2026-09-22 - City Council

00:05Welcome all. We're going to start our

00:07meeting today. The first order of

00:09business is to wish our city manager a

00:12happy birthday.

00:15[applause]

00:23[laughter]

00:24>> All right.

00:27>> All right. So, Mr. Mayor, members of

00:29council, the first briefing will be

00:30provided by Quincy White, who is the

00:32president and CEO of BBC CDC. He's going

00:35to brief council on update on the CDC

00:37and also their fundraising campaign. So,

00:39Quincy, come on up.

00:42>> Good afternoon.

00:52>> Okay.

00:54All right. Uh, good afternoon, Mr.

00:55Mayor, Madame Vice Mayor, Mr. manager

00:58and members of city council. Again, my

01:00name is Quincy White. I'm the president

01:01and CEO of the Virginia Beach Community

01:03Development Corporation. And uh we thank

01:05you for the opportunity to bring us here

01:07this afternoon.

01:10>> Hold on one second.

01:11>> He's got to read the

01:15>> Yep.

01:16Since we're doing a little bit of a

01:18special thing today, we're going to go

01:19ahead and I have to read this ahead of

01:21time. In accordance with Virginia Beach

01:23City Code 2-21 and by the authority

01:26vested in me uh as mayor

01:30uh of city of Virginia Beach, I hereby

01:32call for a special session of the

01:34Virginia Beach City Council on Tuesday

01:37uh 20 September 22nd, 2026 at 2 p.m.

01:42Council uh conference room 2034,

01:45building 1 through 2241

01:48Courthouse Drive. special session to

01:51allow council following its regularly

01:53scheduled former session as listed to

01:56the attached agenda to convene into a

01:58close session to consider for the

02:00following reasons. Um uh publicly held

02:05property district 2 personnel matters

02:08council appoints appointments

02:10commissions committees authorities etc.

02:12At the conclusion of close session, we

02:14will convene into an open session for

02:16the purpose of certifying at the close

02:18session. Special for session will be

02:21broadcast on a formal session will be

02:25broadcast on cable TV

02:28and Facebook live. Bobby guy, thank you

02:31very much. I apologize for the

02:32oversight.

02:33>> Okay.

02:34>> Okay. Sorry about the interruption.

02:36>> Oh no, no issue. Um, so I'm joined today

02:38by members of our executive team. Our

02:40chief strategic officer, Ashley Jarvis,

02:43our chief financial officer, Doug

02:44Wilbornne, our chief program officer,

02:46Tanisha Davis, our chief housing

02:48officer, Susan Satara, and our

02:51controller Hampton Miller. I'm also

02:52joined uh today with members of our

02:54board, our board chair, Gary Sharp, our

02:57board treasurer, Jessica Lynn, as well

02:59as K. Ashby. We're also pleased to have

03:02our partners from NAMI Coastal Virginia

03:04with us today. uh board president Max Wy

03:08development director Katie Roseman as

03:10well as Martha Mccur the affiliate

03:12director. So, and also lastly, I didn't

03:15want to forget Virginia Thumb, who's

03:17assisting us with our capital campaign

03:19for Solar Springs.

03:29>> Right.

03:39>> Turn it off.

03:44There we go. Perfect.

03:45>> Thank you.

03:46>> You're welcome.

03:46>> Thank you, Amanda.

03:49>> Okay. All right. So, we're going to

03:50discuss a few things at a high level. Uh

03:52impact and progress, home ownership and

03:55development, uh preservation and

03:56financial sustainability, and of course,

03:59the future direction and partnership of

04:00the organization.

04:04So from a high level, as you know, 40

04:06years ago, the city of Virginia Beach

04:07founded uh the Virginia Beach Community

04:09Development Corporation. Since that

04:11time, we've been able to grow our

04:12portfolio to have 500 plus units uh

04:15making us the largest owner of

04:16affordable housing in the city of

04:18Virginia Beach. Also, during that time,

04:20we've been a we've been able to serve

04:22and house nearly 10,000 people uh

04:24through our housing department as well

04:26as our programs and services division.

04:31So, building on momentum, uh you can see

04:33that we've had some um we've seen some

04:36improvements over the last year or so.

04:38Um our occupancy within our portfolio

04:40has grown from 90 to 92%. Uh we've also

04:43seen uh within our SSVF programs, we've

04:47exceeded our goal um by far by serving

04:50today at least 214 households. Um, we

04:53we're creating the foundation of a

04:55first-time home buyer program and we've

04:57already sold six homes as part of that

04:59program and we're seeing stronger

05:01financial oversight in regards to our

05:03operations.

05:07So again um in regards to our programs

05:09and services division um housing support

05:12and stability um we provide housing

05:15assistance, case management, financial

05:17uh cap well financial capability,

05:19budgeting and financial coaching as well

05:22as uh resource connections and you can

05:24see again how many folks we've housed

05:26within that program. Well assisted

05:28throughout that program. Also want to

05:29highlight that we have two veteran

05:31family communities. um Cedar Grove,

05:34that's right here in Virginia Beach, as

05:35well as Cypress Landing, which is in

05:37Chesapeake.

05:41So, you know, my thought is um at least

05:44in my experience, any community

05:45development corporation is filling

05:47social gaps that you see within any

05:49city. And with that, the CDC, we have

05:52expanded some of the work that we're

05:53doing uh in regards to some of our

05:55outreach. So, you can see particularly

05:58in regards to our headquarters off of

05:59Potterish Road. We've utilized that

06:01space to be more of a community hub, if

06:03you will. So, from mental health first

06:05aid training to Bank on Hampton Roads

06:07that just started last week to, you

06:09know, we're starting um uh uh realtor

06:13and first-time home buyer summit with

06:14Truis. That will be October 22nd. You

06:17can see some of the committees that our

06:19staff are currently um sitting on um

06:21from the Virginia Beach Housing Advisory

06:24Board, the Hampton Roads Housing

06:25Consortium to the Regional Housing

06:28Assessment Advisory Committee and

06:30others.

06:33So, again, as I mentioned before, we're

06:34in a really unique uh position in which

06:37we could start a first-time home buyer

06:39program. Um to date, we've sold at least

06:41six homes uh with an asking price

06:43anywhere between 225 to 250. Um, this is

06:47really exciting for us. We recognize

06:49that this is a gap for the city, meaning

06:51affordable home ownership, and we are

06:53working to really expand on that

06:56program.

06:59And lastly, we're trying to add a

07:01component to that first-time home buyer

07:03program in regards to creating a

07:04community land trust. Uh, we're

07:06currently working with the Virginia

07:07Statewide Community Land Trust to

07:09develop a land trust for VBCDC. Um it

07:12will have a stewardship program to

07:14support homeowners to be successful

07:15homeowners. Um and we're hoping by the

07:18end of the calendar year this this land

07:20trust will be fully constructed. Um but

07:22we're still in that process of analyzing

07:24and working through what it will look

07:26like for us and we recognize that this

07:29is also highlighted in your housing

07:31study the need for a community land

07:33trust.

07:36So building the next generation of

07:37housing. Uh so when it comes to

07:39community development, we're trying to

07:40grow at least a pipeline for the next 10

07:42years. Uh so Tranquility 2, 38 units of

07:45affordable senior housing, uh slated to

07:47be completed um relatively soon. We

07:50expect folks to move in early fall and

07:52Solless Springs, which will be 60 units

07:54of attainable housing. Uh we expect

07:57construction to start March of 2027 and

08:00completed by December of 2028.

08:06Okay. So, we are launching a capital

08:08campaign to support uh Solar Springs. Um

08:11so, altogether the project is a $24

08:13million project. Um, of course, Virginia

08:15Thumb has helped us quite a bit in

08:17regards to all of our fundraising for

08:18this project. To date, um we have

08:22pledged at least $12 million of that $24

08:24million needed for this development.

08:27Again, this will be 60 units of

08:28attainable housing, nine units set aside

08:31for households that have a member with a

08:33mental illness. And of course uh NAMI

08:36Virginia NAMI coastal Virginia rather

08:38will have their corporate headquarters

08:39located on the site. So this is a great

08:42uh connection between community

08:44resources and attainable housing.

08:48So we recently had a capital needs

08:50assessment to evaluate the health of our

08:52portfolio. Uh so most capital needs

08:55assessments they look at a percentage of

08:57your units whereas for us we wanted our

09:00consultants to go through every unit in

09:02our portfolio to give us a better sense

09:04of the health of our of our housing. Um

09:07you can see here over the next 20 years

09:10it's estimated that we will need to

09:11invest at least $35 million to preserve

09:14our portfolio. And you can kind of see

09:15how that is broken down with the lion

09:17share of that being our scatter site

09:19units in which we have about 300 plus uh

09:22throughout the city.

09:26So you know my thought is with this

09:28presentation I wanted to speak on wins

09:31opportunities and challenges. Uh this is

09:33one area of challenge for us. Um so no

09:36different than any other real estate

09:38company. um we have the same type of

09:41expenses that they have, but we're kind

09:43of capped on the type of income we could

09:44bring in uh due to the population that

09:47we serve. So, you know, there is a bit

09:49of a hole here. Um a good analogy that

09:51we always use is that, you know, we have

09:53a hole we had to stop digging. Uh now,

09:55we have to fill that hole. And you could

09:56kind of see how much we need to fill

09:58year-over-year, which is roughly that

10:00$2.2 million.

10:04Okay. So with that, you know, we think

10:07there's a lot of opportunities out there

10:08for us. Um, so we're in a really unique

10:11position to where we have the

10:12experience. Um, we we have done the work

10:16and we could outsource some of that

10:17experience to bring in new streams of

10:19revenue to the organization. So few

10:21things that we're looking at. Can we

10:23outsource our property management staff,

10:24meaning property managers and

10:26maintenance staff to support

10:27organizations that may not have the

10:29capacity to maintain their affordable

10:31housing? Can we outsource our experience

10:34and knowledge through consulting with

10:36development and possibly asset and

10:38compliance as well? Um, is there a way

10:41that we could work with the city in

10:42regards to their infill strategy, you

10:44all's infill strategy to to create a

10:46program in which it it aligns with our

10:48community land trust. It aligns with the

10:50first-time home buyer program and you

10:52have these pre-approved housing plans at

10:54an affordable cost point for the

10:57homeowner. So that that's something that

10:58we're still analyzing and we think it

11:00could be a really interesting concept

11:02for the city and we're even thinking

11:04about activating office space and

11:06meeting space that you know typically

11:08are not occupied on a regular basis to

11:11bring in also alternate streams of

11:13revenue. Uh one thing that's not listed

11:14here we are looking at GC services,

11:17general contracting services. Again

11:19looking at organizations that want to

11:21get into affordable housing but don't

11:22have the capacity. How can we further

11:24support those organizations?

11:28So again um on this slide we wanted to

11:30circle back on how all this connects

11:32with the housing study of the city. So

11:34the community land trust was a component

11:36of the housing study, the infill and

11:38housing strategy of course and

11:40affordable home ownership.

11:44So what does VBC VBCDC look like 5 years

11:47from now? In my mind, a stronger

11:49development pipeline, a healthier

11:51portfolio, more home ownership, more

11:54partnership opportunities, less debt,

11:56reoccurring unrestricted revenue, um

11:59better property performance, and

12:00stronger staff capacity.

12:03And again, this just kind of builds on

12:05what I said before. Um our strategic

12:07direct direction is strengthen, build,

12:10earn, and reinvest. uh we want to ensure

12:12that we are sustainable for the future

12:17and what does the partnership look like

12:19for the city with us at VBCDC you know

12:21preserve and build create and connect

12:23leverage and activate and innovate and

12:25sustain uh we want to be your key

12:27partner in regards to affordable housing

12:32and that concludes my presentation and

12:34I'm open to any questions

12:38>> thank you Mayor Der thank you Mr. White

12:39and welcome. I think you're now a year

12:41close to a year and a half in your role.

12:43>> Uh, yep. Year and a half.

12:44>> Yeah. So, welcome. Um, and best of luck.

12:47Could you go back to uh page 12? We'll

12:49put you on the spot on a couple places.

12:51Sure.

12:51>> Here. Um, it's good. But the scattered

12:54site model, which BBCDC has followed

12:57from uh 1986. And by the way, council

13:01member Ross Hammond and I are leazison

13:04and councilman. Beluchcci has as well.

13:07The scattered site model is a great

13:09model. Tell us the pros of that, but

13:12also tell us the cons of that because of

13:14the cost. Sure. Associated with that.

13:16>> Uh so think about it this way. Uh these

13:18are 300 plus units scattered throughout

13:20the city, all built around the 60s. Each

13:22unit has different appliances, fixtures,

13:24etc. Um our maintenance staff is having

13:27to drive all across the city to try to,

13:29you know, provide the maintenance

13:30services that are needed. Um, with that,

13:32you can imagine if there was some

13:35deferred maintenance over time, you

13:36know, what that might look like for us

13:38and hence why you see that $24 million

13:41number up there. That's what, you know,

13:43that we have to invest back into the

13:45portfolio to bring it up to speed. Uh,

13:47but those are some of the cons

13:50to applaud your efforts on the outreach

13:52into the community on education and

13:54involvement with attainable housing and

13:56with banks and whatnot. That's that's a

13:58good uh way there for uh page 14 on land

14:03trusts because that was a part of our

14:04housing study. Tell us a little bit more

14:07what you are thinking there and how it

14:10fits into building new affordable

14:12housing.

14:12>> Sure.

14:13>> Housing.

14:14>> Yes. Uh so the main purpose of a

14:16community land trust is again to ensure

14:18that the home that is purchased by the

14:20homeowner is at an affordable rate. So

14:21the homeowner will be purchasing the

14:23home itself while we will still continue

14:26to own the land. Right? So it it brings

14:28a lower cost point to the homeowner and

14:30it allows the home to be affordable in

14:31perpetuity long term. So it's a win for

14:34everyone in that concept. What we're

14:35doing that's unique is we're working

14:37with the Virginia Statewide Community

14:38Land Trust to provide compliance the to

14:42provide a stewardship program in regards

14:44to all the tools a homeowner needs to be

14:46successful. Right? So that's unique to

14:49us. Right? Another thing that's unique

14:51is that we're not building homes

14:52necessarily to be a part of the land

14:54trust. we do have homes within our

14:55portfolio that we could put into the

14:57land trust potentially, right? So, we're

14:59already kind of a step ahead. So,

15:01hopefully that answer your question.

15:03>> Answers it. Just one last thing. Uh you

15:05all work your 501c uh corporation

15:08separate from the city, but we do the

15:10council does appoint the u board of u

15:14the board. How well you work well with

15:16Ruthie Hill and our department of

15:18housing and neighborhood preservation.

15:19Can you expand on that?

15:21>> Yeah. So, you know, I would say both the

15:24housing department and uh VBCDC are

15:26joined at the hip. Uh so, from

15:28compliance, we work very closely with

15:30the city. Um in regards to vouchers, we

15:32work very closely with the city. And I

15:34would say even when it comes to rehab of

15:36our units, um some of the funding that

15:38we've received has come through the

15:40housing division. Um and some of the

15:42land that we that has been donated to

15:44VBCDC, uh in large part was in

15:46partnership with the housing division.

15:48So, we work very closely with Ruthie and

15:50her team. uh you know, of course we have

15:51Ruthie here right now supporting us, so

15:54uh she's been a great asset to us.

15:56>> Thank you.

15:57>> Okay, Josh.

15:58>> Um thank you, mayor, and thank you very

16:00much for the presentation. Two questions

16:01for you. Um I I noticed that you you had

16:05said that you were selling off some of

16:07the housing uh to qualifying income

16:11families.

16:11>> Correct.

16:12>> And and did you just did I just hear you

16:15say that you were retaining title to the

16:17to the land in those transactions? So

16:20yeah, great question. So the homes that

16:21we have sold already have not been a

16:23part of the land trust. Uh so we're

16:25still in the process of building that

16:26out.

16:26>> I just want to make sure I understood

16:27that. So this great thing you've got

16:28equity building opportunities for people

16:30um to to take advantage of. Um and does

16:34that I guess short-term help you maybe

16:36with some of the operating deficiencies

16:38uh if you've got cash coming in. Um and

16:41I was wondering what um I saw you had

16:44applied for a community organization

16:45grant and did not get it in this most

16:47recent round. Are is the city coming,

16:51you know, in with some assistance? Do we

16:53have um I guess a strategy for the for

16:56the operating clubs going forward?

16:58>> Sure. I I would say the the home sales

17:00are a um

17:03temporary fix to our issue. Yes, it

17:05brings some liquidity back to the

17:06organization, but we don't want that to

17:07be our long-term plan. Uh we know it's

17:10not sustainable long term. Um, so some

17:13of the other strategies that I outlined

17:14in regards to revenue streams is is what

17:17we're hoping to put into play here. Um,

17:19in regards to the city supporting us,

17:21yes, city has been a huge asset to us.

17:23Uh, I would say this most recent rehab

17:25project was about $600 plus thousands uh

17:29in collaboration with Hoy Construction

17:31uh to rehab about 12 of our homes, 11 12

17:33of our homes. So yes, the city has been

17:35a huge help. And and to uh Councilman

17:38Remick's question or comments about the

17:40scattered site model, um have you

17:42considered like swaps where you could

17:44maybe um put together a couple of

17:47parcels together and engage in maybe

17:49some larger scale um affordable housing

17:51developments or um you know, I guess my

17:54my question to you is besides [snorts]

17:56the land, you know, what what can you

17:59specifically specifically do to help

18:02facilitate redevelopment and like what

18:04kind of partners do you need

18:06are do you have do you have access to

18:09all of those resources?

18:11>> Wow, that's a that that's a that's a

18:13great question. Um, I don't think I have

18:15an answer for that right now. I'll

18:17probably let me think about that with

18:18our team and we could give you a solid

18:20answer on that. I want to make sure that

18:21we have a thoughtful answer to get back

18:23to you on.

18:24>> Okay. Thank you.

18:27>> Um, to thank you again

18:30for presenting this and this is exciting

18:32what's going on. I noticed the scattered

18:35sites keep coming up.

18:37>> One of the things I noticed when I first

18:39came on to council was our city did not

18:43want to have projects.

18:46>> Mhm.

18:47So this was the solution is [snorts] to

18:50have homes throughout the city so that

18:54other people it can benefit them seeing

18:58the opportunity

19:00>> to be in a different setting because

19:02with the regular housing project well

19:05you're all at the same level.

19:07>> Yeah.

19:07>> And we were a city that wanted to have

19:10people rise like the tide. Mhm.

19:12>> So that's why we have status sites

19:15instead of the whole nimi not in my

19:18backyard.

19:19>> Mhm.

19:19>> So that's how that came about. And I

19:21remember when we did the Cedar Grove

19:24which is the veterans.

19:25>> Yes ma'am.

19:26>> At that time

19:27>> so with what you're doing now you're

19:30mentioning that and this is the part

19:33that I'm looking at the land trust.

19:35[clears throat]

19:36>> Can you talk a little bit more about

19:38that land trust?

