Defense Department OKs 180-Foot Hotel and Other Tall Buildings at Resort

Tall buildings are OK at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, including a proposed 180-foot-tall headquarters hotel next to the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

The Defense Department delivered that message earlier this month to U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner. A  letter, dated Feb. 3, essentially reversed a previous ruling that limited the height of new buildings at the resort to 110 feet.

Virginia Beach needs a major hotel next to the Convention Center to compete for large, national conventions. Many other cities that compete with Virginia Beach for conventions - including Louisville, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, Richmond and Savannah - have such hotels. The city has proposed a 180-foot-tall hotel next to, or connected to, the Convention Center.

In 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration said the hotel would interfere with long-range search radar operated by the FAA at Oceana Naval Air Station. The FAA set a new height limit of 110 feet.

But after a lengthy new study by NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense command); the Defense Department concluded in the Feb. 3 letter that "the increased risk to NORAD's mission remains within acceptable limits." The letter was signed by Under Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter.

The Defense Department also ruled that "regarding future development, our assessment suggests that risk to the radar from further construction can be mitigated, but each case will require careful analysis." The department said it will work with Virginia Beach "to determine cost-effective mitigation measures for radar interference and an equitable division of any associated costs."

In the letter, Carter added that any new development would have to conform to the city's 2008 agreement with the Navy and Oceana regarding encroachment around the jet base. Carter wrote that he was encouraged by reports that Virginia Beach and the Navy have been talking about the issue. He wrote that he is "confident that mutually beneficial solutions can be found."

The city is discussing details of a new hotel with Armada Hoffler, the development company that built Virginia Beach Town Center. Armada Hoffler is expected to make a presentation to the city's Development Authority in early spring.

To learn more about the Convention Center Headquarters Hotel visit www.vbgov.com/conventioncenterhotel.