Virginia Beach reviews plan for growth, development

VIRGINIA BEACH

What will Virginia Beach look like as it enters middle age?

The city's planners, elected officials and residents will try to answer that question in the coming months as they revisit and revise Virginia Beach's plan for growth and development.

The comprehensive plan they develop will determine which land should be preserved, where single family homes and businesses should go, and whether roads and utilities should be expanded to meet projected needs.

The city reviews its comprehensive plan every five years, and this time there is likely to be an emphasis on increasing the population density of sections of the community, said Tom Pauls, a city planner.

In its 45th year, Virginia Beach is running out of large tracts of land for the suburban standard of new single-family homes with expansive yards.

In 1997, there were 13,000 undeveloped acres north of the green line - the city's self-imposed boundary between its developed and agricultural sections. Now, there are fewer than 5,000 acres available, Pauls said.

"We're going to have to rethink the standard suburban model of Virginia Beach," he said.

It is likely officials will encourage more development in strategic areas along Interstate 264, with the possibility of new apartment buildings with parking garages, and mixes of shops and offices, similar to Town Center, Pauls said.

City leaders also will seek input from residents about what kind of development they want to see and whether mass transit or light rail is part of the future, Pauls said.

Each section of the city has its own unanswered questions, said Councilwoman Barbara Henley, who represents the largely rural Princess Anne district.

In 2003, when Virginia Beach last updated its comprehensive plan, officials designated the area in her district between Oceana Naval Air Station and Fentress Auxiliary Air Field in Chesapeake as ideal for residential growth. After the Navy nearly pulled out of Oceana, the City Council decided that homes were no longer suitable because encroachment threatened the base's future.

City officials and residents will have to decide what development is appropriate for the area, Henley said.

Henley said she hopes that during this comprehensive planning process city officials and residents will target sections for growth only if there is money to provide the roads, schools, and water and sewer lines that will support it.

"I think we have to look realistically at the funding situation," Henley said. "The funding will be the chief limiting factor."

Some of the early work in designing the city's future is already under way, Councilman John Uhrin said.

The city, along with private consultants and residents, is mapping out options for the Oceanfront and Burton Station, Uhrin said.

Those plans will be folded into the comprehensive plan, he said.

"The timing of this couldn't be better," Uhrin said.

A series of open houses on the comprehensive plan will begin Sept. 15 at Tallwood Elementary School and will continue through October. For a full schedule, search for "comprehensive plan open houses" on www.vbgov.com.

The c ouncil will likely approve a new plan in fall 2009.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com