19:40>> Sure. Uh so you know uh what would you

19:43like to hear? I you know in regards to

19:46how it's conceptualized or

19:48>> Okay. So as I mentioned before um the

19:51land trust from a high level standpoint

19:54you know homeowners are able to purchase

19:55the home right the land will still stay

19:58within the land trust. So folks are able

20:00to buy homes at an affordable price

20:02point. Uh the homes will stay affordable

20:04through deed restrictions in perpetuity.

20:07Right now, something interesting that

20:08we're trying to do, as I mentioned

20:09before, we're trying to create a

20:10stewardship program. So, some programs

20:12and services to assure that folks are

20:14successful in these houses. Right? If

20:16that's how to maintain your home

20:18properly, if that's, you know, um

20:21financial assistance, maintenance

20:22assistance, etc. You know, we're working

20:24with the experts, the Virginia Statewide

20:27Community Land Trust to develop that. So

20:29on our end, what it looks like is us

20:31rehabbing homes, putting those homes

20:33into land trust, selling said homes to

20:36homeowners, and letting our partners

20:38work to create the programs and services

20:40to ensure those homeowners are

20:41successful. So not sure hopefully that

20:44answered your question.

20:45>> Yes, that's important because I shared

20:47about it at one of my community meetings

20:49and people are very interested

20:52>> in learning more about it. So thank you

20:55for bringing that. My last little

20:57question is um concerning

21:01what's the whiff? What more would you

21:03want from city to help you all continue

21:07what you do?

21:09>> So, you know, um well,

21:12>> sorry, it's a hard, but you have to

21:14bring it up.

21:14>> Bring it away.

21:15>> Well, hey, you know, if if I'm going to

21:17be honest, you know, operational support

21:19is something that we are in need of. Um,

21:21so as I mentioned before, we're no

21:23different than any regular real estate

21:25organization, right? Our expenses are

21:27the same, but we are capped on the type

21:28of income we could bring in, right? So

21:30there there is a gap there that we need

21:32help with. Um, I would say a pipeline of

21:35land to develop on, right? Um, we're

21:38trying to build out a pipeline for the

21:39next 10 years. We always need new

21:41projects. Uh, we are eager to help the

21:43city fulfill their housing goals. So I

21:45would say those two areas in particular

21:47are areas of need. for operation and

21:51land.

21:51>> Yes, ma'am.

21:52>> Now we're running out of land.

21:55>> Fair, you know, but in anyway

21:58>> repurpose of something.

21:59>> There you go.

22:00>> Yes, ma'am.

22:01>> Thank you, Michael.

22:04>> Um, thank you, Mr. White. Appreciate you

22:06being here along with the just a

22:08substantial team from BBCDC and NAMI and

22:12a lot of good friends and new friends,

22:14too. So, so good to see you all. Um,

22:17unsurprisingly, I'm interested in the uh

22:20mental health and u the NAMI project and

22:23I was doing some I wanted to make sure I

22:25got the dates right because I was doing

22:26some research. Um, we uh publicly

22:30initiated this process in 2022.

22:33>> Mhm.

22:34>> And um that means that we began

22:36conversations really in 2020,

22:39>> right? Um and much of this was led by um

22:42the advocacy work that NAMI is has

22:44undertaken in our community and they

22:46they provide a very substantial role in

22:50um providing um support for people who

22:53live with mental illness and their

22:54families.

22:56That [snorts] support is principally

22:57peer-led which is so important and

23:00essential. Um, one of the things that,

23:03um, they shared with me at the beginning

23:06of my service on council was that there

23:10is an emergent need for and an urgent

23:13need for um, permanent supportive

23:16housing for people who live with mental

23:18illness. And that housing is also, of

23:20course, important to um to families who

23:23who support them. Um I'm a little

23:26frustrated with the with the um speed in

23:31which this has unfolded and there's a

23:32lot of reasons for it and it doesn't

23:34rest with EBCDC. It's the it's the city.

23:37It's the resistance we received to the

23:39site locations we identified. It's the

23:41process involved and it's the

23:43bureaucracy. And then of course it's all

23:45the complicated sort of tax credits and

23:48um and um uh state procedures that are

23:52are necessary to support a project like

23:54this along with the private

23:56philanthropy. And yet all that said, we

23:59don't stop. We've never stopped,

24:00>> right?

24:01>> And here we are in 2026.

24:04Um crazy to imagine we're talking about

24:07the end of 2026.

24:09Um and we're we're keep pressing on

24:12because we know that there is a need for

24:14housing

24:15>> for people who um live with inspir me

24:18mental health and NAMI has never backed

24:21down from that um from that charge and

24:24and I admire their perseverance along

24:26with all of ours to make sure that we

24:27get this project across the finish line.

24:29So, I want to say a few things about

24:30that and wonder if you could answer and

24:32and and if if the mayor is agreeable, I

24:35would also be interested in um in

24:37hearing from NAMI and and Max on this,

24:39but that's the determination of the

24:41mayor, of course, but why is the mental

24:44health component to this project so

24:46important? And um can you talk about

24:49both the housing side and and as well

24:52the what the um relocation of the

24:56coastal Virginia headquarters for for

24:58NAMI would do for our community.

25:01>> Sure. Um so you know I want to I don't

25:03want to speak for NAMI so if Max would

25:05like to come up and add um

25:08>> is it okay?

25:09>> Okay. Um, at least from my standpoint,

25:11you know, this location will provide

25:12quite a bit of visibility to NAMI that

25:15they don't currently have at their

25:16current location.

25:19Greetings, Max Willie, president, board

25:21president of NAMI Coast, Virginia. It's

25:23great seeing everyone from city council

25:25and as I briefed city council twice over

25:28the last year. What this will do, it

25:30will bring our headquarters from um the

25:34Pinroke area into the community where

25:38our services can be maximized by folks

25:41walking up. Uh we'll have our offices

25:44there. We'll have conference rooms there

25:45and we'll be servicing folks in those

25:47housing uh units as well as and an

25:51ability to reach even further out in the

25:53community. So, it's truly a plus for us

25:56is we're very excited, but we really

25:58still need to look at that longer term

26:00where we can get more permanent support

26:02of housing because we get so many calls

26:05every day looking for housing and right

26:07now we don't have the capacity. U I went

26:10out to the uh pin membership u ministry

26:14uh last year and and met with uh uh uh

26:18Dallas stamper. He says we, you know, he

26:21does a lot of the homeless and there's a

26:23lot of folks that come to him with

26:24mental health conditions and we try our

26:26best to try to vector them to where they

26:29can go, but there's just not enough not

26:31enough locations for permanent

26:33supportive and it's got to be very

26:34afford. I I really like that land trust

26:37process where the city maintains the

26:39land and it keeps the housing, you know,

26:41very affordable. So, if we can look at

26:43doing that, be happy to work with this

26:45team to see what's in the ramble

26:47possibility. But Max, um, when you talk

26:50about a term like permanent supportive

26:52housing, it sounds a little clinical to

26:54me.

26:55>> Could you provide just the briefest more

26:58human explanation of what that looks

26:59like for a family?

27:00>> Sure. Absolutely. So what happens if

27:02someone is looking, you know, they have

27:04a mental health and they get they get

27:06help, they get support, they look for a

27:08temporary housing until they can get

27:09stabilized. [snorts] Often times that

27:11person is not able to work. they're not

27:13able to get some of the medical care

27:15because their mental health challenges

27:17keeps them in a state of uh mental

27:20health uncertainty which is unfortunate

27:21but that's part of their sickness and

27:24part of their illness their medical

27:26condition. Uh there are a group of folks

27:30living with mental health conditions

27:31that can sustain a household. So they

27:34are prime examples of folks who can have

27:37a permanent residence that's supportive

27:40which means also um affordable that they

27:43can maintain house they can maintain

27:45work and employment and contribute you

27:47know as a regular citizen that you

27:49wouldn't even know that they have a

27:50mental health condition. So that's one

27:53of the things we want to get people to

27:55to look at. We have a lot of folks in

27:57our affiliate who are working, who are,

28:00you know, have families. They are prime

28:02candidates for someone with permanent

28:05support of housing where they have a

28:07place to stay. They have a they can do

28:0830 years like a lot of us or longer

28:10instead of bouncing from one place to

28:12the other. And and could you um address

28:15for a moment the um the inaccurate

28:20stigma that exists that somehow people

28:22who live with mental illness or who

28:24exist in this category are dangerous or

28:26make bad neighbors.

28:27>> Yeah. They they aren't. Uh so I always

28:31whenever I do a public presentation I

28:33always say one in five persons live with

28:36some type of mental health conditions.

28:38So you can quickly look at the room

28:39here. There's about 35 or so. So one

28:42just count one in five experience some

28:45type of mental health condition.

28:47>> Don't feel paranoid.

28:48>> Yeah.

28:50So these are people who are like just

28:52like you and I. Um I suffer from PTSD

28:56from my time in the military, but I have

28:58a master's degree. I'm working on

28:59another master's degree. I'm an

29:01associate minister, you know, and I have

29:03my good days. I have my bad days. But in

29:05all, I'm just a good guy. You know, I

29:07met I saw him last week at the chamber

29:10uh event and we talked. Uh so there's

29:13that negative stigma that's out there

29:15that they're dangerous. They need to be

29:17locked up. They need to be in a silo.

29:19Forget about all of that. They're just

29:21like you and I. And the key with

29:25anything, it's a treatable medical

29:28condition. and our job is to save lives

29:31and keep others aware of the need to to

29:35provide support with those with mental

29:37health conditions.

29:37>> That's very well said and and thank you

29:39for coming up. I I I knew we needed to

29:41hear from Max in addition to to Quincy

29:44[snorts] and um I I just really admire

29:46the work that you all are doing and I

29:48think the partnership will be

29:49transformational for our region for

29:51coastal you're calling it coastal

29:53Virginia. We call it all different

29:54names, but it will be transformational

29:56for uh the for the people who live in

29:58Virginia Beach and beyond. And I'm just

30:00so happy that NAMI will continue to have

30:02a home in Virginia Beach, one at a

30:03retail level, that families can more

30:05easily access and get the services they

30:07need.

30:07>> Great.

30:08>> Um and I'm so grateful, of course, to

30:10Mr. White and the team at VBCDC for all

30:12of the work that you do. It's been it's

30:15been a

30:17I don't know what it's been, but it's

30:19been years in the making, and you can

30:21count on my support. We will not stop.

30:23We will not give up until the shovels in

30:25the ground, until we're cutting a

30:27ribbon. And I look forward to that day.

30:28Thank you very much.

30:29>> Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Yes.

30:32>> All right.

30:32>> Hey, Jennifer. Anybody from Mr. Nami?

30:37>> Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you went sit

30:40down.

30:40>> No, that's okay. Um, actually, I have a

30:42question for you, Mr. White. Why are the

30:4460 um units? They're all affordable. And

30:48how many are designated for individuals

30:52with mental health diagnosis? How many

30:54are available to anyone with an income

30:57qualification?

30:58>> So nine units are set aside.

31:00>> You got to speak in

31:02>> uh yes. So 15%. So nine units would be

31:04set aside uh for a household with anyone

31:06that has a mental illness and then the

31:08lion share of everything else will be

31:09for those that are income qualified.

31:12That's another dstigmatizing

31:14uh factor um for some of the questions

31:17that have come up about the project.

31:19Nami the headquarters you when I

31:21initially heard about the project and

31:22you hear headquarters you think you know

31:24perhaps a busy site but it's really like

31:27an office it's this project is primarily

31:30a housing project with a office for NAMI

31:34that will um I assume will be unassuming

31:38in terms of the activity that happens

31:40there and um it's overwhelmingly a

31:43project for anyone who qualifies for

31:45income but also an opportunity to

31:47support um individuals with mental

31:49health diagnoses. So, just to kind of

31:51clarify what's happening with our

31:52project, I just wanted to make sure

31:54those numbers were out there.

31:55>> Correct. And you're looking at most of

31:58our paid staff right there in the

32:00audience. There's one additional person,

32:03our board of directors, is all

32:04volunteers. So, there will be plenty of

32:06opportunity for the community to come

32:08in, look at literature, talk to us, see

32:11what services we provide, and be able to

32:14provide that one-on-one support. We'll

32:16have our support groups there, our

32:18in-house support groups, and we do

32:19online services as well. So, it's really

32:23it's it's taking it out of a business

32:25community and putting it at the heart of

32:28the community where housing is and that

32:32is such an exciting thing that we're

32:34looking forward to.

32:36>> Thank you. And then one final um I don't

32:38know if it's a comment or a question for

32:39Mr. White. Um, one of the recurring

32:43criticisms I hear about city council and

32:46our approach to affordable housing is

32:48that so much so many of our um, ideas

32:51are about development projects and

32:54incentivizing development to try to

32:56lower the cost. Uh, the criticism I hear

32:58is that we should give more support to

33:01[clears throat]

33:02um, down payment assistant home buyers

33:04to get people in the homes. And so in

33:07terms of what you all are doing, and I

33:09really look forward to hearing your

33:11responses with your team about how the

33:12city can we can work with you, um the

33:15community land trust in partnership with

33:17some sort of home buyer assistance, down

33:20payment assistance to help people get

33:22into homes and to keep the cost

33:24affordable. Um I know you all primarily

33:26focus on income. Another thing we a

33:29priority for us has been workforce. in

33:31your um efforts with BBCDC, do you have

33:36you been in support of fire, police,

33:39teachers, like do you have that kind of

33:41data about um

33:44being able to ensure that our workforce

33:46is uh able to attain housing or is that

33:49another lane? Is that beyond your scope

33:51or do you see that as another um aspect

33:54of the work that y'all do?

33:56>> Uh you know, I think it's another aspect

33:57of the work that we do. Um we we

34:00certainly encourage members of the

34:01workforce in the city to live in our

34:04housing, our developments, etc. Um in my

34:06experience previous to working here, uh

34:08I worked for the city of well the town

34:10of Hilton Head in South Carolina and we

34:12had a workforce housing program, right,

34:14where you had to work in the city. You

34:16had to show, you know, uh documents to

34:18prove that. Um so maybe that's another

34:20component of some of our programs that

34:23we're trying to develop in the future. U

34:25we know that's a need for the city and

34:27you know I think we're here to fulfill

34:28that need.

34:30>> Thank you.

34:31>> Thank you. Anybody else?

34:33>> Jennifer, I think when you look at the

34:35total spectrum of the dare I say the

34:39attainable housing crisis that the

34:42nation's having right now. uh there's

34:45got to be a multi-prong approach and

34:46multiple avenues uh to approach it

34:50because uh you know when you talk about

34:52low income that's one strap but then

34:55even when you talk about attainable

34:56income you know getting people into you

35:00creating new inventory getting them out

35:02and creating vacancies along there's a

35:05multi-prong approach that uh you know

35:08that we really have to look into and you

35:11know Quincy if I could just ask you to

35:13highlight

35:14Um, you said that your organization's

35:16been around for 40 years and is it fair

35:19to say that housing has been in dare I

35:24say a perpetual state of need and crisis

35:27you know throughout that talk?

35:28>> I think that's fair to say. Uh I think

35:30it's uh coming more to light now. You

35:32know affordable housing is certainly a

35:34buzz word you hear everywhere. Um but at

35:36least in my travels and uh previous

35:38places of employment I can tell you

35:40housing is truly a crisis wherever you

35:42go. Um, but the difference here is that

35:44you have an organization that's nimble,

35:46flexible, have the experience that could

35:49kind of fulfill some of the housing

35:50goals that housing needs that the city

35:52has.

35:52>> And I think, you know, one of, you know,

35:54one of the, you know, uh, what I call

35:56the URPS, ugly realities of property of

36:00politics is something that Amelia

36:02alluded to. You know, we're running out

36:04of land. So it's not unusual for pri

36:08land and you know worth correct me that

36:10a lot can cost $150,000

36:13and then Wells Fargo mortgage

36:17anticipates with the regulatory costs

36:19that go into housing it's approximately

36:22anywhere from 90 to $100,000

36:25you know for the storm water racks. So

36:28in other words you're looking at a

36:29quarter of a million dollars about

36:31before you put the first nail down the

36:33first board. So now you're talking a

36:35starter home around 450. Would that be

36:37correct?

36:38>> Absolutely.

36:39>> Okay. And [clears throat] you know once

36:41again I'll bring up again since I became

36:43mayor the price of building materials

36:44went up 99%.

36:46And you know we're feeling that as a

36:48city and you know home and you know this

36:51is a problem you know that we have to

36:52address. And you know just to go back

36:56over some stuff I've been saying

36:58actually now for years. When I first got

37:00elected to city council in 2004,

37:02Rosemary and I were with a group called

37:05Empower Hampton Roads. Tim McCarthy and

37:08Terresa Stanley, we actually went up to

37:10MLAN to look and seeing how they, you

37:13know, deal with it. This has been an

37:14ongoing thing for decades. And you know

37:18when even when I got elected then we

37:20were talking about the brain drain of

37:23people uh people's children not being

37:25able to find really good work but also

37:28affordable housing. But now all of a

37:31sudden with economic development we have

37:33a demand right now where people actually

37:36want to come to Virginia Beach with the

37:38subcables and especially with the

37:40defense industry we work. But we now

37:43have over 70 major defense contractors

37:46here [clears throat]

37:46and they're looking for homes. And what

37:49happens is now when we have a shortage

37:51of inventory of thousands of homes on

37:55the market when people we keep the tax

37:58rate the same but uh but the assessments

38:01go up because people are gaining far

38:04more money over assessed value because

38:06of the shortage. And you know that's why

38:09we have you know as a council uh you

38:12know in the 2023

38:14uh you know retreat that we have housing

38:17is our fourth highest priority after

38:19stormwater public safety and uh you know

38:23schools and uh you know but then once

38:26again I'll bring up again uh my visit to

38:29the Pentagon a couple years ago when

38:31every under secretary or assistant

38:34secretary of defense we spoke to said

38:37that housing was the highest per housing

38:41and daycare were essential to military

38:44readiness and I think that you know

38:46justifies a lot of it uh the the actions

38:48that we've been taking in trying to

38:51increase you know the inventory and

38:53recently it just came out I think over

38:55the weekend where the uh government Navy

38:58is giving $400 million to our friends in

39:02Newport News to build housing

39:04>> because they had a true crisis there not

39:07too long ago where they had people

39:09living on ships during ship repair and

39:12there were as we talk about Nami, they

39:14were talking about depression, multiple

39:16[clears throat] suicides and things of

39:18that nature where you know the the mayor

39:21there has to find a whole bunch of

39:23homes, you know, in that area for

39:26people. And the other thing I told you

39:29and you know I don't want to um you know

39:32paint a dark picture but a realistic

39:34one. We were told that, God forbid, if

39:37we got ever got into a national conflict

39:41where our nation would be in jeopardy,

39:44this area would be flooded with military

39:48people, shipyard [snorts] workers for

39:51both uh manufacture and repair and uh

39:55you know, and uh you know, things of

39:57that nature. And once again, we have to

40:00be proactive about this. And once again,

40:03there's always going to be, you know,

40:05hey, you know, folks, you have a right

40:06to be, you know, descent against, you

40:08know, building and things of that

40:10nature. But once again, I think we have

40:12to underscore we're talking about a

40:15crisis situation. And, you know, Quincy,

40:18would you just comment to the validity

40:20of some of the things I said?

