SCP Recurrent Flooding Sub-Panel Draft Report

City of Norfolk:

“Please find below a link to the FINAL report.  With your assistance, a workable strategy for addressing the threats of recurrent flooding and sea level rise in the Commonwealth – a strategy which is inclusive and comprehensive, leveraging the talents, expertise and resources into one true unity of effort.

The plan was delivered on Friday.

Again, I cannot thank you enough for your interest and commitment in working together to address this issue. Hopefully you too will feel Virginia is equipped and poised to enact meaningful change in not only addressing the threat, but how we operate in a unified manner.

Thank you!!!

Jim

Jim Redick

Sub-Panel Co-Chair”

Click here for the report

Study says U.S. can’t keep up with loss of wetlands

National News:

“Over a four-year span, the United States lost more than 360,000 acres of freshwater and saltwater wetlands to fierce storms, sea-level rise and booming development along the coasts, according to a newly released federal study.

The disappearance of so much grass and forest marsh on the edge of waterways is a disturbing sign that government projects to restore wetlands are failing to keep pace, environmentalists said, as storms intensify, the sea level creeps up and development paves the way for rising coastal populations.

Saltwater wetlands help buffer sea surges that cause flooding during powerful storms along the coasts — such as Hurricane Sandy last year — and freshwater wetlands soak up storm-water runoff that often causes sewers to overflow.

They also serve as nurseries for numerous species of fish and assorted marine life, while providing habitat for three-quarters of the nation’s waterfowl and migrating birds. Nearly half of endangered species depend on them to live.”

~Writes Darryl Fears of The Washington Post

Click here to read Mr. Fears’ article

VIMS model now capable of street-level storm-tide predictions

William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science:

“The water that surged into the intersection of New York City’s Canal and Hudson streets during Hurricane Sandy—to choose just one flood-ravaged locale—was ultimately driven ashore by forces swirling hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic.

That simple fact shows not only the scale and power of a tropical cyclone, but the difficulty of modeling and forecasting its potential for coastal flooding on the fine scale needed to most effectively prepare a response.

Now, a study led by Professor Harry Wang of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science demonstrates the ability to predict a hurricane’s storm tide at the level of individual neighborhoods and streets—a much finer scale than current operational methods.”

~Writes David Malmquist of VIMS

Click here to learn more

Gov. Terry McAuliffe puts state climate panel back in action

Governor’s Office:

“Virginia’s governor… [3 months ago] told a gathering at the Environment Virginia Symposium something they hadn’t heard from that office in four years: Climate change is real, humans have a hand in it and the commonwealth’s coastal communities are under a great threat.

‘If we want to help the environment tomorrow, we have to make smart, common-sense decisions today. The first big decision is to accept climate change is real,’ Gov. Terry McAuliffe said. ‘I believe humans contribute to climate change. I think it’s pretty much settled. I think the impacts are felt today.’

McAuliffe’s remarks were met with a round of applause by local government officials, policymakers and environmentalists who were gathering… for a three-day environmental symposium at Virginia Military Institute. The governor plans to reactivate a climate change commission to advise him on what can be done to protect Virginia.

The new governor said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pegs the Hampton Roads area as the second-most vulnerable in the nation, right behind New Orleans.”

~Writes Luanne Rife of the Roanoke Times

Click here for the article

Hurricane Season 2014: Is it Time to Batten Down the Hatches?

Coastal Virginia:

“The National Hurricane Center releases its outlook for the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins June 1… Last year, experts said to expect a busy hurricane season and it was the least active in 30 years. This year, they're saying not to expect much activity.

The National Hurricane Center echoed experts' predictions for average to below average activity in its Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook released May 22.”

~ Writes Greg Hambrick of the Fredericksburg Patch

Click here to check out the rankings

Turbulence over boat launch

Louisa County:

“County leaders are making waves over a state agency’s plans to build a public boat launch at one of Lake Anna’s deadliest areas—Dike 3. Boaters and anglers have long wanted public boat access in Louisa County, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hopes to fill that need. And while the idea of having a public boat launch on the Louisa side of the lake is appealing to county leaders, neither they, law enforcement or appointed advisors are at all supportive of this particular project because of its location.

