Tag: News

Thank You Generous Neighbors! We have gift cards for 70 children! CASA sends their thanks!

Jennifer Cass, Director of Mission Advancement for Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates for children, accepts gift cards from the Ocean Park Civic League

A huge thank you to our generous Ocean Park community! We have 70 gift cards for the children in the CASA program! The increase from 40 to 70 children this year we thought was a reach but our wonderful neighbors came through! We thank CASA and especially the volunteers who complete rigorous training to be able to advocate for these children!

Here is a note from Kate Kosky, Chief Executive Officer for Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates.

“This is absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for your continued support and your Civic League’s continued support of our CASA kids! This not only means the world to the kids but it means so much to our CASAs (volunteers on the cases) too! Knowing that they are surrounded by a supportive community who knows how important the work they do is, means so much!

Thank you again for this amazing gift to our community’s most vulnerable children!“

Kate Kosky, Chief Executive Officer

Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court

2425 Nimmo Parkway, Virginia Beach, VA 23456

www.virginiabeachcasa.org

It has become a tradition for Ocean Park to donate gift cards for the children in the CASA program. We have a number of our residents who are active in this organization that supports children in real need of help. This organization: Court Appointed Special Advocates recruits, trains and supports volunteers to champion the best interests of abused or neglected children in the local Virginia Beach Court system.

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LBR Report: July 25-27

During the high season in Virginia Beach, Parks and Recreation staff share weekly updates regarding weekend activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp (LBR):


Friday, July 25 –        113 total launches, car parking did fill up around 3:15pmand was steady most of the day. The overflow lot was used for 6 trailers. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Saturday, July 26 –    247 total launches, car parking was full from 9:15 am until after 9pm (see below for large gathering and influx of cars). The overflow was used for 59 vehicles with trailers.  Barricade operations were not needed.

Sunday, July 27 –       169 total launches, car parking was full from 10:10am – 4:30pm. The overflow was used for 30 vehicles. Barricade operations were not needed.

Incidents to report:

  • Approximately, 5pm on Saturday, police were onsite and wrote two parking tickets for people illegally parked in the parking lot turnaround area. A third vehicle was ticketed for parking on/blocking the sidewalk.
  • 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. Security and Police personnel were onsite at that time.  Per security and police, the students were largely engaged in socializing and enjoying the beach environment. 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, the Garda World security person reported a dispute involving a father and daughter, which prompted officers to respond to address a potential domestic situation at that location.
  • On Sunday, the VBPD Marine patrol unit towed in a derelict boat and placed it on the spoil site for removal later by Public Works.
  • Review of video data from Friday until Monday morning showed heavy car traffic after hours until after midnight Friday and Saturday night but no visible loitering in the parking lots.  Police were onsite Saturday night/ Sunday morning for periods of time between midnight and 4am.
  • Garda Security personnel continue to be a real asset to our operation. They have been very engaging with users and have done a tremendous job keeping cars out of the trailer lot after hours, which in turn has seen the elimination of cars doing donuts, etc. in those lots over the last few weeks.   
  • Parking Enforcement –I will send these numbers as soon as possible.

During my weekly debrief with Emergency Management and Garda World I found out that the city also has a roaming Garda World security person that works overnight. It was decided that that roving person would also begin visiting the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp during his rounds between the hours of 2am and 7am. They will also act as a second guard on Friday and Saturday nights for short shifts between 11-1 to assist with current security personnel onsite.

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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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LBR Activity Report: July 4th Weekend

Latest Report from the Parks and Recreation Department concerning the activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp over the holiday weekend.

“Overall, the holiday weekend was busy but was managed well by all staff. We had a total of 535 launches over the 3 days.”

“Friday, July 4 –  207 total launches, car parking was filled at 9:30am and continued to busy throughout the day. When staff left at 9pm there were still a lot of vehicles in car parking and a lot of trailers still in the trailer lot. The assumption is that with the nice marine forecast several people were out on boats watching the oceanfront and Cavalier hotel fireworks. We did use the overflow parking lot for about 50 trailers. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Saturday, July 5 – 209 total launches, car parking was full from 9:25 am until around 9:00pm. The overflow was used for 54 vehicles with trailers.  

