Drayage Brokersin Virginia Beach, VA

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – At 8:57 p.m. Sunday night, well after the Janet Jackson concert had started at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, a Google Map that Norfolk resident Debra Kraus was using showed that it would take 19 minutes to travel 700 feet.

“If I could have maneuvered out of traffic, I probably would have turned around,” Kraus said. “I was locked into where I was.”

As she sat, she wondered where the traffic control was.

“I saw no traffic control. … They failed in not being present,” Kraus said. “I did not see any evidence anybody was out there until the very end when I saw flashing lights coming up Princess Anne…we were diverted down to Dam Neck Road…and then the cars started moving…by then it was too late.”

Off-duty Virginia Beach Sheriff’s deputies run traffic control. 10 On Your Side asked the Sheriff’s Office what went wrong.

“There are limited ingress and egress points and the large number of vehicles that arrived after 7 p.m. made it difficult to get vehicles into the parking lots quickly,” the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office said.

That was the problem.

Thousands like Kraus were arriving after 7 p.m. because the traffic wasn’t moving.

10 On Your Side received reports of heavy traffic and backups at the concert, specifically on Princess Anne Road. Some concertgoers told WAVY that they were waiting up to 3-and-a-half hours to get to the venue. Some drivers were even captured on video jumping the curb to try to cut in line and get to the venue quicker.

The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office also noted that despite the barrage of traffic, 7,000 people were directed into the parking lots between 8 and 9:15 p.m., when traffic was officially cleared.

But opening act Ludacris was way done, and Janet Jackson was nearly done at that point.

Kraus had a message to concert promoter Live Nation.

“Please be more organized,” Kraus said. “Please train your staff to deal with the huge numbers of people coming to your shows. We want to be there, and we are excited to be there, and we deserve to be there.”

Live Nation said it prepared for a large number of people to attend the show and noted fans received two emails and a robocall from the venue about the expected high traffic. The venue, it said, also shared advisories on social media and worked with local radio stations to share the information.

As WAVY reported Monday, the venue sent concert-goers emails and posted several messages to social media well ahead of the show warning that they should arrive early, with high traffic volumes anticipated.

Live Nation said the parking lots were scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m., but opened early. It also noted that many fans arrived in groups of two, which it called “abnormal” – noting that for most shows, fans carpool and rideshare services.

The concert promoter also said “the majority of fans” were in the venue by the time Jackson began performing. It said it issued a post-show survey to fans to share their experiences.

The Sheriff’s Office, in a statement to 10 On Your Side, said that “in anticipation of heavy concert traffic this past Sunday, May 14, the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office stationed deputies to direct traffic an hour earlier than normal. This was in alignment with notifications from LiveNation advising concert-goers to arrive early due to expected heavy traffic. Deputies were present at all assigned locations, including operating the traffic control box at the corner of Princes Anne Road and Concert Drive.”

10 On Your Side received conflicting accounts from concertgoers who said there was no traffic control at the intersection that VBSO mentioned in their statement, and that they did not see deputies directing traffic until visitors made it to the venue parking lot.

The statement continued by saying that the limited entrance and exit points at the venue, combined with the number of visitors who arrived after 7 p.m., made it difficult to get vehicles into the parking lot quickly.

The Sheriff’s Office also reminded people in their statement that those who will be attending shows at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater should give themselves extra time to travel to and from the venue.

Kraus is confident she knows where to place blame.

“Oh, it rests with Live Nation,” Kraus said. They are the organizers, they are the ones I gave my money to and they failed to deliver to me.”

The Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre would not provide anyone to interview with WAVY about the traffic complaints.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A rare and powerful tornado sent residents of a coastal city in Virginia fleeing for cover over the weekend as it peeled roofs from buildings and pushed homes from their foundations.

It was the most powerful tornado ever to hit Virginia Beach, Virginia, officials confirmed Monday. No one was reported injured, despite few residents being prepared for tornadoes. Several people described taking cover under stairwells; most lack basements because the water table is so high.

Wreckage from destructive weather dotted the U.S. Monday as officials took stock of unrelated tornadoes and flooding damage from over the weekend, stretching from Florida to Maine.

In Virginia Beach, residents credited a cellphone warning system for helping them take shelter in time. One family escaped injuries by reacting to a weather alert that came less than a minute before the tornado hit.

“It just happened suddenly,” Lori Camper said. “The whole thing lasted 10 seconds.”

She and her visiting daughter looked out the window and saw the trees bending in the wind and ran. The family, including Camper’s grandchildren, aged 2 years and 5 weeks, as well as two dogs, ran into a stairwell — the only place without windows.

