Latest news with #Oceanfront
Fox News
2 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Virginia Beach orders shops to ditch lewd merchandise at tourist hub
Virginia Beach leaders push Oceanfront stores to remove 'vulgar' displays, saying that the 'vulgar' merchandise is tarnishing the area's family-friendly image. (WAVY)
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Historic Virginia Beach building may be razed for new housing development
VIRGINIA BEACH — A historic, city-owned building at the Oceanfront could soon be torn down to make way for a new mixed-use development project. 21st Street Properties, LLC., wants to build an 8-story condominium building with retail space and a restaurant between 21st and 22nd streets, west of Pacific Avenue. The developer is Tony Schmidt, owner of 21st Street Seafood Raw Bar Company, which sits behind the city's land. The proposal would be a land swap without the need for a money exchange. Michael LaGiglia, who owns property that abuts Pacific Avenue and leases to Schmidt, would provide right-of-way space for a left turn lane on Pacific Avenue in exchange for 302 22nd St., Emily Archer, deputy director of economic development, told the City Council Tuesday. In the resort area, 22nd Street is the route to leave via I-264 west. Drivers heading into the resort area come off of I-264 east at 21st Street. A 1927 brick building currently sits on the city's land at 302 22nd St. It was used by a telephone company and later home to a city library. The property's appraised value was $1 million last September, according to the city. To renovate the building for a new use would cost $1.6 million, Archer said. A public hearing and comment on the proposal could be held next Tuesday. A super majority vote of the City Council will be needed to approve the sale. 'To me, this project accomplishes a lot of things,' said Councilman Worth Remick, who represents the district. 'This is a really important intersection at the resort that right now needs some TLC, needs some love.' The Virginia Beach Historic Preservation Commission had hoped to preserve the building. Last year, the city issued a request for proposals to sell the property for an adaptive use. Only two responses for were received: one from LaGiglia and one from Schmidt, and they were the same, Archer said. The proposed $100 million development project would include 131 condo units, restaurant and retail space on the first floor and a four-story parking deck for residents and customers. The building would be set back from Pacific Avenue providing the right-of-way space needed for a dedicated left-turn lane, which would relieve congestion funneling out of the resort area, Archer said. Attempts to preserve the historic structure were made, but the developer determined it would not be logistically or financially feasible. 'An 8-story development in close proximity to that structure would likely damage it during construction,' Archer said. Schmidt could not be reached for comment at time of publication. The developer plans to erect a plaque on the new building that will describe the historic significance of the property. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company constructed the building in 1927 as part of an investment in the regional expansion of the telephone system. It housed the Virginia Beach Princess Anne County Library from 1959 to 1978, and has been used for storage in recent years. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125,
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Yahoo
Here's the team responsible for keeping Virginia Beach resort area in tip-top shape
VIRGINIA BEACH — Keeping the resort area in tip-top shape for the summer takes many hands and millions of dollars. Among the several city departments that play a role in the cleanliness and beautification of the Oceanfront is the 22-person resort landscaping team in the division of Park & Landscape Services. Spring is the busiest time of the year for them as the city prepares for big summer crowds. The bulk of the team's work began in May and is wrapping up now with the planting of nearly 14,000 flowers in the beds and planters across the resort area. 'It's a collaborative effort to try to keep the place looking good,' said administrator Frank Fentress. A mowing crew trimmed the grass this week in the 'green belt' — the area between the Boardwalk and the hotels. Other workers planted red and white flowers in a new park by the pier at 14th Street. Every week or 10 days in the summertime, staff mows the grass in the public parks at 17th, 24th and 31st streets. Tracey Bracey-Smith has worked for the city's landscape team for 25 years. She started as a temporary worker and noticed the plantings in the resort area at that time were mostly green shrubs. She thought, 'I'm going to take this canvas and bring color.' Bracey-Smith pursued a horticulture degree and was recently promoted to general service supervisor. She's responsible for planning and ordering thousands of flowers and plants each season and credits her colleagues for the hard work. 'A humongous shout out to the plant team at the resort area,' Bracey-Smith said. 'We carry the torch together.' The team is responsible for planting and taking care of the sea of flowers next to the bike path that runs the length of the 3-mile Boardwalk. The lineup includes daylilies, knockout roses, hydrangea and hibiscus, among others. 'The Boardwalk is a linear park that's maintained at such a high level,' Fentress said. 