{"id":809678,"date":"2026-08-11T04:26:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T04:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/809678\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T04:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T04:26:44","slug":"virginia-beach-will-hold-final-public-hearing-on-golf-course-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/809678\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Beach will hold final public hearing on golf course sale"},"content":{"rendered":"

VIRGINIA BEACH \u2014 An east-west wind picked up Thursday morning at Virginia Beach National Golf Club, and Robert Valentine pointed out the ripples on the lake near the 18th hole. Valentine has a standing tee time with a group of golfers there twice a week. He pays close attention to the breeze because it can affect his game.<\/p>\n

This summer, Valentine and\u00a0his fellow players have been contending with a different kind of headwind.<\/p>\n

The city could soon sell the revered public course<\/a> \u2014 formerly a Tournament Players Club \u2014 to a private developer. The plan is to reconfigure some of the championship-caliber holes to make room for more than 650 homes, priced for mixed incomes.<\/p>\n

Virginia Beach\u2019s tight housing market makes it more difficult for first-time and moderate-income buyers to purchase homes, according to a 2024 city housing study,<\/a> and the additional inventory is much needed, some city officials say.<\/p>\n

But Valentine cringes at the thought of forever altering famed course architect Pete Dye\u2019s layout.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, something stops it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

City Council vote<\/p>\n

The public will have another opportunity to express an opinion on the sale of Virginia Beach National Golf Club to Dragas Cos. before City Council makes a decision.<\/p>\n

A second public hearing and vote will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday\u00a0at City Hall. The sale will require a super-majority vote, or nine affirmatives, of the City Council.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Barbara Henley, who represents the district that includes the golf course, is the only council member who has definitively said she won\u2019t support the sale as proposed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never asked the public if they want to sell the property,\u201d she said Thursday. \u201cWe just need to slow down.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear if she\u2019ll be able to sway at least two of her colleagues.<\/p>\n

The council postponed a vote<\/a> in July because a public meeting notice published after the first hearing July 7 contained an acreage error.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe greens at Virginia Beach National Golf Club look like the sand dunes of a dessert Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Katz \/ The Virginian-Pilot)
\nChampionship-caliber course<\/p>\n

Virginia Beach National opened in 1999 in the southern part of the city, off Princess Anne Road near Nimmo Parkway. It was designed by Dye with assistance from professional player consultant Curtis Strange, a two-time U.S. Open champion and Princess Anne High School graduate.<\/p>\n

The 18-hole course is loved by locals and vacationers for its challenging design, affordability and aesthetically pleasing environment. On Thursday, several groups playing said they were vacationing in Virginia Beach and staying in Sandbridge.<\/p>\n

The course is mostly cradled by forested, undeveloped land. Two possible eagle nests could be seen in the trees and a deer ran along the water\u2019s edge. The city leases the course to the Development Authority, which leases it to an operator. The authority holds most of the responsibility for the golf course\u2019s capital maintenance.<\/p>\n

In 2023, a city audit found the clubhouse and stormwater ponds needed costly repairs. The authority appropriated $1.8 million to begin fixing the problems, but more improvements are needed. Some of the bunkers are overgrown, the banks of the lakes are unstable and the cracked cart paths are debilitated, according to the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not what it once was,\u201d Emily Archer, director of Virginia Beach\u2019s economic development, said at the Development Authority\u2019s July meeting. \u201cThe overall experience for players has lessened the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The course operator\u2019s payments to the authority and the tax revenue generated is not sufficient to cover capital maintenance costs, Archer said.<\/p>\n

\"AmongAmong the improvements needed at the Virginia Beach National Golf Club is significant repairs to the cart path. (Stephen M. Katz \/ The Virginian-Pilot)<\/p>\n

In 2025, following unsolicited proposals\u00a0from two developers, the city issued a formal request for proposals to purchase the land and maintain an 18-hole public golf course. Nine offers, including four with a housing component, were considered.<\/p>\n

In February, the City Council authorized a term sheet with local homebuilder Dragas Cos., which was one of the first firms to make an unsolicited proposal to the city. City officials began confidential discussions with Dragas<\/a> representatives more than a year before the formal request for proposals was issued.<\/p>\n

