As you drive down the major corridors of Virginia Beach, take note of what open space you see on your daily commute. Have you thought about who owns it and what benefit you receive by it? What might these land owners have in their future? One of the important concerns of our city leadership is balancing property rights with land use decisions to provide for the general welfare of its citizens. 

Paramount in that goal is the right to sell property. Wycliffe Church has expressed its desire to relieve itself of the expense of maintaining land that no longer serves to sustain its mission. This is a right they have in absolute. The issue has always been the underlining residential zoning and a developer's site plan that would destroy one of the waterways that serves the Great Neck community. If the city removed the permit to operate as a church, the contract in place had the state and federal permission to fill the lake in. The surrounding communities determined that would be detrimental. City Council has recently gone on record that they won't allow the lake to be filled in. This is a pivotal moment in Virginia Beach that has the potential to protect neighborhood, tax-payers, businesses, and nature--wildlife, plantlife, and marine life. But to date, these are mere words. And the developer is returning with a plan to build around the lake and it's beneficial watershed.

As we move forward with the No Build VB Wetlands campaign, we ask you to look around during your commute. In our area, Great Neck, there are no opportunities left to build on vacant land. There are churches, who express concerns of dwindling membership. The city only requires they retain 3 acres. The Wave Church has 21 acres of mostly impervious space, so it currenty doesn't provide "green space." There are 9.6 acres at the Holy Family Church, Virginia Beach Christian Church has 4.4 acres, the cemetary and funeral home offer the beneficial assets of soil, trees, and grass with about 25 acres, and All Saints Church has 5 acres. This might be a good time of year to support our local churches and express your appreciation for the nature, that we are all guilty of overlooking yet are an expense to these churches. They could subdivide too and sell to a developer like Wycliffe wishes to.

Also on your commute, note other green spaces that are vulnerable to development or future sale. Along Great Neck Road we have just three that are not churches or cemetaries--the telephone company-owned property in front and next to Cox High School, and the Breeden and McLesky residential and commercially-zoned properties along Wolfsnare Creek. What do you see on your commute in Virginia Beach? If there are trees and water, take note--because the builders already have. Many, many developers in our area have declined to participate in the destruction of our wetlands. For those who have other ambitions, we need some legislation. 

This year, in the Sackett's Ruling, the Supreme Court removed protections from about 83% of our nations wetlands. It is up to the state and localities to institute their own now. Virginia Beach City Council has shown a SMALL STEP in the right direction when indicating that Lake Conrad 2 of the Great Neck Lakes would not be allowed to be filled in. We need that recorded in the City Code. With your help, we can push forward and make the legislation happen that will protect the next generation. Continue to raise your voices to City Council to defend the property rights of the citizens of Virginia Beach by protecting the waterways AND watersheds around our homes and businesses from infill development.

Please write in the comments about the natural areas that are seen on your daily commute. If it's church-owned land, make sure you stop in this season to let them know that you value and appreciate their commitment to sustaining our city, our environment, and our spirit!