40:22>> No, I think you're you're you're spot

40:23on. Um, housing is essential for any

40:25city to really flourish, right? Uh,

40:27especially affordable

40:29housing. Um we see the need here. Um

40:32folks are constantly coming to us for

40:34new projects and developments etc. Um

40:36but we constantly hear the same thing

40:38you know is there land available where

40:40other opportunities etc. Um you know we

40:44have folks that work for us you know

40:46that live as far out as North Carolina u

40:48to come work for us. So you know there

40:50there's a serious need um as I mentioned

40:53before we're here to fill that need um

40:55and be a partner at the table with you

40:57all. And you know just as a finishing

40:59thought you know we you know as a city

41:03like many cities in this country are

41:06facing you know uh inevitable

41:09uh extreme bills especially in this area

41:11with storm water for the future. You

41:14know we're looking at not millions but

41:16billions of dollars in infrastructure

41:18that we're going to have to do in the

41:20future. And if we're going to keep any

41:23modicum of tax rate uh you know you know

41:27realistic we're going to have to create

41:29new revenue sources and that you know by

41:32whether it be by homes or you know be

41:34you know bringing in those defense

41:36industries or whatever industry that

41:38comes here to create new revenue sources

41:41to make us viable in the future. And the

41:44other thing is too uh we really got to

41:46think about another area the elderly

41:48population. Us baby boomers from the 50s

41:52are coming into 70s 80s and 90s and they

41:55also require uh we are lacking in the

41:58city of Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads

42:01uh for elderly population

42:03and a lot of people are home with their

42:06elderly parents, grandparents living in

42:08place and everything. So once again, I'm

42:12serious. This is a full-blown crisis on

42:14multiple levels that we have to

42:16confront. But listen, thank you so much

42:19for what you're doing. Enjoyed meeting

42:20with you a couple while ago and let's

42:23continue to meet and let's confront the

42:25crisis in the way we have to. Thank you.

42:27>> We do. Thank you.

42:28>> Appreciate it.

42:31>> Okay.

42:32>> Okay. So, Mr. Mayor, members of council,

42:34the next presentation will provided by

42:35Bob Monu, director of public utilities.

42:38He's going to brief city council on the

42:39most recent water service lines

42:41inventory, in particular, what they

42:43found as it relates to the no lead being

42:46found in the city's um pipes and also

42:49provide an overview of um

42:53>> welcome Bob.

42:55>> Thank you.

43:06It's your birthday and you Yeah. Was

43:09that song that it's my birthday and I

43:11can cry if I want to. [laughter]

43:19>> Okay.

43:20Well, Mayor Dyer, Vice Mayor Wilson,

43:22members of council, it's a pleasure to

43:24be here today. Um, we're going to, um,

43:28talk more about lead, uh, regulatory

43:31requirements than you ever wanted to

43:33know. Um, but it's something that we

43:36work with on a regular basis in the, um,

43:39utility industry. And, um, specifically,

43:43we're we're concentrating on a water

43:45service line inventory that, um, that we

43:49recently completed. This was a mandate

43:51from EPA's lead and copper rule.

43:54revision from 2021.

43:57Um I thought I'd give you a little bit

43:58of a history of of how we got to where

44:00we are. Uh so in 1991, EPA um came out

44:05with the lead and copper rule um which

44:09established federal requirements to

44:11reduce lead and copper in drinking

44:14water. And this um um initial rule was

44:18really about uh trying to prevent lead

44:22from getting into the home. It wasn't

44:24really geared towards getting lead out

44:26of distribution systems. Bless you. So

44:30it um [clears throat]

44:31required utilities to implement control

44:34corrosion control treatment. Um that's

44:37chemicals that are put in during the

44:39treatment process. Um the chemicals we

44:41use is called orthophosphate.

44:44And what that does is it it creates a a

44:47film on the interior of pipes that

44:50prevent lead from leeching um into the

44:53drinking water. Um the problem with with

44:56lead uh when there is lead in drinking

44:59water, it's typically not uh lead in the

45:01water coming from the treatment plant.

45:04It's lead that that may get into water

45:07um from either lead components in the

45:09distribution system or lead components

45:12in um the resident's um domestic

45:16plumbing.

45:18So corrosion control was was a big deal

45:21um coming out of this uh rule in 1991.

45:25Um the other big component was a lead

45:27sampling program that uh all utilities

45:30had to undertake. So in 1992, Virginia

45:34Beach um created and started its um

45:37initial lead sampling program uh that we

45:40still have in place today.

45:43And um we'll cover more about this, but

45:46we've been in compliance for three plus

45:49decades now with respect to um to lead

45:53sampling and compliance of of um low

45:57levels of of lead in our water.

46:02More recently, um this uh lead and

46:06copper rule was revised in 2021.

46:09And this went um uh taking the industry

46:13more from the monitoring and corrosion

46:16control

46:18to having utilities conduct inventories

46:21of service lines uh throughout their

46:23service areas. um a huge undertaking

46:27and it also included expanded

46:29notification requirements um with

46:31respect to lead to our customers. So

46:35we'll talk um a little bit more about

46:37that. First of all though I wanted to

46:38explain what is a service line in the

46:41utility industry. We we use these terms

46:43and uh think everybody knows what they

46:46are. Uh but we wanted to take a moment

46:48to um explain specifically what is a

46:51service line. So you see in this

46:53diagram, the service line is the pipe

46:57that carries water from the water man

46:58out in the street to the home. And it

47:01actually includes two components. The

47:03first component you see that that blue

47:05line is the city-owned or utility owned

47:09portion of the service line. Um once it

47:12gets to the meter, the customer's

47:14private service line picks up and

47:16carries the water actually in into the

47:18house. the um LCR

47:21required that we inventory both sides of

47:25of the meter and we're talking about

47:28135,000 connections in the city. So, a

47:31massive undertaking with um the lead and

47:34copper rule revision.

47:37We were thinking that we were not going

47:39to have a big issue with respect to to

47:42lead components. Um and if you take a

47:45look at at the use of lead service lines

47:48um over time in the United States, this

47:51gives you an idea of why we felt that

47:53way. So lead service lines in the US

47:56really began um coming in into place in

48:00the 1800s.

48:01Um by the 1930s, 1940s,

48:05um many cities started moving away um

48:08from lead service lines. uh alternate

48:11materials were becoming available and

48:14lead as we know the saying is heavy as

48:16lead. Um so alternate materials were

48:19cheaper to uh to um ship and um and use

48:25for for contractors doing building.

48:28Um

48:30over time the health effects um concerns

48:34about lead uh became more apparent and

48:37you started seeing building codes um

48:40start to ban the use of lead. 1978 the

48:43uniform statewide building code uh

48:45banned the use of lead service lines. In

48:471982, the Virginia plumbing code

48:50followed suit

48:52and in 1986, the federal government

48:55banned the use of of serled service

48:57lines nationwide.

49:00Um we knew that um in Virginia Beach uh

49:04just from anecdotal evidence from people

49:06who had worked in in Virginia Beach um

49:09utilities for many years that um the

49:13lead service lines were not typically

49:15used in in Virginia Beach. If anything,

49:18we had um lead connectors uh used many

49:22many decades ago. Um we feel like the

49:26vast majority of those have been removed

49:28from our system. Um we find them rarely

49:32and when we do find them our policy is

49:34to remove them immediately but um um

49:39certainly not in um the the development

49:42that occurred um during the city's time

49:45of major growth 1970s and 80s. Lead was

49:47was not in use um at that point in time.

49:51we saw copper and plastic lines um

49:53typically being put in um with respect

49:56to construction at that point in time.

50:03Um I'll tell you it's one of the

50:05advantages of being a relatively young

50:07city. Uh we incorporated with Princess

50:09Anne in 1963. So the use of lead was was

50:14um pretty much history uh by the time

50:16the city really started growing. Um so

50:19it put us in a in a enviable position

50:22with respect to um lead service lines.

50:28All right. A little bit about um the

50:31details of of what the uh inventory

50:34requirements uh were. So

50:38again, we had to inventory all the uh

50:41public and private service lines,

50:43including fire and irrigation um service

50:46lines. As we inventoried those, we had

50:49to designate what the material was that

50:52that was used for each connection,

50:55whether it was lead, whether it was

50:57non-LED. Um if it was unknown or uh the

51:02fourth category is called galvanized

51:04requiring replacement. So galvanized

51:06lines were also a thing um a material

51:10that was used by plumbers. They were

51:12commonly used upstream of lead um what

51:16we call connectors um goose necks,

51:19pigtails,

51:20um

51:22plumbers used to use those uh way back

51:25in the day because lead is very mal

51:28malleable. so they could bend it um to

51:31get it right to the perfect elevation

51:33that they needed to make a connection to

51:35a galvanized line, which you couldn't

51:37bend. Um so when we find galvanized, we

51:41replace those as well. Um the soils in

51:44Virginia Beach are relatively acidic. So

51:48we think that most galvanized lines um

51:51that were ever in use and say like old

51:54Virginia Beach um have long since

51:57corroded and and had to be replaced. Um

52:00galvanized lines is not something that

52:01we typically see in Virginia Beach.

52:03Again, if we do um we replace them.

52:08So, at the end of this inventory, uh to

52:11be compliant, every single um um service

52:16line had to be identified as non-led. Um

52:21if you didn't have it identified as

52:23non-led, then you had this ongoing

52:25perpetual requirement to notify

52:28customers that uh their line may be

52:31lead. Um, as we were going through the

52:34process of conducting our inventory, we

52:37were were required to send uh

52:40notifications to customers where we had

52:43not yet um inventoried their service

52:46lines to let them know um that we had

52:48not identified what their line material

52:51was and that it could be um led.

52:56So um in beginning this process, we had

52:5910 years to get this work done. uh we

53:01made a commitment that we wanted to get

53:03it done in five years

53:06and um I'll talk a little bit more about

53:08that. We've actually um beat that goal

53:11by by quite a bit. Um but I wanted to to

53:14tell you um what what it meant in

53:17conducting this inventory and some of

53:19the strategies that we were able to use

53:20to prevent from having to dig up 135,000

53:25lines. Um so we worked um in um um

53:30cooperation with the uh Virginia

53:33Department of Health Office of Drinking

53:34Water who had primacy for this

53:37regulation

53:38in Virginia. Um,

53:42if we were able to determine that a

53:45property was built after lead had been

53:48banned, then we were able to take them

53:50off the list and say and and make the

53:52assumption, a justifiable assumption

53:55that um that the service line was was

53:59non-LED.

54:01um for

54:03developments that were built in the same

54:05time. If we did sampling of 5% of the

54:08neighborhood, then we were able to make

54:10the uh justifiable assumption that the

54:12entire neighborhood was was non-LED. And

54:15if the service line was above two inches

54:17and we don't have a whole lot of those,

54:19then we were also able to um um to

54:22assume that the service line was non-LED

54:25because um the largest lead service

54:28lines that were in existence were were

54:30to stopped at 2 in.

54:33So that that's a little bit about how um

54:37we were able to um move more quickly in

54:41uh coming into compliance with this um

54:45the service line inventory

54:48and getting started. Um the first thing

54:51we had to do

54:57can we go back one the inventory

54:59development plan um was was put put

55:03together again exactly the strategy that

55:05that I talked about. We worked with um

55:08Hazen um a consultant to put a plan

55:12together. Um

55:15this plan did a number of things. It

55:17helped to identify and prioritize areas

55:20where we would be most likely to have

55:22lead. Um

55:24then we established procedures in the

55:27unexpected event that we would find lead

55:29or galvanized lines in need of

55:31replacement. Um then exactly what were

55:35those procedures? How would we go about

55:36doing that?

55:39We also worked to put together funding

55:41strategies because if we found lead

55:44lines on the on the private side that

55:46would require replacement as well. Um

55:49some customers may not be able to uh

55:52afford to be able to do that. So, we

55:54worked with the um with VDH to secure a

55:59grant um so that we would have funding

56:01in place in the event um that we needed

56:04to assist our customers with replacing

56:06the private service line.

56:09We were also required to put together a

56:11communications plan and required

56:14messaging for our customers. Um and then

56:17we to we covered these uh justifiable

56:19assumption recommendations that that we

56:22use. So, that was our plan. And then we

56:24we um got started with this um inventory

56:28about three years ago. It was in uh the

56:31summer of 2023

56:33uh that we got started.

56:36So what did we do once we got started?

56:38We started doing a lot of desktop um

56:41research. Um these are some

56:44[clears throat] of the records that we

56:45took a look at. uh site plans, utility

56:48plans, our CIP record drawings, uh

56:51plumbing permits, misutility tickets. If

56:53it was u documented on on paper, we

56:57started looking at it trying to um to

57:01eliminate uh every potential property

57:04that we could to limit the the number of

57:08um excavations that we would need to

57:10conduct across the city.

57:14as we were and and this this picture

57:17just shows you what those excavations

57:19look like. We actually performed 10,000

57:22of these excavations across the city. Um

57:26this is called a vacuum excavation. It's

57:28a specialized piece of equipment that

57:30vacuums the soil out down to the service

57:32line so you can identify what the

57:34material is.

57:38As that was being done, we were putting

57:40together a required inventory map uh

57:44that we published in in 2024. This

57:46enabled customers to um to go online and

57:51look up their their property and see

57:54what their their service line was and it

57:56would tell them if it was non-LED or if

57:58it was um yet to be determined.

58:04So what the inventory uh actually find?

58:08So after completing this and this was

58:11just completed earlier uh this summer in

58:13June um just a couple of months ago.

58:17Zero lead pipes uh were were found. Very

58:20happy to report that zero galvanized

58:22lines requiring replacement were found.

58:25At this point we have no unknown lines

58:28left. So 100% of our service lines are

58:32now classified and and we're in a pretty

58:35rare company in terms of other utilities

58:37that that have gotten this done. Again,

58:40you know, I'll say it's we're fortunate

58:41to be a younger city. We're also very

58:44fortunate to have a dedicated staff that

58:46really plowed through this effort. I

58:48wanted to take a moment. I've got a

58:50couple staff members here. our

58:52regulatory compliance bureau manager,

58:54Michael Vieira, if you'd stand up.

58:55Michael, who led this effort to get this

58:58done, and Laura Tor, who's our

59:00communications coordinator, who led the

59:02effort to ensure we were compliant with

59:04all required customer notifications.

59:07[applause]

59:14So, in in wrapping up the lead and

59:16copper rule revision, as I mentioned, as

59:19of June, we're in full compliance with

59:21all applicable mandates, including all

59:24customer notifications and the

59:26completion of the service line um

59:29inventory.

59:33But we can't rest on our laurels. Um,

59:36unfortunately, uh, there's new

59:38regulations and mandates that that are

59:40coming out. Um,

59:44the lead and copper rule improvements,

59:47um, rule was was, uh, put out in 2024.

59:53Um, the requirements basically

59:55strengthen the the, um, lead sampling

59:58requirements that utilities have to meet

1:00:00by including schools and child care um,

1:00:04facilities. So those will have to be

1:00:06tested beginning in 2027.

1:00:09Um also lead and drinking water is

1:00:12measured using what's called an action

1:00:14level. Um the the current action level

1:00:17is 15 parts per billion in the drinking

1:00:22water and it's going to be reduced to 10

1:00:25parts per billion.

1:00:28It also requires the um the actual

1:00:31replacement of lead and galvanized lines

1:00:34for utilities. And we're fortunate where

1:00:37we don't have to worry about that that

1:00:39part because we have none in our system.

1:00:43[snorts]

1:00:46So, um a little bit of detail about

1:00:49these requirements. Um,

1:00:52again, our base huntline inventory was

1:00:54was completed. Um, but beginning in

1:00:58November 1st, 2027, we just need to be

1:01:01in a position that when we dig up, when

1:01:04we're making repairs and we see

1:01:05connectors um that are used to actually

1:01:08tie u from the main to the the actual

1:01:12service line, we have to begin

1:01:13documenting those. Again, we have a a

1:01:16practice if we ever find a lead service

1:01:20line, and believe me, we we just we

1:01:22really don't see them. When we do, it's

1:01:24a big deal. It's immediately pulled out,

1:01:27and then our engineers like to put it in

1:01:29a a lead service line hall of fame um

1:01:32that that they have um in our

1:01:36engineering division um because we we

1:01:38just don't see them them very often.

1:01:42Um, we'll be working with schools and

1:01:45and child care facilities to establish a

1:01:49lead sampling uh program similar to what

1:01:51we've done for 30 plus years with a

1:01:54sample of residential houses in Virginia

1:01:56Beach. We'll be doing this with um

1:01:59schools is really ahead of the game.

1:02:01They've been lead testing for quite some

1:02:03time. So, we really think that uh their

1:02:06lead sampling actually exceeds what the

1:02:09requirements are going to be. So, we

1:02:10think we'll just be able to use their

1:02:12their testing results to come into

1:02:14compliance. With child care facilities,

1:02:17we're going to have to put together a a

1:02:19list and beginning in 2027, we'll start

1:02:22sampling at least 20% of all child care

1:02:27facilities in the city over a 5-year

1:02:29period. And our goal will be to get

1:02:32through that required sampling sooner

1:02:34than five years.

1:02:45Once all this work is done, um, at this

1:02:48point, we'll go into a a mode of rinse

1:02:51and repeat, um, and just staying

1:02:53compliant with, um, ensuring that that

1:02:56our inventory continues to be updated

1:02:59and and kept accurate.

1:03:04So key takeaways um our service line

1:03:07inventory is completed. Uh we do not

1:03:10have lead or galvanized uh requiring

1:03:12replacement service lines uh in our

1:03:15distribution system. No lines are

1:03:19unclassified at this point in time. Um

1:03:23the results are consistent with

1:03:25historical records and development

1:03:26history. we had seen anecdotal evidence

1:03:29in our records to that led us to believe

1:03:31that we could expect not to find

1:03:33anything and and that ended up being the

1:03:35case.

1:03:37And um I'll continue to say uh being in

1:03:40the utility industry for 30 plus years

1:03:43and having uh 400 plus very dedicated uh

1:03:47members as a part of utilities that

1:03:49public health and safety is a top

1:03:51priority um for um for our department

1:03:56and will continue to be moving forward.

1:04:00Um, lastly, I wanted to address there

1:04:03there was a concern uh brought to

1:04:05council uh last week about a potential

1:04:08case of of lead poisoning. Um, wanted to

1:04:12to let you all know that we have um

1:04:15we're taking it very seriously and have

1:04:18contacted the uh customer to to speak

1:04:21with her. Um,

1:04:24I I'll say that um we know a lot about

1:04:26her neighborhood and we know that we

1:04:28don't have lead um in in the

1:04:30neighborhood. We know that we don't have

1:04:32lead in the water um going to that

1:04:35neighborhood or any neighborhood um in

1:04:38Virginia Beach. Uh but we want to help

1:04:40the understand what the the the

1:04:43customer's concerns are. Uh we're doing

1:04:45a number of things that I just wanted to

1:04:47bring to your attention including um uh

1:04:50just doing a water quality test uh for

1:04:53this customer. I will say that that um

1:04:56this concern was brought to us four

1:04:58years ago and and we did testing which

1:05:00showed no lead um in the customer's

1:05:03drinking water, but um to be careful,

1:05:06we're we're testing it uh once again.

