Virginia Beach Planning Commission Meeting - January 14, 2026

The Virginia Beach Planning Commission convened on January 14, 2026, for its informal session (morning) and formal public hearing (afternoon). The meeting covered a range of land-use applications, including the proposed removal of a historic district, conditional use permits, and a comprehensive plan workshop. The commission deferred two contested items and approved several others by consent.

Consent Calendar

• Item 2: Street closure of the western half of Arctic Avenue adjacent to 300 Winston Salem Avenue, requested by David A. and Robin Parker. Staff recommended approval with conditions, and the applicant accepted. Placed on consent and approved unanimously.
• Item 3: Modification of conditions to allow existing staircase/deck and future handicap ramp at 514 9th Street. Supported by four letters of support. Placed on consent and approved.
• Item 4: Modification of conditions to allow a 6-foot fence at the Star of the Sea Catholic Church parking lot (16th Street and Pacific Avenue). The Planning Design Review Committee (PDRC) recommended three additional conditions (use tied to church, not transferable, continuous hedge). Commissioner Plumley noted the applicant agreed. Placed on consent and approved with added conditions.
• Item 5: (Deferred – see below)
• Item 6: Conditional rezoning from O2 to conditional B2 at 3696 First Colonial Road to allow a retail balloon shop. No opposition. Placed on consent and approved.
• Item 8: Conditional use permit for indoor recreational facility (7 paddle courts, 1 pickleball court, 8,200 sq ft restaurant) at 941 Laskin Road (former movie theater). Staff recommended approval; no opposition. Placed on consent and approved.
• Item 9: Conditional use permit for bulk storage yard (tow yard) at 1361 Virginia Beach Boulevard. Four signatures of support, no opposition. Placed on consent and approved.
• Item 11: Alternative compliance to replace an existing monument sign at 4616 Virginia Beach Boulevard (Bank of America rebranding). Supported by the Central Business Districts Association design review committee. Placed on consent and approved.
• Item 12: Temporary commercial parking lot (30 spaces) at 2402 Pacific Avenue (IFLY Virginia Beach). Approval limited to 3 years. The PDRC added landscape recommendations. Placed on consent and approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Nemo Church Historic District (Item 1): Gene Estes, representing the church leadership, spoke in favor of removing the district, citing prohibitive costs of maintaining historic materials (cedar siding, single-pane windows) required by the Historic Review Board (HRB). The church cannot afford the higher cost and wants to use modern materials for lower lifecycle costs. Estes opposed deferral. Three members of the congregation attended.
• Oceana Development Bulk Storage (Item 7): Martin Dorn (Nottingham South) and Heather Cook (Nottingham Estates) opposed the use, citing noise, loss of wooded buffer, and incompatibility with residential neighborhoods. They argued existing laydown yards nearby make this unnecessary. Jorge Flores (Evergreens) and Ashley Lynch (Evergreens) also opposed, expressing concerns over noise, privacy, and property values. They requested additional fencing.
• Zakia Walcott Event Space (Item 10): Zakia Walcott spoke in support, describing her business as a reservation-only private event center for intimate gatherings. She emphasized noise control, security, and no alcohol without proper licensing. One opposition speaker (Edward Spearman) did not appear.

Discussion Items

• Comprehensive Plan Workshop (Informal Session): Staff (Kathy Warren, Hank Morrison, Rachel Miller) presented the final draft of the Imagine Virginia Beach Comprehensive Plan (dated December 5, 2025, posted December 8). The plan updates the 2016 plan due to state requirement (review every 5 years). Community engagement included 9,000 survey responses, 12 public meetings, 1,500 participants, 100+ stakeholder meetings, and 612 written comments. Key themes: balancing growth with neighborhood protection, maintaining the green line, resiliency, housing attainability. The plan introduces context areas (inland, coastal, green line, rural), centers (regional, city, local), place types, and recommends updating the zoning ordinance. A budget request for zoning rewrite is underway. Next steps: recommendation vote at February commission, City Council adoption in March. Commissioners discussed alignment with neighboring cities (Chesapeake, Norfolk) and population projections for centers (concerns from Commissioner Plumley about excessive centers). Staff noted the master transportation plan (light update) will be considered concurrently.
• Procedural Timing Concerns: Commissioner Camp raised the issue of receiving 249 pages of material after 5 p.m. the night before the meeting, revisiting a retreat discussion about agenda timing. Staff agreed to provide an update by February/March. Commissioner Byler suggested earlier distribution.

Key Outcomes

• Item 1 (Nemo Church Historic District): Deferred for 60 days (motion by Commissioner Schoonover, second by Commissioner Morjani) to allow time for potential state funding and further discussion. Vote: approved (no opposition noted). The church opposed the deferral but the commission favored more time.
• Item 5 (Conditional Rezoning Shakila Burner): Deferred 30 days at the applicant’s request to refine the proposal and address staff-identified dimensional issues. Vote: approved (no opposition).
• Item 7 (Oceana Development Bulk Storage): Deferred for 30 days (motion by Vice Chair Byler, second by Commissioner Hippman) after extensive discussion about site design (rear loading near homes, fencing, buffer). Commissioners urged the applicant to reconsider layout, add fencing, and minimize impacts. Approved 10-1 (Commissioner Plumley dissenting? Actually vote 10-1 in favor of deferral).
• Item 10 (Zakia Walcott Event Space): Recommended for approval by the commission (motion by Commissioner Anderson, second by Commissioner Schoonover). Vote: 11-0.
• Consent Agenda: All eight items (2,3,4,6,8,9,11,12) plus minutes approved by consent, with note of abstentions from Commissioners Plumley and Cromwell on items where they had conflicts (as previously filed).
• Comprehensive Plan: Staff will provide additional population data and address concerns at the next workshop. The plan is expected for a recommendation vote in February 2026.