VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (WVEC) – Leaders in the resort area want more lights to go up on streets at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
In a letter addressed to the city council, the Resort Advisory Commission is asking for increased lighting on certain streets for the “pedestrian safety while providing an inviting atmosphere that will draw people to the resort.”
The request is for a review to adding lights from 16th Street to 25th Street. They would go on each street in the 200 – 300 blocks.
The letter acknowledges the improved lighting at the boardwalk over the years, but said law enforcement has identified those areas as “problematic.”
Neither city staff nor Virginia Beach police sited and specific incident for the request for review.
Businesses in the affected areas like the idea of shedding light on some of their biggest issues.
"Not aggressive lighting, but kind of keep the area well-lit and keep out bad activities,” said Joshua Van Hart, Manager at Repeal Bourbons and Burgers. "Littering's the most annoying part from my perspective as someone who has to clean this place up in the morning, but you see fights you see weird things happen."
"Over a thousand people here at night and all of them leaving here at once creates a lot of traffic out here that the police do have to deal with,” said Amber Teller, a Manager at LunaSea.
An Oceanfront homeowner who spoke with 13News Now said he has concerns over too much lighting, beaming into homes.
It’s undetermined what type of lights would be used to make the requested changes, according to City Traffic Engineer Bob Gey. He said a regular light installation can run up to $1500.
The request now goes to the city council for review.
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