Virginia Beach National Golf Club
The City is considering a proposal to restore the VB National Golf Course and develop mixed housing types.
Latest Update - Oct. 20, 2026
The City Attorney’s Office issued the following statement at the Oct. 20, 2026, City Council meeting regarding the lawsuit challenging the sale of the VB National Golf Course.
"Mayor and Members of Council,
Good afternoon. On Friday, the Hon. Rebecca B. Smith of the Eastern District of Virginia, U.S. District Court held a hearing to address certain preliminary motions in the matter of SFF Conservation Initiative & Clarkson v. City et al., which is the lawsuit challenging the VB National Golf Course sale.
During a 4+ hour hearing, the Court focused its questions on whether the Plaintiffs have legal standing to pursue their claims, whether and to what extent procedural errors made by the Plaintiffs should impact the remainder of the case, and whether and to what extent Plaintiffs' various legal claims are viable under applicable law as asserted in three different versions of the Complaint filed by Plaintiffs to date.
While the Court denied Plaintiffs’ motion to disqualify Willcox & Savage from representing the City Defendants at the hearing, it deferred ruling on the Defendants’ pending motions to dismiss and the Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend the original Complaint.
Yesterday, the Court issued two orders.
The first order gives the Defendants a full 14 days to file briefs responding to Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file an amended Complaint relating to the most recent version of Plaintiffs’ proposed Amended Complaint. That version was lodged with the Court only a few days before last Friday’s hearing and this order allows a full briefing window to address the issues raised.
The second order requires Plaintiffs to file SFF Conservation Initiative’s articles of incorporation and bylaws, and to file proposed new Plaintiff Nakia Keith’s proof of land ownership as an heir to a parcel of land at issue in the litigation.
These orders together make clear that the Court is currently focused on whether Plaintiffs have legal standing to pursue their claims, and whether any amended Complaint would be futile."
Quick Summary
City Council authorized a request for proposals (RFP) for the Virginia Beach National Golf Course following mounting capital expenditures and unsolicited interest from multiple outside parties. The RFP was issued on Oct. 12, 2025 and widely advertised for 45 days, closing on Nov. 21, 2025.
In total, nine responses were received. Four included a housing component and five for new golf course operations. Four respondents were shortlisted following a review committee and briefings to City Council in closed session.
Two housing component respondents and two golf course operations respondents were interviewed and City Council authorized the negotiation of a term sheet with the top-raking respondent.
The Issue
Put simply, the golf course is not what it once was.
Over 20-years, the waste traps have overgrown, erosion is destabilizing the lake edges, cart paths are deteriorating, and the overall golf experience has been diluted, lessening the challenge for players and reducing the overall golf experience.
Key design features specific to a Pete Dye golf course have not been maintained and are no longer clearly identifiable.
Under the current management agreement, Virginia Beach Golf Club, LLC is responsible for all maintenance under $5,000 and the Virginia Beach Development Authority (VBDA) is responsible for capital maintenance over $5,000.
VBDA funds its capital maintenance obligations with the payments it receives from the operator under the management agreement.
However, VBDA’s portion of capital maintenance receipts is not adequate for the current level of maintenance needed.
Proposal Quick Facts
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Proposal maintains VB National as a public course, restoring the course to the Pete Dye world-class status. No changes may be made to the use of the property without City Council action.
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Century Golf Partners will be responsible for operations.
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Provides 659 units of diverse housing types at mixed-income costs, achieving a key City priority.
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Golf course will retain 10 existing holes from Pete Dye's existing design, including the original front nine and signature 18th hole.
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Eight new or modified holes will be constructed; a new tee and green complex around holes 12, 13 and 14 is tournament-ready, offering a unique space for close views from the clubhouse. The redesign will be crafted by Timothy Liddy, a 28-year protégé of Pete Dye.
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The proposal includes 45 acres of woodlands and environmental preservation.
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Developer to purchase the property for $17.94 million. Those funds, plus a VBDA contribution of $1.82 million will be utilized for golf course improvements in addition to $18.4 million in private investment.
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The developer will provide up to $10.2 million in additional private funding to cover the cost of unknowns that might arise during course renovation.
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The City will contribute $4.3 million for public infrastructure along Tournament Drive and Princess Anne Road, to include turn lanes, streetscape improvements, utility relocations, and a sewer extension.
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An estimated $3.4 million in new tax revenue per year will be generated after stabilization.
What's Next?
A public hearing and vote was held on Aug. 11, 2026, for the sale of the property.
The developer planned their own public engagement meeting between June 23 and July 7.
The residential portion of the proposal will require a conditional rezoning through the Planning Commission and City Council by the developer and is a requirement of any purchase.
Any City public meetings or votes will be advertised as part of the regular meeting notification process.
Conditional Rezoning Process
Four months is the typical timeframe for a discretionary application to go through the rezoning process.
Application intake is always the first of every month. City staff will work on the staff report over the next 60 days.
About two to two and a half months later, the application goes to Planning Commission, then to City Council the following month. This general timeline assumes that the application is a complete application package with all required submittals.
More information about the rezoning process is can be found on the rezoning property webpage under the section titled "Process for Rezoning & Conditional Rezoning."
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