VIRGINIA BEACH — Designing a world-class public park at Rudee Loop will cost millions, and most of the Virginia Beach City Council agree it’s time to get the ball rolling.
In a 7-2 vote Tuesday, the council approved the transfer of $4 million from a tourism fund to a new capital project: Rudee Loop Park Development.
Council members Barbara Henley and Sabrina Wooten voted against it. Councilwoman Amelia Ross-Hammond was absent and the District 1 seat is vacant.
“Rudee Loop is by far one of the most pristine properties on the East Coast,” said Mayor Bobby Dyer. “Getting the ball rolling now would be in our best interest.”
It marks the first step the city has taken to convert the land into a designated public recreation area. Rudee Loop overlooks the ocean and Rudee Inlet in the resort area’s southernmost end.
It’s currently a hodgepodge of parking lots, and in recent years, has been closed to the public when used as a staging area for large-scale Oceanfront festivals.
Virginia Beach has spent millions of dollars since the 1980s to acquire real estate within the loop with the intention of eventually developing it. In 2022, the city invited qualified local, regional and national real estate developers to submit development ideas for roughly 8 acres of city-owned land at Rudee Loop.
The city’s criteria included support for the existing surfing and fishing environment and maintaining public access to the beach, Boardwalk and inlet. Four proposals were submitted, including a park design by the city’s department of Parks and Recreation. Subsequent city surveys found most residents wanted a public park at Rudee Loop, rather than condos or more hotels.
Of the more than 4,000 people surveyed, about 83% responded they did not want another hotel. Green or open space, restrooms and playgrounds and shade structures were among the top desires.The highest support was 64% for Parks and Recreation’s conceptual design. The respondents liked the idea for green space, surface parking, a skate park and keeping the same loop configuration for traffic flow.
Based on public feedback, the City Council decided to pursue a park concept. It also has discussed building a parking deck possibly with a rooftop restaurant and other businesses to help pay for it.
Councilman Chris Taylor said he received calls from constituents asking why the city planned to spend $4 million to design the park if it already has Parks and Recreation’s concept.
“It was a vision of what could be,” Michael Kirschman, director of the department, told council members at an earlier meeting Tuesday.
The city will now procure a professional design firm that specializes in “world-class iconic park spaces,” to develop specifications which will help determine construction costs, Kirschman said. The process could take a year.
More public input will be gathered, but the City Council eventually will decide which elements will be included in the park plans, according to City Manager Patrick Duhaney.
“City Council will let us know how they ultimately envision the park,” he said.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
