Virginia Beach council OKs purchase of potential light-rail property

February 14, 2001 It's a done deal. Virginia Beach, Va., will soon own the old rail line long coveted by some leaders as the ideal spot for a future light-rail project, 
The Virginian-Pilot reports. The City Council on Sept. 14 voted unanimously to spend $40 million to buy a 10.6-mile corridor from railroad giant Norfolk Southern.

"This is a vital piece of
property for the city to control, and that’s something we never should forget,"
Mayor Will Sessoms told about 100 people at a public hearing.

A contingent of residents
told the council that the property is too expensive, light rail is a bad idea
and any decision about the project should be put to voters in a referendum.

"The only beneficiaries
are the developers," said Paul Davis, member of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer
Alliance. "Those are the ones that are going to make money."

Another group described
the council members as visionaries poised to improve life in the Beach for
generations to come. Members of the new group Light Rail Now came out in force.

"I consider this to be a
historic occasion," said Mike Barrett, CEO of Runnymede, a commercial real
estate company. "This isn’t the Louisiana Purchase, but it’s up there."

The closing on the
property, which runs along Interstate 264 from Newtown to Birdneck roads, is
scheduled for Sept. 24.

As part of the agreement,
the city will buy a $5-million utility easement from the company, bringing the
Beach’s total cost to $15 million. The city had previously committed only $10
million to the project. The state will contribute $20 million and Hampton Roads
Transit is expected to spend $5 million over five years.

The city’s additional $5
million expense is for a Dominion Virginia Power easement that will generate
about $100,000 a year in rent. The option to purchase it was exercised before
the December 2012 deadline because the money helped the city secure the $20
million state grant, officials said.

Councilman Bill DeSteph
told residents that the purchase does not mean light rail is a done deal.

"We’re still on track to
put this out to referendum," he said. "It’s important we control the Norfolk
Southern right of way."

Residents voted down light
rail in a referendum in 1999.