“Then all the windows blew out in the kitchen and sucked everything out of the kitchen and a tree fell through the roof,” Camper said. “And now one side of the house is leaning.”

She hadn’t experienced a tornado that strong in the 19 years she had lived there.

“I’m grateful,” she said. “God took care of us.”

No injuries were reported.

Elsewhere, officials were assessing damage Monday in West Virginia, Maine, Florida and California. The National Weather Service confirmed a Saturday tornado in Florida. And high water on the Mississippi River is testing flood defenses in Iowa and Illinois as the river crests in the area Monday.

West Virginia’s eastern mountains could see up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow Tuesday morning as a rare May winter storm moves through, forecasters said. The snow won’t help the area’s ski resorts, which had already closed for the season.

In California, a late-season weather system brought showers and the possibility of high-elevation snow in the Sierra Nevada through the week. Fears of flooding shut down of parts of Yosemite Valley over the weekend. But the National Park Service said the Merced River did not rise as much as expected and the valley reopened on Monday.

In Maine, heavy rain and powerful wind gusts knocked out power for more than 50,000 homes and businesses on Monday morning. Wind gusts of up to 70 mph (115 kph) were reported Sunday near Matinicus Island, about 20 miles offshore, and up to 65 mph (100 kph) onshore in Bath, where Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works has numerous cranes. Rainfall approaching 5 inches (13 centimeters) also led to flood warnings on several rivers in parts of southern Maine.

The Virginia Beach tornado damaged at least 100 buildings, tearing through them with wind speeds as high as 150 mph (240 kph), officials assessing the wreckage and weather data said Monday. The National Weather Service’s Wakefield, Virginia, office confirmed Monday morning that the tornado was rated at EF-3, with wind estimates of 140 mph (225 kph) to 150 mph (240 kph). It’s the first tornado to be rated that high, according to NOAA records, with wind gusts exceeding those of the largest hurricanes recorded around the city.

A.T. Price, 73, was at his stove making tacos Sunday when his phone started to buzz with severe weather alerts. At first, he pooh-poohed it.

“But it kept buzzing and buzzing. I checked it again and it says, ’Immediate danger. Tornado down,’” Price said. He dove into the closet below his first-floor stairwell, crouching into a fetal position under his winter coats.

“I heard the freight-train sound, and it sounded like it was going right over the house,” Price said. “I would tell people to heed those alerts.”

Virginia Beach Director of Emergency Management David Topczynski said Monday that the city got lucky because the storm blew in Sunday during a music festival, where an emergency operation center was already set up, allowing for a swift response.

The tornado caused an estimated $15 million in residential damage, with nine homes destroyed, the city said in a Monday afternoon news release. Another 36 homes sustained major damage that made them unlivable, while “many more” had significant damage, the city said.

___

This story has been corrected to show that at least 100 buildings in Virginia Beach were reported to be damaged, not destroyed.

This coastal escape has been flying under the radar—but not anymore.

In This Article

This friendly town on the Chesapeake Bay feels a bit like Mayberry. Here on the southern end of Virginia's Eastern Shore, kids shuffle down the pier with fishing poles and Cokes, wispy-haired men swap stories outside the hardware store, and the whole place seems to tuck in for the night not long after the sun goes down. But Cape Charles is decidedly more cosmopolitan than Andy Griffith's stomping grounds.

Once the economic hub of the Eastern Shore, Cape Charles settled into a sleepier routine with the decline of the railroad industry and the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. But more than 50 years later, the salty little hamlet has officially made a comeback, holding tight to its small-town character even as it welcomes a new and growing crowd of beach lovers. Now meet the folks ushering Cape Charles into its most exciting chapter yet.

Where to Eat

Swing by family-owned The Bakery on Mason for warm pastries and picnic-perfect sandwiches. Settle into Ambrogia Caffe & Enoteca for homemade pasta, fresh seafood, and beautiful desserts. Slurp local oysters and catch the sunset from the deck at Shanty restaurant.

Drunken Clams, a special menu item at Cape Charles Brewing Company. PHOTO: Robbie Caponetto PHOTO: Robbie Caponetto

The Brown Dog Ice Cream owner, Miriam Wagner, never planned to have a scoop shop. "My then-husband and I were in Virginia Beach for a wedding," she says. "We had a little bit of time to kill and had never been over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, so we said, 'What the heck! Let's see what's on the other side.' " There, they found Cape Charles, a quiet bayside haven. Smitten with this place, they closed on a house just 15 days later—something Miriam says is not altogether unusual for the area. "That's the story of so many people who live here," she says. "They come, they fall in love with it, and they buy something."

