Planning commission backs NOSIS LLC rezoning despite neighborhood opposition

The Virginia Beach Planning Commission on Jan. 2025 recommended approval of a conditional rezoning and subdivision application from NOSIS LLC that would convert roughly 2.4 acres of wooded land in the Holland Pines neighborhood into eight single-family lots, with one lot reserved for stormwater management.

Opponents said the development would remove mature trees, reduce privacy for adjacent homeowners and heighten flood and drainage risks. "We respectfully request that the board reject the proposed rezoning," said resident Andre Nizdoimin, who said 22 nearby property owners signed a letter opposing the plan.

The applicant's attorney, Kevin Brunick, told commissioners the plan meets staff proffers and that proffered building materials will ensure compatibility with surrounding homes. Developer Dimitryos Manousos (Knossos LLC) and his engineer said the design includes a dry best management practice (BMP) detention area and a preliminary drainage plan that staff has reviewed.

Commissioners pressed the applicant for details about the stormwater process, open-space cash-in-lieu plans and how landscaping buffers and a privacy fence would be installed along the rear property lines. Planning staff said any cash payment in lieu of on-site open space would be handled later by Parks and Recreation and the Commissioner of the Revenue, and that the payment is assessed based on assessed value.

Several speakers who live next to the parcel described the lot as a neighborhood amenity and said notices arrived late. Residents cited wildlife sightings, historic tree cover and prior flooding incidents on nearby streets. The developer said the property currently is zoned AG-1 and could be used for agricultural purposes under current rules; he said the proffered plan would be less disruptive than some existing uses and would add required landscaping and a six-foot privacy fence where feasible.

Commissioner Catherine Beiler and others said the site, as framed in the staff report, is compatible with the comprehensive plan and that the developer's proposal represents a compromise between competing city objectives for housing and open space. "It appears to be a good compromise among our many different objectives," Beiler said.

By recorded vote of 11 to 0, the commission recommended approval. The commission's recommendation will go to the Virginia Beach City Council for final action.

The motion to recommend approval was made by Commissioner John Costin and seconded by Commissioner Hippen; Commissioner Brian Plumley noted he had previously recused himself but later participated in the vote after in-house review.

If council approves, the developer must complete the city's site-plan and stormwater approvals and adhere to proffers governing building materials, landscaping and the approved BMP. Staff told commissioners the final drainage and any cash-in-lieu calculation for open-space dedication would be completed during subsequent steps.