The Virginia Beach, Va., City Council appears to favor a new development proposed by Birdneck Self Storage owner Ryan Powell in the Seatack neighborhood, but the project isn’t without controversy. Powell wants to build seven single-story storage buildings on Bells Road near his existing facility, but residents in the historical African-American community believe the project is too close to homes and will hurt property values. Though the planning commission didn’t recommend the project, the council has already approved a zoning change from residential to light industrial, according to the source.

Though Seatack is one of the nation’s oldest black communities, its proximity to the Oceana Naval Air Station has slowly eroded its size. Much of the neighborhood is in a designated crash zone for military planes. In 2005, a federal commission indicated Oceana might be forced to close if Virginia Beach officials didn’t prevent residential development near the base and clear the area of 3,400 homes, the source reported. Since the city complied with the federal request, it has rezoned many residential lots to commercial and industrial uses, according to zoning administrator Kevin Kemp.

As a result, many businesses have taken over land no longer considered inhabitable for homeowners. The property on which Powell wants to build previously contained three vacant homes, which were cleared last month, according to the source.

The area has become a hotbed for self-storage development due to demand from the military base and residents living in oceanfront condominiums who need more storage. There are currently more than 20 self-storage facilities in the vicinity of Oceana, including four on a two-mile stretch of Birdneck Road. The Birdneck Self Storage site would be the first on the east side of the road nearest to houses, the source reported.

Though Powell will be required to plant trees to create a buffer between the self-storage facility and residences, several homeowners believe the business will encroach the houses and further damage the community. “I wanted a relaxing, quiet space. I feel like that is going to be gone now,” said Thomi Gill, whose property shares a border with the proposed storage site. “It is an uneasy feeling. Even though they are going to plant trees, a storage facility is not something you want to be a neighbor to.”

“To me, it is like no unencumbered time without people coming and going into the storage units,” resident Scott Sonier told the source. “By having the industrial around, all of the homes on our street get devalued. Eventually, people are going to move out.”

Ten years ago, the block along Bells Road contained seven houses, but just three remain today, Ron Agnor, the city’s assistant real estate assessor told the source.

Powell has owned Birdneck Self Storage on the corner of S. Birdneck and Bells Roads for more than 30 years. Though his existing facility offers customers 24-hour access, the new facility would limit operation from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.

The report didn’t specify when the council is expected to make a final decision on the project.

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