That was in 2005. Then, seven years later, Miriam found herself with another piece of real estate—a rented retail space on Mason Avenue, the town's main drag—and no idea what to do with it. "I thought, 'What does a beach town really need?'" So then she opened Brown Dog Ice Cream, where the tasty flavors are determined by what's in season and available just down the road. "The old adage, 'A rising tide lifts all boats,' is very true here," says Miriam. "To make our coffee ice cream, we source from the local roaster. All the farmers come and bring me the produce that is freshest to use. If I find myself needing more peaches, they will let me go pick them."

While the menu (which features coffee and doughnuts in addition to its inventive ice creams) changes daily, the welcoming atmosphere at the shop and across Cape Charles, in general, remains a constant. "There is a sense of community here, even if you're just visiting this area," says Miriam. "People will come and stay for a week. By the second day, we've talked to them and know who they are. And by the end of the week, they will come in and tell us, 'We're really sorry that it's our last day, but we'll be back next year.' "

PHOTO: Robbie Caponetto Mark (left) and Chris Marshall started Cape Charles Brewing Company with their mother, Deborah. PHOTO: Robbie Caponetto

Where to Drink

Mark and Chris Marshallare siblings, business partners, and near-perfect foils for each other. Mark, the self-proclaimed "serious brother," wears a collared shirt and wiry glasses. He talks about things like the town's old "cash economy." Chris, aka "fun brother," looks more like a surfer than a sales guy and wears a T-shirt he tie-dyed himself. But that's probably why the two work well together—and also why their Cape Charles Brewing Company enjoys so much success. "We wanted to create a true destination: a place where you could have a great craft beer, eat good food, and listen to music," says Mark.

For Chris, the proof that they had done just that was parked right outside—at least before the coronavirus pandemic. He pulled into the brewery parking lot one day to find license plates from all over: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Now, as people begin to feel safer and more comfortable traveling, the brothers hope to see an entire lot again this summer. "You have this pristine piece of geography here," says Mark. "It's a little slice of paradise that everybody is finding out about and coming down to discover."

Where to Stay

Just east of the hardware store is Hotel Cape Charles, a sleek boutique stay that offers complimentary beach cruisers for guests. Hotel Cape Charles makes sunny days out on the sand a breeze. Guests at this hotel can help themselves to complimentary bicycles, beach chairs, and towels. Vrbo and Airbnb also have plenty of good options for visitors who want a little more space.

Activities in Cape Charles

Families will love Cape Charles Beach, as the waters of the Chesapeake Bay are calm and shallow at this vast public stretch of shoreline. Rental company SouthEast Expeditions offers stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and guided excursions. Paddle to a wine tasting on their Chatham Vineyards tour. Shop the length of Mason Avenue for unique souvenirs. Pop into Moonrise Jewelry for fish-leather accessories, or stop by Gull Hummock Gourmet Market to sample local wines and snacks.

The Sabo sisters, Carol and Beth Ann are not very good at retirement. "The joke on the Shore is that everybody has two jobs," says Beth Ann. "We already had second jobs (I train dogs, and Carol owns Machipongo Trading Company up the road) when we had careers. Once we retired from our full-time gigs as an equine vet and forensic scientist, we just needed another thing to fill the career space." They did that with coffee, bagels, and gently used books.

Shops on Mason Avenue, the main thoroughfare. PHOTO: Robbie Caponetto Beth Ann Sabo at Peach Street Books, the coffee shop and bookstore she owns with her sister, Carol. PHOTO: Robbie Caponetto

In November 2018, they opened Peach Street Books in a light-filled 1930s building that had been a Pure Oil station and then a garage. "We love the feeling here," says Beth Ann of the cottage-meets-contemporary space. "We knew from the plans what it would look like but not what it would feel like—welcoming and cheery. It has historic angles but is still modern, which is very much like Cape Charles itself." For the sisters, the bookstore is a means of connecting with everyone who meanders to this Eastern Shore. "When you go into a town and see that there are other people who love books and reading or writing, it just gives you a good feeling of community," says Beth Ann. "It makes the world seem both smaller and larger at the same time."

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Posted at 6:09 PM, Apr 26, 2023

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — City leaders in Virginia Beach are hearing more about a potential project that would change the southern part of the city, changing farmland to a manufacturing site.

On Tuesday afternoon, Deputy City Manager Taylor Adams briefed City Council. He explained that a prospective client is interested in developing 200-250 acres. Adams said he couldn’t reveal the name of the company but said it involves medical manufacturing.

