CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Town of Cape Charles has revealed a comprehensive Beachfront Master Plan designed to enhance the town’s coastline, integrating a variety of public spaces and amenities while preserving the area’s natural beauty.
The plan, which covers key areas such as Monroe Avenue, Bay Avenue, and the historic Randolph Avenue, proposes significant elements aimed at fostering community engagement and boosting tourism. Highlights include the introduction of new plazas, shaded seating areas, and improved accessibility for all visitors.
One of the focal points of the master plan is the redevelopment of Monroe Avenue into a central gathering space for residents and tourists alike. The area will feature flexible gathering spaces, volleyball courts, and abundant seating, making it a prime location for community events and leisure activities. Additionally, the plan includes a relocated Virginia LOVE sign, which will be placed prominently in the new Monroe Avenue Plaza.
To accommodate the increasing number of visitors, the Beachfront Master Plan also proposes different parking solutions along Bay Avenue, including dedicated spaces for golf carts. Furthermore, the plan envisions expanded breakwaters and managed sand dunes to increase the beach’s size and ensure its sustainability.
The Randolph Avenue Plaza will be expanded to create a larger gathering space. This plaza will be equipped with outdoor dining tables, shade pergolas, and accessible ramps, ensuring that it remains a central hub for social activities in Cape Charles.
Another significant element of the plan is the introduction of food truck ports along the beachfront, offering visitors a variety of dining options. These areas will be strategically located near shaded plazas and seating areas, allowing beachgoers to enjoy meals with bay views.
Cape Charles officials believe that the Beachfront Master Plan will not only enhance the town’s appeal to tourists but also provide residents with improved public spaces that celebrate the town’s unique coastal charm.
The implementation of the plan will take place in phases, with the first phase expected to begin in the coming months. The town has committed to working closely with the community throughout the process to ensure that the development meets the needs of all stakeholders.
Mirror Opinion: It seems that this project is designed by people who never actually go to Cape Charles Beach. Are we willing to give up so much beach real estate for those silly (bogus) plazas? The Randolph Plaza makes marginal sense (but still kinda lame), and adding a restroom at the north end of Washington might be useful, but is it necessary? The shade pergolas, sitting areas w/adirondack chairs, and food truck plazas are goofy, wasteful, and ridiculous. However, there does not appear to be a single cold water shower anywhere in the design. No showers? What boardwalk doesn’t incorporate cold water showers? The attempt to control parking will only make it worse. How many more breakwaters do we really need? Is the plan to close off the entire beachfront with rip rap? Does anyone realize that the water is incredibly shallow, and it gets worse every year? Just stop.
Discover more from CAPE CHARLES MIRROR
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
But if they stop, we all lose the entertainment value of this on-going beach saga and all these master plans by what have to be master planners, because other than a master planner, who on earth could come up with master plans like these, and especially the master plan to manage the dunes by apparently giving them training in how to be a proper dune that somebody would want to encounter at a beach like that of Cape Charles unlike the unruly, unmanaged dunes one finds in some second rate location like Nag’s Head, where the dudes do what they want and don’t care what ordinary humans think about it.
And they really want to incorporate some tourist-friendly ambiance, they seriously need to add some good carnival rides like are found at the highly successful waterfront destination of Wildwood, NJ into the master plan along with numerous pot shops such as are found in the other tourist-friendly location of Cape Cod, Mass.
Pot shops sound good!
I think this is a suckers bet. Where is this money coming from?
Maybe the planners should ask the fancy food place or the mini golf place on Stone Rd how they are doing?
Realistically how many days per year is Bay Ave congestion a problem? 12? 18? The other 347 days Bay Ave is empty or properly resourced.
Adding bathrooms makes sense but thats it. Thank you Jeb for the only one we have.
The money is coming from short term rental tax revenue.
What Cape Charles needs is more summer people. Rumor has it that a mandatory sale of permant residents houses will be introduced this fall. All houses WILL BE SOLD TO STR investers by the end of April. This will result in 100% STR. I have contacted experts and towns do have the right to implement this plan. This will make Cape Charles more livable for the summer people
This is funny. You can’t do this and they aren’t doing anything to support this. The town better step up
Their marketing if that’s the case.