The peril at Dike 3, located on Moody Town Road (Rt. 622), occurs when water from the warm side of the lake rushes into the cold side and creates a strong ‘washing machine-like’ current. Last Memorial Day, a six-year-old Richmond girl fell into the lake at the dike while her grandfather was fishing. Dive teams spent several hours in the water before they recovered her body.

At least two other drownings have occurred in the vicinity of Dike 3. A 24-year-old Richmond man died while duck hunting in December of 1995 after his boat capsized near Dike 3, and a 51-year-old Henrico County man died in February of 1996 when the boat he was in capsized near Dike 3 in the area known as ‘The Quarry.’”

~Writes the Central Virginian

Click here to learn more

National Geographic, Sea Level Rise, and Virginia’s Coasts: Part II: Navigating Economic Impacts and Solutions

Coastal Virginia:

“Tim Folger’s popular National Geographic article focuses on the dangers of sea level rise across the planet, to which Virginia’s coasts will also be vulnerable. In addition to demonstrating that our planet’s coasts will be vulnerable, Folger goes on further to point out the economic risks rising seas pose and possible solutions for mitigating those risks.

Folger thinks sea level rise is no longer a secret or something we can keep denying, but rather he thinks it’s a reality we will all need to face sooner or later.  As discussed in Part I of this Blog article, while Folger did not discuss the risks for Virginia specifically, the Virginia coasts are not immune to rising seas.  In fact, Virginia’s expansive low-lying coast with a consistently increasing population make the risks of sea level rise a very serious threat.  Further, the economic impacts of sea level rise Folger points to are equally true for Virginia’s coasts.

What remains unclear is whether the solutions being looked at by New York City, New Orleans, and the Netherlands are also solutions for Virginia’s coasts.”

~Writes Kelsey Baack of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic

Click here to learn more

National Geographic, Sea Level Rise, and Virginia’s Coasts: Part I: The Threat is Real

Coastal Virginia:

“In a recent and popular article, National Geographic’s Tim Folger addressed the dangerous effects of rising seas across the world.   The article focused on more extreme weather events resulting from climate change and was paired with an interactive map showing the dangers of sea level rise across the world.  While the article doesn’t focus on Virginia, it’s clear from the maps and general issues discussed that Virginia will not be exempt from the dangers of sea level rise.

In the fall of 2012, the Northeast was devastated by Hurricane Sandy.  Through the course of its destruction, Hurricane Sandy managed to cause $19 billion in damages and the loss of forty-three lives. While the article focused primarily on the effects of Sandy on NY (for good reason), we should not be quick to forget that this storm also wreaked havoc on Virginia.  In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, 5,100 Virginia homes were left without power 2 and much of eastern Virginia was flooded, ultimately causing 100 closed roads”

~Writes Kelsey Baack of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic

Click here to learn more

Planners seek to change permitting process for marinas, boatyards

Gloucester County:

“The Gloucester Planning Commission endorsed a county code amendment Thursday night that would allow marinas and boatyards to operate with a conditional use permit in several zoning districts. The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide what to do with the commission’s recommendations on this matter.

As approved by the commission during a meeting in the colonial courthouse, marinas and boatyards could seek a conditional use permit in the Bayside Conservation (C-2), Rural Countryside (RC-1), Rural Conservation ((RC-2), Suburban Countryside (SC-1) and Single Family (SF-1) zoning districts, said Anne Ducey-Ortiz, director of planning and zoning.

All the marinas and boatyards in Gloucester appear to be nonconforming in their zoning district, planner Emily Gibson said. The proposed code amendment would allow those uses in all districts on Gloucester’s shoreline, she said.”

~ Writes Bill Nachman the Gazette-Journal

Click here for the link

York sues Seaford resident; oyster farming permit at issue

York County:

“York County is asking a judge to shut down two oyster farms. Seaford resident Anthony Bavuso was served with an injunction Thursday that said he and his wife, Elyse Pyle, were illegally operating their commercial oyster business without a permit, which the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year the county was right to require.

