team. Security personnel confirmed the size of the gathering but indicated that no violations were occurring at that time. Evening shift officers were promptly dispatched to the location to assess the situation. Notably, one responding officer, serving as a School Resource Officer, recognized several attendees as students from the local high school. The estimated attendance was between 100 to 150 teenagers. It appeared that this gathering was not a formal promoted event but rather a spontaneous assembly facilitated through word of mouth among students.“

“Officers conducted a thorough walk-through of the crowd and did not observe any alcohol, narcotics, or other illegal activities. The students were largely engaged in socializing and enjoying the beach environment. To ensure a peaceful atmosphere, additional midnight officers were deployed to reinforce the evening shift due to the number of attendees. The officers communicated to the attendees that it was approaching curfew and advised them to disperse by 11:00 PM. By approximately 10:30 to 10:45 PM, the crowd amicably dispersed without any incidents or legal violations noted.“

“Later that evening, at 11:40 PM, security reported a dispute involving a father and daughter, which prompted officers to respond to address a potential domestic situation at that location.”

This information was given to the OPCL by the VA Beach Police Department and the City Manager. We understand neighbors are concerned, sharing conflicting accounts of what happened. As a result, we have invited a VBPD representative to come to our next meeting. More information to follow

In addition to the police statement, the civic league has received one email which gives a different account of events and two comments to the website which are below in the comments:

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Sunday? Why are the 🎇Fireworks 🎆 on July 6th?

Putting on the fireworks show over the bay that we enjoy every year is more complicated than many folks realize. This year the date of Sunday, July 6th was chosen carefully with many factors of cost and logistics in mind. Fireworks czar Jill Doczi explains:

Let’s start with the barge:

“ We can’t just use any barge. It has to be a certain-sized, oceangoing barge with a certain kind of edge around it and certain features. There are major, multi-year projects on the HRBT and the CBBT utilizing those types of barges, and the cost to get those to unload all their equipment, suspend their scheduled work and move from their locations for two days would be unthinkable. We (and the oceanfront) almost didn’t have a show about three years ago because there was no barge to be found in along the East Coast. We, the city, the fireworks company, etc. looked hard for months before we found one, which we shared. When there is a shortage of barges, you work with what you have. What we have is a barge being used already on July 4 that we are lucky to be using. We explored the option of doing it on Saturday, but the cost was way too high.“

Contraints on the crew for the fireworks:

“A crew, each of which has to be highly vetted far ahead of time by multiple security agencies, is dedicated to our show. It IS essentially a giant bomb that floats past vital shipyards, Little Creek Amphib Base and over major tunnel-bridges like HRBT and CBBT, so the people involved can’t just be found on the street to work for a day gig. They must have multiple permits at the federal and state level as well as longshoreman insurance.“

“It takes over a day to load in Chesapeake for that first show. Then it takes half a day to get to that shooting location. They shoot on Friday night at the Oceanfront, and it takes them the same amount of time to get back to Chesapeake, where the crew gets to rest because they’ve already been working nonstop with dangerous cargo since early the day before. Then they go back to work to prep and load our show, which will take a day to do.“

“If we wanted to shoot on Saturday night, the crew would have to be relieved by a second crew after being up so long, and our show would absorb the cost of the second crew, their permit fees, their travel, hotel, per diem, lodging, insurance, etc. If you’ve ever worked in maritime, insurance for Jones Act and workers comp is crazy. That second crew would then sail over to us (taking half a day), shoot our show and return in the middle of the night to Chesapeake to disassemble, load their things and go home.“

“BOTTOM LINE: We couldn’t absorb the 💰cost of a second crew, nor could we absorb the cost of a separate barge on our own (if there was one even available), so it became: Give the crew the required and necessary break and shoot on Sunday night or don’t have a show. The neighborhoods chose to have a show.“

“Keep in mind, this is only the logistics of the barge and crew. We also need to have an available tug and staff, the city services must be available on a busy holiday. VB fire marshal must be on site the entire time in Chesapeake while the barge and explosives are there, then on site here in our beach while the barge is here. As you can imagine, the fire marshal’s department is busy July 4, so they’re stretched thin. We also have to have a plan in place with a city special events person, beach police,⚓️ maritime police and Coast Guard to be on site for our show. They are stretched thin on July 4 as well.“

Jill continues: “I’m anticipating the next question.”

Why can’t we just have it on the beach and get rid of about half those issues?

  1. We aren’t allowed to close off a large area of the public beach for the entire holiday weekend to prepare, load and have a show on the sand. Can you imagine how upset people would be if we had to block off our beach across multiple accesses? But that doesn’t matter anyway because of the next answer.
  2. After the Ocracoke fireworks explosion in July 2009 that killed and injured multiple people, safety rules tightened up everywhere. You can only load shows that are far enough away from people and structures to keep them from harm. So we can’t trot giant 8-foot-diameter explosives down the beach paths all day with houses 16 feet on either side and people using the already full beach on a holiday. We also couldn’t place explosives with the capability of flying 800 feet sideways within 250 feet of houses and people.
  3. Side note: This is also why it has to load in at an industrial dock in Chesapeake. Imagine the fire power of an entire truck full of hundreds of shells and what that could do to a block of houses on Jefferson or Sandy Bay, or even the boat ramp. It would never be permitted by the fire marshal.
  4. There are SOME shows that can shoot from land, but, they must have a safety perimeter that meets the requirements. For instance, a 2-inch shell can fly roughly 200 feet in any direction, including sideways, so if you want to load a show with 2-inch shells or smaller, there have to be no buildings or people within 200 feet of the loading area or the show. That also means the fireworks are lower and harder to see by a wide crowd because they explode at 200 feet. A 3–inch shell needs 300 feet of load in and crowd-viewing perimeter, etc. The little ones that look like they’re exploding right above the barge deck are 2-inch shells. Our show uses up to 8-inch shells, so the whole beach gets a good view. The barge is so far out to get the necessary 800 to 1,000 feet of safety perimeter. That’s why Coast Guard and marine police are required to secure that perimeter. If an 8-inch shell got lose and shot sideways, it couldn’t hit anyone on the beach.

There is no way we could meet safety requirements to load a show in and shoot on our beach unless we’re talking some guys with bottle rockets, which would be a sad, sad show.

It’s a LOT of information. Trust me — I know. 😉 But, hopefully it answered multiple questions for multiple people. Short answer: It boils down to safety and cost. “

THANK YOU JILL AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS AND ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Your donations are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

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