Reimagining
Rudee Loop
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.
Reimagining
Status
The City is reviewing submissions to the Request for Qualifications for a consultant team with qualified national or international experience developing iconic park spaces. A parking garage structure may be incorporated into the project and will be explored during the concept planning phase.
Here is a timeline of City actions regarding this plot.
September 2024
On Sept. 10, 2024, Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation provided a presentation on Rudee Loop with the project’s selected design team. The design team is comprised of Dills/SCAPE/EDSA and an additional team of subconsultants.
The presentation provided an informational briefing on the relative experience of the selected design consultant team along with providing a timeline and next steps for the delivery of the Rudee Loop Park project. A replay of the meeting is available on the City's YouTube channel.
Timeline
- September 2024: Field investigation, engagement plan & materials; begin stakeholder meetings
- October 2024: Design workshop, community & event meetings
- Nov - Dec 2024: Public & stakeholder input
- Jan - Feb 2025: Public meetings & input; refined design options
- March 2025: Community meetings, refine final workshop design
- April 2025: Public input & presentation, final documentation
At this time City Council has not made any final decisions or approvals on the project.
May 2024
The City Council adopted the revised FY2024-25 Budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) on May 14, which includes $60 million supported by the Tourism Investment Program (TIP) Fund for Rudee Loop Park development.
March 2024
The city manager’s proposed FY24-25 budget presented to City Council on March 19 included $60 million supported by the Tourism Investment Program (TIP) Fund for the Rudee Loop Park Development. Learn more about the proposed budget or provide comments on the proposed budget through April 24, 2024.
February 2024
A Request for Qualifications was released Jan. 4, 2024, and closed Feb. 23, 2024, for solicitation of a consultant team with qualified national or international experience developing iconic park spaces. The selection review committee is currently reviewing, scoring and selecting the top three firms for interviews.
November 2023
At its Nov. 14 meeting, City Council adopted an ordinance establishing Capital Project #100667 and transferred $4 million from the Tourism Investment Program (TIP) Fund as Pay-As-You-Go funding for the procurement of design services.
October 2023
Michael Kirschman, director of the City of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation, presented a recommendation for a Request for Qualifications, or RFQ, procurement action at the Oct. 17, City Council Briefing. The City Council requested that a resolution be brought forward to advance the RFQ, which would establish a pool of qualified bidders. Once the resolution is written and sent to City Council, it will be open for public comment, then Council will vote on it.
September 2023
Following a status briefing from Planning Director Kathy Warren on Aug. 15, 2023, and discussion at the Retreat, City Council directed staff to cancel the Request for Information and Ideas (RFII) and asked the city manager to develop a recommendation for a Request for Qualifications procurement action.
This would identify and hire an established park design consultant team to assist with moving the project forward. A timeline for that process is currently being developed.
March 28, 2023
City Staff and WPA briefed City Council on the results of the community engagement. City Council requested that a workshop be scheduled in late summer of 2023 to discuss funding/operational models, such as a conservancy.
Aug. 16, 2022
City Council was briefed on the four proposals submitted:
- Bruce Smith Enterprise, Madison Marquette Development Team and Armada Hoffler.
- Gold Key | PHR: Option 1 and Option 2 (Option 2 includes property not owned by the City).
- The Virginia Gentlemen Foundation and EDSA: Option 1 and Option 2.
- Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation.
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.com 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 SpeakUpVB.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.
May 2022
City of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Beach Development Authority issued a Request for Information and Ideas, or RFFI, soliciting proposal on how the parcels owned by the City and VBDA might be developed.
2019
Virginia Beach residents identified green space as a top priority in the 2019 Resort Area Strategic Action Plan update.
If you have any questions concerning the community engagement on this issue, please contact Nancy Bloom at nbloom@vbgov.com or (757) 385-6279.