Virginia Beach City Council Meeting - April 28, 2026: Budget Briefings, Coastal Storm Risk Management, and Comprehensive Plan Adoption
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Virginia Beach City Council Meeting - April 28, 2026: Budget Briefings, Coastal Storm Risk Management, and Comprehensive Plan Adoption
The Virginia Beach City Council met on April 28, 2026, to discuss and act on a range of items including a major coastal storm risk management project, budget briefings for multiple departments, public hearings on the real estate tax rate, and the adoption of the Imagine VB 2040 comprehensive plan. The meeting included multiple proclamations and recognition of community groups. Council also approved a consent agenda with numerous routine items and considered several planning items.
Consent Calendar
- Franchise Agreements: Approved 20 sidewalk cafe and boardwalk cafe franchise agreements in the resort area (CETA Inc., Calabrese Management Group, Molar Liquid Assets 2, Courier LLC, Inga Mitt Inc., Planet Pizza Inc., Grow Crowley LLC, Hanichi Inc., KM Inc., Happy Meals LLC, Khoebes Raw Bar Inc., LEE Inc., Virginia George Company, Grill Virginia Beach LLC, Me Vista Virginia Beach LLC, Palmas Boardwalk Corporation, Boardwalk LC, 3001 Atlantic LLC, 3315 Atlantic Avenue LLC, Harrison Virginia Beach LLC).
- Property Acquisitions: Authorized acquisition of property and easements for Lake View Drive improvements (CIP 100405 and 10652) and for Rosemont Road and Plaza Trail improvements.
- Official City Song: Resolution designating "Driving East" by Celeste Kellogg as the official song of Virginia Beach, passed unanimously with a performance and presentation.
- Sports District Resolution (Item 5): Deferred indefinitely; Councilmember Henley voted no, but the deferral was approved.
- Short-Term Rental Overlay (Item 6): Resolution to refer zoning map amendments to reduce the Oceanfront Resort short-term rental overlay district passed with Councilmember Henley voting no.
- Other Items: Approved housing choice voucher plan, police department position conversions, crisis intervention team funding, FEMA funds, and Sheriff's Office grant acceptance (Items 7-13 on consent).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Real Estate Tax Increase: Multiple residents spoke in opposition to the proposed real estate tax increase, citing rising assessments (e.g., one speaker noted a 12% increase from $3,704 to $4,131), fixed incomes, and the burden on homeowners. Speakers included Jackson Cazier, Terry Scott, Ray Beard, Courtney Pritchard, Jamie Moss, Diana Howard, Holly Martier, and Aaron Sandwell (via WebEx). They urged the council to find alternative budget solutions and cap increases for long-term homeowners.
- Meal Tax: JB Moss, representing the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association and several boards, spoke in opposition to the city's 6% meals tax, calling it a "national outlier" and requesting a reduction to match other retailers. He offered a draft speech for council to announce a reduction.
- Comprehensive Plan (Imagine VB 2040):
- Jessica Windish (TAITA Citizens Advisory Committee) requested postponement, presenting four recommendations including restoring the "Green Line Context Area" name (changed to "Courthouse Context Area" by Planning Commission), removing industrial zoning from that area, and ensuring accuracy of maps and nomenclature. She noted the planning commission was told city council directed the name change, but council had not voted on it.
- Melissa Drought (Responsible Growth VB) also requested postponement, asking to remove industrial zoning codes (I-1, I-2) and high-density apartment place types from the Green Line Context Area, and restore the names Green Line Context Area and Blue Line (renamed "Rural Area Boundary"). She cited over 100 resident messages supporting these changes.
- Lisa Murphy (Virginia Beach Development Authority Chair) spoke in support of the plan as amended by the Planning Commission, arguing that commercial and industrial development in the transition area (ITA) would increase the tax base and support jobs, and that the term "Courthouse Context Area" is historically appropriate.
- Umcha Eli Swarapu (Rutgers geography professor) suggested "Transition Area" as a compromise name, emphasizing that names indicate land-use intention and the current draft removes the green/blue line terminology.
Discussion Items
- Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM): Director LJ Hanson presented an update on the Army Corps feasibility study for coastal storm risk management. The study divides the city into six planning areas. The Corps now requires selection of one "early actionable element" for 35% design. Staff recommended the Lynnhaven Inlet surge barrier (tainer gates and rising sector gate) to protect against tidal surge from the Atlantic. Hanson explained the gate operation, closure frequency (e.g., 19 times in the 2010s vs. 7 in the 1930s), and estimated city share for design at $10–15 million, with construction costs in the hundred-million-dollar-plus range. Council discussed public outreach (Councilmember Remick requested more robust communication), aesthetics, and impacts on navigation. Council concurred with the recommendation, with direction to expedite public engagement.
