Situated at the south end of the Resort Area adjacent to Rudee Inlet, Rudee Loop is one of the most desirable plots of undeveloped land on the eastern seaboard.
Identified by residents as a top priority for green space in the 2019 Resort Area Strategic Action Plan update, the City of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Beach Development Authority issued an RFII – a Request for Information and Ideas – in May 2022 soliciting proposals on how the parcels owned by the City and VBDA (6.2 acres) might be developed.
Four proposals were submitted and on Aug. 16, 2022, Deputy City Manager Taylor Adams briefed them to City Council. (View the briefing here: City Council Informal Session, April 16, 2022.) None of the proposals included dollar figures – only preliminary concepts:
City Council requested that residents be provided an opportunity to provide their comments and input on the proposals. City staff partnered with Work Program Architects (WPA) and conducted community outreach, that included the following opportunities for the public to participate:
- SpeakUpVB survey – “Reimagining Rudee Loop” – was open Nov. 21, 2022, through Jan. 29, 2023, for residents to review the amenities of each proposal and select their favorite. They were also able to comment on what they would like to see, and what they don’t want to see, in Rudee Loop. Over 16,900 people viewed the survey and 4,269 people participated, providing over 12,404 comments. The questions and public responses can be viewed at www.publicinput.com/rudeeloop.
City Departments, community groups, businesses and business/trade associations met one-on-one with WPA to provide input on behalf of their organization.
- Two Open House events: the first, from early morning to early afternoon onsite at Rudee Loop on Jan. 27, 2023, and the other in the evening at the Kempsville Recreation Center on Jan. 31, 2023.
Once WPA has reviewed and analyzed the information received, they will provide City Council with a report of the results of the community engagement for their consideration.
If you have any questions concerning the community engagement on this issue, please contact
Nancy Bloom at nbloom@vbgov.com or (757) 385-6279.