If they copy Wildwood, NJ, they’ll have people pouring into Cape Charles from all over the world which will then necessitate the building of an international airport, which will provide tons of new jobs.
LESS IS MORE
More or less..
Exactly, here’s a nice thing that solves the full time residents problems and benefits everyone. It turns out there are no solutions that appease the get off my lawn crowd. I think Cape Charles needs more vacant homes in disrepair and empty storefronts.
What about a basketball court ? Only one in Cape Charles that’s public is at Kiptopeake Elementary out on route 13
Overall it looks good. I’m glad the town is paying more attention to the one thing that brings people to CC.
Yes, some thing are a little much. But it’s a step in the right direction.
I question where the money is going to come from?(grants, infrastructure budget, loans?)
And is Bay ave wide enough for all this parking?
I don’t know.
I’m staying positive and will be watching from a distance.
Several well lit 24 hour basketball courts along Bay Ave. would be a nice touch.
More rip rap. More keep off the rocks signs. More dark muddy sediment. No cold showers or lower foot showers to wash off additional dark muddy sediment.
Look ahead 20 years and picture Caoe Charles with 3000 full time residents and accommodation for 5000 short term visitors. That is our reality! It’s a bold vision for the most attractive asset of our town and we must get started right away.
And no water for them to drink!
According to its posted Community Profile on the internet, with a land area of 2,817 acres and a population of approximately 1,000 residents, Cape Charles is the largest of Northampton’s five incorporated towns in terms of both land size and population.
So, a land area of 2,817 acres is what Cape Charles had to work with last year, a land area of 2,817 acres is what Cape Charles has to work with today, and 20 years from now, when Mr. Kabler’s bold vision for the most attractive asset of our town and we must get started right away to build up the population with 3000 full time residents and accommodation for 5000 short term visitors, Cape Charles will still have a land area of 2,817 acres.
So where will all these new people go or be placed 20 years from now when Mr. Kabler’s bold vision for the most attractive asset of our town is finally realized?
The present population density of Cape Charles, Virginia is 333 people per square mile, with a land area of 4.401562 square miles.
Mr. Kabler’s bold vision for the most attractive asset of our town that we must get started right away to build up the population with 3000 full time residents and accommodation for 5000 short term visitors, is quite obviously goin g to incease that popularion density considerably, unless Mr. Kabler’s bld vision for the most attractive asset of our town consistes of rows of high-rise c0ndos bordering the beach and amusement park and boardwalk.
What are the impacts of that increase in population density?
All good?
And as Brian says @ September 1, 2024 at 8:42 pm, the nice thing about Mr. Kabler’s bold vision for the most attractive asset of our town, building up the population with 3000 full time residents and accommodation for 5000 short term visitors, solves the full time residents problems and benefits everyone because it turns out there are no solutions that appease the get off my lawn crowd other than simply doing away with their lawns completely, which is a very elegant solution that will leave the get off my lawn crowd totally speechless and defeated which will finally be the end of that noise.
According to 24/7 Wall Street.The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Cape Charles is $37,217 a year
Bravo Paul for proving yourself to represent the get off my lawn crowd.
Thanks from a grateful nation for your support for a good cause, Brian, it is appreciated.
Why do you want to be on someone’s lawn that you do not own or rent?
What is wrong with you?
Actually, Brian, the way I see this going down as the Kabler Plan to provide lodging for 5,000 short-term visitors to Cape Charles comes to fruition, lawns in Cape Charles are going to become yet another thing from the past that will no longer be, given the need for that space for the town to be able to realize the Kabler Plan, which space is now is essentially wasted as mere lawns, when it is not lawns that tourists come to Cape Charles to see and experience.
It is a much higher and thus better use of that land to make it into golf cart parking for the high-rise condos that will line Cape Charles beach.
