The vision for the Resort SGA is to identify and implement public amenities and infrastructure improvements, and update codes, guidelines and City review processes to encourage private development, enabling the Virginia Beach Resort Area to become a diverse, world-class, year-round coastal community for residents and visitors.

Want to develop in the Resort SGA?

Virginia Beach welcomes projects of all shapes and sizes, and the City’s Planning staff can help guide new development ideas from conception to final inspections. Development Liaisons are available based on a project’s proposed location, development type and current phase.

• Connect with the Development Liaison Team

​​The SGA Now

The Virginia Beach Resort Area has seen tremendous progress and success since the first Resort Area Strategic Action Plan (RASAP) was adopted in 2008. This success can be credited to dedicated residents, property and business owners, stakeholders, and City staff who have spearheaded and supported the growth and transformation of the area. However, not all goals were realized, and the need for the resort area to transform and adapt to changing lifestyles and preferences persists.

The Plan

TheResort Area Strategic Action Plan 2030 adopted by the City Council in June 2020 establishes new goals for the Resort SGA in the next decade. 

Priorities

• Adopt the best practices of a central management entity with increased funding for beautification, placemaking, wayfinding, events and programming, incentives programs, enhanced infrastructure and green infrastructure to alleviate coastal flooding problems.
• Complete a mobility plan for the Resort Area to form a strategy for traffic calming, pedestrian circulation, bike circulation, shared mobility devices, curbside management, vehicular circulation, public transit and parking.
• Complete detailed streetscape designs for high-priority streets such as Atlantic and Pacific avenues, 17th Street, and the Central Beach District. This design will be used to reinforce a unique sense of place filled with public art, great lighting, resilient landscaping, and outdoor amenity spaces that are easy to access and navigate with all modes of transportation.
• Provide connected green and open spaces that connect west into the neighborhoods. It will also provide spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors in both programmed park spaces and natural, passive green spaces that slow, store and filter stormwater. It will also provide a connected, urban wildlife habitat.
• Create a sense of arrival and welcome by designing and constructing a large public art gateway. There will be a primary gateway at 21st Street with secondary gateways into the Resort Area.
• Support impactful projects that benefit the Resort Area and the city. The focus will be to adaptively reuse and rehabilitate historic properties whenever possible, as well as respect those buildings with new, contemporary compatible urban infill projects. This type of development is both sustainable and authentic and will preserve the sense of place that so many residents love.
• Support residential and mixed-use development in the Resort Area. This is a necessity to achieve the goal of a year-round resort and will enable the Resort Area to become a walkable community, aiding in the alleviation of congestion and parking issues.

Current Projects

There are several capital improvement projects underway in the Resort Area.