- Budget Briefings:
- Planning Department: Presented by planning director. Key items: streamlining erosion/stormwater programs, comprehensive plan adoption (later approved), updates to Shore Drive Corridor Plan and microtransit program, short-term rental program improvements, zoning code update (last amended in 1988), and VA 250 commission events. No questions from council beyond compliments.
- Public Works Operating Budget: Director Hanson highlighted technology improvements, parking initiatives (6,400 voucher applications, 1,000 approved), market conditions, and SPSA waste processing changes. Major budget changes: $2.185M for building utilities, $200K for custodial services, creation of a special events support group (3 FTE repurposed, $1M), $1.4M for beach tractor/cleaner, stormwater fund hires (pump maintenance, electricians, technical support), waste management fund changes (container fee increase from $75 to $100, yard debris trailer fee increase). Net zero for stormwater and refuse funds. Council discussed fee increases and technology use.
- Roadway CIP: Total program $1.5 billion; six-year program $341 million. Newly funded projects: Holland Road widening to six lanes (construction 2031), Woodstock Road/Lookout Road sidewalks (speed camera revenue), Laskin Road phases, and Independence interchange improvements (VDOT project with $10M congressional earmark). Projects on hold: Rosemont Road, Indian River Road, Landstown Road (due to cost and funding). Council expressed concern about projects on hold in southern part of city (District 2) and request for bike lane inclusion.
- Building & Assets CIP: 37 projects, focus on renovations and maintenance. Major requests: $250K for beach maintenance facility design, $2.7M for public safety equipment replacement (including courthouse security scanners), $4.1M for human services building and JDC roof, $5M for municipal center renovations, $300K for public works yards, funding for Virginia Aquarium and dome maintenance. Approved as part of consent agenda.
- Comprehensive Plan Adoption (Imagine VB 2040): After extensive debate, council voted on a motion to defer for 60 days (failed 3-8) and then on the motion to approve as presented from the Planning Commission (approved 8-3). Key arguments:
- Supporters (Councilmembers Berlucci, Wilson, Henley? Actually Henley voted no, so supporters included Berlucci, Wilson, Cummings, etc.) cited two years of public engagement, need to move forward, and that the green line remains in place. Councilmember Berlucci argued that the debate is about semantics and that the plan can be amended later.
- Opponents (Councilmembers Henley, Rouse, and others) argued that the public had not commented on the Planning Commission's changes (including renaming the Green Line Context Area to Courthouse Context Area) and that industrial development should not be allowed south of the green line. Councilmember Henley moved to defer for 60 days to allow public input, but the motion failed. The plan was then adopted with Councilmembers Henley, Rouse, and one other voting no (8-3).
- Zoning Amendments (Items 12 & 13): Two ordinances amending city zoning code and city code to reflect the adopted comprehensive plan were approved unanimously (11-0).
- Planning Item – South Rosemont Storage Facility (Item 5): Conditional rezoning for a three-story mini-warehouse at 1756 South Rosemont Road. Multiple neighbors spoke in opposition citing traffic, privacy, lighting, and stormwater concerns. Applicant Eddie Bourdon addressed concerns: no rear entrance, motion-sensor lights, new fence and landscape buffer, low traffic. Council approved 11-0 with conditions.
Key Outcomes
- CSRM: Council concurred with selecting the Lynnhaven Inlet surge barrier as the early actionable element; direction given to enhance public engagement.
- Comprehensive Plan: Imagine VB 2040 adopted by an 8-3 vote after a failed deferral motion (3-8). The plan replaces the 2016 comprehensive plan and includes revised context area names (e.g., Courthouse Context Area).
- Consent Agenda: Approved with item 5 (Sports District) deferred indefinitely and item 6 (Short-Term Rental Overlay) approved over Councilmember Henley's no vote.
- Storage Facility: Approved 11-0 on South Rosemont Road with proffers and conditions.
- Official Song: "Driving East" by Celeste Kellogg designated as the official city song.
- Proclamations: Issued for Autism Acceptance Month (April 2026), Month of the Military Child (April 2026), and Birthplace of American Cuisine Day (April 27, 2026).
- Appointments: Approved multiple board and commission appointments including Bayfront Advisory Commission, Beaches & Waterways Advisory Commission, Community Criminal Justice Board, etc.
- Budget Briefings: Presentations received; no votes taken on budget items during this meeting.
