About Rudee Park

Located at the southern end of the Virginia Beach resort, the 8-acre site was once part of the local system of beach dunes, maritime forest, and sand shoals broken by what is now Rudee Inlet.

One of the most beautiful and dynamic properties on the East Coast, locals and visitors immerse themselves in the open access and views to the Atlantic Ocean, inlet waterways, beaches, and coastal ecology.

Public importance of the site has grown over time, making Rudee Loop a premier destination for all the communities across the City of Virginia Beach.

Following decades of debate and public input, the City of Virginia Beach has committed to open public access and use of the site by creating a world-class public destination, Rudee Park.

Let’s write the Rudee Park story together.

Satellite view of Rudee Loop with Atlantic Ocean to the north focusing on development area adjacent to Rudee Inlet

What we Heard

At the end of 2024, the Rudee Park design team hosted three community events and an online survey to gather feedback on the programs and amenities residents want to see in the park. 

The team also engaged high school students across Virginia Beach to incorporate a younger perspective into the vision. 

So far, Phase 1 has collected over 48,000 data points, from these sources:

  • Verbal and written comments from in-person events
  • Student discussions
  • Community events
  • Stakeholder focus groups
  • Online survey

In total, nearly 7,000 people across the city contributed their voices. The community’s input has been instrumental in shaping the three design concepts that were presented in February 2025. A copy of the presentation that was shared in the concept review meetings is available.

From the collected data, here’s how residents prioritized their preferences (select images to enlarge/view PDF):

View Open Green Space Information
Open Green Space

View Culture & Arts Information
Culture & Arts

View Water Access Information
Water Access

View Access & Amenities Information
Access & Amenities

View Play Information
Play

View Look & Feel Information
Look & Feel

View Events Information
Events

Next Steps

Make Rudee Park a world-class destination with input from all the communities of Virginia Beach.

  • October - December 2024: Public input & design collaboration.

  • January/February 2025: Refine design options & begin public input.

  • February/March 2025: Present design options for public input.

  • March/April 2025: Design collaboration and synthesis of input.

  • April/May 2025: Begin input on final park design.