1:05:08We're actually digging up the service

1:05:11lines to to demonstrate for this

1:05:13customer that there's no lead on either

1:05:15side of the the meter. And I've also

1:05:20contacted the uh director of the

1:05:23Virginia Beach Health Department to

1:05:25consult with uh the the customer to

1:05:29better understand her concerns and what

1:05:31potentially um might be the cause. But

1:05:34you know the facts of the matter for uh

1:05:37three plus decades we know that we've

1:05:39been in full compliance with um all

1:05:41drinking water standards with respect to

1:05:43all CA contaminants including lead. Um

1:05:46we know that we have no lead service

1:05:48lines. Um we've never had an instance in

1:05:52our lead sampling testing that we do

1:05:54across the city where we've exceeded the

1:05:57um EPA's action level for lead. Want to

1:06:00explain a little bit how that works. Um,

1:06:03so when we test for lead, we're we're

1:06:06testing a a large sample of homes. This

1:06:10action level is based on what's called

1:06:12the 90th percentile. So in this this

1:06:15demonstration here or this graphic that

1:06:17I I have on the screen, it let's say

1:06:20your your sample was 10 homes.

1:06:24you would lay out your um lead sampling

1:06:27results from order of non-detect up to

1:06:30the highest value that you got. Um and

1:06:34then you would look at the um value for

1:06:36the ninth home on that list, 90th

1:06:39percentile. And if you were below that

1:06:42action level, then you were compliant

1:06:45with the the water quality. So that's a

1:06:47little bit about how um it works. I will

1:06:50tell you that routinely

1:06:52um that we only not only meet that 90th

1:06:55percentile but we routinely meet all the

1:06:58way up to the 100th percentile. In 30

1:07:00plus years we have had a couple episodes

1:07:03where you know maybe a home was vacant

1:07:05for a long time and um it had plumbing

1:07:10with with um lead solder or something

1:07:14along those lines and lead can leech

1:07:16into lines over time when they're

1:07:18sitting. um for a long time. So in every

1:07:22instance where we did see an exceedence

1:07:25out at that 100th percentile, we were

1:07:27able to then do follow-up testing and

1:07:30demonstrate that the that the water was

1:07:32safe. There was, you know, a reason,

1:07:34maybe a old fixture, old plumbing

1:07:36fixture or something like that um that

1:07:39led to it. So I wanted to give you

1:07:41confidence as the um as the policy

1:07:44makers uh for this city that uh the

1:07:46city's water is safe. It's of the

1:07:48highest quality and we're committed to

1:07:51ensuring that it stays just like that.

1:07:55>> Okay. Before I get going, I just want to

1:07:58say for the last couple years I've been

1:08:00at the convention center when the water

1:08:02uh professionals came for their annual

1:08:05meetings.

1:08:06>> Yes, sir. And I can tell you that it was

1:08:08so eyeopening the breadth and the

1:08:11diversity of all the different functions

1:08:15that your organization covers when you

1:08:18think about just turning on a shower or

1:08:21a tap water. It goes real beyond that.

1:08:24Can you just touch on all the facets of

1:08:27water that you and your professionals

1:08:29deal with in five two minutes or less?

1:08:33Well, it's it's

1:08:34>> No, but it's it's it's really complex.

1:08:38>> There there's a lot to it and and the

1:08:40the basics in in a minute or less. Um,

1:08:43>> thank you. You got me out of trouble.

1:08:45>> Involves ensuring that we have adequate

1:08:48storage uh both in our reservoirs and

1:08:50and in our tanks with within the city.

1:08:53We want to ensure that we can meet uh

1:08:55peak periods of demand. Of course, we've

1:08:57been talking about water quality. Um

1:08:59that that's number one and and goes goes

1:09:02without saying. Um when you turn on your

1:09:05tap, we want the water to to come out,

1:09:08meet your needs, and be safe and um and

1:09:12it is. And then the whole other side of

1:09:14the equation that we deal with is when

1:09:15you're done with the water and it goes

1:09:17down the drain, then it's got to be

1:09:19collected. And that's a whole whole

1:09:21another thing, particularly in in a uh

1:09:23area like Virginia Beach that's on the

1:09:25coastal plane and flat. We've got a

1:09:27whole lot of pump stations that are

1:09:29moving that water along to HRSD for

1:09:32treatment. So, um, you know, maintaining

1:09:35Lake Gaston, keeping the water flowing

1:09:37is an important part of the water story

1:09:39in Virginia Beach. And and those are

1:09:41those are the highlights.

1:09:43>> I'll tell you, it's amazing. Hutch, uh,

1:09:46Cash and Rosemary

1:09:48>> and Stacy.

1:09:50>> So, first, you were right. That was more

1:09:52than I ever thought I would know about

1:09:53lead. Thank you very much. Um, very good

1:09:56presentation, Bob. Um, and um, just want

1:10:00to say one thing, uh, from the other

1:10:03night and then from some things I've

1:10:05heard is that like, well, we're not

1:10:07going to care anyway, whatever it is.

1:10:09Um, thank you for pointing out and

1:10:12driving a stake through it as far as

1:10:14your whole department cares and that

1:10:17y'all spend countless hours uh, making

1:10:19sure that we're safe of one of our

1:10:22largest resources that we need, right? I

1:10:24mean, hands above and I've said it a

1:10:27hundred times is is that our our

1:10:30departments doesn't matter where it is

1:10:32and public utilities has proven it

1:10:34again. You're off the chart as far as

1:10:36what we're supposed to be doing to keep

1:10:37our water safe. So, I just really from

1:10:39the bottom of my heart want to say thank

1:10:41you. So, it's it's very important.

1:10:43>> Thank you. I appreciate that.

1:10:44>> Yeah. And then uh so for us and there

1:10:47was you know some of us are taking it a

1:10:49little bit more as far as the the not

1:10:51caring part. And I would just say that

1:10:53you know for me uh personally you don't

1:10:55spend 35 years in the fire department

1:10:57and not care about our city right it's

1:10:59all we're all working the same

1:11:01direction. We really are. Um so when we

1:11:03hear something like this I'm very happy

1:11:05to hear all the data of why it's not.

1:11:09But even the better is that you had been

1:11:12there four years ago and it came back

1:11:14negative and you're trying to go back

1:11:16now. So even the most minute level

1:11:19solder you're talking about solder in

1:11:21vacant houses that you're trying to take

1:11:23care of. I hope that everybody watching

1:11:25is picking up on what your what we you

1:11:28everybody here is laying down is that we

1:11:30absolutely do care about our citizens

1:11:32and our visitors to this city at a very

1:11:34high level and we take care of them

1:11:36whether it's public safety or any of the

1:11:38other departments. They they really do a

1:11:40fine job of keeping that at the at the

1:11:43highest level that is that is out there

1:11:45measurable. [clears throat] So

1:11:46>> well then thank you. We we know we have

1:11:48an awesome set of responsibilities and

1:11:50we we do take them very seriously.

1:11:53>> Yeah. Thank you.

1:11:54>> Okay. Cash and then Rosemary.

1:11:57>> Bob, I want to thank you so much for

1:11:58your presentation for me. This is very

1:12:01important uh because of last Tuesday.

1:12:05This comment was made during city

1:12:07council at the formal session and um

1:12:11it's very important that those who are

1:12:14watching online know that our city staff

1:12:17is top priority especially when it comes

1:12:20to public utilities. This helps me as a

1:12:23representative where uh someone makes a

1:12:26remark and they believe it's true,

1:12:29right? But I'm so grateful for your

1:12:31staff. The next you guys begin to work

1:12:35on it immediately and I'm so grateful

1:12:38for the

1:12:40sense of urgency

1:12:43that you placed

1:12:45on listening to your residents and those

1:12:48who support Virginia Beach. I'm so

1:12:51grateful because it goes to show that we

1:12:54are a city that cares. We are the number

1:12:56one caring city and this proves it. Not

1:12:59because they get paid. Yeah, you get

1:13:00paid, but because you do care. And so

1:13:03I'm grateful that your testing is up to

1:13:06date, state and federal. I'm thankful

1:13:09that you will even go out even though

1:13:11you tested four years ago, just to show

1:13:14that the residents know that we care. We

1:13:17don't have to go but we go above and

1:13:20beyond. And so we are listening number

1:13:23one. Two, we have a staff that cares and

1:13:26who are professional who meets and

1:13:29exceeds the state and federal mandate.

1:13:33>> Thank you.

1:13:33>> Thank you.

1:13:36[snorts]

1:13:36>> Excellent. Excellent presentation. I

1:13:39think we all learned a lot from it. I've

1:13:41been on council a long time and I

1:13:42learned a lot today. U so thank you. And

1:13:45I've always known that we had our our

1:13:48water was always the top top quality.

1:13:51And again, I I agree with Cash and Hutch

1:13:55about our attention to our staff and all

1:13:57of that sort of thing. So, thank you for

1:13:59doing that. I do have a couple of

1:14:01questions. Um,

1:14:04[snorts] so the service lines have all

1:14:05been checked, 135,000. So the lines from

1:14:10that into the houses into the pipes, how

1:14:12do people know that they don't have a

1:14:14problem with those things

1:14:17>> with domestic plumbing? Is is that the

1:14:20question? Um because the service lines

1:14:23have been covered as part of our

1:14:24inventory.

1:14:26>> The service lines only go so far and

1:14:28then there's the line from that the

1:14:29service line into the house and then

1:14:31you've got the plumbing inside,

1:14:33>> right? plumbing inside the house is

1:14:36really the uh the customer's

1:14:38responsibility.

1:14:40Um as a public utility, we we um it was

1:14:44actually a struggle to to figure out how

1:14:46we're going to deal with the private

1:14:48service lines. Um we were fortunate

1:14:51where it was not a big deal for us

1:14:53because we didn't find any, but we were

1:14:54able to get some grant funding to assist

1:14:57customers in the event that we that we

1:15:00found those with plumbing. Um there is

1:15:04like we were talking about um the in

1:15:08Virginia Beach, we're fortunate again

1:15:09where uh we're a relatively young city.

1:15:13Um

1:15:15there could be uh houses that have uh

1:15:18copper pipe inside that that have um uh

1:15:23lead solder used to connect the joints,

1:15:26those fittings inside the home. Uh but

1:15:29that's where the the corrosion control

1:15:32comes into place and this has been in

1:15:34place since uh 1992

1:15:37with the original lead and copper rule.

1:15:40So when our water that's delivered to

1:15:43our residents in Virginia Beach um comes

1:15:46into the house, it has um um a component

1:15:50called ortho phosphate that provides a

1:15:53protective coating um for houses that

1:15:57are um that are regularly occupied.

1:16:00Think of you know all of us in in in our

1:16:02homes and we're regularly using water.

1:16:05um that coating is regularly getting

1:16:07applied by the ortho phosphate that

1:16:09that's coming through the lines and

1:16:11protecting um lines from um um the

1:16:16potential of of lead leeching into the

1:16:18water. Um some of you may be familiar

1:16:21with what happened in Flint um a number

1:16:23of years ago. Uh that was really a a

1:16:26corrosion control uh issue. Flint had

1:16:29many lead service lines um in their

1:16:32their service area, but lead was not an

1:16:35issue when they were using appropriate

1:16:39and proper um corrosion control. The

1:16:42problem that happened in Flint is is

1:16:44they changed water sources without

1:16:47adjusting their corrosion control. So,

1:16:49the chemistry wasn't right and [snorts]

1:16:51the lead started leeching into the

1:16:53water. Um, so we we feel like our

1:16:56customers are very safe even with those

1:16:58in older homes that that may have lead

1:17:01uh components like lead solder.

1:17:04>> What should a citizen do if they want to

1:17:06have their water tested?

1:17:08>> If if a citizen um has concerns, they

1:17:12can call uh public utilities and speak

1:17:14with our lab. we can talk with them to

1:17:17assess what their risk may be and u and

1:17:21potentially conduct testing to um um

1:17:25ease their their their concerns if if

1:17:28they do have a risk. Um you know,

1:17:30there's some properties that that we

1:17:32know that we don't need to test. Um but

1:17:34some older properties in in the city um

1:17:38if someone has a concern, we can speak

1:17:40with them to um uh and work with with

1:17:43them. and the air we in our rural area

1:17:46where people are on wellwater and that

1:17:49sort of thing. Um I guess film water is

1:17:53usually tested, isn't it? Or what do

1:17:56people in the rural areas do?

1:18:00>> It it varies. Um in rural areas where

1:18:05you have wells, you have to get a permit

1:18:07to um to have the well in installed. So

1:18:11the um water quality is typically being

1:18:14um looked at at that point in time. If

1:18:16it's if it's water that's being used

1:18:19like by say a restaurant or um a school,

1:18:22then they have um regulatory

1:18:25requirements to have that water tested

1:18:27on a on a routine basis to ensure that

1:18:29it's safe to drink.

1:18:32>> But the residential

1:18:35properties

1:18:37>> um those properties would um usually

1:18:41have a um a water service a system a

1:18:44water um treatment system on site. Um so

1:18:48they are typically working with with

1:18:50that provider to to have the um water

1:18:53quality checked

1:18:54>> and the health department perhaps.

1:18:56>> Yeah, the the health department is a

1:18:58great um source. The office of drinking

1:19:00water with the health department is a

1:19:02great resource as well. Well, thank you

1:19:04again for visiting the lady with the

1:19:06concerns last week and and we were all

1:19:08concerned when we heard that though I'

1:19:11I've never heard of any of us having

1:19:13from anywhere of us having a a water

1:19:16problem. So, thank you for this

1:19:18presentation. It was quite enlightening

1:19:20and I learned a lot today and and

1:19:23hopefully it'll be it was also good for

1:19:25the public.

1:19:27Okay.

1:19:28>> Stacy, thank you. question. Uh, [snorts]

1:19:33I guess we supply water to our military

1:19:35installations.

1:19:38>> Yes, sir.

1:19:38>> And were were they included in this

1:19:40testing? To what extent?

1:19:43>> Well,

1:19:45they are included to the extent that the

1:19:47water that's wheeled through Virginia

1:19:49Beach, the the military installations

1:19:51are technically uh water customers of

1:19:53the city of NOFK. Um but the water uh

1:19:56supplied by NOFK is is wheeled through

1:19:59our distribution system. So it is tested

1:20:02um like anything else. Uh the the

1:20:04military I can tell you does their own

1:20:07um testing. They have their own public

1:20:09works um facilities on on site. Uh but

1:20:13we deliver water to them that meets or

1:20:15exceeds all state and federal standards.

1:20:18>> Great. And then as far as our supply of

1:20:20water, there questions come up every

1:20:22once in a while about, you know, is

1:20:23there enough water at Lake Gaston to

1:20:26meet our needs? Can you address that?

1:20:29>> The Well, we recently requested that our

1:20:32citizens um take voluntary measures to

1:20:36conserve water and uh we've we've made

1:20:39that request because much of the state

1:20:42is is in a drought um situation. It's

1:20:45hard to say that on days like today

1:20:47where rain is expected and we have

1:20:49received some um um you know some more

1:20:53significant rain in the last several

1:20:56weeks including uh all the um flooding

1:20:59that we saw in the lowlying levels of

1:21:02NOFK several weeks ago. Um, but those

1:21:06rain events don't don't make up for

1:21:08months and months of lower uh levels of

1:21:12of rain. And uh we have to remember that

1:21:17uh our reservoirs that hold our storage

1:21:19are located to our west in Suffach. And

1:21:22then um the Lake Gaston project is even

1:21:25further 120 miles uh to our west. in

1:21:28that that area where the intake is is

1:21:30one of the more significantly impacted

1:21:32areas with respect to drought um in in

1:21:35the state. Um the good news is um though

1:21:39the reservoirs in um Suffach are about

1:21:4310% below where they historically are

1:21:46this time of year. We still have 12 plus

1:21:48billion gallons of storage. We're

1:21:51pumping about 50 million gallons a day

1:21:53from Lake Gaston. So, we're not in um

1:21:57any sort of catastrophic state to be

1:22:00sure. Uh but with the ongoing drought,

1:22:03those drier than normal conditions, we

1:22:04thought was a responsible thing to do um

1:22:08to request that our our citizens do what

1:22:10they can voluntarily to conserve water.

1:22:14>> Thank you.

1:22:15>> Okay. Anybody else? Yeah. Jennifer,

1:22:17>> actually I don't know if you can speak

1:22:19to this, but I read reporting some time

1:22:20ago concerns about groundwater and

1:22:24collection and sort of the status of

1:22:26with the drought and with we're not

1:22:29getting as much rain as we had um and

1:22:32however groundwater is used or factored

1:22:34into our water supply. Do you have any

1:22:37information about that or do you know

1:22:38what I'm talking about? Well, uh,

1:22:40groundwater resources are very important

1:22:43for many many utilities um, across the

1:22:45state and it's something that that's

1:22:48looked at and is a very active topic of

1:22:50conversation in terms of how do we

1:22:53responsibil responsibly regulate um,

1:22:56groundwater resources. Again, in

1:22:59Virginia Beach, we're fortunate where

1:23:01our water supply is um, surface water

1:23:04supply from from Lake Gaston. And even

1:23:06though we're in a drought, we've been in

1:23:08in a um um a relatively good position

1:23:11where we've been able to continue um

1:23:13pumping and keeping water flowing in

1:23:15into the reservoirs to ensure we've got

1:23:17adequate water um for our citizens. But

1:23:20groundwater is a a significant concern

1:23:24across the state because many utilities

1:23:26rely on pumping groundwater. So that's

1:23:28probably

1:23:29>> what I think you're you're talking

1:23:31about.

1:23:34>> Okay. Hey Bob, let me just end on two

1:23:36quick notes. Can you tell us about this

1:23:38really cool program you got where you

1:23:40got those elementary school kids uh

1:23:43submitting uh artwork and [snorts] you

1:23:46making calendars out of it. That is kind

1:23:48of cool.

1:23:49>> You know what's scary about that, Mayor

1:23:51Dyer, is we've been doing that for 30

1:23:53plus years. So, some of the kids that

1:23:55were the original contest winners, and

1:23:58these are kids in in Virginia Beach

1:24:00schools that um uh that make drawings

1:24:04that show how they conserve water or

1:24:06what not to flush, things like that. Um

1:24:10and then they submit them to us. We have

1:24:13a a committee of staff members who love

1:24:15doing this. Um, every year they're serve

1:24:18as judges and and select um 13 uh folks

1:24:23to to or kids to have their um artwork

1:24:27um shown in in a calendar. It's got a

1:24:30cover winner and then 12 months of of

1:24:34contest winners and a number of

1:24:35honorable mentions as well. the schools,

1:24:38the teachers, the principles, the um the

1:24:40art teachers

1:24:42um have we've got many who have just

1:24:45been big supporters of this program. And

1:24:47it's it's a great way to teach our um

1:24:51our youngest citizens about the

1:24:53importance of water resources,

1:24:55things u involving being responsible

1:24:58users of the utility systems. So they

1:25:01they learn these lessons um early in

1:25:04life.

