Public‑works staff ask council to approve 560 Oceana dredge‑material site as Whitehurst DMMA nears capacity

LJ Hanson, the City of Virginia Beach director of public works, briefed the City Council on May 13 that the city's primary dredge-material management area (DMMA) at Whitehurst is nearing capacity and that staff will seek a modification to a conditional use permit to allow a replacement DMMA at 560 Oceana Boulevard.

Hanson said the Whitehurst DMMA, a 31‑acre former borrow pit that began operations in 2012, was originally permitted with an expected useful life through about 2036 but is filling faster than estimated. "We had projected that it would last us until about 2036," Hanson said. "However ... our facility is filling up faster than we originally had projected." He reported roughly 60,000 cubic yards of storage remained at Whitehurst and that, at current rates, that capacity would be exhausted by the end of the calendar year.

Staff proposal and technical details

Public Works proposes modifying an existing conditional use permit (CUP) to permit placement of dredged silts, clays and sands in a 19.5‑acre site at 560 Oceana (a former sand/borrow pit, zoned I‑1). Hanson said the proposed Oceana DMMA would have an estimated capacity of about 350,000 cubic yards and — at the city's current fill rate — could provide storage for about eight to ten years. Site work would include construction of access roads and an east‑perimeter berm of about 2–3 feet for additional storage during heavy rainfall events. Hanson said three monitoring wells were installed April 14 to establish baseline groundwater characteristics; laboratory results had not been received at the briefing.

Planning commission recommendation and local concerns

Hanson told council the Planning Commission voted on April 9, 2025 to recommend denial of the CUP modification, citing three concerns: (1) the material to be placed (silt and clay) differs from the historical sandy borrow, raising questions about potential leaching; (2) concerns about groundwater and well impacts; and (3) that the commission preferred the city to build the berm before seeking the CUP. Hanson said staff disagrees with the rationale and that building the berm before permit approval would risk expending funds on a project that might not be permitted.

Residents and several council members raised questions about groundwater, monitoring and alternatives. Jim (staff member present at Planning Commission) told council that the primary opposition before Planning Commission came from nearby residents to the south and that their concerns focused on potential leaching and runoff. Hanson and staff emphasized that dredged material is tested before placement and that in 2018–2024 the city completed 49 dredging projects across districts without recorded incidents of leachate from city DMMAs.

Costs and program impacts

Hanson provided a cost comparison: disposal at Whitehurst runs about $53 per cubic yard; using private or more distant facilities would be about $140 per cubic yard, largely due to transportation and disposal fees. He said shifting disposal to private sites could increase project disposal costs by roughly 80% for some projects and would materially affect city stormwater and neighborhood dredging budgets as well as the Special Service District (SSD) dredging program.

Alternatives and next steps

Hanson said there are privately owned alternative disposal sites — including facilities in Chesapeake and locations outside Virginia — but that those options are limited, more expensive, and would require increased hauling distances. If council approves the CUP modification at the May 20 meeting, Hanson said site work would begin on the east perimeter berm and access roads and Oceana DMMA could be operational by late fall 2025. If the CUP is denied, staff said the city could continue dredging projects using private sites at higher cost, which would affect budgets and potentially reduce the scope or frequency of neighborhood dredging projects.

Distinguishing discussion and formal action

Planning Commission recommendation is advisory: council will consider an ordinance and a CUP modification at its May 20 meeting. No final council action on the CUP was taken during the May 13 briefing. Hanson said monitoring wells will provide baseline data and that all dredged material would be tested for contaminants before placement.

Ending

Councilmembers asked for additional information and, in some cases, indicated they might seek meetings with residents before deciding on May 20. Staff said lab results from monitoring wells were pending and that the city will continue to evaluate future DMMA needs as the new site would be expected to serve eight to ten years under current dredging rates.