VIRGINIA BEACH — When there’s heavy rainfall at the Oceanfront, flooding plagues 17th Street, a busy commercial corridor. The area’s aging storm water drainage system can’t keep up with the volume. Buses, emergency vehicles and other cars traveling down this narrow stretch of road send a wake of water toward storefronts and restaurants.
“You feel like you’re in an aquarium underwater when the buses come through,” said Cecil Groves, owner of Best Value Hardware. “They throw a wave halfway up my glass,”
Virginia Beach’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget drops Tuesday, and business owners in the ViBe Creative District have started a sign campaign to encourage the city to fund infrastructure improvements to the eastern end of Virginia Beach Boulevard, traditionally referred to as 17th Street.
The city previously allocated $25 million for the first phase of upgrades to 17th Street’s storm drains and to widen the road and build sidewalks, but construction costs have increased by roughly $11 million, and work hasn’t begun yet.
The group behind the “equity in infrastructure” signs scattered throughout the ViBe district wants the city to make it a priority for this budget.
“It’s deteriorated; it’s flooded; it’s unsafe,” said Mark DesRoches, president of the 17th Street Gateway Association.
Business owners say the road has become more integral to traffic flow in the resort area because a portion of 19th Street has been permanently closed for the Atlantic Park project. And they expect it will be even more heavily used when concerts are held at the planned entertainment center.
Also, a 10-year plan for the resort area identified streetscape improvements along 17th Street as a top priority in providing an inviting gateway to the Oceanfront.
But most important are the safety issues, said Mark Stevens, owner of Zero’s Subs.
“You’ve got families coming up here with strollers,” he said. “We want to make sure our communities that live down here and actually walk to the beach have a safe place to walk.”
Funding improvements for 17th Street is one of many requests the City Council will weigh this budget season.
Real estate assessments in Virginia Beach will top $82 billion, a 7.37% jump from the previous year. To provide some relief for residents, the council is considering a 2-cent reduction in the tax rate.
But costs to run the city continue to increase, and to offset the roughly $8 million loss in revenue from the proposed tax relief, the council would be forced to make critical funding decisions, Mayor Bobby Dyer has said.
Kristina Chastain, owner of Esoteric restaurant, hopes 17th Street rises to the top.
“The ViBe in general, as it should be, is used definitely as a gem for the city,” she said. “It’s very highly heralded, but now it’s time to invest back into the ViBe.”
Public budget hearings will be held April 17 and 23, and the document will be available to view at public libraries, City Hall and online at budget.virginiabeach.gov.
The deadline for the budget to be adopted is May 15.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