1:25:05like to thank you for coming out every

1:25:06year to help us to recognize um those

1:25:10children. It's a big deal when they they

1:25:11get to come uh to uh city the council

1:25:15and uh receive their awards and it's

1:25:18it's always a fun um fun time for us.

1:25:21>> And let me end on this. You know, this

1:25:24was an outstanding detailed presentation

1:25:28which truly exhibited the

1:25:30professionalism that you and your

1:25:32department have. And as Hutch said

1:25:34before, this is an example of whether it

1:25:37be fire and Patrick, how many operating

1:25:40core centers we have about 60 there?

1:25:43>> About 30 under your control, probably

1:25:45about seven that are like state or

1:25:47constitutional. I'm just saying, you

1:25:49know, 7,400

1:25:51employees all participating and doing

1:25:54things. And there's an old saying I

1:25:56often use. It's the fact that a braggen

1:25:58once again recently Virginia Beach was

1:26:00no observed nationally as one of the

1:26:04were top 10 best men in cities in the

1:26:07country. If it's a fact and it ain't

1:26:11thank you very much.

1:26:12>> Thank you.

1:26:15>> All right. So, Mr. Mayor, members of

1:26:17council, at this time we'll be joined by

1:26:19Nancy Bloom. She's going to give city

1:26:20council an overview of our civic leaders

1:26:22academy program that was recently

1:26:25completed the beginning of the year and

1:26:26also next steps as it relates to that

1:26:28program.

1:26:40Welcome

1:26:49Good afternoon,

1:26:52Mayor Dyer. Get it to my height. Mayor

1:26:55Dyer, Vice Mayor Wilson, city council

1:26:57members, Mr. Duhaney, Mr. Styles, thank

1:27:01you so much for the opportunity to come

1:27:03in and talk to you about this wonderful

1:27:06public engagement initiative.

1:27:10So today uh we're going to be covering

1:27:12I'm going to give you a high level

1:27:14overview of the city hall 101 civic

1:27:17leaders academy initiative pilot. Uh

1:27:20we're going to share the results of the

1:27:22pilot as well as some of the results and

1:27:24the analysis that we did of the data

1:27:26that we collected during the pilot. And

1:27:29we hope that we're going to show you how

1:27:31this reinforces that the academy

1:27:33strengthens neighborhood leadership and

1:27:35city community connections.

1:27:39So the purpose and intent of this

1:27:40initiative, I like to call it the four

1:27:42E, is to educate, equip, encourage, and

1:27:46enhance. So we wanted to educate our

1:27:49neighborhood and civic leaders about

1:27:51basic civics and the city's

1:27:53organizational structure and as well as

1:27:55our internal operations. and we wanted

1:27:58to equip the participants with the

1:28:00knowledge, skills and confidence

1:28:02necessary so that they can actively

1:28:04represent the needs of their

1:28:06organizations. We also wanted to

1:28:09encourage collaboration and

1:28:10participation amongst all of the

1:28:12participants um that come from a a wide

1:28:15range of our community organizations and

1:28:18we wanted to enhance the communications

1:28:19between those groups and the city as

1:28:22well. [snorts] In developing this

1:28:24initiative as requested by the city

1:28:26manager uh we reviewed the 2001

1:28:31connections for a lifetime building

1:28:33community trust and relationships

1:28:35report. This was a report that was

1:28:38prepared by an interdisciplinary group

1:28:40of city staff and community leaders as

1:28:44well as look at some of some of the

1:28:46similar programs around the country um

1:28:49that had this type of educational

1:28:50program. But we also knew that we really

1:28:53wanted to customize this program to

1:28:56include topics that responded to the

1:28:59needs and the desires of our community.

1:29:02So, in order to do that, we invited the

1:29:05leaders of approximately

1:29:07123 neighborhood associations to attend

1:29:11listening sessions with the city

1:29:12manager. We had 51 individuals from 22

1:29:16organizations that attended and provided

1:29:18their input and that input helped inform

1:29:21the decisions of the pilot content.

1:29:27So, our development goals with this

1:29:29pilot were that we really wanted it to

1:29:31be in person and interactive. We wanted

1:29:35to provide an overview of our guiding

1:29:37documents such as our city uh charter

1:29:39and our city code as well as services,

1:29:42programs and initiatives and to uh

1:29:45explain our data reporting. Uh we wanted

1:29:48to provide a deeper understanding of our

1:29:50municipal operations and we feel that

1:29:52that can help serve as a foundation of

1:29:55understanding that could prepare them to

1:29:58serve on public bodies as well as

1:30:00volunteer.

1:30:02And we wanted to have them be able to

1:30:05have a takeaway of a toolkit of

1:30:07resources that they could then refer to

1:30:09after the class was over to assist in

1:30:12answering questions or sharing with

1:30:14their organizations. um the information

1:30:16that they learned.

1:30:19So the scope of the pilot, we conducted

1:30:21this pilot January the 8th through the

1:30:23February the 26th. Classes were once a

1:30:25week on Thursday evenings. They ran from

1:30:286:30 to 9. So 8 weeks times 2 and 1/2

1:30:32hours per week was 20 hours. And the

1:30:35sessions were held in various city

1:30:37facilities that aligned with the content

1:30:40of the sessions. And where we could to

1:30:43the extent possible we tried to equally

1:30:45distribute that uh across the local

1:30:48election system districts.

1:30:51The sessions uh the uh class size was

1:30:54limited to 20 participants and during

1:30:58the listening sessions with the city

1:30:59manager. We made a promise to those

1:31:02neighborhood leaders that they would be

1:31:04invited to participate in the pilot.

1:31:06they would have um the first opportunity

1:31:09to sign up to uh participate in the

1:31:11pilot. And we held true to that. We sent

1:31:14out an initial round of of invitations

1:31:16and found that we still had capacity for

1:31:18the pilot. So we then sent that

1:31:21invitation out to the remaining

1:31:22neighborhood associations on our city on

1:31:25our city's listing. I would note that we

1:31:27did start with 11 uh participants.

1:31:30Unfortunately, one had to drop out

1:31:32because of personal uh reasons, but the

1:31:35remaining 10 completed the pilot with no

1:31:38more than one absence.

1:31:41The sessions were led by city staff and

1:31:43subject matter experts and they included

1:31:45interactive elements and experience. So,

1:31:48for example, we had offered an adult

1:31:50touch a truck with public utility and

1:31:53public works vehicles. um a tour of the

1:31:56Realtime Crime Center as well as a mini

1:32:00tour of the just reopened Francis Land

1:32:03House and of course the binder that uh

1:32:07had the resource materials. Um some of

1:32:10those resources were uh we provided them

1:32:13with probably the the most important uh

1:32:15document in the book was a master list

1:32:17of the acronyms that we use.

1:32:20>> [gasps]

1:32:20>> We also provided them with bios of each

1:32:23speaker, a copy of all the

1:32:25presentations, a resource listing for

1:32:27each session that had web addresses as

1:32:30well as hard copy information.

1:32:39So um the assessment that we did so for

1:32:42each session we included a short survey

1:32:45for each participant to take that

1:32:48covered each speaker and the topic that

1:32:50they were covering. Um we also included

1:32:54um sta our own staff notes from

1:32:57developing this pilot going through the

1:32:59preparation the logistics and actually

1:33:02the execution of the pilot. And three,

1:33:05after the pilot was over, we did

1:33:07one-on-one interviews with each one of

1:33:09with nine out of our 10 participants.

1:33:12And we included questions regarding the

1:33:14content of the pilot, the pacing, the

1:33:17location selection, and most especially

1:33:20what made the greatest impact to them.

1:33:25So now I'm going to cover a little bit

1:33:26about what we heard. So they really

1:33:29gained clarity on the department roles

1:33:31and city operations and there was strong

1:33:34appreciation for our department

1:33:35directors um for their expertise, theiru

1:33:38enthusiasm and their openness. They

1:33:41really like the rotating locations and

1:33:43the networking opportunities um the

1:33:46majority of them found those to be major

1:33:48strengths. Um the most impactful content

1:33:51you can see here public works, public

1:33:53safety, planning, um which we we did a

1:33:56very deep dive into um economic

1:33:59development, public utilities and

1:34:01agriculture.

1:34:04Participants described the academy as

1:34:06rewarding, eye-opening and an engaging

1:34:08experience. And um many of them

1:34:11expressed that it was more than they

1:34:13thought it was going to be and we're

1:34:15very pleased by that. They valued the

1:34:18transparent insight into our operations.

1:34:20Uh again, the opportunity to interact

1:34:23directly with our city staff. And I like

1:34:26this one, the ability to contextualize

1:34:28services they previously viewed only

1:34:30from the resident perspective.

1:34:35Um as I mentioned before, visiting the

1:34:37multiple sites enhanced their

1:34:39understanding of the scale and the

1:34:41complexity of our city services.

1:34:44[clears throat] Excuse me.

1:34:47and uh the presence and accessibility of

1:34:49senior leadership, including the city

1:34:51manager who attended uh all but one of

1:34:54the sessions reinforced the program's

1:34:57credibility and underscored our

1:34:59commitment to our collaboration with

1:35:01city leaders. Um, it also stressed the

1:35:05importance and intentionality of this

1:35:07specific initiative

1:35:10and [clears throat] most said that they

1:35:11would be willing to serve as ambassadors

1:35:13for future co cohorts.

1:35:18We also heard suggestions for

1:35:20improvements to the program. Um, so as I

1:35:23mentioned before, we provided them with

1:35:25binders. We actually had two binders.

1:35:27One was three inches and one was 2 in.

1:35:29It's a lot of information. Um so the

1:35:32recommendations and suggestions were

1:35:34perhaps we could provide that to them

1:35:36electronically. Um that would make it a

1:35:38little easier. So the suggestion was to

1:35:40put this these resource materials on a

1:35:42thumb drive and and tried to consolidate

1:35:45some of them. Um and so that will

1:35:48include the present would include the

1:35:50presentations and speaker bios as well

1:35:51as the hard copy. Um, we thought it

1:35:56would be really helpful to provide as a

1:35:58pre-eread the budget pages from the

1:36:01FY2627

1:36:03budget document uh, operating budget.

1:36:06So, if they read that information before

1:36:08the sessions, then they would have a

1:36:10better idea, excuse [clears throat] me,

1:36:12of the budgetary um, the budget of the

1:36:15department, the amount of personnel they

1:36:17have, the division structure, as well as

1:36:20the challenges and trends. Um so they

1:36:23would come in with that little bit of

1:36:25knowledge that uh could provide for a

1:36:27deeper interaction with the session and

1:36:30uh provide for deeper questions at the

1:36:32end of that. So we also uh heard that we

1:36:36could adjust the program time to provide

1:36:39a buffer from running late. So we had a

1:36:40couple of sessions that ran a little

1:36:42long. So perhaps we would look at

1:36:44programming the time instead of ending

1:36:46at 9:00 to end at 8:45 to give us that

1:36:48little buffer.

1:36:50We [clears throat] also heard um to

1:36:52maybe cap the attendance at 15. Um the

1:36:54pilot was with 10 participants and we

1:36:57really feel like that that really

1:36:59provided a more intimate experience and

1:37:02that people felt that it wasn't so big

1:37:04that they could inter really interact

1:37:06with each other and they could interact

1:37:08with our city leaders. [clears throat]

1:37:11I'm sorry. Um so I've included a couple

1:37:14pictures from the pilot class. Um you'll

1:37:16see the first picture on the left. That

1:37:18is our very first session that was held

1:37:20at city hall and that's Brett McKenzie

1:37:21the legislative liaison leading that

1:37:23session. And then the picture on the

1:37:25right is actually our last session and

1:37:28that is a uh city senior leadership

1:37:31roundt with the city manager and council

1:37:33member Schulman.

1:37:40So this is a picture of our graduating

1:37:42pilot class

1:37:45and some of them actually are in the

1:37:46audience today to join us and I would

1:37:48ask them to stand up and be recognized.

1:37:52[applause]

1:37:56Thank you. Um, we were very proud that

1:37:59we had representation from Green Run

1:38:02Homes Association, North Virginia Beach

1:38:04Civic League, Battery Park Homeowners

1:38:07Association at Town Square, and Pemrook,

1:38:10Croatan, Sandbridge, SeaTac, and Pine

1:38:13Ridge Civic Leagues.

1:38:16So with the direction from the city

1:38:18manager to move forward with

1:38:20transitioning city hall 101 civic

1:38:23leaders academy to a permanent

1:38:25initiative, we are pleased to announce

1:38:28that we have rebranded the pilot class

1:38:31to

1:38:35city hall 101 Civic Leaders Academy

1:38:37class number one.

1:38:40>> Yay.

1:38:43>> [laughter]

1:38:47>> So moving forward um we have for 2027

1:38:52two cohorts, one in January and one

1:38:54starting in September. Uh we have taken

1:38:57the recommendation to adjust the

1:38:59programming to run to 8:45.

1:39:02And here I've listed out the various

1:39:04sessions that we have. So session one

1:39:06takes place at city hall and includes a

1:39:09tour of city hall and it will cover

1:39:11civics and governance.

1:39:13Session two covers public infrastructure

1:39:16and that will be held at the public

1:39:18utilities conference room at the public

1:39:19utilities public works compound on uh

1:39:22complex on dam neck and that will cover

1:39:26public work public works public

1:39:28utilities the new public facilities

1:39:30department as well as parks and

1:39:32recreation infrastructure.

1:39:35Session three will be at Sandler Center

1:39:37and feature only the planning and land

1:39:40use planning department in land use.

1:39:44And session four will be our first

1:39:47public safety session and that will be

1:39:49held at the at the first precinct

1:39:51command building. It will include a tour

1:39:53of the realtime crime center as well as

1:39:55a presentation on the work that they do

1:39:58in there as well as the police

1:39:59department, fire department, and

1:40:01emergency medical services. Session five

1:40:04is at the convention of visitors bureau

1:40:06conference room. It covers economic

1:40:09vitality which of course is agriculture,

1:40:12economic development as well as CVB.

1:40:16Session six is what we call quality of

1:40:18life and the participants in that are

1:40:21human services, parks and wreck

1:40:23operations, libraries, aquarium, housing

1:40:26and neighborhood preservation and

1:40:28cultural affairs. This is held at the

1:40:30Francis Land House. Session seven is

1:40:33held at Bayside Library and it is our uh

1:40:37money matters and accountability session

1:40:40and that includes the office of account

1:40:42of performance and accountability,

1:40:44budget management service, finance and

1:40:47we also offer a capstone exercise on the

1:40:50budget.

1:40:53Session eight is get involved and stay

1:40:56engaged. That's where we hear from our

1:41:00uh city clerk's office about the

1:41:01appointed agencies and the talent bank

1:41:04as well as our office of volunteer

1:41:06resources. And that session also

1:41:09contains the city uh leadership roundt

1:41:11and Q&A.

1:41:13Uh session nine, this is a new session

1:41:15from the pilot. This is our public

1:41:16safety session two where we will cover

1:41:20emergency communications and citizen

1:41:22services as well as emergency management

1:41:25and the communications department as

1:41:27well as tutorials on how to navigate our

1:41:30website as well as how to utilize uh 311

1:41:33to put in a service request and the VB

1:41:36connect app. And then the final session

1:41:38is going to be graduation. Um, and that

1:41:41is going to uh take place at the

1:41:42municipal center and that's where we're

1:41:45going to move the opportunity for the

1:41:46adult touch a truck so that they have

1:41:48enough time to actually enjoy that. And

1:41:51then we do do the graduation. We have a

1:41:53nice little reception cake and um it's

1:41:56really lovely and we uh ask them to

1:41:58invite their families and it's just it's

1:42:00really really great. So I have to say

1:42:04thank you to the city manager. Um, this

1:42:06has been a very challenging and

1:42:08rewarding experience and I really must

1:42:10recognize Karen Gil who is the

1:42:13engagement communication strategist on

1:42:16the public engagement team. Um, she was

1:42:18my partner in working on this and um,

1:42:21thank you so much. Um, really appreciate

1:42:24you. Uh, I would also like to thank

1:42:26those council members who are able to

1:42:27stop by and visit with us. Mayor Dyer,

1:42:30council member uh, Jackson Green came to

1:42:32Francis Landhouse. Uh, council member

1:42:34Schuman. Thank you very much for for

1:42:36volunteering to uh participate in the

1:42:38round table. Um I also would like to

1:42:41thank the as I said the city manager the

1:42:43city management leadership team

1:42:44especially deputy city manager Kroski

1:42:47and chief of staff Zabudas for um their

1:42:50wonderful guidance and suggestion during

1:42:52the process. Um the the um

1:42:55communications office for helping us um

1:42:58with all of the logistics of this. It

1:43:00would not have been able to be um to

1:43:03happen if it were not for our department

1:43:05directors. Our department directors were

1:43:07amazing. Their staffs were amazing um in

1:43:10getting together their presentations and

1:43:12and having the available availability to

1:43:15participate. So, we very much want to

1:43:16thank them. And last, but definitely not

1:43:19least, we want to thank the Office of

1:43:20Volunteer Resources and our city

1:43:22volunteers. So we did a dry run of this

1:43:25entire pilot before we actually did the

1:43:28pilot and we saw it as a wonderful

1:43:31opportunity to engage our city

1:43:33volunteers. So we put the word out and

1:43:36said we'd like to offer you an

1:43:37opportunity to be a focus group. So if

1:43:40you would like to participate, sign up

1:43:42to come to one of these sessions. And we

1:43:45had a phenomenal response and I will

1:43:47just say that it was a very diverse

1:43:49group that showed up. they were engaging

1:43:52and they provided some of the most

1:43:54valuable input and insight for us to

1:43:57really fine-tune this before we ran the

1:43:59pilot. So, um, thank you. That's what I

1:44:02have. This is our resource guide books.

1:44:05Um, and, uh, I'm happy to take any

1:44:08questions.

1:44:08>> Well, thank you. And before you go,

1:44:10Nancy, I've known you a long time.

1:44:12Everything you touch turns to gold. You

1:44:14are super.

1:44:15>> Thank you, Mayor.

1:44:16>> Yeah. No question. You're a superstar.

1:44:19And I know there's and I want to give

1:44:22credit to your team as well and everyone

1:44:23that supports you in this, but to see it

1:44:25expand to um adults in our community

1:44:29because you I mean you spearheaded this

1:44:32whole thing of bringing in Virginia

1:44:33Beach City Public Schools. So, we've had

1:44:35middle schools and uh elementary schools

1:44:38come in for tours of City Hall. They sat

1:44:41at the table. They got to push the

1:44:42buttons [clears throat] and the giants.

1:44:44I think that might be their favorite

1:44:45part. They get to sit in the seats and

1:44:46so

1:44:47>> especially seeing themselves on TV.

1:44:48>> Yeah, they look themselves. not even

1:44:50caring about anything. They're just

1:44:51where's the camera? I got to find it.

1:44:53So, I just think that, you know, you're

1:44:55I appreciate how you are lending your

1:44:57creativity to open up the government,

1:44:59open up city hall because it belongs to

1:45:01the people. It belongs to the public.