I do appreciate the level of ridiculousness brought to the table in your replies. I would assume it’s hyperbole or sarcasm, but not 100%. Could you explain why you believe 10% of property (STRs) in the historic district represents 100% of the parking problem? The article is about adding parking to the congested areas to alleviate parking concerns. I must have missed in the article the zoning changes allowing for your condos and subdivision of lots. Looking forward to hearing your perspective before believing you simply to be unreasonable and lacking critical thought.
Brian says @ September 18, 2024 at 10:03 pm: Could you explain why you believe 10% of property (STRs) in the historic district represents 100% of the parking problem?
The article is about adding parking to the congested areas to alleviate parking concerns.
I must have missed in the article the zoning changes allowing for your condos and subdivision of lots.
ME: Brian, above here @ September 2, 2024 at 5:02 pm, I took pains to find out FACTS about Cape Charles in terms of land area available to the town for EVERYTHINHG, including parking of vehicles, each of which, even a skateboard, requites SQUARE FOOTAGE!
If you dedicate SQUARE FOOTAGE to vehicles in an already developed area, then where does it come from given the area is already developed?
So to help you out here, according to its posted Community Profile on the internet, with a land area of 2,817 acres and a population of approximately 1,000 residents, Cape Charles is the largest of Northampton’s five incorporated towns in terms of both land size and population.
DO YOU DISPUTE THAT?
Do you dispute the FACT that unless it annexes land from another town, or fills in the bay to make land, which is always an option, a land area of 2,817 acres is what Cape Charles had to work with last year, a land area of 2,817 acres is what Cape Charles has to work with today, and 20 years from now, when Mr. Kabler’s bold vision to build up the population with 3000 full time residents and accommodation for 5000 short term visitors, Cape Charles will still have a land area of 2,817 acres?
And note the plan requiring the CONDOS is not mine – it is Mr. Kabler’s.
So, Brian, with finite land area that is already under “stress,” the old “thirteen pounds in a ten pound sack” syndrome that always comes back to bite these development-crazy towns like Cape Charles where what they had yesterday is never good enough, where will all these new people go or be placed 20 years from now when Mr. Kabler’s bold vision for the most attractive asset of Cape Charles is finally realized?
The present population density of Cape Charles, Virginia is 333 people per square mile, with a land area of 4.401562 square miles.
DO YOU DISPUTE ANY OF THAT?
So, going back to Mr. Kabler’s bold vision of building up the population with 3000 full time residents, when there are a little more than a thousand today, along with accommodation for 5000 short term visitors, one would think that it is quite obviously going to increase the population density considerably,
DO YOU DISAGREE WITH THAT?
And my question was, what are the impacts of that increase in population density?
Are they all good?
Now, Brian, a golf cart measures about 4’W X 8′ L, so that if you want to park 2 carts you need about 10′ X 20′ to leave a little walking around room.
That, Brian, TWO HUNDRED SQUARE FEET subtracted from the total land area of Cape Charles, because if you want to park two golf carts, that is what you have to0 have and if you want to use that space to park golf carts, then you can’t use it for ANYTHINHG else.
DO YOU DISPUTE THAT?
Now, for vehicles, the average size of a parking space is 320 square feet, with a depth of a depth of 20 to 22 feet.
Now, Brian, IF we go to the published Cape Charles Historic District Guidelines https://www.capecharles.org/files/documents/HistoricDistrictGuidelines1701021349101817PM.pdf , what we find is that William L. Scott, a Congressman from Erie, Pennsylvania, laid out a town
of about 136 acres in 644 lots, each 40 by 140 feet, which is 5600 square feet per lot, TOTAL, including space for a dwelling and parking.
Then, when we scroll down to p.64, we find these requirements for the historic district:
* Retain historic paving such as the stretch of brick sidewalks on Tazewell and Strawberry.
* Maintain existing landscaping, especially indigenous species like crape myrtle.
* Replace damaged or missing street trees with appropriate species. Use indigenous and hardy species that require minimal maintenance. Replacement trees should be of like species that will mature to a comparable size.
* Maintain a distinction between sidewalks and streets.