Dandy resident Greg Garrett is expected to receive a similar document after County Attorney James Barnett files them in York-Poquoson Circuit Court Friday. Since the ruling in January, the two have continued to farm oysters from their homes in violation of the county's ordinance and the court's ruling, Barnett said… Bavuso, who has raised oysters at his Creek Circle home in York Point for his Seaford Oyster Company since 2010, was denied a permit in 2011. Garrett, whose operation began in 2009 on Sandbox Lane, withdrew his permit request the same night.

The two men filed separate lawsuits in Circuit Court arguing that oyster farming was an allowed use of their land under the county's land-use ordinance because their residentially zoned properties allow commercial agriculture. The Circuit Court sided with Garrett and Bavuso.”

~ Writes Ali Rockett of the Daily Press

Click here to learn more

Shoreline Workshop

Eastern Shore:

“The Eastern Shore Resource Conservation and Development Council (ES RC&D) and The Nature Conservancy are in the final stages of installing a 1000-ft living shoreline project at Occohannock on the Bay Camp and Retreat Center (Camp Occohannock) in Belle Haven to protect property from coastal erosion. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate how marsh plants, sand, and limited rock can both effectively protect shorelines from erosion while also creating critical coastal habitats that support clean water and wildlife. We’d like to share our experience on this project with local landowners and interested citizens by inviting you to a workshop and optional volunteer work day at camp, which is located near Belle Haven. 

You are invited to a workshop about living shorelines for homeowners on Thursday, May 1st at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., including lunch, followed by an optional opportunity to help us finish planting marsh grasses along the camp’s shoreline.  The objective of the workshop is to give landowners, community members, resource managers, and other interested persons the opportunity to see and hear about the camp’s living shoreline project and learn more about what is involved in planning, permitting, and implementing living shoreline projects on private property.  Scott Hardaway, Director of the Shoreline Studies Program at VIMS, and Walter Priest, president of Wetland Design, Inc. (and formerly of NOAA) will help us to lead the workshop and will answer questions about your shorelines during the homeowner clinic portion of the workshop... 

Marsh grass planting will continue on Friday, May 2nd from 2:30 until 5:30 p.m.  Participants are welcome to come for the workshop and lunch only, and encouraged, though not obligated, to stay for the planting on either dates. 

Please note that we are requesting advanced registration for the workshops and volunteer days!  Please contact Gwynn Crichton (gcrichton@tnc.org or (434) 951-0571) or Sara Reiter (esrcd.sara@gmail.com or (757) 757-710-7266) to register for one of the workshop dates...”

~ Gwynn Crichton – Senior Project Scientist, The Nature Conservancy

~ Sara Reiter – Projects Director, Eastern Shore Resource Conservation and Development Council

Digging into the Virginia Beach dredging project

Virginia Beach:

“In 2011, Virginia Beach introduced a program to help waterfront residents dredge waterways. Currently, there are more than 20 areas in different stages of the program… In the first step of the program, residents approach the city expressing their interest.

Three sources fund the program: a city contribution, a surcharge on real estate taxes for waterfront property owners who are serviced by the channel system, and through lump sum payments by waterfront residents if they choose to have individual access channels and turning basins.

If 80 percent of potential district members consent through a petition process, Public Works presents City Council with an ordinance to create a special tax district to help fund the dredging. Residents in the district will pay the surcharge on real estate taxes for 16 years.”

~Writes Stacy Parker of The Virginian-Pilot

Click here to learn more

Project seeks to smooth way for offshore Va. winds

Coastal Virginia:

“The state is teaming up with Dominion Virginia Power in a research project that is intended to smooth the way for the development of an offshore wind industry. The Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advance Project proposes putting two 6-megawatt wind turbines on platforms designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. The turbines would be located 24 nautical miles (27 statute miles) off Virginia Beach.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Thursday it is seeking written public comment on the project as it prepares an environmental assessment. It scheduled a meeting for April 3 in Virginia Beach for the public to speak out on the proposal. Last September, Dominion submitted a successful bid of $1.6 million bid to lease nearly 113,000 offshore acres for the development of wind power. Full development of the area could produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 700,000 homes. Besides the turbines, the project would also include cable linking the turbines to the electric grid in Virginia Beach. The project is expected to be operational by 2017. The so-called demonstration project received a $4 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department.”

