SITW 2023 - Information for Locals

Something In The Water is scheduled for April 28-30, 2023.

Location:

Primary festival footprint will include all beach access points from the South End to 14th Street with road closures extending to 17th Street on Atlantic Avenue.

Logistics for Locals:

• Road closures will be updated in real time on the Waze traffic app.

• Residents are encouraged to avoid the interstate entering the oceanfront and access the neighborhood via Norfolk Avenue rather than the Winston Salem entrance.

• Expect delays and heavy traffic, especially on Friday afternoon.

• Atlantic Avenue will be closed from 5th Street to the South End for all vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians.

• Atlantic Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic from 5th-17th Street from 10am on Friday until Sunday, April 20th. Pedestrians will be still allowed access to Atlantic Avenue along these roads.

• Atlantic Avenue north of 17th Street will be open with normal traffic patterns.

• The bike path from Rudee Bridge to the boardwalk will be closed April 26 - May 1.

• There may be additional road closures along Atlantic and Pacific as needed.

• Unlike the SITW 2019 event, all oceanfront restaurants will remain open to the public.

• Additional bike parking will be available at a temporary Bike Parking Lot on the grass at The Breakers Inn, 1503 Atlantic Ave.

• If residents are concerned with noise disturbances, please contact 3-1-1.

Public Safety:

• There will be a single command post for all EMS, Fire, Police, Public Works, Sheriff's office, ECCS, and Emergency Management to maintain a coordinated safety plan.

• VBPD will have a strong presence throughout the oceanfront and will utilize video monitoring to ensure safety of residents, visitors, and attendees.

• Police encourage attendees and locals, "see something, say something;" however, police will be focused on overall safety and major concerns rather than minor infractions or disturbances.

Sunday Pop-Up Church will occur between 20th Street and 22nd Street on the beach and is open to the public.

Volunteers: The Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission is seeking volunteers to serve as independent observers at the Oceanfront during festival. The goal is to observe citizens, City services and visitors to assess the event atmosphere with regards to providing a safe and friendly environment, and look out for any signs of potential human rights violations or discrimination.

Teams of volunteers will observe and evaluate the Oceanfront area by walking along Atlantic Avenue, between 5th and 31st streets, observing parking garages, businesses, hotels, motels and the activities and interactions of the general population.

Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Cell phone access is needed to communicate and coordinate during the program. Volunteers must be able to stand and walk for three-hour shifts in large crowds of people. Volunteers will also be asked to complete an online survey to provide feedback about their experience as an independent observer. To access the shift schedule and sign up, visit virginiabeach.gov/hrc. For more information about the Independent Observer Program, email hrc@vbgov.com or call 757-385-1158.

More information about SITW2023 can be located at VirginiaBeach.gov/EventInfo

Questions can be submitted to SITW@vbgov.com

Rudee Loop Updates

The City Council met on March 28th and spent almost an hour reviewing the information received from surveys, stakeholder interviews, and open house events.

To see the city's synopsis of the information presented at the meeting, CLICK HERE.

To view the entire meeting, CLICK HERE.

Please find an overview of the city's meeting below:

Rudee Loop – Updates from the City Council Meeting on March 28, 2023: *This information was obtained from the Virginia Beach City Council Meeting held on March 28, 2023 at 1:30pm. To view the entire meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WVXWqTlx4U&list=PL31A7A8D73F3976B9&index=1 *A synopsis of the Rudee Loop portion of the meeting can be found here: https://virginiabeach.gov/whats-up/whats-the-scoop/the-future-of-rudee-loop-resident-input- revealed

Results of the Online Survey: 84% of respondents use Rudee Loop on a regular basis. 4203 residents completed the survey, 827 from the 23451 area code. Most popular current uses were walking, biking, beach, parking, and surfing. Most popular desired features included green space, restrooms, playground, and sun shade/canopy. Preferred Proposal from Survey: 64% of respondents selected Proposal D by VB Parks and Rec.

• Green space with large parks

• Buffered fishing area for safety

• Playground

• Food truck plaza

• Parking with flexible space for events

• Skate park and spectator seating

Themes of the Stakeholder Interviews:

1. Protect and maintain public access to the beach, boardwalk, inlet, and playground.

2. Rudee Loop should be an iconic location that is marketable for VB.

3. Maintain beautiful views of the beach and inlet without "eye-sore" structures.

4. Green space was the most popular topic.

5. Increase parking capacity

6. Surfing culture, history, and heritage should be celebrated

7. Cost and maintenance were concerns.

Themes of Open House and On-Site Interviews:

1. Protect and maintain public access to the beach, boardwalk, inlet, and playground.

2. Parking should be increased, improved, and free for local residents.

3. Surfing culture, history, and heritage should be celebrated.

4. Green space was the most popular topic.

5. Changes and plans should be developed with the local community in mind.

6. Most respondents requested that hotel/commercial development not be included in Rudee Loop plans.

City Council Key Points:

• Respondents overwhelmingly requested green space without commercial developmental of hotels.

• Locals want to maintain continued access to the beach, surfing areas, playground, and boardwalk.

• Locals requested improved parking even while being opposed to a parking garage. o Council discussed the option of creating an iconic parking garage as an option to increase parking that could still appeal to the local culture.

• Council discussed concerns regarding homelessness impacting this area. o Council recognized that a public space managed by a private entity may support homelessness in a more impactful way whereas a public park without private organization involvement may not have the same resources or budgeting options to support the homeless community.

• Council discussed conversations about the property that have been ongoing for over a decade regarding this property being one of the most special on the East Coast.

• Council also mentioned that the survey results were highly valuable and there is intent to use this and other strategies to include more community involvement in the future.
  

