CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles Town Council has approved the rezoning of the former Seabreeze Apartments property from Residential-1 (R-1) to Residential-3 (R-3), clearing the way for redevelopment plans.
The applicant, Seabreeze Associates, LP, submitted the request for the two parcels—identified as Tax Map #83A1-3-B2 and #83A1-3-3—along with a series of proffered conditions. Among them: rental units must not be leased for less than 30 days, and all phases of redevelopment must comply with town ordinances and are subject to further site plan review requirements.
Bill Parr, speaking for the owners, noted that the apartments will be converted to luxury units ranging in price from $400,000 to $500,00. It may also become a gated community similar to Bay Creek (yes, with a large gate to keep out the riff raff). Paar also told the Town Council that using the units for Short-Term Rentals (STRs) will not be allowed.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Nunez told Town Council that a structural engineer has inspected the structures, and the report states that they are (structurally) sound (even as all residents have been removed from the premises for health and safety issues).
Originally developed in 1984, the Seabreeze Apartments included 28 units and a small office/laundry building. The complex became a legal, non-conforming use after the Town adopted a zoning ordinance in 1992 designating the area as R-1, which prohibits multifamily dwellings.
In February 2024, two buildings were declared unfit for human habitation, prompting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the USDA to terminate funding for the low-income complex. Tenants were subsequently relocated.
The ownership of Seabreeze Associates had been in limbo due to the deaths of the primary partners, but a court-appointed liquidator trustee, Lynn Tavenner, Esq., was recently authorized to sell the property. A purchase agreement is in place, pending due diligence that included negotiations over zoning restrictions.
The rezoning to R-3 will allow the future owner to redevelop the site beyond the strict limitations of its previous non-conforming status. Without the zoning change, expansions or redevelopment would have been severely limited and subject to expiration timelines on existing multifamily use.
The approved conditions also give enforcement authority to the Town’s Zoning Administrator and will be recorded with the Circuit Court of Northampton County.
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Will these new Gated Luxury Homes recieve attentive police protection similar to Bay Creek,
and will the beachgoers who park too close to the fence have their vehicles towed?
Bay Haven Inn should be rezoned and converted back to a single family dwelling without B&B.