Meeting Transcript
And we're about to get started. At this time, we'll be joined by Director LJ Hanson. He'll come in on Brief City Council over about our request that we have for the city council for concurrence as it relates to next steps regarding the coastal storm risk management project. And as you all know, this is the Army Corps project that the city's partnering with to help deliver solutions for controlling the Atlantic Ocean's impacts rise in which you're going to see council guidance on concurrence on which phase to initially start out this very important project. So LJ, go ahead. The floor is yours. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Manager for City Council. I apologize in advance. It's gonna be a very heavy dose of me today. If you saw the agenda, uh I have several presentations. I'll try to be concise though. Uh the uh first presentation, as the manager pointed out, I'd like to give an update on where we stand on the coastal storm risk management or the CSRM feasibility study that's being conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. Um our agenda will start off with a little bit of background to uh remind council and the those viewing uh exactly what we're doing, why we're doing it, a little bit of an overview of our stormwater program, and uh go over a recommendation that we have for city council. Uh as the manager pointed out, we're looking for city council to either concur or give additional guidance if if you don't concur with us, and then talk a little bit about funding and what that recommendation might meet uh as we get to the end and even timeline and next steps as we get to the end. Um council has seen this slide before, but I I think it's uh beneficial to point out that when we talk about stormwater in public works, there's really four elements that we're talking about. And sometimes they all get conflated. And when people talk to us about stormwater, uh you may not think of them in this way, but all the time when we're talking about stormwater, I am all the time dividing it up into these four different buckets. And the first is stormwater operations in the upper left. That's where we talk about taking care of the infrastructure that we already have, cleaning the ditches that we already have, maintaining pump stations that we already have, cleaning pipes, uh, that type of thing. Uh the flood protection program, we're all very familiar with that. That's the new infrastructure that is being built, and we have several large-scale projects that are going on around town, uh, around city, rather. Uh the flood protection program, though, is focused on recurrent flooding, that is rainfall events that are coming into the city. Uh, they might be related to a nor'easter, it might be related to a hurricane, but it's the rain that we're trying to deal with on the flood protection program. In the lower left, we have the regulatory aspect of stormwater, and that's where our staff make sure that we're in compliance with the laws, that we're discharging clean water from an environmentally safe standpoint. Uh, the city maintains uh an MS4 permit, and we make sure that we stay in compliance. And then the lower right, which is what we're gonna talk about today, the coastal storm risk management component. Uh, I'll talk a little bit more about that uh as we get to the next couple of slides. I also think it's important that we recognize how we pay for the different elements of stormwater. Um the stormwater ERU or the stormwater fund currently funds aspects of regulatory operations and some of our FPP projects. Reminder, some of our FPP projects were there before the bond referendum, so we still have some flood protection projects that are funded by the stormwater ERU. We also have a 2.5 cent real estate dedication uh called the stormwater lockbox. That pays for stormwater operations and regulatory, in large part it pays for staff, and some of those staff work on the FPP. So the dashed line around the FPP, that 2.5 cent real estate dedication doesn't actually go towards uh the construction, the capital costs of the FPP, but it does fund our operations and making sure that we can administer it. And then the FPP itself is the 4.1 cent real estate dedication, and that goes entirely 100% to our new development for our um flood protection program, and again, that is for rainfall events. The one item that I haven't talked about is the item we're talking about today, and that's coastal storm risk management. If you'll notice none of the boxes circled around coastal storm risk management, and that's because we don't really have a bill payer. But up until this point, we've largely been focused on the study behind what we're intending to do and looking ahead. So the the costs in comparison to the other aspects have been relatively low. So today's briefing, we're going to talk a little bit about where we stand in the CSRM study and uh some new requirements that we got from the Army Corps of Engineers. We're gonna talk about the need to select one early actionable element from that study, and the importance of us selecting that that component so that we can stay on on uh schedule. And the study is a first step towards us being able to get federal funding assistance on these large-scale capital projects. And again, if you recall, these are projects that are going to protect us from coastal storm inundation. That's where I caution kind of jokingly say it's where the ocean's coming to get us. It's where there's a storm off our coast, could be a nor'easter, could be a hurricane, but typically we're talking about tidal surge events where the tide is coming up, uh, usually because of a of a storm, um, and it is coming into the interior part of the city and stealing our capacity to be able to handle with flooding uh additional flooding events. Uh it also just the tide itself can cause coastal uh inundation, and we do see that in some of the communities. The study looked at the whole city, and it divided the city into six planning areas. Uh it developed strategies for each of those different areas, um, and it looked at a 50-year horizon. So thinking out about 50 years into the future, what do they anticipate the storms to be like 50 years in the future? What do we see from historic past in terms of sea level rise and storm surge modeling?
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