1:45:03So, from our elementary school students

1:45:06and beyond, I just want to, you know,

1:45:08that's great work [clears throat] that

1:45:10you're doing. I appreciate it.

1:45:11>> Thank you very much.

1:45:13>> Um, Nancy, I had a wonderful time. Uh it

1:45:16was really neat to come in at the end

1:45:19and be with be there with the manager

1:45:21and see I guess the product of all of

1:45:25those sessions and and having that just

1:45:28group discussion where they get to you

1:45:30know folks got to ask us whatever they

1:45:32wanted and and they had a lot better

1:45:34understanding all of them had mentioned

1:45:36to me that a lot better understanding of

1:45:38how our city works um after those

1:45:41sessions. So, thank you very very much

1:45:43to you and your team for an excellent

1:45:45initiative.

1:45:46>> You're welcome.

1:45:48>> Thank you again, Nancy. I keep looking

1:45:50at you. You will make a good principal.

1:45:53[snorts and laughter]

1:45:55>> Maybe you could be the principal of the

1:45:58civic academy. [laughter]

1:45:59Thank you so much. Thank you, council

1:46:01member.

1:46:04>> Anybody else?

1:46:06>> Yeah. Okay. As always, I want to

1:46:09[laughter] thank you uh Miss Nancy for

1:46:11putting on such a professional class of

1:46:14government, right? And when I went to

1:46:17the France Landing House, right, I felt

1:46:20like out of place. I was like, I should

1:46:21I um you made me feel comfortable and uh

1:46:26city manager Dehaney said, just speak

1:46:28like a little bit. It's [laughter] for

1:46:29them.

1:46:32But I'm so glad that we have a class to

1:46:37keep our residents informed of the

1:46:39government process that we are

1:46:41transparent

1:46:43and so this class goes to show that

1:46:45transparency. So I'm thankful for that.

1:46:49>> Okay.

1:46:50>> Just real quick also big shout out to

1:46:52you. You are helping us with our town

1:46:53halls. It doesn't go unnoticed. That's

1:46:55not an easy job. Oneman team showing up

1:46:58making sure everything works and holding

1:47:00the mic.

1:47:02Thank you, council member.

1:47:04>> That's a big deal.

1:47:05>> It's a new [clears throat] skill I'm

1:47:06learning. [laughter]

1:47:08>> We were both back and forth the other

1:47:09night.

1:47:11>> All right. Let me end by saying this.

1:47:14One of the slides you mentioned the

1:47:15complexity and magnitude of local

1:47:17government.

1:47:18>> Yes, sir.

1:47:18>> And I think a lot of people are

1:47:20surprised about how many, you know,

1:47:22moving parts there are. And you know

1:47:25right now I'm teaching a course at

1:47:26region on local government and people

1:47:29are really surprised how detailed how

1:47:34rigorous uh how many regulations are

1:47:37encumber us and the thing the rules the

1:47:40regulations the laws that we have to

1:47:43follow that you know people are

1:47:46surprised what we're doing and I did a a

1:47:48course in human resources management

1:47:51people were surprised by the breath and

1:47:54depth of what goes on and you know

1:47:56running the 7,400

1:47:59people that we have here. So it really

1:48:02is an awesome responsibility and thank

1:48:04you for taking it on and once again your

1:48:07success is our success. Thank you.

1:48:09>> Thank you sir.

1:48:10>> Okay.

1:48:12>> So Mr. Mayor comes to the last briefing

1:48:15before you go into close session

1:48:16provided by Caitlyn Alco with the

1:48:18planning department. that I give the

1:48:20council overview of the pending planning

1:48:22items for your October 6th and October

1:48:2420th, 2026 council meetings.

1:48:36[laughter]

1:48:42>> We believe in you. [laughter]

1:48:49All righty.

1:48:50>> All right. Good afternoon, mayor, vice

1:48:52mayor, members of council. As usual, I'm

1:48:54here this afternoon to go over the

1:48:55planning items that will be up for your

1:48:56consideration at your October hearings.

1:48:59So, first to run through the items on

1:49:01your October 6th agenda. There are a

1:49:03total of seven items. Looking at item

1:49:07one, this includes two related requests

1:49:09for 2512 Seabard Road in District 2.

1:49:13These [snorts] requests include a

1:49:15conditional resoning from A1 and A2

1:49:17agricultural districts to conditional

1:49:19R15 residential district as well as a

1:49:22subdivision variance related to lot

1:49:24width, street frontage, and lack of

1:49:25direct access to a public street. The

1:49:28applicant intends to subdivide the 3.85

1:49:31acre parcel, which is located within the

1:49:33transition area into three single family

1:49:35residential lots, resulting in a density

1:49:38of approximately 0.77 dwelling units per

1:49:40acre.

1:49:42The proposed R15 district requires a

1:49:45minimum lot area of 15,000 square feet,

1:49:47a minimum lot width of 100 ft, a minimum

1:49:50uh street line frontage of 80 ft.

1:49:52Furthermore, the subdivision ordinance

1:49:54requires parcels to have direct access

1:49:56to a public street. While proposed lot

1:49:58one will satisfy these requirements,

1:50:00proposed lots two and three will be

1:50:02deficient. Therefore, a subdivision

1:50:04variance is required to provide access

1:50:07to the two lots in the rear. The

1:50:09conceptual plan depicts a 16 foot wide

1:50:12shared driveway within a 30- foot wide

1:50:14easement that's shown in green on the

1:50:16slide there. Um staff has recommended a

1:50:18condition that would require adequate

1:50:20fire department access to all proposed

1:50:22parcels as noted in condition six.

1:50:25>> Hello.

1:50:28>> As the site is located within the

1:50:29transition area, staff evaluated the

1:50:31request for conformance with the

1:50:33transition area design guidelines. The

1:50:35proposed density and lot sizes conform

1:50:37with the recommendations. Furthermore,

1:50:39the applicant has profered that all

1:50:40exterior building materials and the

1:50:42overall design of the homes will conform

1:50:44to the recommendations found in those

1:50:46guidelines. Additionally, the applicant

1:50:48has profered that each home will contain

1:50:49a minimum of 2500 square ft. While the

1:50:53guidelines do recommend a 150 foot wide

1:50:55buffer along Seabard Road for

1:50:57residential developments, the applicant

1:50:59is proposing a 50- foot wide buffer due

1:51:02to the relatively small size of the

1:51:03development. Um the buffer will include

1:51:06a 12- foot wide shared use path as

1:51:08recommended by the active transportation

1:51:09plan. And similarly to the reduction in

1:51:12the buffer width, the applicant is opted

1:51:14to provide larger individual lots rather

1:51:17than providing the 50% shared open space

1:51:19that's recommended by the design

1:51:21guidelines.

1:51:23This request was presented to the

1:51:25transition area interfacility traffic

1:51:27area citizens advisory committee and

1:51:29received their support. There was one

1:51:31speaker in opposition at the planning

1:51:32commission hearing who noted concern

1:51:34with development behind his home and

1:51:37potential impacts to storm water and

1:51:39then the potential for other a um

1:51:41properties in the area to be reszoned.

1:51:44Ultimately, the planning commission did

1:51:45recommend approval by a unanimous vote.

1:51:49Item two is a modification of conditions

1:51:51request for the Catholic high school

1:51:53located at 4552 Princess Anne Road in

1:51:56District 1.

1:51:58A cup for a private school was approved

1:52:00for the site by the city council in 1992

1:52:02with a subsequent modification in 2013.

1:52:05The current modification of request

1:52:07modification request is to permit the

1:52:09construction of a 20,000 ft fieldhouse

1:52:12at the rear of the site shown in blue

1:52:14there and this is adjacent to the

1:52:15existing football field and tennis

1:52:17courts.

1:52:19The building will be 28t tall at the

1:52:21highest point and will feature brick

1:52:22veneil veneer metal wall panels and a

1:52:25metal roof. Access to the facility will

1:52:27be via Healthy Way and proposed hours of

1:52:30operation will be 7:00 a.m. to 10 p.m.

1:52:32depending on scheduled events and

1:52:33activities. While the active

1:52:35transportation plan does call for a inst

1:52:38the installation of an 11 foot wide

1:52:39shared juice path along Princess Anne

1:52:41Road, that has not been conditioned with

1:52:43this request since the proposed

1:52:44improvements are located to the rear of

1:52:46the property.

1:52:48There is no known opposition to the

1:52:50application and the planning commission

1:52:51recommended approval on consent.

1:52:55Item three includes three requests

1:52:57related to 3386 and 3396 Holland Road in

1:53:01district 10. The applicant is requesting

1:53:03to conditionally reszone the rear

1:53:05portion of the 2.2 acre site from O2

1:53:08office district to conditional B2

1:53:10community business district in order to

1:53:12construct a mini warehouse facility with

1:53:14an associated bulk storage yard. The

1:53:16proposal includes a gated self- storage

1:53:18facility with 25 fully enclosed storage

1:53:21units, 12 covered storage spaces, and

1:53:23then 14 open surface storage spaces.

1:53:27A 25 foot wide landscape buffer is

1:53:29required along the rear property line

1:53:32where the subject site is adjacent to an

1:53:33apartment district. Additionally, the

1:53:35ordinance requires bulk storage yards to

1:53:37be enclosed with a six-ft tall privacy

1:53:39fence and category 1 landscaping along

1:53:42all sides. The applicant is proposing an

1:53:458-ft tall privacy fence with this

1:53:46request around the entire perimeter.

1:53:50Deviations to the buffering requirements

1:53:52are requested in the areas highlighted

1:53:54in orange on the slide there due to the

1:53:56existing utility easements which impact

1:53:58where and what type of landscaping can

1:54:01be proposed in those areas. And then

1:54:03there is an existing communication tower

1:54:05on site that limits some of the

1:54:06buffering capability.

1:54:08[snorts]

1:54:10The enclosed storage units will have a

1:54:12maximum height of 16 ft and will feature

1:54:14a neutral color palette. The planning

1:54:15commission recommended approval of the

1:54:17request with a modification at the

1:54:19applicant's request to allow operable

1:54:21vehicles to be stored within that bulk

1:54:23storageard area in addition to boats and

1:54:25RVs. Staff is unaware of any opposition

1:54:28and the planning commission recommended

1:54:29approval with that modification.

1:54:33Item four is another conditional use

1:54:34permit request for a parcel northeast of

1:54:373024 Holland Road in District 2.

1:54:40The applicant intends to develop just

1:54:42under four acres of the 32 acre site to

1:54:45store operable vehicles, RVs, boats, and

1:54:48trailers. The site is located within the

1:54:51special economic growth area 3, South

1:54:53Oceanana, as well as a greater than 75

1:54:55decel noise zone, the accident potential

1:54:57zone 2, and is encumbered by a Navy

1:54:59restricted easement. The proposed bulk

1:55:01storage yard use is considered

1:55:03compatible with both the high noise zone

1:55:05and the APZ2.

1:55:08There are environmental factors which

1:55:10impact development of the site including

1:55:12a large portion lying within the AE

1:55:14flood zone and the city's flood plane

1:55:16subject to special restrictions which is

1:55:18shown in purple on the slide here. No

1:55:20impacts are proposed to the flood plane

1:55:22with this project.

1:55:24Um, I will note that there are a portion

1:55:26of uh the development that does appear

1:55:28to impact nine non-title wetlands and as

1:55:31such a joint permit application will be

1:55:33required and that will be reviewed by

1:55:35both the Army Corps of Engineers as well

1:55:37as Virginia Department of Environmental

1:55:39Quality. Since that area is outside the

1:55:41jurisdiction of the city's wetlands

1:55:43board, their review and approval will

1:55:44not be required.

1:55:47The storage yard is proposed to be fully

1:55:48enclosed with an 8ft tall wood privacy

1:55:50fence with category 1 landscaping. Apart

1:55:53from a small parking lot to support the

1:55:55proposed 300 square foot office

1:55:57building, the storage yard will consist

1:55:59of a gravel surface. Staff is unaware of

1:56:01any opposition to the request and the

1:56:03planning commission recommended approval

1:56:04on consent.

1:56:07Item five is a conditional use current

1:56:08request for an indoor recreational

1:56:10facility at 5512 Virginia Beach

1:56:12Boulevard in District 4. The applicant

1:56:15is seeking approval to continue

1:56:16operating an indoor recreational

1:56:18facility within an existing suite on the

1:56:20site. While customers can access the gym

1:56:22247 with an entry code, the facility is

1:56:25staffed Monday through Thursday from

1:56:279:00 am to 8:00 pm and then Saturdays

1:56:29and Sundays from 9:00 am to 3 pm.

1:56:32The site also contains an urgent care

1:56:34facility which is proposed to remain.

1:56:37While a total of 98 parking spaces would

1:56:39be required by the ordinance to support

1:56:41both uses, the applicant submitted a

1:56:43parking study prepared by an engineer

1:56:45which was approved by our zoning

1:56:47administrator to allow a total of 68

1:56:49parking spaces on site. That was based

1:56:52on hourly gym attendance, alternative

1:56:54means of transportation within the area,

1:56:56and then average available parking

1:56:58spaces per hour.

1:57:01staff received 26 letters of support,

1:57:03including one from the adjacent medical

1:57:05facility, which noted that there had

1:57:07been no issues since the gym facility

1:57:09has been operating on the site. Um, this

1:57:11item was recommended for approval by the

1:57:13planning commission on their consent

1:57:14agenda.

1:57:17Item six is a conditional use permit

1:57:19request for a bar and nightclub at 446

1:57:21Oceanana Boulevard in District 6.

1:57:25The site is located within the greater

1:57:27than 75 decel noise zone where the bar

1:57:29and nightclub use is considered

1:57:30compatible. The site is also within the

1:57:32special economic growth area 1, East

1:57:34Oceanana, where medium intensity

1:57:36industrial uses are recommended. This

1:57:39use has operated on the site since the

1:57:411950s prior to the adoption of the

1:57:43current zoning ordinance and therefore

1:57:44is considered a legally non-conforming

1:57:46use. Approval of the conditional use

1:57:49permit would bring the site into

1:57:50compliance with the current ordinance.

1:57:53A notice of violation was issued in

1:57:55January of this year for an expansion of

1:57:57the use without the required approvals

1:57:59and permits. Staff received one letter

1:58:01of opposition and there was one speaker

1:58:03in opposition at the planning commission

1:58:05hearing who noted concerns regarding the

1:58:07nature of the use and compatibility

1:58:10in the area. Ultimately, the planning

1:58:12commission recommended approval by a 91

1:58:14vote.

1:58:17Item seven is another conditional use

1:58:18permit request for an indoor

1:58:20recreational facility at 3754 Virginia

1:58:22Beach Boulevard in District 8.

1:58:25The applicant intends to operate a

1:58:27fitness center within a vacant 20,000

1:58:29square foot space within the existing

1:58:31shopping center which lies within the

1:58:33Rosemont SGA.

1:58:35This will be the third location for the

1:58:37tenant which is Iron Asylum. The

1:58:39[clears throat] facility will be open 24

1:58:40hours a day with staff on site from 7:00

1:58:42a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. Adequate

1:58:45parking is available on site and there's

1:58:47no known opposition. The planning

1:58:48commission recommended approval on

1:58:50consent.

1:58:52Moving now to your October 20th agenda.

1:58:54There are a total of nine planning items

1:58:56for consideration.

1:58:59Item one is a subdivision variance

1:59:00request for parcels along Gumridge Road

1:59:03and Dolly Road in District 2.

1:59:07The existing parcels, which are outlined

1:59:08in yellow here, were improperly

1:59:10subdivided by deed in the 1970s when a

1:59:13subdivision plat signed by the planning

1:59:15director would have been required. Since

1:59:16the parcels are zoned a one and a two, a

1:59:19minimum lot area of 1 acre, minimum lot

1:59:22width of 150 ft, and then a minimum

1:59:24street line frontage of 120 ft are

1:59:26required. The applicant [snorts] is

1:59:28proposing to resubdivide the parcels to

1:59:30create two lots, each of which would

1:59:32meet the minimum lot area, but would

1:59:33have zero feet of lot width and street

1:59:35line frontage, and therefore would need

1:59:36to have the subdivision variance

1:59:38approved. Um, also, neither of the

1:59:40proposed parcels would have access,

1:59:42direct access to a public street.

1:59:46The parcels do however have legal access

1:59:48through two private ingress egress

1:59:50easements, which are highlighted in

1:59:52yellow on the slide here. Staff received

1:59:54one letter of opposition along with two

1:59:56affidavit. Additionally, there were two

1:59:58speakers in opposition at the planning

1:59:59commission hearing who noted concerns

2:00:01with the proposed access um fire

2:00:03department access and then general

2:00:06concerns with safety and the potential

2:00:07for tree removal. I will note this

2:00:10request was reviewed by the fire

2:00:11marshall's office and staff has

2:00:13recommended condition six to require

2:00:15adequate fire department access be

2:00:17provided to both proposed parcels.

2:00:20The planning commission recommended

2:00:21approval of the request with the removal

2:00:23of condition five which required a new

2:00:26ingress egress easement with a shared

2:00:28maintenance agreement to be recorded.

2:00:30They did this because it was determined

2:00:32that the existing ingress egress

2:00:33easements were sufficient and that the

2:00:35maintenance responsibilities would lie

2:00:37with the um owners of propo the two

2:00:39proposed lots there.

2:00:43Item two is a street closure request for

2:00:45a 15 foot wide unimproved alley between

2:00:47512 Vanderbilt Avenue and 613 South

2:00:50Atlantic Avenue in District 5.

2:00:53The total area proposed for closure is

2:00:55approximately 700 square ft and will be

2:00:57split evenly between the two adjacent

2:00:59property owners. There are um

2:01:01improvements within the closure area

2:01:03including a wood deck that was done by

2:01:06prior owners to the lot. Should this

2:01:08street closure be approved, we do have a

2:01:10recommendation that a public drainage

2:01:12easement be retained over the entire

2:01:14closure area. As such, any of those

2:01:17existing improvements or any future

2:01:18improve improvements would require a

2:01:20separate encroachment agreement approved

2:01:22by this body um that are located within

2:01:26that easement easement area. Staff is

2:01:28unaware of any opposition to the request

2:01:30and the planning commission recommended

2:01:32approval on consent.

2:01:35>> [snorts]

2:01:35>> The next item is another street closure

2:01:37request for a portion of Fountain Drive

2:01:39uh adjacent to 1945 Alaskan Road in

2:01:42District 6.

2:01:44The area proposed to be closed, which is

2:01:46outlined in red on the slide here,

2:01:47equates to approximately 2600 square ft

2:01:50and was initially intended to provide

2:01:52access to five parcels that have since

2:01:54been combined into the singular parcel,

2:01:56lot 16A, as seen on the exhibit here.

2:01:59Staff has not received any opposition to

2:02:00this request and the planning commission

2:02:02recommended approval on consent.

2:02:06Item four includes two requests. The

2:02:08first a modification of profers and then

2:02:10a conditional use permit for a bulk

2:02:12storage yard at 1050 Bells Road in

2:02:14District 6. The site which is just under

2:02:17two acres is currently vacant and

2:02:19located within the greater than 75 decel

2:02:21noise zone. The accident potential zone

2:02:232 and is encumbered by a Navy

2:02:25restrictive easement. The proposed bulk

2:02:27storage yard is considered compatible in

2:02:29both the high noise zone and APZ2.