~Writes The Associated Press

Click here to learn more

Maryland’s CoastSmart Community Scorecard: A Community Self-Assessment

Coastal Communities:

“With varying technical capacity and the demands placed on local planning staff, providing resources to identify and implement adaptation strategies is essential. Our goal is to help local governments determine how well they are currently positioned to plan for coastal hazard impacts through a simple, practical self-assessment. The Scorecard also provides a mechanism for planners, natural resource managers, emergency management professionals and other local officials to identify specific, realistic ways that they can prepare for these impacts by integrating coastal hazards into existing planning, management, and regulatory programs. Because each Maryland community is unique, the Scorecard is intended to identify areas that need improvement, not serve as a basis for ranking or comparing among communities.”

~University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Click here for the Scorecard

Rudee Inlet path will connect to Va. Beach Boardwalk

Virginia Beach:

“Picture walking to the Boardwalk from the Rudee Inlet marina district without dodging cars on Atlantic and Pacific avenues. Then, imagine catching a ride on a water taxi to visit the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. That vision is expected to become a reality in June. Construction is to begin the week of March 17 on a 10-foot-wide path connecting Rudee Loop, the gem of the resort’s south end, to the Boardwalk. The $1.4 million project includes a dock for a water taxi and a park where those waiting for the boat can relax.

The taxi, to be managed by the city, will take passengers from Rudee Inlet through Lake Rudee to the aquarium, on Owls Creek. It may be expanded in the future to include destinations along the marina district and Marsh View Park, said Dan Adams, city project manager.The handicapped-accessible path will meet the Boardwalk near 1st Street and Grommet Island Park, a playground with equipment for people with disabilities. A metal guardrail that runs along Rudee Loop will be replaced with wood, and LED pedestrian and street lights will be installed. Carolina Marine Structures is the general contractor on the project, which is scheduled to be completed some time in June.”

~Writes Stacy Parker of The Virginian-Pilot

Click here for more information

Hearing set on massive zoning overhaul for Northampton

Northampton County:

“Northampton County’s Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will hear what the public thinks about its proposed massive overhaul of the zoning ordinance at a joint hearing scheduled for March 11 at 7 p.m. at Northampton High School. Economic Development Director Charles McSwain received marching orders from the Board of Supervisors shortly after being hired just over a year ago to streamline zoning requirements as a way to promote business development. ‘The Board (of Supervisors) wanted a new code that is more enabling,’ McSwain said last October.

One provision garnering significant public interest is a modification that would effectively cut in half the area regulated under the Chesapeake Bay/Atlantic Preservation district, which applies Chesapeake Bay Act requirements to the entire county. McSwain, who also oversees the county’s planning department, noted the shoreline would still be protected on the sea side by 100-foot-wide ribbon of conservation zoning along the shore, except ‘where there are existing, developed, water-dependent communities,’ such as Willis Wharf and Oyster.

The proposal would no longer regulate properties east of U.S. Route 13, unless they drain into the Chesapeake Bay. The proposal would also delete the district as an zoning overlay district, and place it in a separate section of the land use code with a different name: Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area.”

~Writes Connie Morrison of Delmarva Now

Click here to learn more

Living Shoreline Workshop

Living Shoreline Workshop:

On Thursday, March 13 a partnership of coastal organizations will hold a Living Shoreline Workshop for Landowners. The workshop will be located at Occohannock on the Bay Camp and Retreat Center in Belle Haven. Advanced registration required. Workshop from 10am-1pm and optional volunteer planting 1pm-5pm. The workshop topics cover:

• Shoreline design, permitting process & timeline
• Planting, materials and installation
• Costs and contractors

Please contact Sara Reiter (esrcd.sara@gmail.com or (757) 757-710-7266) or Gwynn Crichton (gcrichton@tnc.org or (434) 951-0571) to register

The workshop is brought to you by:

• The Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation
• The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund, and
• The Chesapeake Bay Trust

$1.5M available for historic property damaged by Sandy

National Park Service:

“The National Park Service is making $1.5 million available for owners of historic properties that sustained damage when Hurricane Sandy lashed Virginia in October 2012. The grant money is available to private property owners, organizations or local governments. The properties must be within the disaster areas that were declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Owners of historic properties can seek reimbursement funds for repairs they have already made or are planning.

The grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. FEMA declared 29 jurisdictions in Virginia post-storm disaster areas. They include portions of northern Virginia, the Northern Neck, Eastern Shore and areas of the Shenandoah Valley, among others. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources will disburse the funds. Applications are due by March 28.”

~Writes the Virginia Pilot

View Hampton's Flood Map

City of Hampton:
To view the flood map for Hampton, click here. This map shows the flood marks for various hurricane categories.

Meeting Tuesday to help residents with changes to flood maps

Gloucester County:

“Some Gloucester residents may find themselves in a floodplain area for the first time, which may impact whether they will need to purchase flood insurance and, if they already have flood insurance, their annual rates. Gloucester officials will hold an informational public open house from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at Achilles Elementary School for residents to review the changes and ask questions about the preliminary FEMA flood insurance rate maps.

According to Gloucester’s building official Paul Koll, about 5,000 postcards were mailed earlier this month to all county residents whose property may be at flood risk. He urged those who received the postcards to check their current flood risk on the FEMA updated coastal flood insurance rate maps, which can be found by visiting the county’s website at www.gloucesterva.info.”

 ~Writes Quinton Sheppard of Gazette-Journal

Click here to learn more

Polluted Runoff Report

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

“So just where exactly do stormwater fees go you ask? Try rain gardens, streambeds, ponds, and other job-creating projects that not only improve our water quality, but beautify our communities, too! Learn more in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s special investigative report on polluted runoff”

Click here for the report

Stomwater Act could devastate growth across the Northern Neck

Northern Neck

“Tiny droplets of rain could soon cost area residents big money if state legislation comes to pass.

Nearly 10 years in the making, the New Virginia Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (SWPP) has officials concerned, citing dire consequences to growth in rural communities if the act passes through and becomes commonwealth law.

According to new SWPP regulations, in accordance with the Chesapeake Bay Protection Act program, any land disturbance of more than 2,500 square feet will incur fees, planning and annual dues that could put an abrupt halt to new construction, renovations, upgrades and home improvements statewide.

As of July 2014, in the Commonwealth’s attempt to improve the quality of local rivers, bays and their tributaries, any party–from a multi-conglomerate building an office park in Fredericksburg to a homeowner in Warsaw looking to put in a driveway–will be subject to fees that will require engineer contracts, stormwater drainage field construction and annual dues with inspections and the costs they involve, all on the taxpayers dime.”

~Writes the Northern Neck News

Click here to learn more

Planning Commission forges ahead despite lack of new floodplain maps

Colonial Beach

“A public hearing was also conducted regarding changes that must be implemented to the floodplain overlay district. Changes involve additional regulations to any new construction within the floodplain areas.

The need for these changes came to light in response to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) updating the current floodplain maps (also called Flood Insurance Rate Maps) in Westmoreland County and Colonial Beach… Not only do town officials anticipate a larger floodplain area, but areas with a 500-year flood risk are expected to be raised to a higher risk of 100-year or less flood risk, due to more frequent occurrences of flooding.” 

~Writes The Journal

Click here to learn more

Bay group: Stormwater runoff must be reduced

Chesapeake Bay

“Localities and lawmakers must do more to keep polluted runoff from fouling Virginia’s rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. That’s the gist of a report released Monday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which calls for tens of millions of dollars more from state legislators to help pay for stormwater runoff reductions. ‘This is clearly a problem that demands local solutions for local benefits. It’s time for all of us to reduce polluted runoff,’ CBF President Will Baker said Monday in a conference call with reporters.”

~Writes Rusty Dennen of the Free Lance–Star

Click here to learn more

Maintenance of bridge-tunnel an expensive proposition

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

“Maintaining the 17.6-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which connects the Eastern Shore of Virginia to Hampton Roads, is a tall order. Much of the maintenance is never seen by those who annual pay $45 million in tolls to cross it. The bridge’s ventilation system, scheduled for a two-year $7.8 million overhaul expected to begin in late March, is the facility’s second-most expensive capital project this year, yet to occupants of the 3.5 million vehicles that cross the facility annually, it will be invisible. ‘The public will not see any component of that work as they cross the bridge,’ said Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Executive Director Jeff Holland. That holds true with much of the work that extends the life of the facility.

