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Virginia Beach council approves $90 million stormwater revenue bond and multiple ordinances, café agreements and appointments
Summary
The Virginia Beach City Council approved a consent agenda that included authorization for up to $90,000,000 in stormwater utility revenue bonds, acceptance of a $555,750 DEQ grant for water-quality projects, multiple sidewalk café franchise agreements and a slate of board and liaison appointments by a 10-0 vote.
The Virginia Beach City Council on March (2025) approved a broad consent agenda that included a resolution authorizing issuance and sale of Stormwater Utility Revenue Bond Series 2025 for a maximum principal amount of $90,000,000 and several ordinances and franchise and café agreements.
The council voted 10-0 to approve the consent agenda as read by Vice Mayor Wilson. The package included a resolution to finance improvements to the city’s stormwater utility system, an ordinance accepting and appropriating $555,750 from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for FY 2024–25 capital project 10391 (Southern Rivers Watershed water-quality improvements), and multiple amendments to city code establishing or adjusting membership for advisory boards and committees.
The consent agenda also included a long list of sidewalk café franchise agreements covering businesses along the boardwalk and adjacent streets. Named businesses in the council materials included Bridal LLC; Basil Pizza; Curley LLC (2 D Cafe Eatery); Siha Inc. (Red Dragon Ray); La Deuce; Las Palmas Boardwalk Corporation; Camillus Inc. (Ninth Street Grill Cafe); Seda Inc. (Street Grill Ray); Corey LLC (Cafe Atlantic); Virginia George Company (Doughboys Cafe); Planet Pizza Inc.; VB Raw Bar Inc.; Seaside Raw Bar Cafe; Eleventh Street Taphouse LLC; Chico’s Ray Board House Boardwalk Cafe; Dunes Investment Associates LLC (Dunes Cafe Boardwalk Cafe); and Crestline Hotels and Resorts (Courtyard Boardwalk Cafe). The council record showed no speakers for the cafe items.
The consent vote also confirmed multiple board appointments and liaison assignments, including appointments to the Health Service Advisory Board, Human Rights Commission, Independent Citizens Review Board, Open Space Advisory Committee and the Virginia Beach Cannabis Advisory Task Force, among others. Vice Mayor Wilson read the appointments and the council approved them 10-0.
Council approval of the consent agenda followed earlier procedural votes at the meeting: the council certified a prior closed session by an 11-0 vote and approved minutes of prior sessions by a 9-0 vote with one abstention noted (Council Member Rao).
Why it matters: The stormwater bond authorization provides city managers the financing mechanism to proceed with planned stormwater quality and infrastructure projects; the DEQ grant supplements that work. The package also formalizes dozens of franchise agreements and fills advisory positions that govern city boards and commissions.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda: approved 10-0. Includes Stormwater Utility Revenue Bond Series 2025 (resolution, max $90,000,000); acceptance of a $555,750 DEQ grant for capital project 10391; multiple ordinances amending membership of advisory committees; and numerous sidewalk café franchise agreements (list above). No separate roll-call votes recorded in the transcript for individual café items.
- Appointments: approved 10-0. (Council confirmed appointment slate as read by Vice Mayor Wilson.)
Details and background
The stormwater item was presented as a resolution to provide for issuance and sale of the bonds in a maximum principal amount of $90,000,000 and to authorize related documents and payments to finance stormwater quality utility system improvements. The DEQ grant acceptance was described as a $555,750 award to the FY 2024–25 capital improvement program for the Southern Rivers Watershed water-quality projects.
The sidewalk café and franchise items were listed individually in the council materials; the transcript shows no members of the public signed up to speak on those items. The council typically approves such agreements by consent unless a speaker or council member requests separate consideration.
Appointments confirmed by the council included public-board, liaison and committee assignments. The vice mayor read the list into the record before the council vote.
What the record does not show
The transcript does not include detailed staff presentations, financing terms beyond the $90 million cap for the bond, or a breakdown of which city department will manage each newly authorized project. Specific effective dates or contract terms for the café franchise agreements were not read into the public record during the consent motion as recorded in the transcript.
Provenance: Excerpts of the council’s reading of the consent agenda and the subsequent vote are in the meeting transcript at the points where Vice Mayor Wilson reads the ordinance/resolution list and where the clerk announces the vote.
