VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Five houses will be built on the land owned by Wycliffe Presbyterian Church off Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach council approved Tuesday night.
However, getting approval was not straightforward, and in the end, a modified version of the original development plan for the land off Great Neck Road passed in a 7-4 vote.
The modifications remove the office space and the plan to fill in a pond that the developer, BHC, LLC (Bishard Development Corporation), originally proposed in addition to the five houses.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach City Council to vote on development of Great Neck church property
The journey to Tuesday's vote was contentious as the church and developer conflicted with some Virginia Beach residents including the Great Neck Estates Civic League over the land's use.
Before the vote, Derrick Copeland, president of Great Neck Estates Civic League, said they wanted an open dialogue with the church and the developer.
“We believe that this is the first plan that holds some opportunities of merit,” stated Copeland. “Filling in a lake—not a good plan; office space in a neighborhood—not a good plan. But building some homes and building a church on an existing religious-use land has some opportunities there.”
Additionally, there is an online petition against the development that started in August with more than 8,800 signatures.
Watch previous story: Virginia Beach City Council to vote on development of Great Neck church property
On the other side, the church was eager for the council to approve the request to amend a “Modification of Conditions to a Conditional Use Permit Applicant," allowing for new development on their land. They sent this statement to News 3 before the vote:
“Once again we appear before City Council, seeking approval to sell an under-used portion of our church property. The sale of the land will be a lifeline to continue our work for the betterment of our church and our community.”
The new development plan seems to be more closely aligned with the hopes of the Great Neck Estates Civic League: approval of the houses without the development of office space and filling in the lake.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
