Consultants unveil Rudy Park master plan, present surface- and structured-parking cost scenarios

Design consultants presented a draft master plan for Rudy Park to the Virginia Beach City Council on a design that organizers said emphasizes water access, natural planting and three connected zones from the boardwalk inward.

The plan’s lead consultant, Clay Dills, introduced a team that included Michael Kirschman of Parks and Recreation, landscape designers from EDSA and Scape Studio, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (programming and revenue) and Sussex Development Corporation (cost and constructability). “We’re ecstatic to share with you our final draft, master plan and design for Rudy Park,” Dills told the council.

Consultants said public outreach informed the design. Dills and other presenters reported outreach to “over 14,000 people” and thousands of written comments and survey data points, which the team said showed strong public preference for public green space, shoreline access and authentic Virginia Beach character. The design lays out three primary zones: a beach-facing “Beach Village,” a water plaza at the Atlantic Avenue terminus and lawns and nature-play areas connected to the Virginia Beach Trail. The plan includes a shared use path and an elevated walkway to provide panoramic views.

Biederman Redevelopment Ventures presented preliminary operating assumptions and revenue possibilities. The firm estimated annual park revenues in the low millions—enough, the firm said, to help support operations if a robust programming and sponsorship plan is implemented. Biederman also projected annual operations costs in the consultants’ conservative model; presenters described an operations budget “in the range of $1.5 million” per year and visitor forecasts of roughly 2 million to 3 million visitors annually at full build-out and programing.

Consultants laid out two high-level cost scenarios. Harry Davis of Sussex Development Corporation described a scenario that included a structured parking garage and park construction that the team estimated in their presentation at about $70 million. He then said the team modeled an alternative that relies on surface parking and reduced soft costs, which the presentation represented as roughly $42 million. Davis cautioned that figures are early-stage estimates with contingency and escalation allowances and that costs are based on current-dollar assumptions projected toward a 2027 construction timeframe.

Council members pressed presenters on maintenance, durability and staging logistics. Councilmember Stacy said she was concerned about the number of water features and the effect of “salt air” and local maintenance needs, calling the proposed water elements “a maintenance nightmare.” Consultants said they had consulted water-feature specialists and that design decisions—such as keeping mechanical equipment above grade and using sand traps—were intended to reduce corrosion and maintenance issues.

Council members asked about staging and event logistics if the site uses surface rather than structured parking. Presenters said resort stakeholders prefer surface parking for staging and that moving parking slightly north could help separate event logistics from public park uses. Consultants also reported geotechnical work on the site; when asked how many borings had been taken, the team said, “about 18” across the site.

Next steps: Parks and Recreation will return to council in roughly two weeks to seek guidance on parking—structured garage versus surface lots—and to present additional design and governance options. Consultants outlined a preliminary schedule that showed design completion and permitting beginning in mid‑2025, construction starting in 2027 and a potential ribbon-cutting in 2028, but they emphasized those dates are subject to permitting, market conditions and council direction.

Questions and follow-ups from councilmembers focused on funding mechanisms, possible sponsorship and naming-rights programs, governance options (including a conservancy model), operational assumptions and how events and emergency/staging operations would be accommodated during peak seasons.