Sunday, July 6 – 119 total launches, car parking was full from 11am – closing. The overflow trailer lot was not used.” 

“Parks and Recreation partnered with Va. Beach Police, and Emergency Management and added Garda World security personnel to the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp holiday operations. We had a DCJS armed security guard with a marked SUV onsite from 8:00pm to 2:00am on Friday and Saturday night. Security personnel were tasked with providing a presence in cooperation with the police department to address any potential security concerns over the weekend. This was very successful. Security personnel were able to keep regular vehicles out of the trailer parking lot and helped to defuse a situation between two boaters returning to the ramp. They were able to manage the situation very professionally and called the police to assist.” 

” Sunday July 6th – VBPD had their mobile command vehicle onsite for the Chicks Beach Fireworks.”

Incidents to report:

  • “Friday approximately 9:00pm – Garda security intervened and called police for an incident involving two people at the ramp. One person accused another person of moving his vehicle.  
  • Saturday at about 1:45pm, VBPD, EMS and the fire department showed up to facility as response to a call of a child being swept into the current under the bridge. No injuries reported.
  • Review of video data from Friday until Monday morning showed a lot of cars after hours until after midnight each night but no apparent loitering in the parking lots.  Onsite security did a great job keeping non-trailered vehicles out of the trailer lot.
  • Parking Enforcement – 31 citations were written from July4th – July 7th. 340 total citations since April 1.“

“Lastly, on the morning of Tuesday, July 8 at 12:04am, the police Real Time Crime Center was monitoring the boat ramp cameras and saw a white mustang doing a donut in the trailer lot. A zone unit was called by the RTCC staff, and he responded in time to stop the vehicle. Summonses for Reckless Driving and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor issued to the driver of the vehicle. This is a great example of how positive the cameras are at this site.”

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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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Holiday Plan for the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp

Summer season is here and with it the issues at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp become more acute. Despite ongoing engagement with the COVB Police, Public Works and Parks and Recreation by Ocean Park residents, the civic league and now the Bayfront Advisory Commission residents are negatively impacted by the overwhelmed facility. Congestion on the narrow streets of Ocean Park, boat trailers waiting for access block driveways and often get lost which pose frustrating safety hazards for pedestrians and drivers.

Neighborhood safety is a priority and we will continue to advocate for solutions as we liaise with city leadership.

For more information go to the LBR FAQ OPCL page.

In response to pointed letters this week from many residents, the City Manager Patrick Duhaney offers the following information. 

What is the Public Safety plan for Memorial Day Weekend?

  • Police: The Virginia Beach Police Department is committed to proactively addressing the concerns surrounding the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. Following an incident in March, Captain Gordon attended an Ocean Park Civic League meeting with Director Kirschman from Parks and Recreation. This engagement allowed us to hear directly from residents about their concerns and share our constructive response.  In response to the community feedback, we have significantly increased our patrols in the area, asking officers to remain visible for a period of time when circumstances allow. This includes patrol officers completing paperwork on-site of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp from prior calls for service which also enhance their presence within the community.
  • To further discourage any issues, we’ve strategically placed a police vehicle in the parking lot on occasions, serving as a visible deterrent. Additionally, the 3rd Precinct has conducted musters (shift roll calls) in the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Parking lot which also increases visibility. Our Traffic Safety Unit has assisted with increased presence to ensure smoother traffic flow and enhance safety around the boat ramp. We have also intensified parking enforcement to effectively address violations. The feedback from the community meeting has been encouraging, demonstrating that our increased efforts are appreciated. We have also communicated our initiatives to those who couldn’t attend via outreach from the Ocean Park Civic League president. Since the March incident and the resulting increase in our presence, we are pleased to note that no further issues have been reported to the department. 
  • Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, we are deploying officers on ATVs, UTVs, and a Motor Carrier unit as additional resources for traffic management and beach oversight. Our marine unit, in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Police and Virginia Conservation Police, are resources that we can call upon to address boating violations. In addition, cameras at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp are being monitored by the VBPD Real Time Crime Center. We will do our best to monitor and address conditions at the boat ramp as they arise, realizing that this will be an incredibly busy weekend for the city with a significant number of events in all four precincts that will draw upon our finite resources.
  • Emergency Medical Services: through the Chesapeake Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad and Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, will have EMS personnel conducting ATV/UTV safety patrols on the beaches at various times throughout the summer.
  • In addition, the EMS Marine Rescue Team conducts weekend marine patrols off the beaches and in city waterways throughout the summer on Fridays through Sundays. 
  • Emergency Communications & Citizen Services: ECCS is staffed 24/7/365 for informational calls, non-emergency reporting, and 9-1-1 Emergency Services. 
  • Information: 3-1-1 or 757-385-3111
  • Non-emergency: 757-385-5000
  • Emergency: 9-1-1
  • Fire: Fire is upstaffing to ensure Fire boats will be staffed for the holiday weekend and most weekends throughout the summer. 

