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Virginia Beach Residents to Vote on Redevelopment Authority Referendum

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Virginia Beach residents will cast ballots on a referendum that asks if there is a need for a housing and redevelopment authority. The only organized effort to sway voters is from opponents, who are concerned that the authority could be abused and used to steer lucrative redevelopment projects to developers while evicting residents from their homes and businesses. The city has the power to condemn private property for public uses, but an authority would be necessary for condemning large blighted areas. The opponents are hoping for a decisive defeat of the authority to prevent it from being created for at least 10-15 years.

Key Takeaways:

  • The referendum is a result of opposition from groups like the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance, the Tidewater Libertarian Party, and the Citizens Action Coalition Inc., who collected enough petitions to force the City Council to hold the referendum.
  • The city's Comprehensive Plan calls an authority "essential for the future of our city," but opponents fear it could be used to evict residents and favor developers.
  • Business groups, including the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, are remaining neutral in the election due to ongoing debates over condemning homes for the protection of Oceana Naval Air Station.
  • Only one council candidate, Bayside incumbent Louis Jones, has expressed support for an authority, while the other candidates have said the city does not need one, at least for now.
  • The referendum is a result of concerns that the city's effort to create a redevelopment strategy is a move to build support for a redevelopment authority.
  • The opponents plan to ask the City Council to remove all references to an authority from the Comprehensive Plan if voters reject it.

Statistics:

  • $9,000: The amount spent by opponents on ads and fliers opposing an authority.
  • 51%: The percentage by which voters rejected an authority in 1996.
  • 10-15 years: The time period the opponents are hoping for a decisive defeat of the authority.

Sources:

  • "Virginia Beach residents vote 'no' to a redevelopment and housing authority. Don't give the city another tool to take your property." (TV ad)
  • Robert Dean, a spokesman for the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance.
  • The Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance
  • The Tidewater Libertarian Party
  • The Citizens Action Coalition Inc.
  • The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce
  • The Comprehensive Plan, a blueprint for growth in Virginia Beach
  • A article in The Virginian-Pilot by jon w. Glass, (757) 222-5119 or jon.glass@pilotonline.com

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