* Avoid excessive curb cuts for vehicular access across pedestrian ways.
So, Brian, are you starting to see what I am talking about here, and believe me, this is nothing more than a math problem given to third-graders today – if all these new vehicles must be accommodated, especially in the historic district, then something already occupying that same space has to be eliminated, which would seem to indicate that what must be changed is the published Cape Charles Historic District Guidelines.
Get rid of them!
Throw them in the trash!
They are far too yesterday for the growing town of Cape Charles today.
I am quite sure I axed you a question. Answer it.
Brian, not to make you feel bad about yourself instead of all warm and squishy inside, and you sound nice, but with that comment of yours that I represent the “get off my lawn crowd,” you come across as a self-centered, perhaps narcissistic young person who does not believe in the concept of private property, so that what is yours, is yours, and what is mine is also yours, since what is yours isn’t enough for you.
Consider this: let’s say that you have a deed to a parcel of land in Cape Charles that on the deed measures 40 feet across the front by 140 feet deep, which is 5600 square feet per lot, TOTAL, including space for a dwelling and parking.
That 5600 square feet is what you own and that is all that you own, and thus have a right to an expectation of privacy on that 5600 square feet, and if my lot is adjacent to your lot, you have absolutely no right whatsoever to come across the property line onto my lot, which would include my lawn.
So, if you don’t have room on your 5600 square feet to park cars or golf carts, too bad – you don’t get to park them on what is not yours.
You seem to think or believe that that is not right or somehow unfair to you that I have the same right to privacy on my land as you expect to have on yours.
Your belief in your right to become filthy rich renting out an STR on your 5600 square feet gives you no right to use my lawn to help you achieve your goal.
Down below here, Plan for reality says @ September 6, 2024 at 10:49 am that “Planning is good,” to which I replied @ September 7, 2024 at 4:08 pm, as follows:
Planning indeed would be good IF anyo0ne was actually doing some, planning.
end quote
I’ve been following the news from Cape Charles now since 2018, or so, and it seems to me, that instead of actually doing some real planning, which requires thinking, instead Cape Charles is dithering and knee-jerking, and this STR drama is case in point, where long after the horses have disappeared over the horizon in a cloud of dust, Cape Charles is trying to figure out how to get the corral gate closed.
You would think that IF Cape Charles was doing any planning, as opposed to knee-jerking after the fact, that they would know how big the lots are in the historic district, and how much parking space is required per vehicle, and they would be able to do some third grade math to figure out how many vehicles the historic district could support per lot, so if they wanted STR’s, they would limit occupancy to what each lot could support.
But they don’t think, o there is no evidence that they do, and they don’t plan, so now they have a parking problem that is self-created.
And above here @ September 2, 2024 at 5:02 pm, I provide you with the only viable solution which is simply doing away with front lawns completely.
Bite the bullet, move the sidewalks in the historic district back say 25 feet from the edge of pavement, and make that parking for vehicles, and on the other side of the sidewalk would be the parking for the golf carts associated with each STR, with a passage out to the street between the vehicle parking spaces.
OR make it pedestrians only, like areas of Burlington, Vermont, or Portland, Oregon.
In the meantime, as you say, Brian, STAY OFF MY LAWN!
YOU’RE TRESPASSING!
Cape Charles has been fortunate. Do they ever think about emergency situations. I’m afraid they are in no way ready for an emergency. For instance when the town experienced severe flooding, which it has in the past , how do you ensure the safety of all of t the tourist, The hospital is 46 miles away. You don’t have adequate first responders. Slow your roll. You guys haven’t given thought to this.
A Large investment in the Sewage and water systems will be required.
Police Department staff upgraded and enlarged.
An animal control officer or two.
Dog and cat pound.
An urgent care center.
Traffic lights? ect.ect.
Of course they expect the County to provide big money for financial and staff support.
Should be interesting to say the least..
👍👍👍👍👍
Is there any news on a planned Casino being built where the concrete plant is?