2:02:32This site was reszoned from R10 to

2:02:34conditional I1 light industrial in 2017

2:02:37and the profers at that time prohibited

2:02:39the storage of motorized vehicles on the

2:02:41site. The current applicant seeks to

2:02:43redevelop the site with covered storage

2:02:45for commercial and recreational vehicles

2:02:47and as such the modification of profers

2:02:49is required. The proposed structures

2:02:51will be 22 feet 10 in in height and will

2:02:53include corrugated metal roofing and

2:02:55siding.

2:02:57The applicant is proposing to install a

2:02:595 foot wide sidewalk along Bell's Road

2:03:01with this request. Additionally, the

2:03:03required 25 foot wide category 2

2:03:05landscape buffer is provided along all

2:03:07property lines abuing the adjacent R10

2:03:09residential district and a 7 foot tall

2:03:12privacy fence is proposed around the

2:03:13entire perimeter of the storage yard.

2:03:15The applicant is requesting a deviation

2:03:18from the landscaping around the storage

2:03:19area in the portions shown in orange

2:03:22here where the property abuts the

2:03:24adjacent I1 district.

2:03:28Staff received four letters of

2:03:29opposition and there were four speakers

2:03:31in opposition the planning commission

2:03:32hearing. Those in opposition noted

2:03:34concerns with the compatibility of the

2:03:36use with the adjacent properties and the

2:03:38SeaTac neighborhood overall. Concerns

2:03:40with safety, lighting, um impacts to

2:03:42storm water and then noise and trash.

2:03:45Ultimately, the planning commission did

2:03:46not find that the concerns of the

2:03:48opposition had been adequately addressed

2:03:50and recommended a denial of the

2:03:52application by unanimous vote.

2:03:56Item five is a conditional resoning and

2:03:58a conditional use permit request for

2:04:002548 Potter Road. This is one that I

2:04:03briefed you on at the end of August and

2:04:05it was deferred at your September 15th,

2:04:082026 hearing at the request of the

2:04:10applicant. Since that time, the

2:04:12applicant has conducted additional

2:04:13outreach with the surrounding

2:04:14neighborhood to discuss their concerns

2:04:16regarding overall safety and security in

2:04:18the area.

2:04:20As a reminder, the applicant is seeking

2:04:22approval to develop 14 individual

2:04:24storage lots on the site, which can be

2:04:26leased to individuals looking to store

2:04:28contractors vehicles, equipment, and

2:04:30materials.

2:04:31The applicant is proposing a 10- foot

2:04:33wide landscape buffer along the east and

2:04:35west property lines and is requesting a

2:04:37deviation to that buffer width along the

2:04:39eastern property line where a 25 foot

2:04:41wide buffer would typically be required.

2:04:43A 6ft tall privacy fence will enclose

2:04:45the entire storage area. [snorts]

2:04:48Staff did receive one letter of

2:04:49opposition with concerns about

2:04:50compatibility and the planning

2:04:52commission ultimately recommended

2:04:53approval on consent.

2:04:57Item six is a conditional resoning

2:04:59request for 4576 Bonnie Road in District

2:05:024. The applicant is seeking to reszone

2:05:04the property from I1 Light Industrial to

2:05:06conditional A24 apartment district in

2:05:09order to develop the site with a 29 209

2:05:13multif family unit development which

2:05:14equates to 21.5 units per acre. The

2:05:17roughly 12 acres site is currently

2:05:19undeveloped and lies within the central

2:05:21B business district Bonnie area of the

2:05:23Penrook SGAA and includes the Failia

2:05:25Creek Greenway.

2:05:27Portions of the site lie within the

2:05:29resource protection area of the

2:05:30Chesapeake Bay and a Chesig Bay

2:05:32preservation area board variance was

2:05:34granted in 2020 to permit approximately

2:05:3618,000 square feet of new impervious

2:05:39area in the RPA. This current proposal

2:05:42reduces the proposed impervious within

2:05:44the RPA by approximately 10,000 square

2:05:46feet.

2:05:48Since the site lies within half a mile

2:05:50of a covered bus shelter, parking is

2:05:52required at a rate of half a parking

2:05:53space per dwelling unit, which equates

2:05:55to 105 spaces. The applicant is

2:05:58proposing 370 307 spaces to support the

2:06:02units. Various right-of-way improvements

2:06:04are proposed 11 foot wide shared juice

2:06:06path and right and left turn lanes on

2:06:09Bonnie Road.

2:06:11The applicant has profered that if a

2:06:13left turn lane cannot be designed to

2:06:14meet city standards, then left turn

2:06:16lanes from Bonnie Road would not be

2:06:18permitted and the access would need to

2:06:19be redesigned accordingly. [snorts]

2:06:23The applicant is proposing to realign a

2:06:25small segment of the greenway as shown

2:06:27in the images here to include a

2:06:28reduction of the easement width from 25

2:06:31ft to 25 ft which or excuse me from 25

2:06:34ft to 20 ft which will require separate

2:06:36council action. The 10 foot wide path

2:06:39will remain centered within that

2:06:40easement area and the design will

2:06:42continue to meet VOTE standards.

2:06:45The applicant is requesting a deviation

2:06:47to the overall building height of 45 ft

2:06:49to allow a max height of 55 ft 1 inch.

2:06:53Due to the maximum height permitted on

2:06:54the adjacent properties as well as the

2:06:56site's proximity to town center, staff

2:06:58was amanable to this deviation request.

2:07:03Staff received one letter of concern and

2:07:04one letter of opposition with concerns

2:07:06regarding traffic and impacts to the

2:07:08surrounding properties. While there was

2:07:10one speaker registered for at the

2:07:12planning commission hearing, they were

2:07:13not online when this item was heard.

2:07:15Following the hearing, the planning

2:07:16commission recommended approval by a 91

2:07:18vote.

2:07:21Item seven is a conditional use permit

2:07:22request for a mini warehouse facility at

2:07:24941 Laskin Road in District 6. This

2:07:27proposal also includes 8,000 square feet

2:07:29of retail on the ground floor, which is

2:07:31permitted by Wright in the B2 district.

2:07:35staff received a request from the

2:07:36applicant earlier today asking that this

2:07:38item be placed on the November 10th city

2:07:40council hearing. So, this will not come

2:07:42before you on the October 20th hearing.

2:07:44There's no formal action required by

2:07:46this body because we haven't done the

2:07:47legal notifications yet, but I'll go

2:07:49ahead and run through it since we had it

2:07:51prepared.

2:07:53Um, as I mentioned previously, the

2:07:54applicant intends to develop a self-s

2:07:56storage facility with ground flooror

2:07:57retail on the western half of this

2:07:59parcel. The site does lie within the

2:08:01resort SGAA, the greater than 75 decel

2:08:04noise zone, and the APZ2. The applicant

2:08:07intends to satisfy the buffer

2:08:08requirements by retaining existing

2:08:10vegetation where the site um adjoins the

2:08:13adjacent apartment district.

2:08:17The proposed four-story building will

2:08:18have a maximum height of 54t 7 in with a

2:08:21total floor area of 126,000 square ft,

2:08:24including 8,000 ft of retail space on

2:08:27the ground floor. I do want to take a

2:08:29second to commend the applicant on

2:08:30working to address staff comments

2:08:32regarding the building elevations to

2:08:34achieve a look that looked more

2:08:36commercial or like an office building

2:08:37rather than a self- storage facility.

2:08:39>> Okay,

2:08:41>> um could you tell me why they

2:08:42recommended denial

2:08:45>> on this one?

2:08:47the I was getting yeah we don't think

2:08:50it's compatible with the recommendations

2:08:52of the comprehensive plan specific to

2:08:54the Alaskan corridor doesn't align with

2:08:57align with the vision for the SGA plan

2:09:00which calls for a more um

2:09:02pedestrianfriendly activated street

2:09:04frontage along that that corridor. So,

2:09:08we commend the improvements adding the

2:09:10additional retail space on the ground

2:09:11floor and the overall design of the

2:09:13building, but kind of that primary use

2:09:15of a self- storage facility we felt did

2:09:17not align with the recommendations of

2:09:19the comp plan. You're welcome.

2:09:25Staff received two letters of support,

2:09:2718 letters of opposition, and a petition

2:09:29of opposition with 140 signatures. Um

2:09:33those in opposition expressed concerns

2:09:35related to the compatibility of the use

2:09:37and impacts to the environment. Um again

2:09:40while staff commends the applicant for

2:09:43working with staff to add additional

2:09:44retail space. They did kind of grow that

2:09:46square footage throughout the process

2:09:48and went through several iterations on

2:09:50the building elevations to improve the

2:09:52overall look of the building. Um we just

2:09:54find that that primary use of self

2:09:56storage does not align with the comp

2:09:58plan recommendations in this area on

2:10:00this gateway to the ocean front.

2:10:02Similarly, the planning commission

2:10:04>> just another quick question. Um and I

2:10:07know that there has been some concern

2:10:09about this. I would like to better

2:10:10understand if we can before it comes to

2:10:14us um for consideration what because

2:10:17there's a lot of restrictions that

2:10:19pertain to this property. So, I would

2:10:21like to know I mean in a perfect world

2:10:23it might be a whole bunch of things. Um

2:10:26but [snorts]

2:10:27but what could they do there is really

2:10:29what I'm interested in knowing based on

2:10:32what the restrictions are um you know

2:10:35for for that area because I know I I

2:10:38think there was a preference for retail

2:10:39and walkability which is

2:10:41>> which is why it looks like they put some

2:10:43of that in and it um so I just I want to

2:10:46learn more about it if you don't mind.

2:10:47Absolutely.

2:10:48>> Absolutely. And I will just say

2:10:50generally the so it's it's zoned B2

2:10:52currently. So typically the uses that

2:10:54would be permitted by right in B2 could

2:10:57still be permitted. You don't get into

2:10:59the compatibility in the AUS

2:11:01restrictions unless it has to come

2:11:02forward for discretionary approval. So

2:11:05it does kind of open it up a little bit

2:11:07more for what could be there. But we can

2:11:08prepare something.

2:11:10>> Okay. Stay in work. So, and I'd like to

2:11:14understand if if the storage was done

2:11:17away with and it was just the retail on

2:11:19the first floor, then would that meet

2:11:21the

2:11:22that staff approve that and say that

2:11:24that was compatible?

2:11:25>> That would align more yes with the

2:11:27recommendations of the

2:11:28>> strictly the fact that the storage

2:11:30facility above the retail.

2:11:32>> Correct. The primary use of self storage

2:11:34we didn't feel was compatible.

2:11:38>> Okay. work.

2:11:39>> The other thing I think that's in

2:11:41consideration here is in overall owner

2:11:44of the property, the entire property,

2:11:46they're selling this or leasing this

2:11:48parcel because we agreed to a

2:11:50subdivision last week formally to allow

2:11:53the owner to subdivide this particular

2:11:55parcel. The owner is developing the form

2:11:58of movie cinemas into a pedel facility.

2:12:02So, in that presentation, they said a

2:12:05restaurant could should go there. And

2:12:07that was pretty um interesting idea.

2:12:10That's what got my attention, a lot of

2:12:12people's attention. Now, a restaurant's

2:12:14not going there. They want something

2:12:15else.

2:12:17>> Okay, Josh. And then Michael.

2:12:18>> Well, and I guess that's that's the

2:12:20question is can a restaurant even go

2:12:21there? And and and not just because the

2:12:23restrictions, but also the parking

2:12:25requirements because I know it's kind of

2:12:26an odd and wonky site. So, if we say we

2:12:29want, you know, in a perfect world, a

2:12:31restaurant there and we can't park it,

2:12:33that doesn't help us. If we say we want

2:12:35office there and we can't park that

2:12:38either and there's vacant office across

2:12:40the street, you know, I mean, so I just

2:12:42kind of I want to see what, you know, if

2:12:45if we were going to we can't design the

2:12:48project for them either by pigeon

2:12:50holeing them into like one or two

2:12:52different uses. Um, so anyway, those are

2:12:56just the points I want to make. here,

2:12:57Michael.

2:12:58>> Well, I still have um

2:13:03learning to do about this application,

2:13:05but I just remember the previous

2:13:08contemplated use of this property, which

2:13:11was to go from the when the if you all

2:13:15remember, we all do, the kind of save

2:13:19the movie theater movement that occurred

2:13:22and and what I took out of that, putting

2:13:24[snorts] the movie theater aside, was

2:13:26that The community really valued this

2:13:29property as an asset they could enjoy,

2:13:32as an an amenity, as a place where

2:13:35tourists visit, as a place where

2:13:36families would visit and um even more

2:13:41so, I mean, in addition to the their

2:13:44connection to the theater and um and and

2:13:48and I heard a lot that that there would

2:13:51be some synergy with the resort and the

2:13:55as a tourism amenity. and as a community

2:13:57asset. And I think my recollection is

2:14:00that that was part of the basis for the

2:14:01withdrawal from the application for a

2:14:04church was that my sense was that there

2:14:07wasn't support on the council for that

2:14:08application because of those preferred

2:14:11uses. So um you know I tried to be

2:14:15differential. I don't I don't want you

2:14:17know I don't think we should be

2:14:20you know manipulating the market by

2:14:21picking what the uses are. But we do

2:14:24have um but we do have

2:14:29an opportunity to um because they

2:14:33require a conditioning permit because

2:14:35the storage

2:14:36>> correct

2:14:37>> we do have the opportunity to to

2:14:38determine whether we think that's an

2:14:40appropriate use and and and I just

2:14:42recall hearing a lot of um a lot of

2:14:46information and feedback about how that

2:14:49people from all over the community view

2:14:52that as a destin destination and a place

2:14:54for an opportunity to have some

2:14:56community connection and enjoyment and

2:14:59and that's why I think the uh

2:15:02recreational use that's been that that's

2:15:04been being proposed and will be built

2:15:06there is in alignment with that which is

2:15:08is

2:15:10great and I guess that's why it moved

2:15:11forward. Um I guess I still have some

2:15:14questions about that use being a

2:15:16storage.

2:15:19>> Okay.

2:15:22All right. The next item includes six

2:15:24total requests for short-term rentals at

2:15:261909 Cypress Avenue in District 6. The

2:15:29applicants applicant intends to reuse

2:15:31and repurpose the existing structure,

2:15:34adding five one-bedroom rentals and one

2:15:36two-bedroom rental on the second floor

2:15:38while utilizing the first floor for

2:15:39office space.

2:15:41[snorts] Adequate parking is provided to

2:15:43support both the short-term rental and

2:15:45office uses. There are no prior zoning

2:15:48complaints or violations, no

2:15:49advertisements or documented stays.

2:15:51Staff is unaware of any opposition, and

2:15:53the planning commission recommended

2:15:55approval by a 64 vote.

2:15:58The final item is a CP request for a

2:16:00short-term rental at 414 19th Street,

2:16:03Unit 104 in District 6. This was

2:16:06deferred at your hearing last week to

2:16:08give the applicant time to address

2:16:10concerns that were raised by an adjacent

2:16:11property owner regarding parking and the

2:16:14possibility of installing a fence

2:16:15between along that western property line

2:16:17between the two parcels. It is my

2:16:20understanding that there has been

2:16:21initial contact between the two parties.

2:16:23However, I don't have an update on where

2:16:25those discussions lie. Um,

2:16:26[clears throat] if there's no specific

2:16:28questions about this one, mayor, that

2:16:29concludes my briefing and I'm happy to

2:16:31answer any other questions. Okay. Any

2:16:33questions at all?

2:16:36>> Okay. Thank you very much.

2:16:40>> Okay, folks. It is now time council

2:16:43comments, discussions, initiative.

2:16:46Anything?

2:16:48>> Okay, let's go. Rosemary

2:16:53have two things to say. Um, one, we

2:16:55don't have a meeting next week as a

2:16:57fifth Tuesday. Since we don't have that,

2:16:59I wanted to announce that October 3rd

2:17:02We're going to have a ribbon cutting for

2:17:04Winston Salem Avenue, which I'm very

2:17:06excited about. And oh my gosh, it's um

2:17:10Mr. Manager, it looks so beautiful with

2:17:13the street lights and the landscaping

2:17:15and the wide sidewalks. It's just a

2:17:18fantastic job. And it was a difficult

2:17:22[clears throat]

2:17:23it was a difficult road with all the

2:17:25things going on there. And then of

2:17:26course we had a lot of uh people who had

2:17:28a lot of concerns during construction,

2:17:30but I'm very excited about October 3rd

2:17:32at 10:00 in the morning if anyone is

2:17:34able to attend. And then the second

2:17:37thing and say this with Worth Worth and

2:17:40I had a meeting with um

2:17:43people that go to the SeaTac Recreation

2:17:45Center and it was gosh it was what 80

2:17:49was about 80 people there were.

2:17:51>> That's I'll agree to some of that. Most

2:17:54of that. Yeah.

2:17:55>> Yeah.

2:17:56Is that okay? Um, but anyway, but they

2:17:59were really wonderful, nice, positive

2:18:00people and they had a lot of concerns

2:18:02about how small it is and and the

2:18:05restrictions that it has and um they

2:18:09were very positive, very nice people.

2:18:12And uh we were [snorts] shocked because

2:18:15we went around the room, we thought it

2:18:17was going to be mostly people that lived

2:18:18right around there, but there were

2:18:20people from Lin Haven Mall. There was a

2:18:23bunch of people from district eight.

2:18:25There was somebody from district nine. I

2:18:28mean, it was just people from all over

2:18:31the city that [clears throat] go to that

2:18:33recreation center. Um, so they gave us a

2:18:37lot of really good ideas and I think it

2:18:40was Jason was taking them down. So

2:18:41hopefully we can get some of their ideas

2:18:44and see if we can do something about it.

2:18:45And I don't Worth wanted to.

2:18:47>> Thank you.

2:18:48>> I was very touched and moved by this

2:18:50meeting. I was we were invited I thought

2:18:52to meet some pickleball players and they

2:18:54were going to talk about limited amount

2:18:56of time and and space for pickle ball.

2:18:59The CAT rec center was um agreed

2:19:02[clears throat] to by council and built

2:19:03way back I don't know 20 to 25 years ago

2:19:06but is it is now almost overused and

2:19:09that was the message that they were

2:19:10sending to us. But I was so touched and

2:19:12moved by everyone who spoke. It was a

2:19:15lot. It was over by the time we were

2:19:16speaking it was 40. It was a lot more

2:19:18than a 40 at the beginning, but when we

2:19:20sat down, each and everyone, it was over

2:19:22an hour meeting. I was so touched by

2:19:24what this rec center meant to them and

2:19:26to our community who could ever write a

2:19:29report or a script, why you do, why we

2:19:31spend so much money on parks and wreck,

2:19:33this hourlong session was so cool to

2:19:36hear everybody speak so highly about it.

2:19:39So, thank you. And we So, therefore, we

2:19:41have to find a way to expand Cat Rec

2:19:43Center.