How will the City address Waste Management on our beaches, boat ramps, and parks throughout the weekend?

  • Public Works Beach Operations | Beaches
  • Beach Operations is operating under normal conditions.
  • Regular service for all beach waste containers (barrels) is being provided at beach entrances and those on the sand.
  • Service for these containers occurs each morning around 5:30 a.m.
  • Should Beach Ops receive prior notification of a large unauthorized party on the beach, they will arrange to have roll-off containers for beachgoers to utilize.
  • Parks and Recreation | Boat Ramps and Parks
  • Boat Ramp staff are onsite from 5:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
  • Service for the ramp’s dumpster is provided by a contracted commercial waste hauler and performed on a set schedule. If needed, they can request a special pick-up.
  • Parks Staff will be actively checking all parks and ensuring that waste containers are serviced as needed.
  • Public Works Waste Management | Residential Household Waste
  • Waste and Recycling Collection Services for the residential homes in the Shore Drive/Bay Beach areas occur on Wednesday.
  • To find when your next recycling service day will be, visit https://VirginiaBeach.gov/wastemgt and use the “Find My Trash Day” tool.
  • For service day reminders, residents can sign up to receive text or email notifications at VB Connect
  • To report a miss in service (trash, recycling, bulky or yard waste), residents can create a Service Request at https://vb311.virginiabeach.gov/assist/servicetypes


What happens if the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Reaches Maximum Capacity 

  • Ramp Signage: Parks and Recreation (PAR) will change all four ramp signs to full to indicate no availability. These are drop down “full” signs located on Shore Drive in the east and west bound directions.
  • Staff at Entrance: PAR will place two staff members at the entrance to the boat ramp, equipped with radios for communication. Staff are there to assist with the notification to boaters that the ramp is full and to continue traveling on East Stratford Road to exit the neighborhood. 
  • If upon exiting the parking lot traffic becomes a problem, staff and/or residents are asked to notify Police to assist in either flushing the traffic out onto Shore Drive and out of the neighborhood. If a vehicle is unoccupied, Police will ticket the violator.
  • Barricade Road: PAR will use crowd control barricades to close off Piedmont Circle access into the facility. Once open spaces are available then staff will let trailers begin entering.  
  • Car Lot and Trailer Monitoring: PAR is going to consistently check the car lot and trailer numbers to ensure proper parking and space utilization. 
  • Launch and Recovery Monitoring: PAR will ensure individuals who are launching and recovering boats are exiting the ramp area promptly and moving to the designated areas. 
  • Ramp Control Staff: PAR will station one staff member for ramp control to maintain order and assist with operations. 
  • Staffing: Parks and Recreation has hired an additional staff person to support the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Supervisors are scheduled proactively during the busiest times. 
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The Ocean Park Civic League Board of Directors was approached in late November 2024 regarding the Virginia Beach City Council’s decision to pursue the Wetlands Mitigation Project at Pleasure House Point. Understanding the considerable impact this project would have on our community, we quickly reached out to our partners at Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), Lynnhaven River Now (LRNow), Friends of Live Oaks (FOLO), and others to gauge their expertise on strategies moving forward. We also took the time to discuss the project with, and learn details from, our elected officials, local experts, and our residents.