Plan:

• Council proposed getting through the current budget cycle before meeting again on this issue and may initiate a specific workshop at that time.

Meeting Minutes - January 11, 2023

6:30 - Social / Happy Hour

7:15 - Meeting was called to order.

Installation of New Board Members:

• The 2022 board welcomed the new board for 2023. Jan Anderson swore in the 2023 board members with the exception of Treasurer who was unable to attend the meeting and will be sworn in at a later date.

• President, Blake Roberson

• Vice President, Meghan Roberson

• Treasurer, Patrick Cerone

• Secretary, Connie Strickland

Old Business:

1. Pearl Homes: There were 54 homes that qualified as Pearl homes at the November 2022 meeting. Blake encouraged all attendees to participate in this endeavor. Our goal as a neighborhood is to have 360 homes qualify in order for Shadowlawn to be considered a Pearl Neighborhood. Register your homes at https://lynhavenrivernow.org/vb-residents/. Board will update house numbers at the next meeting.

New Business:

1. Minutes from the November 2022 Meeting were approved.

2. 2023 annual budget was approved. The board requested that all members pay dues at the beginning of the year if able so a budget can be created based on those numbers. The current budget was based on 150 paid members. The board encouraged members to recruit new neighbors to join, as well. Amy Yendall suggested putting civic league signs in the yards of members to possibly encourage new members.

3. The 2023 list of events was presented and approved. See below for more information regarding these events. Members also suggested a 4th of July Golf Cart & Bike parade and a 5k Race.

4. Website & Social Media Presence: Vice President, Meghan Roberson, introduced the new website for the Civic League which can be found at Shadowlawncivicleague.com as well as a new Instagram account, @shadowlawncivicleague. The Civic League facebook page is still active. A Nextdoor account will also be created. Board asked members to find the Civic League on social media for event updates, information, etc. This social media presence can also be used to share events and updates with others.

5. There is an E-cycling event on January 28 at the Virginia Aquarium.

6. Clean the Bay Day is May 30 through June 4th. Jim and Deb Flanagan graciously said people could use their water access at 708 Arctic Ave.

7. The Rudee Loop Survey has been extended until January 29. Fran Johnson suggested the civic league adopt a stance with commissioners. She also suggested our civic league join forces with other civic leagues in the area (Croatan, Lakewood, Harborpoint, etc). No motion was made for the civic league to make an official stance on this issue but the Board encouraged members to participate in the survey to share their individual opinions.

8. Crime report was presented by President, Blake Roberson for the 2021/2022 year. He will do this quarterly in 2023.

9. Signage: Past President, Mike Camden and President, Blake Roberson are working together to get neighborhood signs installed at the entrances to the neighborhood by the end of 2023. The signs have already been created. We are waiting for the city to approve the location of each sign.

10. Murals to Cover Graffiti: Past President, Mike Camden and President, Blake Roberson will work with Waste Management Inc. to inquire about the possibility that murals could be painted on the dumpsters behind Pizza Chapel ash they are frequently vandalized with spray paint.

11. Beautification Committee: Fran Johnson suggested forming a committee to help make our neighborhood more attractive. This may be accomplished in part with the installation of the new neighborhood signs and could include landscaping around this area.

12. Shine Down Holidays Lights Contest Winners were announced. Each received a $30 gift card from Shadowlawn Eats. The Board encouraged members to show their appreciation to Shadowlawn Eats and check out their new brunch schedule on Saturdays and Sundays from 8am-12m.

Real Time Issues:

1. A member reported that he had watched a city council meeting and several issues pertained to Shadowlawn including one or more of the following:

2. The Winston Salem project is on track to improve traffic patterns on this road, maintain local parking spaces, and provide a safer and wider sidewalk for pedestrians. The Board will keep members updated as we receive information from the city.

3. Freebie taxi service will be continuing past the projected 3 months. This service is available free of charge and works similar to Uber or Lyft. There is an app available.

4. City council has discussed making a section of Atlantic Avenue serpentine and are trialing some traffic pattern options in the middle sections of Atlantic Avenue near

Proposed Events for 2023:

National Night Out will be August 1st. National Night Out is a community event hosted across the US which encourages community involvement and reinforces positive relationships with law enforcement. The Board will reach out to VBPD and VBFD for their participation and provision of trucks or other city vehicles for the children to see, touch, and explore. Food trucks were also suggested and the Board is hoping to have at least 4 trucks participate. Amy Yendall offered to let a truck use her driveway at 508 Mediterranean Ave.

Shadowlawn Surf Club will return this year every Wednesday night beginning June 21. The purpose of the Shadowlawn Surf Club is to provide neighborhood families an opportunity to get together every week to relax on the beach, meet one another, and build community while the kids surf, splash, or play in the sand. This family-friendly event is a long-running tradition in Shadowlawn but dwindled during recent years and stopped altogether due to COVID. We hope to revive this tradition with a new generation of Shadowlawn families and also welcome back families who were involved from the beginning. The Board would like to offer swag and raffles for those who attend. (This is not a formal club and surfing is not required. All are welcome!)

Shadowlawn Oyster Roast is a new event added to the calendar of events for 2023. The Board is planning this event for the fall of 2023 and would like to offer an open bar and AYCE oysters among other food options. This will be a ticketed event but Civic League members will receive a discount.

Community Yard Sale: The neighborhood yard sale will be scheduled for April or May. One member suggested having tables available in one location to allow those who live in condos or lesser-trafficked areas to participate. The Board will look into the possibility of using one of the available parking lots for this purpose.

8:35pm - Meeting was adjourned.

82 members present