Sand fences on Va. Beach Oceanfront stir up conflict

VIRGINIA BEACH

There were always a handful of folks in Sandbridge with sand fences.

But this spring the squat wood slates started popping up in front of house after house along the Oceanfront.

Neighbors took notice. Soon, the city did too.

Virginia Beach officials say the sand fences, many of which are in the northern end of Sandbridge, aren't allowed, and they want residents to remove them.

The beach is supposed to be open to the public for recreation and the fences are an obstruction, said Dan Adams, a city engineer.

They also can block city vehicles that need to pick up litter and could jeopardize a multi million-dollar sand replenishment project, Adams said.

"That all of this was done without checking with the city is amazing," said Councilwoman Barbara Henley, whose district includes Sandbridge. "It's an issue that has a lot of ramifications."

James Barton, a long-time Sandbridge resident who installs the fences, defended their use as protection for property owners.

The fences catch sand into a dune and prevent the grains from flying into air conditioners, swimming pools, drains and houses, Barton said.

"If there weren't sand fences, you'd have a lot of people calling the city saying the 'sand is causing havoc on my million-dollar property,' " Barton said. "Sandbridge has got sand everywhere but where it's supposed to be."

He installed sand fences in Sandbridge as a teenager in the 1970s, when this southeastern strip of Virginia Beach had a much narrower beach because of erosion. To protect their cottages from the winds and keep the ocean from swallowing their property, residents installed these fences, Barton said.

Starting in 1998, the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began piling sand from the ocean onto Sandbridge to widen the beach.

Every four years, the agencies bring between a million and two million cubic yards of sand to Sandbridge. The city and the corps share the sand replenishment cost, which has ranged between $8.1 million and $12.7 million.

In exchange, Sandbridge residents turned over Oceanfront easements to the city because the corps would participate in the sand replenishment project only on a public beach. Sandbridge residents also pay an additional six cents on their real-estate property taxes for the sand.

Both residents and city officials consider the project a success and credit it for raising property values in Sandbridge.

Barton said he thinks Sandbridge residents could have come to their own compromise on the fence issue without city involvement.

"We're trying to keep this in house, in Sandbridge," he said.

But not all Sandbridge residents agree on the fences. Some residents, especially those who live inland, want them removed.

Bill Brown is concerned that the fences are the first step toward creating a private beach. Soon more permanent structures such as gazebos and fish ponds could be built on the public beach, preventing even locals from enjoying it, Brown said.

Norfolk officials also are dealing with similar beach encroachment issues in Ocean View.

"It's not right," Brown said. "The longer the city waits, the harder it gets to do something about it."

The city will be sending out letters to Sandbridge residents informing them that encroachments aren't allowed into the easement. Officials also will attend the Sandbridge Civic League meeting next month, said Becky Kubin, a city attorney.

The next sand replenishment project is scheduled for late 2010, and city officials say they don't want the corps to pull out because of these fences.

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