tim solanic

Good Evening

Mayor Dyer, Vice Mayor Wilson, City Manager Duhaney

My name is Tim Solanic I live in Ocean Park where the Brock Environmental Center and THE MACON AND JOAN BROCK CLASSROOM are located on PLEASURE HOUSE POINT.

I’m here to THANK this body and IN PARTICULAR, Mayor Dyer, Vice Mayor Wilson, Councilwoman Henley, Councilman Moss, Councilman Jones for your VISION on March 13th 2012 when this body VOTED UNANIMOUSLY to preserve MOST of Pleasure House Point.

As you probably know, thanks to that inspirational highest and best land-use choice, OVER 100,000 people have visited this cherished & inspiring parcel of land since only 2014.

Many do not know that at the time Pleasure House Point was threatened with development that was going to use similar stormwater techniques as Asheville Park.

We sincerely hope whoever you choose for the Lynnhaven seat also has the VISION to make an inspirational highest and best land-use choice when you will be voting on a unique parcel of land next to Pleasure House Point in Ocean Park.

Marlin Bay Apartments is NOT the inspirational highest and best land-use choice.

You have an enormous opportunity to create additional economic development diversity, jobs, education and fill a missing niche in Hampton Roads & Virginia to ATTEMPT to help mitigate sea level rise & ATTEMPT to build a more resilient Virginia Beach AND expand Visit Virginia Beach eco tourism opportunities on that parcel.

October 19 you should UNANIMOUSLY VOTE TO DENY NOT DEFER MARLIN BAY APARTMENTS.

Imagine, this body that embraced Off Shore Wind, your Green Building Criteria for New City Buildings, your Sustainable Procurement Directive, Energy Management for Municipal Operations Directive, your embracing of Energy-Efficient Buildings Tax Credit, your Virginia Beach City Public Schools Sustainability Practices including the Environmental Studies Program on PLEASURE HOUSE POINT, your Sea Level Rise Resilience Strategy and the hiring of Dewberry.

I’d like to add, years ago, I was in the City Manager‘s office just after a Dewberry presentation at the Informal Session to this body and to members of city staff.

When people were leaving, we sensed the ENORMOUS STRESS in the room and the acknowledgment, fear and SHOCK on the faces of everyone when you learned it is going to cost BILLIONS to ATTEMPT to fix the land use choices of the past and ATTEMPT to create a resilient future for Virginia Beach which as you well know is second in the United States after New Orleans for negative impact from sea level rise.

We ask that the Lynnhaven Council seat person has as much VISION as many of you have had in the past.

THERE IS INDEED A RIPPLE EFFECT.

Thank you.