What makes the Cape Charles beach so unique is the laid back vibe, roll up in your golf cart and go…..this is too much…if everyone wanted this vibe they would drive to Ocean City etc.
Building a large parking lot/Gathering space/Courts at a beachfront would significantly alter the nostalgic, laid-back vibe that defines many beach towns. These areas are often cherished for their relaxed atmosphere, where visitors and locals alike can enjoy the simple pleasures of life—strolling along the shore, listening to the waves, and soaking in the natural beauty without the distractions of urban development.
A sprawling plaza introduces a stark, industrial element to the landscape, replacing what might have been dunes, grasses, or quaint pathways with rows of cars and concrete. The constant influx of vehicles disrupts the peaceful ambiance, bringing noise, congestion, and a sense of hurry that contrasts sharply with the slow, easy pace that typically characterizes beach towns.
Moreover, the visual impact of a large parking lot can be jarring. Instead of quaint cottages, charming shops, or unobstructed ocean views, visitors are met with a sea of parked cars, which detracts from the town’s aesthetic appeal. The sight of cars and the smell of exhaust can replace the more pleasant aromas of salty sea air and local food, further eroding the town’s unique charm.
This kind of development can also lead to overcrowding, as easier access brings more visitors, turning a once-tranquil beach into a bustling hub. The sense of discovery and personal connection to the place is diluted when it becomes more commercialized and crowded. Ultimately, the large parking lot would symbolize a shift away from the town’s nostalgic roots, steering it toward a more commercial, less intimate experience.
Bottom line, don’t ruin the vibe. I can’t even find a spot to park on Peach Street since the new lines were painted.
There’s no problem finding a parking space on Peach Street or anywhere else in Cape Charles for that matter say the authorities that know that kind of stuff, which is what makes them the authorities on that kind of stuff, and thank goodness we have such authorities to keep Cape Charles from having problems parking anywhere in Cape Charles.
You people have already ruined it…
Heading for Wachapreague next
I hope not. Cape Charles has ruined Cape Charles and they continue to do so. It’s pretty much a joke at this point. I love wachapreague and onancock though, onancock has added to its town while keeping its authentic charm and I hope it never takes a page from Cape Charles book. I absolutely despise having to drive into CC , I love the the food in cc but I only go now when I have the time and energy to deal with the high stress that comes with having to ride in cc and if that’s the vibe they were going for, they’ve mastered it. As for the shops I use to go on my lunch break daily getting food from one and a drink from another but they’ve lost a lot of residents that no longer go frequently due to all the catering to the tourists and because of that I don’t go in the off season either, if tourists are going to keep them afloat then they don’t need me when the tourists aren’t there either. Eastville has a chance here to capitalize on capturing what Cape Charles lost long ago and has a lot of land to do so too, they’ve got a cafe now, and a park(add some parking for it and a cute nature walk through a butterfly garden from behind the gazebo toward the park), add a book store and a sit down eatery or two and it’s the perfect quiet town to take a walk and get lost in, with that hallmark quaint charm.
It will never be their real home.
AMEN
It will never be their real home. They left that to come to the eastern shore, which is someone else’s home.
It’s a beach town!, concentrate on the dunes, beach, and sand retention. Then figure out someway to remove those nasty portable toilets! The local people and vacationers can figure out how to have a good time by themselves.
Also the “planners” might want to think about beach-goers unloading their cars,trucks and SUV,s into the traffic lane. Seems that would be an accident waiting to happen.
No one asked the locals if they wanted anything that has been done.
There is too much Money for the Developers to harvest.
Money Always wins out in these situations.
Mr Kabler and associates are pros at getting things done in various ways.
The process has begun.
And so it goes..
I would like to see Mr. Kabler superimpose on the map of Cape Charles and the beach exactly where the accommodations, including parking, are going to be for 5000 short term visitors along with 3000 full time residents keeping in mind the minimum square feet required per person along with fire code clearance requirements per the Virginia Fire Safety Regulations, so that people can see what his vision for Cape Charles is really going to be, which sounds like a bunch of cheap five-story Florida type condominium complexes lining the beach.
