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Home My WebLink AboutAtlantic Avenue Task Force ReportAtlantic Avenue Task Force Presentation to City Council Julie Brenman, Chief Operating Officer, Fountainworks January 6, 2026 1 The City Council passed a resolution to establish the Atlantic Avenue Task Force to: 2 Develop recommendations to the City Council for how to allocate the $30 - $35 million Capital Improvement Project funds for Atlantic Avenue capital improvements, including: •Appearance – Facades, Art, Decorative Elements •Mobility and Safety – Sidewalks & Transportation •On-Street Parking Develop recommendations to the City Council for an approach to implementing capital improvements to the three different sections of Atlantic Avenue: •North Beach (25-40th Street) •Central Beach (17-24th Street) •South Beach (5-17th Street) Task Force Members 3 •Harshad Barot – Chamber of Commerce •Chuck Cayton – Resort Advisory Commission Chair •Bill Gambrell – Resort Advisory Commission •Michael Mauch – Restaurant Association Past President •Deepak “D”Nachnani – Atlantic Avenue Association President •Katherine Pittman – ViBe Creative District Executive Director •John Zirkle – Hotel Association President Michael Mauch and Bill Gambrell served as Task Force Co-Chairs. Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson and Councilmember Worth Remick served as City Council liaisons. City Staff Supporting the Task Force 4 Representatives from the City Manager’s office, Department of Economic Development, Convention and Visitors Bureau,Police Department, Department of Public Works, Cultural Affairs Department, and Fire Department participated as subject matter experts and advisors, including: Fountainworks was engaged as a neutral facilitator to convene the meetings and provide support to the Task Force in developing recommendations. The Taskforce met 5 times between July and November 2025 for a total of 20 hours. •Amanda Jarratt, Deputy City Manager •Emily Archer, Deputy Director Economic Development •Brande Rumpf, Director of Partnership, CVB •LJ Hansen, Director of Public Works •Emily Labows, Director of Cultural Affairs •Chief, Paul Neudigate, Virgina Beach Police Department •Sgt. Nick Ball, Virgina Beach Police Department •Bill Kelly, Resort Administrator, CVB •Chief, Kenneth Pravetz, Virginia Beach Fire Department •Chief, Jason Stroud, Emergency Management •Joseph Marzitello, Virginia Beach Fire Department •Lisa Neal, Administrative Specialist, CVB •Wendell Phillips, Resort Projects Coordinator, CVB •Peter Gaytan, Economic Development •Dennis Ozowara, Project Development Administrator, Economic Development •Tavris Parker, Parking Operations Manager •Clay Dills, Architect 5 Atlantic Avenue Task Force Schedule January 6 Human Centered Design 6 The Task Force employed human centered design in their approach and considered Atlantic Avenue from the perspective of several personas, including: •City Elected Officials •City Staff •Virginia Beach Resident Visitor •Virginia Beach Tourist Visitor •Atlantic Avenue Hotelier •Atlantic Avenue Restauranteur •Atlantic Avenue Retailer Atlantic Avenue Tour 7 Vision Vision for Atlantic Avenue •A unique, memorable destination for visitors and residents •A clean, safe, attractive, revitalized Atlantic Avenue •Easy to access and navigate for all •Be economically vibrant with increased business year-round 8 Vision for the Task Force •Get consensus and take timely action on recommendations •Come to consensus on on- street parking Recommendations Overview 9 Our recommendations reflect a broad and unified vision, and we believe they provide a clear and actionable path forward. After extensive education and support from staff subject matter experts, deliberation, and collaboration amongst the Task Force members, the Task Force reached unanimous consensus on every recommendation, except related to parking in the north section. Six task force members were in favor of having bike lanes in North Beach which requires removing on-street parking, and one task force member was opposed. Our Recommendations Consider Within the $30-$35 million budget, how and where to prioritize: •Road Striping, Mill and Overlay, and Parking •Sidewalks and Crosswalks •Wayfinding and Placemaking •Lighting •Landscaping •Atlantic Avenue Façade Improvement Grant Program 10 Recommendations Overview 11 •Balance needs of visitors, residents, merchants, hoteliers, public safety •Prioritize improving Central Beach first •South Beach is second priority; North Beach needs fewer improvements •Seek uniformity in standards and appearance across all sections •Invest in a “wow” factor •Implement AAFIG Program (façade improvement grants) •Pursue other non-capital improvements Full Length of Atlantic Ave (5th-40th) 12 •Seek uniform appearance across all Atlantic Avenue •Establish bike lanes spanning the east side of Atlantic Avenue •Full mill and overlay of pavement •Raise crosswalks in key locations •Clean and repair sidewalks •Implement wayfinding and placemaking •Create uniform lighting standards; Implement improvements in phases •Implement enhanced landscaping where possible Central Beach (17th-24th) 13 •Central Beach is highest priority and first to update •Atlantic Avenue focal point •Most in need Central Beach (17th-24th) 14 •Activate the west side of Central Beach and create micro-commerce areas •Micro-commerce zones / Public parklets / Permitted entertainment •No on-street parking Central Beach Activation Areas Example 15 The design of Central Beach will identify locations for necessary access points and zones South Beach (5th-16th) 16 •South Beach is second priority •Retain year-round on-street parking in South Beach •Evening restrictions •Empower VBPD to limit parking for events North Beach (25th-40th) 17 •North Beach has been recently updated; needs fewer improvements •North Beach: No on-street parking* •Alternate parking options (e.g., garages) *One individual did not vote for this recommendation. All other reccomendations had unanimous consent. Wayfinding and Placemaking 19 •Vision: Atlantic Avenue is attractive, memorable, and navigable o Implement wayfinding in all sections o Allocate $100,000 for “Wow! Factor” in each section o Prioritize public-private art partnerships •Considerations: o Use local artists o Incorporate Virginia Beach branding o Create photo spots o Connect bike racks to wayfinding o Emphasize cohesive color choices o Create small business toolkit o Utilize smaller, simple ideas Contingency Budget Priorities 20 •If additional funds remain in the CIP after implementation: •Implement enhanced landscaping, prioritizing Central and South Beach •Enhanced landscaping can be implemented in phases •Install new light fixtures in North Beach •If CIP funds are insufficient for implementation: •Reduce number of raised intersections •If needed, phase electrical and sidewalk replacements in South Beach •Utilize annual mill and overlay CIP funds if possible, to allow for more of Atlantic Avenue improvements Atlantic Avenue Façade Improvement Grant (AAFIG) Program 21 •Implement the proposed AAFIG •Matching grants of $10,000 to $25,000 and performance based •Eligibility: •Property owners/lease holders with frontages (2nd to 40th Streets) •Improvements visible from Atlantic Avenue Right-of-Way •Additional suggestions: •Include suggested uses for applicants •Improvements can wrap the corner if on corner properties •If proof of concept, extend the program Non-Capital Improvement Items 22 •Provide sufficient resources to enforce regulations •Seek support and cooperation of Atlantic Avenue businesses •Invest adequate maintenance funds •Address quality of life issues and provide services for those in distress •Continue allocating spaces for permitted activities •Reinvest micro-commerce zones revenue into TIP fund •Hold exploratory conversations with HRT about trolley route Recommendation to Council 23 •Virginia Beach needs this vital tourism corridor to remain safe, accessible, and unique to continue to attract visitors and be economically vibrant . •The Atlantic Avenue Task Force recognizes the need to proactively address emerging infrastructure demands and preserve Atlantic Avenue’s role as a premier destination for residents and visitors alike. •Significant time and resources have been invested into this decision, and these recommendations have strong support. •We urge the Council to adopt our recommendations and direct staff to move forward with the Atlantic Avenue capital project. Atlantic Avenue Task Force Questions from City Council 24