Before a packed house of more than 1,000 guests inside the Virginia Beach Convention Center in March, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and City Manager Patrick Duhaney took turns at the mic enthusiastically touting the city’s recent accomplishments and upcoming projects.
In celebration of the city’s 60th anniversary, the talk focused on the future and highlighted major initiatives, community partnerships and event announcements including the U.S. debut of Jackalope Fest, a high-profile action sports event coming to the Oceanfront June 2-4. The Jackalope Fest was unveiled at the event via a video featuring legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk.
Mayor Dyer shared a variety of community-focused projects including the city’s new H.O.P.E. Initiative, which stands for Helping Our People Excel and aims to recognize and support individuals, nonprofits and businesses that demonstrate a commitment to making the Virginia Beach community and Coastal Virginia a great place to live.
Both Dyer and Duhaney cited the successes and investments of Virginia Beach-based technology companies like DroneUp, Globalinx and SANJO; planned expansions by companies like Stihl; and the promise of major infrastructure projects like the 119-mile fiber optic Regional Connectivity Ring that will serve as the foundation for smart region development for the Southside.
Some other topic areas covered were public safety, schools and quality of life; the ongoing Pembroke Square Redevelopment project (at the site of the former Pembroke Mall); work on a comprehensive Flood Protection Program; and plans for a permanent 531 Memorial to honor all those affected by the shooting tragedy on May 31, 2019.
The Virginia Beach State of the City Address was the first in an annual series of similar events put on by the Hampton Roads Chamber and was scheduled to be followed by presentations in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk.
