The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
The city, in partnership with several conservation groups, plans to buy 122 acres of environmentally sensitive land off Shore Drive that had been marked for a housing development.
The purchase would guarantee that the last major tract of undeveloped land along the Lynnhaven River, which boasts oyster beds, wetlands and a maritime forest, is preserved. It also means an end to Virginia Beach firm L.M. Sandler & Sons controversial Indigo Dunes project, which called for more than 1,000 homes.
"It's a great thing for the city," said Mayor Will Sessoms in announcing the deal Tuesday evening. "This continues the commitment of this council to maintain open space."
Under the preliminary deal, Virginia Beach would contribute $5 million to the total $13 million cost of the property. The city would dip into its $9 million open space fund to pay its share.
The $13 million price is less than half what its previous owners, L.M. Sandler, paid in 2007. Sandler has struggled through the collapse of the housing market, and banks have foreclosed on several of its properties along the East Coast. The company paid nearly $30 million for the land, with a $19.4 million bank loan.
Wells Fargo has taken control of the Indigo Dunes property and environmental and city officials said their dealings have been directly with the bank.
The Trust for Public Land, a national environmental organization, would buy the 122 acres from Wells Fargo bank, and has applied for a $3 million federal grant. It plans to sell five to 10 acres of the property that fronts Shore Drive for commercial development for about $4 million.
The grocery chain Harris Teeter has expressed some interest, city officials said. And the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will contribute $1 million for up to 20 acres closest to the Lesner Bridge so it can build an education center and eventually move its headquarters there from Norfolk.
The property offers a chance for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to do oyster restoration, said Christy Everett, the organization's Hampton Roads director.
The city will meet with the community to find out what they want on that land and how best to provide public access.
"One of the exciting parts is to think about the potential," said Karen Forget, executive director of Lynnhaven River NOW.
For some Shore Drive residents who have been persistent critics of the Indigo Dunes project, news of the city's plans came as a relief.
"It's a dream come true," said Todd Solomon, past president of the Shore Drive Community Coalition. The coalition had been urging city officials for several years to buy the land. The property has been on top of the city's priority list for open space purchases.
The trust has until Oct. 31 to finalize the deal and ensure that it has the $13 million in place to buy the land. Beach officials hope to close on the property by the end of the year.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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Can you do the math?
Seems clear to me:
Bought for $30M by Sandlers three years ago.
Bank put up $19M of that, Sandlers $11M.
Bank agrees to sell for $13M.
This seems to reflect an appropriate discount for the down market.
City commits $5M available from the open space fund account (which could argubably be redirected to other vital city needs, but would we ever get this great opportunity again?) City and trust apply for $3M in federal conservation grant. CBF putting in $1M. That totals $9M. Where is the remaining $4M coming from to meet the $13M purchase price? Sacrifice area on Shore Drive for some kind of development to make up difference of $4M, unless citizens or white knights can provide the rest.
Hydaliuc Dredge Spoils Can Restore Western Branch Marshes
The beautiful tidal salt marshes of Indigo Dunes were created when the hydraulic pipeline dredge soils from Lynnhaven Inlet, were pumped there, on long 1:6 intertidal slopes, years ago. The same could be accomplished by, again, using the upcoming Western Branch navigational channel dredge spoils to rebuild the intertidal fringe marshes of that part of the Lynnhaven River.
The irony of all this is that Deputy City Manager David Hansen and his puppet, Karen Forget, have campaigned for the much more expensive, environmentally destructive mechanical dredging. With subsequent trucking of those Western Branch navigational dredge spoils up the long 8 mile grade to the Whitehurst Pit east of Oceana NAS. Nine thousand tandem truck loads!
Due diligence
How does filling in wetlands create wetlands?
Hydraluic Pipeline Dredge Built Those Salt Marshes
Curiously, Michael Grunwald, the Time-Life journalist, wrote a book barges found it too slow and refuse to use it. $2.1 billion dollars! (“Cry Me a River”) about the 2.1 billion dollars that Colonel Hansen and his USACE colleagues blew on the Red River Waterway in Louisiana. Hansen et al destroyed the beautiful Red River removing marshland and oxbows so that the grain barges could use it. But with the seven locks on that USACE waterway, the barge operators found it too slow. And refuse to use it. $2.1 billion dollars!
Regarding the creation of the Indigo Dunes salt marshes. Even a blind hog picks up an acorn, now and then.
George Meredith MD, President
Linkhorn-Rudee Waterway Fund
I give you Newbridge Road "Open Space"
By the time the shopping center and parking lots are built out, that should block access to the rest of the "sensitve" wetlands property behind it dotted with signs commanding "No Trespassing -City Of ....
two words
Public access.
If these are going to be "public lands", then make sure we have FULL public access.
Not limited access to "visitor centers."
Or habitat "education" centers.
Or restricted walkways where we can see the land that "we" own.
The tax-free org San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land turns a profit and has no personal interest in our residents' access. Just $$.
The tax-free org Chesapeake Bay Foundation gets a new headquarters, and turns a profit to reinvest in gloomy forecasts for a healing Chesapeake Bay.
Both sell a portion of the parcel for their souls.
The city gets the commercial space and tax base on the shopping center.
Sounds like a win-win-win for everyone except citizens.
disagree with everything you say
Open space does not = complete 100% public access. There can be a public need for open space or wetlands preservation or an educational center, etc., without the need to give every citizen 24/7 access. Public benefits are many, regardless of access. It preserves the quality of the lynnehaven bay, prevents too much density driving DOWN property values, makes the area more exclusive and desirable (with more amenities) driving UP property values, and gives a valuable asset for future generations. An educational center may come and go over decades, but waterfront public space in perpetuity will always be a civic asset and treasure.
and not sure what the poster below is talking about when saying they need to raise the speed limit??? as it is, shore drive is bumper cars against pedestrians every weekend night ...
100%
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I left out -
[Sounds like a win-win-win for everyone except citizens.]
and for the TRUE preservation of public lands for public enjoyment. The land may be held by the City, but it will be controlled by TPL/CBF.
Too bad for the SSSSandler Bros!
The wingnuts hate to see anything like saving part of our precious environment.Seeing the Big Boys fall, especially the phony Sandler Bros. is a prime example of the "Devil get his dues." 1000 homes along that area would have been a ssssin! Millions of bucks into the pockets of the Beach carpet baggers aka Sandlar Bros.