Those discussions confirmed that local environmental experts (e.g. CBF, LRNow, etc) support of the project. Their statements are available on our website (www.opcl.org). We also learned the City intended to quickly move forward with this effort despite the significant impact to the maritime forest to advance flood mitigation efforts across the Lynnhaven River. Our understanding is that wetlands restoration was the intent for this property since 2012. Over the years, the delays in moving forward with the wetland restoration project resulted in profound tree growth in the area as nature took its course, creating the space we all know today.

While this project will have considerable impacts to our neighborhood, the long term outcomes will result in an accessible, preserved natural area that encourages a healthier Lynnhaven River. We are saddened at the loss of the maritime forest and habitat in these 12 acres and appreciate the help of our many neighbors who have volunteered their time to preserve the space, from moving saplings to undergoing trainings to help wildlife in the area. We also appreciate the efforts of our neighbors who have worked with us to hold our representatives accountable.


Collectively, our passion for our neighborhood is unparalleled and speaks volumes to how special we know this area of Virginia Beach to be. We appreciate everyone’s dedication to this effort and look forward to our continued partnerships on behalf of our neighborhood.


Respectfully,
Ocean Park Civic League Board of Directors

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Updates on PHP Wetlands Project

Additional information from Councilman Joash Schulman and the Dept of Public Works in response to questions from the community about the Wetlands Project at PHP.

Comment 1: Credits exist from three banks servicing the Lynnhaven Watershed (02080108), why doesn’t the city purchase them from these banks instead of building the PHP Bank?

Answer 1: We are aware of these banks but only one has tidal wetland credits, and those tidal wetland credits have only become available recently. The existing non-tidal and tidal banks are as follows:

  • New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank – has 5.27 credits of various types relating to tidal wetlands
  • Chesapeake Bay Wetland Mitigation Bank – has no (0.00 tidal wetland credits for sale), and has 3.9 credits of non-tidal wetland credits.
  • Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (VARTF) – has no (0.00 tidal wetland credits for sale). They have various sites, but all are for non-tidal wetland credits. 

Comment 2: The City has the opportunity to purchase credits right now, from banks servicing the Lynnhaven watershed (02080108) per the USACE. The City has purchased credits from New Mill last year. 

Answer 2: As noted above there is only one bank with tidal wetland credits and that bank has 5.27 tidal wetland credits to serve the Elizabeth River watershed, lower James River watershed and the Elizabeth River Watersheds. (The credits are needed in the Lynnhaven Watershed).The City has not only the needs of the Windsor Woods Pump Station and the London Bridge Creek flood gates and pump station projects (approximately 2.7 credits) to mitigate in the future, but other City projects that will have a need for tidal wetland credits as well. Even if the City could somehow purchase all the credits from that bank, it may not satisfy all the City’s future need for credits. Additionally, purchasing credits well in advance of the formal permit application process is counter to the federal regulations. 

Specifically, credits are not to be purchased before the proper permit applications are submitted, reviewed by the necessary federal and state agencies and those same agencies verify that impacts to tidal wetlands are minimized to the maximum extent practicable, and only then can discussions about credits be discussed in detail. The only exception is unless the applicant owns its own mitigation facility. By the City owning its own mitigation bank, it is sure that those credits are 1) available when needed in the future and 2) will be accepted by the agencies when the time comes that they are needed. Otherwise, the City is now not even at the point to discuss use of the New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank with the Federal and State permitting agencies.

While the New Mill Creek Tidal Mitigation Bank has credits available, that does not mean that the City can automatically rely on their availability in the future when needed. Additionally, there is a second set of decisions that must be made by federal and state regulators, and which can only be made at the time of permitting; namely, whether a bank with credits to sell is the appropriate mitigation for a project, and that project’s watershed. The problem the City of Virginia Beach has is that the City has a very large project (Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaze & The Lakes Flood Protection Project (Megabundle Project), with large projected impacts to tidal wetlands within the Lynnhaven River Watershed. That permit application has not been submitted yet, and will be decided on by federal and state agencies about 1.5+/- years from now. The City cannot risk finding out 1.5+/- years from now that the agencies disallow use of the New Mill Bank , which could occur because it is not in the Lynnhaven River basin. The risk is that while the credits are coming from the Elizabeth River watershed, there would still be a large net loss of wetlands in the Lynnhaven River Basin. If the agencies were to decide that is not appropriate, they would notify the City that the City needs to proceed with constructing the PHP Bank as it is located in the Lynnhaven River watershed and thus would offset the impacts occurring in the Lynnhaven River Watershed.

