City council is working on envisioning the future of the “beachy” part of Virginia Beach.
Planning departments and consultants presented concepts for a small area plan design for what the city calls the “Central Beach area” at a special council session Thursday. The designs are a vision plan for the city to detail how it wants to see development around the city’s Convention Center progress. It’s being created after developers have started expressing interest in building up the area near the Oceanfront.
Both of the concepts presented to the council this week emphasize pedestrian access to businesses, parks and existing facilities like the Convention Center. They also add housing, retail, green spaces, parking and different options for transportation in the area.
The “Central Green” concept is more oriented toward green spaces and parks, while the “North South Connections” concept places emphasis on new or updated institutions, like an art museum and library.
The city and its planning departments will home in on one concept in the next few months and present a final plan in February. The council may choose to adopt the plan to guide development in the area.
Residents can weigh in on the two concepts at an open house at the Convention Center from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The Central Beach area under consideration stretches roughly from Birdneck Road to Mediterranean Avenue and 22nd Street to Norfolk Avenue near the Oceanfront. It includes the Convention Center, the Virginia Beach Sports Center and part of the ViBe Creative District, as well as the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Central Green concept augments the existing Convention and Sports centers with a pedestrian-friendly district, adds a library and visitor center to the current MoCA space, creates a mixed-use main street and, as the title indicates, orients everything around a park area and community open space in the middle.
The second concept, North South Connections, would add an art museum, new city library and new Mount Olive Baptist Church to Central Beach. Green spaces included a stormwater park and greenway connection. A mixed-use pedestrian mall also features in the design.
One major shared thread between the two: mixed-use design providing space for retail, housing and civic institutions. Based on community feedback, residents wanted a place where they might “go for no reason,” said Joe Strayer of Renaissance Planning, the planning firm contracted by Virginia Beach.
The Central Green concept would add 10,000 housing units to the city, while the North South Connections concept would add 8,000.
Each concept is broken down into distinct phases that could be carried out over the next 40 years, Strayer said.
Councilmember Worth Remick represents District 6, where the Central Beach area is located.
“This is a really important part of the city,” he said. “It touches the resort, it touches tourism, touches where people can live, work and play.”
Remick said making plans can help Virginia Beach attract younger residents at a time when housing is becoming less and less affordable.
“We want our children to move back here,” he added. “This could be a part of that.”