“When you’re talking a change of this nature and also when you’re talking about land that’s owned by the public, the most important thing we can do is: one, be as transparent as we possibly can while respecting the discretion we owe to the prospect and to our colleagues at the state,” stated Adams.

It's being called Project Wayne, though Adams said there's no particular reason for the name. If this project would move forward, the land would need to be rezoned from agricultural to zoning for light industrial use.

The land is city-owned and currently used for farming, according to Adams. It’s located between Naval Air Station Oceana and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress in Chesapeake. He described the northern part being near the Princess Anne Athletic Complex and the Virginia Beach National Golf Club.

“When you’re talking about this amount of capital investment in excess of 150, almost 200 million dollars and you’re talking about 400 new jobs that pay above the median average for the region, this is a project that any community in the country would be honored to have,” Adams said.

Longtime City Council member Barbara Henley has concerns, saying we cannot forget that agriculture is one of three industries that make Virginia Beach - in addition to tourism and the military.

Virginia Beach resident Pat Gadzinski attended the briefing. She is skeptical about the project.

“I think it will affect the value of our homes. I think it’s going to add traffic issues, and I’m not sure everybody really wants to be besides an industrial park. Whether our homes actually touch the park, that’s not part of the problem,” Gadzinski told News 3, adding, “Instead of having this green space that we’ve lived in for 29 years, which is supposed to be protected… they’re steamrolling us and telling us they can do whatever they want.”

Deputy City Manager Adams asked City Council how they would like to proceed. Members decided to hold a public hearing during the next meeting on Tuesday, May 16. Mayor Bobby Dyer said he wants public input before taking this to the next step.

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The future of 250 acres of Virginia Beach farmland is uncertain, as manufacturers eye the property.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Members of a citizens advisory committee in Virginia Beach are raising red flags over a potential development in the southern part of the city.

They held a meeting Thursday evening, and Virginia Beach economic development officials answered what they could about the proposal dubbed as "Project Wayne."

Questions and concerns are emerging from some residents, while Virginia Beach City Council members weigh what's next. As part of an initial phase, "Project Wayne" developers are asking to build on 250 acres next to Virginia Beach National Golf Club.

While the public knows very little details, the proposal is facing some pushback.

The first phase of "Project Wayne" could bring a $175 million capital investment and 400 jobs, according to city leaders. It could also usher in two more phases, meaning additional land usage and jobs. However, the focus of talks right now is on "Phase 1."

Chuck Rigney, the business attraction administrator with Virginia Beach Economic Development, said it is a viable prospect.

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Only key city officials know the company's name. They did say developers are looking for space for "advanced manufacturing" of medical products.

Virginia Beach is competing with cities within Virginia and other states for this potential development.

"We are still very much in the finding-out phase. The company itself, though, would like to know if there is any appetite for the continuing evaluation of Virginia Beach," Rigney said.

The property under evaluation is located below the "green line." It's a longstanding symbol of separation between development to the north and agriculture to the south.

Pungo farmer John Cromwell, Jr. wants to protect agriculture, which he described as a viable industry.

"The best part about agriculture is we have what we need. We don't need any infrastructure. This is my factory here," Cromwell said as he motioned to the ground and picked up the soil. "I need this, I need fresh air, sunshine and rain."

To make way for "Project Wayne," council members would need to rezone the land in question.

"Agricultural zoning to an industrial zoning, that is one whopping major change," Cromwell said.

And a group of citizens who monitors projects around the "green line" agrees. Committee members met Thursday evening, focusing a lot of discussions around "Project Wayne."

"It's a little premature to be looking at this project and to be looking at sites in the area," Lisa Hartman, chair of the Transition Area/Interfacility Traffic Area Citizens Advisory Committee, said.

Hartman explained how the proposal lacks the backing of research, studies and cohesion with established plans.

"If we have Project Wayne that we think might come here, we zone it industrial and they decide not to come here, we are now left with this industrial zoning," Hartman added.

"Further, the land that they're talking about developing is lowland, wetland, it doesn't perc, there's no infrastructure," Martha Thereault, a longtime Virginia Beach resident, said.

"All that impervious surface and the stormwater management, it's just a bad fit," Cromwell also said.

However, one man who sat in during the advisory committee meeting Thursday night mentioned the attraction of business and industry that came along with "Project Wayne." He declined an interview with 13News Now following the meeting.

Before taking any more steps, council members will hear comments from the public on May 16 at 6 p.m. It will be at Virginia Beach City Hall.

Notably, it is not yet clear when the council plans to vote on whether to rezone the land.