VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach City leaders are planning to develop Bow Creek Golf Course into something everyone can enjoy. A big benefit would include helping migrate flooding to a large pond.
Officials are holding an open house next week to talk about their ideas. The meeting is Wednesday, October 3rd from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bow Creek Recreation Center.
“I don’t want anyone saying we didn’t want this. I want people to say, 'yes.' It’s got input that we were looking for,” said Stormwater Program Manager Michael Mandy.
The proposed layout for the Bow Creek Stormwater Park includes a large pond and the tee-off location could become a multi-use area for everyone to enjoy.
"Recreational fields, workouts so you can have volleyball, you can have your pickleball courts and you can have all these other courts,” Mandy said.
Mandy explained the pond is the biggest piece of the project. He said it could help capture floodwater during heavy storms or even hurricanes.
“We want to manage the stormwater. We want to really be able to control the water and have it not flood in their houses but managing it and releasing it downstream,” Mandy explained.
The estimated cost for the project is around $65 million. City leaders said the money would come from monthly stormwater utility fees.
William Jennings is part of the Princess Anne Plaza Civic League flood committee. He said he has some concerns.
“Will it be adequate enough to hold the amount of water that they need to store and then drain off at a period of time. Is there another alternative such as widening London Bridge creek and the creek that goes down to the south,” explained Jennings.
Leaders said the project won’t happen overnight. If approved, construction wouldn’t start for at least two years. Crews would work in phases and it could take 8-12 years to complete.