Valentine is among a group of citizens who have raised questions about the process by which the city selected Dragas Cos. They showed up in force at the first public hearing and have held town halls on the issue. Valentine is heading up a grassroots organization called Friends of Virginia Beach National, which is seeking to stop Tuesday\u2019s vote so council can gather more public input and reevaluate the next step.<\/p>\n

In July, a request for temporary restraining order on a federal lawsuit filed by a citizen and a nonprofit environmental advocacy group that sought to halt the vote was denied without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are we in a rush?\u201d Valentine said. \u201cThe golf course isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight closed session meetings have been held on the potential golf course sale, according to Mayor Bobby Dyer. He has said he supports the sale as an opportunity to grow the city\u2019s housing stock, while at the same time, improve a Virginia Beach asset.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the proposals received, theirs (Dragas) really rose to the top based on the team credentials they assembled, the most investment in the golf course and the revitalization of the golf course we proposed, the greatest overall fiscal impact and the most diverse and affordable housing types,\u201d Archer said.<\/p>\n

\"GolfersGolfers take advantage of the mild weather to hit the links at the Virginia Beach National Golf Club Thursday morning, Aug. 6. (Stephen M. Katz \/ The Virginian-Pilot)
\nThe proposed deal<\/p>\n

Dragas\u2019 team includes Century Golf Partners, which operates Walt Disney World Golf, and golf course architect firm Tim Liddy and Associates, which has renovated Pete Dye courses.<\/p>\n

The developer is proposing to invest $38 million in Virginia Beach National, including the $17.9 million purchase price and $1.8 million from the Development Authority. The company would construct 659 housing units off Nimmo Parkway. More than half of the homes will meet a price point to be affordable for an average income of $129,000 for a family of four. The proposal also includes a new childcare center off Tournament Drive and the preservation of 45 acres of woodland.<\/p>\n

\u201cAffordable housing has repeatedly surfaced as one of Virginia Beach\u2019s most critical needs,\u201d Dyer said at a July meeting, adding the proposal will benefit the area\u2019s military families and others.<\/p>\n

Virginia Beach faces significant affordability challenges when it comes to the rental and homeownership market, according to the housing study. One in three households are housing cost-burdened, which means they pay 30% or more of their income on their total housing costs.<\/p>\n

It will require a reconfiguration of the existing course. The original front nine and 18th hole will be retained. Two new holes will be designed on an additional 45 acres of city-owned property to accommodate the housing complex to the south. An event lawn and illuminated 18-hole practice green would be built.<\/p>\n

Stay-and-play cottages could also be added to grow the city\u2019s sports tourism efforts. Play rates would stay the same or decrease and a new loyalty program is expected to draw more players and increase golf course revenue, Archer said.<\/p>\n

The city would contribute $4.3 million for infrastructure improvements, including turn lanes, utility relocation and sewer extension, which will also benefit available property within the adjacent Innovation Park, a light-industrial hub.<\/p>\n

A cost-share arrangement between the city and the developer would cover contingencies. It includes a maximum performance grant for the developer not to exceed $10.2 million. The money would come from taxes generated by the project.<\/p>\n

The project is estimated to generate $3.4 million in annual tax revenue after construction is completed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis helps bring the golf course up to what it was, and what it should be, and frankly the way it should have been maintained for the last 30 or so years,\u201d Development Authority Chair\u00a0Lisa Murphy said at the board\u2019s July meeting. \u201cThis is a great opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

A correction was made on Aug. 10, 2026: Because of a reporting error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly described the lawsuit. A temporary restraining order that sought to halt the vote was denied without prejudice, not the lawsuit itself. The lawsuit remains active.<\/p>\n

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VIRGINIA BEACH \u2014 An east-west wind picked up Thursday morning at Virginia Beach National Golf Club, and Robert…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[28,33839,427,2053,2558,983,3,111,99,5148,12658],"class_list":["post-809678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-business","tag-city-politics","tag-golf","tag-housing","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-sports","tag-virginia","tag-virginia-beach"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}