The agencies know the City owns the PHP Bank, and has secured all the City, Federal and State agency signatures needed on the Banking Agreement. If the City were to wait 1.5 years and learn then they needed the PHP Bank, it would cause enormous delays to the schedule of the Megabundle Project, risk another flood event to those communities, and cause substantial monetary impacts to the Contractor and the City. It was too great a risk to the City and the flood protection project and is why City Council voted unanimously on January 7 to fully fund the PHP Bank. 

Additionally, the agencies do not want cities or any persons to acquire wetland credits in advance of the formal permit application process for the reasons noted above. Those regulatory agencies are the arbiters of when purchasing or using mitigation credits is appropriate, and that cannot be decided until approximately 1.5+/- years from now for the Megabundle. It is simply too much of a risk to wait that long to find out the answer when the City has a fully approved mitigation banking agreement in place for the Pleasure House Point Bank. This same situation will repeat itself in the future for each subsequent City project impacting tidal wetlands in the Lynnhaven watershed.

Lastly, the City has a public interest in maintaining tidal wetland acreage and water quality in each of its watersheds. The Lynnhaven Watershed is one of the most highly developed watersheds in the City and has experienced significant historical tidal wetland loss. One of those losses was the filling of tidal wetlands at the City’s Pleasure House Point Natural Area during the 1970s+/- with dredged material from the Lynnhaven Inlet. The City does not want to have additional net losses of tidal wetlands occur in the Lynnhaven Watershed, let alone have a net loss of tidal wetlands in the Lynnhaven Watershed due to a City project(s). This is in part why the City initiated the Pleasure House Point Tidal Wetland Mitigation Bank in 2012+/-.

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Environmental Organizations Weigh In on the PHP Wetlands Mitigation Project

Three environmental organizations have indicated their support for the wetlands project at Pleasure House Point. Each letter contains important information about their views as well as recommendations about reducing negative impacts and ensuring the project is successful.

Lynnhaven River Now works to restore Virginia Beach waterways. In addition to expressing support for the project, Executive Director Karen Forget offers ways that the organization can help mitigate the negative impact by helping transplant trees, sharing monthly water quality water monitoring results testing, relocating diamondback turtle nests, conducting public tours during construction. She also points out the importance of vigilance in use of turbidity curtains and silt fences to allay damage to the oyster beds nearby. Here is their letter to Mayor Dyer and the City Council about this project.

B. DyerDownload

Chesapeake Bay Foundation met with the COVB team last week. Here are comments to interested community members which include the history of the site and suggestions for ensuring the success of the project. “This project is an opportunity to return a portion of the site to its former condition while ensuring that wetland impacts in the Lynnhaven River watershed for City of Virginia Beach flood control projects are also mitigated in the same watershed basin.” They offer suggestions for “reducing impacts to existing valuable natural resources”. Comments and questions can be directed to Christy Everett at the CBF.

PHPWMB Cheseapeake Bay Foundation Ocean Park Comments 1.6.25Download

Friends of Live Oaks is a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving live oaks. “FOLO will provide education and information about the unique environmental and ecological benefits of coastal maritime forest ecosystem communities with a focus on live oaks as well as the planting and care of live oaks.” In their letter to Mayor Dyer and the City Council, they include their view and recommendations. “Friends of Live Oaks is in support of the conceptual Management Plan and Master Plan that was completed in 2013-2014 and City adherence to its implementation.” In their letter they include very detailed recommendations for mitigating the impact on the trees in PHP.

FOLO PHP Letter 010625Download
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