Greetings fellow Colonial Beach Residents
I would like to provide an update of Wednesday night’s Joint Planning Commission/Council meeting along with Council’s Tour of the Golf Cart Path and the other proposed North Park:
1) The first item for discussion was the old Jail House building on 10 N Irving Ave. This building has a lot of structural problems and the developer needs to reinforce the building to avoid a total demolition. The owner proposed that the building will have 3 apartments for rent and the jail (15% of the building) will remain a commercial tourist attraction. The vote was unanimous to approve the CUP (conditional use permit) and I agreed because this appears to be the only way to save the building.
2) Draft Capital Improvement Plan. The plan presented will be used to seek improvements in all areas of the Town. A few projects regarding town safety that I have been advocating for are: 1) North Side golf cart path improvements, 2) improvements to Castlewood Park and 3) sidewalk improvements. One concern residents’ brought to me was a need for sidewalks in front of our schools so I asked town management if there were still grant opportunities for this and the answer was yes. I was pleased to see the mayor also considered school sidewalks a priority because she requested this be added to the CIP. I would like to go a step further to see if we can add other sidewalks to the plan.
The projects listed below are in the draft CIP.
Water and Sewer - Central drainage area sewer replacement, First street water main replacement, Point drainage area replacement, Meadows/Bluff area replacement; Sewer Inspection Camera & Truck,
Public works -Street buildouts for 8th, 10 and 11 streets, Dwight Ave extension, Stormwater management Plan (phase one), street sweeper truck, dump truck, Bobcat and operations truck, Town pier refurbishment.
Parks and Rec/ Public Works – Town Excursion Pier, Bike Path to Monroe Birthplace; Northside Path Improvements; Castlewood Park Improvements (Phase 2), Eleanor Park Improvements; Park Playground equipment, Streetscape for Colonial Ave,
Administration - Town website; police station; replacement of the library ’s carpet
Public Safety- 2 police officer vehicles; UTV; Town Parking Garage
Resiliency and Sustainment- resiliency plan, Monroe Bay Ave from Robin Grove Shoreline, North Beach erosion control.
Note: These items are in draft form so residents will have an opportunity to give input for what ends up on the final plan.
3) Regular Planning Commission meeting. The Planning commission discussed AirBnB’s (short term rentals). Many members of the planning commission and council have AirBnB's but they recognized the residents' concerns on their effect to safety, unfriendliness to business and the overall sense of community. The discussion included registration of AirBnB's and the legal limits set forth by Virginia and IRS. It was refreshing to hear the discussion which echoed the residents’ points over the last year. During citizen input I asked if PC meetings could be put on YouTube so residents could be more informed about town business.
Council’s Tour of Golf Cart Path and Proposed North Park:
Friday Council along with town staff and our new police chief met at the end of Euclid Ave and 7th Street to start a tour of the areas proposed for a North Park. This tour was suggested by me as a way for us all to get a perspective of what a linear park would look like, discuss safety concerns, see where it would actually be placed and to look at the proposed property at Azalea and Stafford. The tour went well and Council now has a clearer picture of our options.
Please email me with questions, comments or concerns dwilliams@colonialbeachva.net
Councilman Williams – Public Works Liaison
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