The bridge-tunnel exists in an unforgiving marine environment. Besides the daily pummeling by thousands of cars and trucks, it withstands hurricane-force winds, powerful waves and relentless currents. Yet most travelers rarely consider maintenance and preservation, except when those activities cause them delay. In 2013, the district spent about $14 million to preserve and maintain the bridge-tunnel, which itself is valued at about $424 million.”

~Writes Connie Morrison of Delmarva Now

Click here to learn more

Poplar Island Restoration Project

Chesapeake Bay

“In the early 1990s, an effort was initiated by the Port of Baltimore, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland Environmental Service to use material dredged from shipping channels of the upper Bay to rebuild Poplar Island near Talbot County, MD. At four miles long, the restored 1140 acre site approximates the 1847 outline of Poplar Island, which was renowned for its waterfowl, terrapins, fish and crabs. Construction began in 1998 and is expected to continue until 2020. When complete, the island will be equally divided between tidal marsh and upland, and will provide habitat for a variety of migratory and resident wildlife.”

~Center for Environmental Science: University of Maryland

Click here to learn more

The Last House on Holland Island

Chesapeake Bay

“Built in 1888, this Victorian home from a different era has braved the elements and fought shoreline erosion on Holland Island in Chesapeake Bay for well over a century. Despite former resident and owner Stephen White’s best efforts to save the house and protect the island, the waters would overcome both and erase them from the map.

So what happened to Holland Island, and why did one man try to save it?”

~Writes Sometimes Interesting

Click here to read about Holland Island

Ocean View residents to make dune case to Norfolk

City of Norfolk

“Ocean View residents want to lower sand dunes that they say are taking over their property, but city officials are worried such an alteration could affect Norfolk's ability to get federal funding for flood mitigation.

Seventeen property owners in the Cottage Line area will argue their case before the city's Wetlands Board this afternoon. The residents are seeking permission to lower the dunes to about 10-1/2 feet. In one area, the dunes reach 26 feet.

These Cottage Line residents say the sand dunes near their homes have reached unreasonable heights and are blocking their views. Because the sand is so plentiful, the residents say, the removed portions of the dunes could be redistributed where sand is needed in Ocean View. But environmentalists have expressed opposition, and some city officials have said they are concerned about the requests.”

~Writes Jillian Nolin of the Virginia Pilot

Click here to learn more

Gloucester supervisors seek delay of new environmental regulations

Gloucester County

“In one of its first acts of 2014, the Board of Supervisors pushed back, albeit ever so diplomatically. With new members Mike Winebarger, Phil Bazzani and John Meyer aboard, the board voted unanimously to direct County Administrator Brenda Garton draft a letter to state legislators asking to delay by a year the implementation of a state-mandated storm water management program that critics say will prove costly to home builders, homeowners, businesses and taxpayers.

The storm water management program is billed as protecting Chesapeake Bay through the development and implementation of corralling storm water to ensure sediment, nutrients and pollutants don't wash into the bay and its tributaries. Counties are supposed to enact the new regulations by July 1.

The program is anticipated to cost Gloucester County $126,000 a year for a six-year period beginning in 2014. The program comes with added ordinances and requirements — and for applicants higher fees for permits and increased costs for engineering and construction — to install infrastructure to ensure storm water doesn't overwhelm local tributaries.”

~Writes Matt Sabo of the Daily Press

Click here to learn more

Clock's Ticking on Boat Club Negotiations

City of Alexandria

“After initially keeping quiet on the status of negotiations for the Old Dominion Boat Club’s waterfront parking lot, city officials have lifted — ever so slightly — the veil of silence.

A city spokesman has confirmed that talks for the coveted shoreline parcel are underway. After years of on-again, off-again negotiations, Mayor Bill Euille made it clear in the fall that City Hall would use eminent domain to secure the land if an agreement remained elusive much longer.

Following a lengthy November public hearing on the topic, city councilors opted to extend talks for a further 90 days, with the option of eminent domain still on the table if negotiations break down again. Officials want to turn the parking lot into a waterfront plaza and use nearby club property for flood-mitigation efforts.”
~Writes Derrick Perkins of the Alexandria Times

Click here to learn more