2:19:45[laughter]

2:19:46>> Challenging. We'll put that on the list.

2:19:48>> We'll put it on the list.

2:19:50>> Uh Barbara and then Amelia.

2:19:52>> Uh yes, I would like to thank the city

2:19:54manager for investigating the issue I

2:19:57brought forward last week about the new

2:19:59bridge, Sandbridge, uh road problem, and

2:20:02that's going to be repaired this week.

2:20:04Uh I think he said in your uh material

2:20:08that

2:20:10it's probably going to be able to be

2:20:12done without closing the road, but it is

2:20:14a very tight road. So, I would suggest

2:20:16that anybody avoid New Bridge Road while

2:20:19it's being repaired if at all possible.

2:20:21But, thank you so much for getting right

2:20:23on that because that's that's really

2:20:25important. Uh, also, we had in our uh

2:20:29documentation this week that I hope you

2:20:31didn't miss this uh update on the

2:20:33Sandbridge Beach Restoration Program

2:20:36summary because we're at that time of

2:20:38year for the next project. Uh it was

2:20:42advertised August 31st and the bid

2:20:45opening is going to be October 5th. So

2:20:48that's coming right up. Uh and then of

2:20:52course the contract it will be awarded

2:20:54before the end of this year and the work

2:20:57will be done in the first six months of

2:20:59next year. But if you look at this

2:21:01summary that was in your packet,

2:21:04you notice of the uh restoration

2:21:06program. It started in [snorts] 98

2:21:09and [clears throat] we've been doing it

2:21:11every two or three years since then. Uh

2:21:14it's a 35% local 65% federal uh funding

2:21:20for these projects and so far the local

2:21:24sponsor costs to date have been 55.8

2:21:27million in Sandbridge Beach restoration.

2:21:31Uh but when you look at the storm damage

2:21:34aversion since 2000, we've averted

2:21:38approximately $150 million worth of

2:21:41damages. So I go back to when we decided

2:21:46to do the beach restoration several

2:21:49years ago uh when we were talking about

2:21:51should we try to do uh a beach

2:21:54replenishment or should we just let it

2:21:57happen? and North Carolina with the

2:22:00Outdoor Banks was having their

2:22:02discussion at the very same time. Well,

2:22:04we decided to do beach restoration and

2:22:07they decided to just let it happen. So,

2:22:10you look at the differences between

2:22:13>> what's going on there and what we're

2:22:15doing. And so, I think this sponsor cost

2:22:19of 55.8 million is money well spent. Of

2:22:23course, it's done with the Sandbridge

2:22:24Special Service District. So, it's paid

2:22:26for by the by that area and I think it's

2:22:29been very successful. But anyway,

2:22:31October 5th, we'll get the opening of

2:22:33this year's project and then that will

2:22:35move forward. So, I think that's

2:22:37something for us to look forward to and

2:22:39really follow and appreciate the fact

2:22:41that we've done it all these years and

2:22:43look forward to uh seeing what happens

2:22:45this year. Thank you.

2:22:47>> Thank you, Amelia.

2:22:49>> Well, I have [laughter]

2:22:54first. I'm really humbled to do with the

2:22:57Black Street event.

2:23:00We had a nurse of people come out.

2:23:03It was peaceful, also inspirational

2:23:07to have these four young men out there

2:23:09and their families. So, I thank

2:23:11especially

2:23:14the mayor for working with me on this.

2:23:17He brought it to my attention and once

2:23:20we realized they were from district 4

2:23:25went about working on this and uh Tamaya

2:23:28Davis was the consultant and the city

2:23:32quickly gathered around. We had a couple

2:23:34of meetings and it went very smoothly.

2:23:38I was really humbled. But a lot of the

2:23:40things to mention about the work I've

2:23:43done with them and um considering that

2:23:48Chanty black one of the lead had been in

2:23:51a serious accident the day before. I

2:23:55mean his car was smashed at the back but

2:23:58he still came through spoke. We had lot

2:24:01of couple of of uh media there and uh at

2:24:05the end he took time to sing one of

2:24:08their gospel songs in thanks for God

2:24:12sparing his life for this. So we are a

2:24:15very very special city.

2:24:19We care. We don't forget.

2:24:23And I would let I will stop

2:24:26let the mayor say something about that.

2:24:28>> No, I'll just say this. It's real. There

2:24:30was a tremendous amount of positive

2:24:32energy there

2:24:34>> and uh

2:24:36and I just tell you it was a very

2:24:39appreciative

2:24:40broad-based community. Any of the other

2:24:43council members are there. Jennifer,

2:24:44what you think about?

2:24:47>> It was really cool. You could tell, you

2:24:49know, for someone who's been in the

2:24:51industry as long as Black Street has.

2:24:53Um, and the story from Virginia Beach,

2:24:56but like just well beyond. Uh, it was so

2:25:00moving from not only them, but their

2:25:02family, the producers, so many local

2:25:05stars that aren't recognized. Uh, they

2:25:07maybe aren't named in the Black Street

2:25:09Group, but are a part of their story,

2:25:11too. There was great appreciation there.

2:25:14So, it was really cool to see that

2:25:17happen and to celebrate that. So, good

2:25:19job.

2:25:20>> Good.

2:25:21>> Yeah. grateful that Virginia Beach is

2:25:23such this

2:25:26place where

2:25:28stars are born, right? If they're not

2:25:31born here, then they come here and they

2:25:34stay here and they become a part of the

2:25:36community. And that's what showed on

2:25:38Saturday is that they were a part of the

2:25:41community and are a part of the

2:25:43community.

2:25:44>> Josh,

2:25:46uh, Mr. Mayor, I was blown away by um

2:25:49just all the positive energy surrounding

2:25:51that event. I mean um you could tell it

2:25:55really meant something not just to the

2:25:57artists but to the entire community and

2:26:00our creative community. Um people who

2:26:03probably feel that maybe we don't give

2:26:05them enough love. Um and there was a lot

2:26:08of love to go around that day. So it was

2:26:10awesome.

2:26:11>> Rosemary.

2:26:12Well, I don't know what to say that's

2:26:14already been said, but I sure I'm glad I

2:26:16was there because it was so exciting and

2:26:18the positive energy and our staff always

2:26:21they did a great job getting everything

2:26:23ready, but the the love that you could

2:26:26feel amongst the crowd and amongst the

2:26:28the performers and the people working

2:26:31with them and their families, it was

2:26:33absolutely amazing. And [clears throat]

2:26:38I'm so so glad that you y'all brought

2:26:40this forward and it was a nice article

2:26:42in the newspaper. Really enjoyed that.

2:26:44So, uh it was a fantastic event. And one

2:26:48of the first calls I made after was to

2:26:50Patrick to commend him [clears throat]

2:26:53on the staff [snorts] every way from the

2:26:54traffic control in the beginning uh you

2:26:58know and Sheila you know and just

2:27:00organizing and you know u Bill Kelly was

2:27:05I mean it was all hands on deck and I

2:27:08thought it was pretty much a flawless

2:27:10you know thing and you know the ceremony

2:27:14started at 10:00 and I left at 12:30. 30

2:27:17and they still had you know a number of

2:27:19people around

2:27:22but once again I think it really defines

2:27:24us you know and you know when Fel

2:27:28Williams was asked me years ago

2:27:31in a TV interview how come so many

2:27:35Grammy winners come from the Hampton

2:27:37Roads area and you know what he said

2:27:39there's something in the water okay and

2:27:43there is and when you think about the

2:27:45talent that we have there and you know

2:27:48we point out this was just not a

2:27:50recognition about Black Street. It was

2:27:52about the whole culture of Teddy Riley

2:27:55starting on, [clears throat]

2:27:57you know, all the energy that came about

2:28:00out, you know, from the mid1 1990s to

2:28:02now, which is still going. And I will

2:28:05say that, um, you know, um, Black

2:28:09Street, you know, and, you know, videoed

2:28:11the whole thing and it's going to be

2:28:12part of the video that's going to come

2:28:14out with their next album.

2:28:16>> Wow.

2:28:17>> You know, coming next year. And the

2:28:19other thing is next year we actually

2:28:21beat Hollywood to the punch where you

2:28:23know they're going to be getting a star

2:28:25on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year.

2:28:28And so all started right here in

2:28:30Virginia Beach. And I also mentioned

2:28:32Patterson, New Jersey, where two of them

2:28:34are from, but we won't go there.

2:28:36[laughter]

2:28:37Right next to New York. No, but it was

2:28:40really a good thing. And uh yesterday I

2:28:42had the pleasure to recognize National

2:28:46Forensic Sciences Week and I went down

2:28:49to Leroy Drive where our you know uh

2:28:52many of our police operations are squad

2:28:55you know Fox squad everything and I got

2:28:57a tour of that facility and how our

2:29:01forensic team,

2:29:03you know, the technology that they use

2:29:05and the signs that they use. um you know

2:29:09uh looking at uh you know spent you know

2:29:12gun casings and you know you know the

2:29:14fingerprint area and you know where they

2:29:18collect forensic evidence after a crime

2:29:20scene and everything. You know, we were

2:29:22talking before about how many moving

2:29:25parts it takes to run a city, especially

2:29:28our size when we're talking about

2:29:30455,000 people. And uh I'll tell you

2:29:33what, we this city has quite a bit to be

2:29:36proud of. And you know, once again, Mr.

2:29:38Manager, you know, congratulations for

2:29:40that. Okay, anybody else? Okay, Amelia.

2:29:44And then Michael,

2:29:46>> on the last one, I also want to thank

2:29:49Amanda Jarrett. she came in into our

2:29:51meeting and helped us pull the one or

2:29:54two extra pieces together which was

2:29:56great. So, thank you. I do have two

2:30:00others and I'll try to just compress um

2:30:03I'm council son along with um Councilman

2:30:07Cummings for the military

2:30:11devel economic development advisory

2:30:14council and it was a big meeting. We had

2:30:17a close to 50 people at [snorts] the

2:30:19Rivers uh casino even though we didn't

2:30:22get to go into the casino

2:30:25but uh we had a nice presentation

2:30:28we uh Emily Archer did on behalf of us

2:30:32and just a few things she mentioned

2:30:35about our red white and blue summit at

2:30:38Fort Eustace which was September 9th and

2:30:4110th told them about the whole part of

2:30:43our mission start and stay was all about

2:30:46helping transitioning service members,

2:30:48veterans and military spouses to get the

2:30:52homes front stabilized and map out real

2:30:56training and education pipeline. This

2:30:58was very important because we could see

2:31:01as different people talk, spouses was

2:31:05very important then daycare was

2:31:07something very important. They've gotten

2:31:10some extra 400 or what million to help

2:31:13with all of this. So, we're on the right

2:31:15track and they still need more. And she

2:31:18talked about the Sardup World Cup which

2:31:21was September 17th at the Sandless

2:31:24Performance and we gave prizes. And then

2:31:27we had um from Virginia Beach,

2:31:32two companies that placed

2:31:34second and third place. And then she

2:31:37went on to talk about what's upcoming

2:31:40tight uh tech night October 29th at the

2:31:44dome and veterans in business November

2:31:473rd at the hives. So that's and also she

2:31:51told them about the 10,000 business

2:31:53grant reminders. So it was positive for

2:31:56us. And then if someone wants to go, I

2:31:58have the fund. I'm learning to do this

2:32:00technical where I've put in from the

2:32:02housing which I'm also a council member

2:32:05for that along with um you are too,

2:32:10right? Uh councilman uh Cash Green.

2:32:13>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

2:32:15>> Yeah. So, I do have a little report on

2:32:17them. I have to go and look for it in a

2:32:20second. I'll be as quick as I can.

2:32:24[snorts] Okay. And because I wanted to

2:32:27share what they were doing as well

2:32:30quickly as I can to find this.

2:32:37Nope. I can't find it yet. Anybody else?

2:32:40I will find it as quickly as I can.

2:32:42>> Michael, you have

2:32:43>> Sure, Mayor. Thanks.

2:32:45>> Yes.

2:32:46>> Uh, two things. The first is that we're

2:32:49having a community meeting tomorrow

2:32:50night for district 3 and anyone else

2:32:53who's w who's interested in and they

2:32:55will all be welcome to the Kempville rec

2:32:58center tomorrow from 6:00 to 8. We'll

2:33:00cover three topics primarily. Um the

2:33:05flood protection program which is

2:33:07obviously is very important for district

2:33:083.

2:33:10The um very exciting public art

2:33:13installation that's coming to Mount

2:33:14Trashmore this fall. And then third, our

2:33:17sheriff will be there to talk about some

2:33:18of the really innovative programming

2:33:20he's doing [clears throat] inside the

2:33:22jail. So that's really great. Um, I also

2:33:24wanted just to mention if I could that

2:33:26this weekend is the Neptune Festival

2:33:29Boardwalk Weekend and that's our

2:33:31hometown festival. And it's more than

2:33:33just our hometown festival. It's a

2:33:35festival that welcomes more than 400,000

2:33:38people over the course of three days

2:33:40with a parade, with an art show, with

2:33:42lots of activations and activity and fun

2:33:45things to do. It's um the largest

2:33:48festival in the Commonwealth of Virginia

2:33:50and we're all very proud of it and um

2:33:52just want to invite everyone to enjoy

2:33:54our hometown festival, the Neptune

2:33:56Festival, and look forward to seeing you

2:33:57all there.

2:33:58>> And Michael, don't you have a Windsor

2:34:00Woods uh pump station dedication? We

2:34:03did, but it's been uh postponed till

2:34:06next week. Yes, it'll be next Wednesday

2:34:08at the same time

2:34:10>> and um

2:34:12obviously [snorts]

2:34:13a vital and essential project and more

2:34:15on that next week.

2:34:16>> That's a big deal. Okay. I know it was

2:34:18on the radar. Rosemary and then Barbara.

2:34:21[snorts] Can't believe I didn't bring it

2:34:22up before, but we can't forget the air

2:34:25show that was this weekend with our

2:34:27military that happened in District 5 and

2:34:30300,000 people came out and what a

2:34:33partnership that we have with our

2:34:36military and with our city to make it

2:34:38happen and they work with also the young

2:34:40the young people on Friday and it was

2:34:42just a fantastic event and this was a

2:34:46very special one because it was a 250th

2:34:49anniversary. So we are so lucky and this

2:34:51is a festival that we don't have to pay

2:34:53for.

2:34:54>> That's right. [laughter]

2:34:55>> So we are I think we're a city of

2:34:57festivals because there's just one thing

2:34:59after another which is great. No one

2:35:01should be bored in this city.

2:35:03>> No, let me also say that the Navy is

2:35:06very grateful the commanding off the

2:35:08command staff there with the with the

2:35:10cooperation they get from the city uh

2:35:13you know with sheriff services with

2:35:15traffic management and you know

2:35:17security. And I'll tell you what,

2:35:20they're probably going to start planning

2:35:22next year's one probably next Monday.

2:35:25And our city staff and you know, Hutch,

2:35:28you know, fire, EMS, and you know, it's

2:35:30an all hands on deck thing with uh

2:35:32public safety that we have. We're very

2:35:35>> a big drill a couple months earlier.

2:35:37Everybody's involved.

2:35:38>> Yeah. Takes a remarkable man and

2:35:41planning. Thank you. And Barbara,

2:35:43>> and this is the fourth Thursday this

2:35:45week. So this is the week for the

2:35:47district 2 forum and it will be again at

2:35:50the Princess Anne Rec Center because of

2:35:52our requirements that it be at a place

2:35:55that everybody can attend. So Princess

2:35:58and Rec Center the fourth Thursday 5:15

2:36:00to 7.

2:36:01>> Okay. Outstanding. Okay. Anybody else?

2:36:03>> I found the last one. See, I'm trying to

2:36:06save the trees. So I'm learning how to

2:36:07put them right here. Um this is from the

2:36:11other as council layers on for the

2:36:13housing advisory that um they provided.

2:36:17Sharon Sha did a presentation that

2:36:20provided metrics on our housing

2:36:22education campaign which ran from July

2:36:259th to July 31st 2026.

2:36:30And the campaign exceeded its goal in

2:36:33terms of web page views and social

2:36:36media. There were 440,000

2:36:40plus um impressions through social

2:36:43media, more than 26,000 likes. Uh the

2:36:47staff attended at least and held 77

2:36:51community outreach engagement events and

2:36:54oneonone with 1,180

2:36:56individuals as these events. A post

2:37:00campaign

2:37:02quiz is currently underway through

2:37:04November 15th and we're hoping that at

2:37:06least 2,000 take the quiz and that we

2:37:10see an average correct responsive

2:37:13question [snorts] of 55% higher than the

2:37:16one done last year. [snorts] Uh Ruth the

2:37:19director indicated that our department

2:37:22is applying to the state of Virginia for

2:37:24the Virginia eviction reduction program

2:37:28funding in October and we if we are

2:37:32funded we can use the funds to provide

2:37:35assistance to prevent persons in

2:37:38Virginia Beach from being evicted. This

2:37:41will be in addition to the current

2:37:43prevention and diversion program that is

2:37:46operated at the housing resource center

2:37:49because they have lot of people the time

2:37:51is short that they has to be evicted and

2:37:54they were trying to change that so they

2:37:56can have a little more extension time.

2:37:58So yes, we are a city that cares. That

2:38:01ends my

2:38:03announcements.

2:38:04>> Okay, folks. At this point, the chair

2:38:05will entertain a motion to recess into a

2:38:07closed session pursuant to the

2:38:09exemptions from open meetings allowed by

2:38:11[snorts] section 2.2 3711A

2:38:14code Virginia is amended for the

2:38:16following purposes. Publicly held

2:38:18property discussions are disc uh

2:38:20consideration of acquisition of real

2:38:23property for a public purpose or of

2:38:25disposition of publicly held property

2:38:29where discussion and open meeting would

2:38:31first adversely affect the bargaining

2:38:34position or negotiation strategy of the

2:38:37public body pursuant to section 2.2 to

2:38:4037 371183

2:38:43and that's district 2 and this is for

2:38:45possible disposition and then personnel

2:38:48matters discussions considerations or

2:38:50interviews of prospective candidates for

2:38:53employment assignment appointment

2:38:54promotion performance demotion salaries

2:38:57disciplining or resignation of specific

2:39:00public officers employees or employees

2:39:03of any public body pursuant to section

2:39:062.23711A1 to 3711A1

2:39:08and that's for council boards,

2:39:10commissions, committees, authorities,

2:39:11agencies and appointees. Do I have a

2:39:13motion? So move

2:39:15>> second. Okay.

2:39:18Hi

2:39:23>> Jackson.

2:39:23>> Hi.

2:39:25>> Hi

2:39:29>> Wilson.

2:39:30>> Hi.

2:39:31>> Hi.

2:39:32>> We are close.

2:39:39[music]

2:39:44>> Okay.

2:39:44>> Well, you didn't g back in. So, we need

2:39:46to do that first.

2:39:47>> Okay. We are back in session.

2:39:51[clears throat]

2:39:51>> Okay. Can we have a motion to certify

2:39:53the session?

2:39:55>> Second.

2:39:57>> I

2:40:05caused

2:40:12I'll see you in a couple of weeks.