'It's one of the reasons people come to Virginia Beach, I think, because of the amazing Boardwalk experience.' In the resort area, Park & Landscape Services is responsible for 5.5 miles of ground that begins near Birdneck Road and extends to 89th Street at the North End. The area includes the Laskin Road Gateway, the Old Beach neighborhood, several museums' grounds, Norfolk Avenue, the Rudee Inlet Bridge and the Virginia Aquarium. Crews pick up litter, empty trash cans, raise and lower banners and flags, control weeds and spread mulch. The division has an Oceanfront budget of $2.2 million, which is comprised of $855,000 from the General Fund and nearly $1.4 million from a tourism tax fund, which includes an increase of $125,000 in fiscal year 2026 to cover the rising costs of flags and flowers. Park & Landscape Services also maintains all other public properties in the city, including school grounds, parks and recreational sites, pump stations and 165 miles of roadway. The division's budget is $35 million, according to Fentress. Public works takes care of trash collection on the Boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue, but Fentress' teams empty trash cans along the streets in the Old Beach neighborhood and on Norfolk Avenue. They also handle litter control in the public parking lots, arriving before the sun comes up on Saturday and Sunday mornings. One of the most challenging jobs is removing sand that blows into the Boardwalk flower beds and on the equipment at Grommet Island Park and Hillier Ignite Fitness Park during major storms. Additional crews can be brought in to help, Fentress said. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125,
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Warner hears about challenges to Oceanfront economy
VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) listened Friday morning to the challenges facing restaurants, hotels and attractions that make up the local tourism economy as part of a roundtable discussion on the stage of the city's newest attraction, The Dome. Previously: Virginia Beach tourism fuels $3.8 billion into local economy, report finds The head of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, John Zirkle, reminded Warner about a successful Memorial Day weekend, with on tap this weekend, and the the following weekend. It highlighted a subsegment of Oceanfront tourism — sports tourism. 'This whole notion of sports tourism didn't exist 20 years ago,' Warner told the panel and about 100 invited guests. Mike Mauch, head of the , made his pitch to Warner. 'If there's any possible way to find funding mechanisms to help us to provide an even more broad spectrum of sports tourism, that would benefit the entire city,' Mauch said. Zirkle cited 2023 figures, the latest available, about tourism overall: 14.1 million visitors to Virginia Beach with an economic impact of $3.8 billion. However, he said tariffs are making towels, sheets and blankets more and more expensive. 'We need some help with getting the tariffs under control,' Zirkle said. 'The back and forth is causing huge delays in shipping. It's causing huge price increases.' And then there's an 80% funding cut for what's known as , the marketing of destinations in the U.S. to international tourists. 'As we look at international travel declining, whether it's Canadian or other countries that are off, it's really important that we get that [funding] back,' said Eric Terry, head of the . North End native and landscape architect Billy Almond of the Resort Advisory Commission talked about resiliency. 'In my lifetime, I have seen the beach change dramatically,' he said. 'All the sand that we put at the south end is on 89th Street. We have a huge resource that needs to be studied and protected.' 'That's something I can take on,' Warner told reporters afterward. 'Unfortunately, there are efforts in Washington right now to cut out all resiliency funds. That makes no sense. If the beach erodes away, then a lot of this economy is going to be in real trouble.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
VB Oceanfront businesses hopeful for busy summer season
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Oceanfront businesses are hopeful for a busy summer season on the horizon as its unofficial start came with the sunset of the Memorial Day weekend. 'It's like Virginia Beach's comeback summer,' said Heidi Stephenson of Ocean Eddie's. 'It's a lot of people down here. We have a lot of events that are going on. It's really going to bring the community together.' Expectations are high for the summer season at the Oceanfront. 'The boardwalk area is so beautiful,' said visitor Ryan Brady. 'It's a cloudy day out here today, but still [it's] so awesome to see so many people.' Even with large crowds, people have packed their patience. 'Everyone has been so understanding and patient, especially with the crowds at every single restaurant being absolutely jam-packed, said Ocean Eddie's employee Madeline Wallace. 'Everyone has been so understanding and nice. It's VB. That's all I can say. It's VB.' From the restaurants to the fishing pier, businesses were busy with the influx of tourists and visitors this Memorial Day weekend. Even with the large crowds, many still took time to remember what this holiday is all about: honoring the men and women in uniform. 'Just showing them love because I feel like they don't get enough love in the world today, so we just try to give them the love that we can — and that's our effort, our time and love,' said Ocean Eddie's employee Juh-Daar Sawyer. Visitor Zach Nipper said he is 'very thankful for what they have done and what the friends and families of them have done in the past too.' It was a safe weekend too. Officials hope that continues. 'At 6 p.m. we go from, on a regular day, from 41 stands down to 15,' said Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service. 'Always move your family in front of that lifeguard stand that is staffed and ready to go and when the lifeguard's not here, [it's] probably not a good time to go in the water.' Fun times are predicted to roll all summer long. 'Just come out and enjoy a great summer down here at Virginia Beach,' Gill said. Said visitor Jake Arnold: 'Hopefully they can continue doing that during the summer months.'Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