Please make sure your comments are inserted into the comment area. On the Beachfront Master Plan. Or send them to the town manager. Your comments are not going to be monitored unless posted on the Master Plan or to the town manager . Also once announced please plan to attend public meetings on subject. Thanks!
I believe the town manager is well aware of comments posted in here, and it is my further feeling that his mind is already made up, which will make any so-called “public hearings” on this issue simply a pro forma gesture with no actual substance.
“This is what we are giving you and this is what you are going to get whether you like it or not and if you want more information, get in touch with Mr. Kabler who will inform you of what Cape Charles is going to look like and be like 20 years from now!”
Planning is good. Run the town as a business and plan for your rainy days. I would urge the planners to look again at the 2 way traffic and proposed parking on Bay Ave. The renderings of 1 bike,a wheelchair and a few pedestrians, doesn’t accurately represent the 4000 people who go to the beach daily.The reality is, when the beach is crowded and the parking spaces are full, car & carts will stop and unload their tent cities and traffic will backup bad! If you want the “small town feel” avoid congestion where possible.
Building a town to accomodate short term rentals and tourists is a bad idea. Cape Charles is so charming and so different from the other towns up and down the East Coast. It’s one thing to open a few new shops and pubs, but pretty soon the town will be crawling and overcrowded with tourists. Be careful of what you wish for…..take it from me, I am from and live in Cape May County year round and have fled the 24/7 carnival like atmosphere and have happily settled in to Accomac County. My opinion, leave the natural beauty of the ESVA as it is…there’s no where like it!
👍👍👍👍👍
I lived in Ocean City, NJ for many years. What a mess the Jersey Shore has become. The winters were certainly better than the summers. The obsession that drives folks to go to the beach is fanatical and is in full display on their faces. Overzealous to the extreme.
Planning indeed would be good IF anyo0ne was actually doing some, planning, that is, unless you want to delude yourself into thinking that the grandiose scheme that Mr. Kabler is proposing above here with absolutely no thought given as to how his grandiose scheme would work in reality being given constitutes “planning.”
My Dad was on the Virginia Beach city planning commission a few years ago.
One of the Prominent Dev elopers handed him a manila envelope full of cash, smiled, and asked for a “favor”. My Dad said that he resisted punching him out.
“I almost decked him.”
Payola and bribes are quite common in that industry.
There were other city managers and public officials who accepted the envelope.
Almost impossible to prove.
Needless to say, I am wary of developers bearing gifts….
but I’m not a public official.
Just my observation.
Elvis Earp says @ September 7, 2024 at 5:19 pm: Payola and bribes are quite common in that industry.
********************************
Indeed, they are:
Been there myself on that score, which is why I am not allowed to work in “government” up here as an engineer:
Troy Record editorial
4 April 1989 edition
“Give Paul Plante a break”
Trying to form an opinion on the entire Paul Plante episode is an exercise in frustration.
This much is pretty clear: He is headstrong, possesses a pretty good temper and is honest to a fault.
The latter has not been challenged even by his attackers.
As a matter of fact, that appears to be the bone they have to pick with him – that he is too honest and is unyielding in his honesty.
end quotes
I too wouldn’t take the envelope – hence, I became a threat to the ways things are done because they have always been done that way, so don’t rock the boat, and if you do rock the boat, you’re gone!
Wow! This is so sad. I came from NJ nine years ago. Escaping from this.
As many locals have said, “if you don’t like it, go back to where you came from”. “Don’t make it where you came from”.
You can’t even drink the water in town!?? Can the important things be focused on?
There is another beach, Kiptopeke, plenty of parking
The town will be ruined by “keeping up with the Jones’s” i.e Virginia Beach. If you want that go there for the day.
Please reconsider this plan. People come here for the simplicity that is lacked in most of world. Don’t destroy it.
KISS (keep it simple stupid)
I’m not calling anyone stupid, just saying.
Editor’s Note: Great comment. Please copy this to the beach plan site or the town will ignore it. See: http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/please-submit-formal-comments-on-beach-master-plan/