Could it be? The end of Suburbia in Virginia Beach? The Virginian pilot reports that since the number of available acres for development is decreasing in the city’s North half, the city’s planning department is being forced to rethink there future. They say that there is a greater chance of trying to increase the density around places such as the interstates, raising the possibility of more mixed use developments and parking garages. This upcoming review will also be a great staging ground for the case for light rail in Virginia beach.
Perhaps this is the beginning of a new, changed Virginia Beach. Up until this point it seemed to be no more than an expensive version of Sim City, with some kid clicking away at the city’s future. Maybe some reality and rational thought will be good for the city and the region for that matter. I think that if Virginia Beach can get onto the light rail wave, then the rest of the region will also work to get connected.
While this new series of open forums appears to be the face of a new Virginia Beach, it also appears to be only an act. There is no mention of any of this on vbgov.com, the city’s government website. You have to search for “comprehensive plan open houses” to find anything. I would think that since this immediately affects over 400,000 people, that they could afford a link on the main page. For those of you interested, however, click here.

NOTE: For those of you who don’t realize and wonder why half the city is still rural and they are complaining of a lack of space, the City of Virginia Beach is divided in the middle by what they call the Green Line. This line divides suburban from rural and was created in an effort to preserve the many farms in the Southern section of the city.

Virginia Beach Green Line