Rezoning West Neck & Signature Golf Course

A Citywide Planning Issue - Not Just a Neighborhood Dispute!

A proposed rezoning at the former Signature Golf Course in West Neck raises critical questions about open space, housing density, and planning integrity that affect all of Virginia Beach — not just one neighborhood.

👉 City leaders need to hear from the community by early February!

SEND A COMMENT TO CITY LEADERS
What We’re Asking City Leaders to Do

Vote NO on the proposed rezoning of the former Signature Golf Course in West Neck.

By asking City leaders to vote No, we're asking them to:

  • Uphold preservation zoning and long-standing planning commitments
  • Protect open space that was already counted to justify existing housing density
  • Not allow a new 143-home subdivision to be placed in the center of a completed, 27-year-old, mature master-planned community
  • Require clear, independent analysis of flooding, infrastructure, and emergency access
  • Apply planning rules consistently, not on a project-by-project basis
  • Protect taxpayers from long-term infrastructure costs tied to inappropriate density

No matter where you live in the city, these principles are important. If it can happen to West Neck, it can happen to any of us.

Why Your Voice Matters Right Now
  • The Planning Commission is expected to vote on February 11th
  • The City Council is expected to vote in March
  • Right now is the window when public input can still influence the outcome!

Once zoning and policy decisions are approved, they are extremely difficult to reverse.

Speaking up now makes a real difference.

SEND A COMMENT TO CITY LEADERS
What Zoning Change Is Being Proposed?

A developer is asking the City of Virginia Beach to rezone land at the former Signature Golf Course in West Neck to allow higher-density residential development.

The request would allow the construction of 143 new homes, along with changes to how the remaining land is used.

The property is currently zoned P-1 (Preservation) — a designation intended to protect critical areas of special concern – including open space – and limit development.

When the West Neck community was originally approved years ago:

  • The golf course land was counted as protected open space and was explicitly used to justify the initial increase to housing density in 2000
  • Traffic assumptions, infrastructure capacity, and community layout relied on that balance between housing and open space
  • The land was placed in preservation zoning to reflect its long-term role as open space

In other words, the existing housing density was only considered acceptable because the open space remained intact.

Why the Proposed Rezoning Is a Problem

Rezoning this preserved land for additional housing would:

  • Remove open space that was already “used” in density calculations
  • Fundamentally alter the scale, character, and planning assumptions of an already completed, mature neighborhood
  • Set a precedent that preserved land can later be converted when pressure arises

City staff have previously cited higher density and a deficiency of recommended open space as reasons to oppose similar proposals for this site.

If land that was already counted as protected open space can later be rezoned for additional development, no preserved area in the city is truly secure.

Citywide Impacts

Planning Integrity

Allowing preserved open space to be converted after the fact:

  • Makes preservation designations temporary instead of reliable
  • Undermines long-standing planning commitments
  • Turns clear rules into negotiable guidelines - planning decisions across the city will become easier to undo

It also signals that even fully built-out, long-established communities can have major new subdivisions inserted into their core decades later — undermining confidence in the City’s long-range planning process.

Infrastructure, Flooding & Taxpayer Cost

Southern Virginia Beach is especially sensitive to flooding and stormwater issues. Additional housing density can:

  • Increase runoff and impervious surfaces
  • Require costly drainage, road, and utility improvements
  • Shift long-term maintenance costs to taxpayers citywide

Growth that doesn’t fully pay for its impacts ends up costing everyone.

Public Safety & Emergency Access

West Neck is a 55+ community with frequent emergency medical calls. Residents and first responders are concerned that:

  • Roads were not designed for additional housing density
  • Construction activity could restrict emergency vehicle access
  • Increased housing could negatively impact emergency response times

Public safety impacts should be fully analyzed and mitigated before zoning changes are approved.

Take Action Now (In 2 Minutes or Less)

👇Choose a message and send it to city leaders!

Your voice matters!

SEND A COMMENT TO CITY LEADERS

Prefer to support the effort in another way?

Some West Neck residents have organized a community petition asking City Council to reject the rezoning proposal.

👉 Sign the community petition

Want to stay informed about West Neck & Signature Golf Course and other land-use decisions?

Planning decisions often happen quietly — and by the time most people hear about them, it’s too late to weigh in.

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