Virginia Beach City Council members got a fresh look this week at where things stand with Rudee Park, the long-planned green space slated for the south end of the Oceanfront, and the timeline keeps pushing further out. Construction isn't expected to start until late 2027, with the whole project not wrapping up until the end of 2029.
According to WAVY, the site sits on the south end of the Oceanfront, and the master plan concept for the park was approved the previous year. City staff told council members they expect to have design drawings officially finished by February, at which point the project will go out to bid. That process alone can eat up six to nine months before any shovels hit the ground, and once construction does begin, it's expected to take roughly two years.
A Timeline Still Taking Shape
13News Now reported that council members used this week's briefing to discuss when work could realistically begin, with officials describing a rough but still-evolving schedule. As reported by WTKR, construction is expected to begin in late fall 2027 and take about two years to complete. The station's report also notes that the park's opening is expected to coincide with the completion of phases one and four of the Virginia Beach Trail, tying the park's debut to another piece of city infrastructure still under development.
City staff have also had to rework the park's footprint along the way. Per the same account, adjustments were made to the layout to accommodate emergency vehicles and other space needs, a practical consideration for a site expected to draw heavy foot traffic near the Oceanfront's southern edge.
Funding Figures Still Don't Fully Line Up
Money remains one of the trickier parts of the Rudee Park story, with different dollar figures showing up in various city updates. WAVY reported that the project is funded at $50 million for construction, while an earlier report from WHRO put the estimated public cost of the project at $42.6 million. Separately, the station's report on fundraising noted a campaign was expected to begin in the spring with a goal of raising $8 million to $10 million, while a report from the Virginian-Pilot said Virginia Beach hopes to offset as much as $20 million of the project cost through sponsorships and naming rights, with a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign scheduled to kick off in the fall.
Those naming-rights opportunities could extend to individual amenities within the park, the station's report noted. A separate Virginian-Pilot report from last year projected that revenue from ticketed events, food and beverage sales, and rentals of an event pavilion could generate $1.5 million to $2 million annually once the park is operating.
Parking, Property and What's Planned for the Site
To help address parking near the future park, the city recently purchased property at 310 Atlantic Ave., according to WTKR's report. That parcel is expected to provide an estimated 30 to 35 additional parking spaces in an area where spots are already scarce during peak beach season.
Once finished, the park will include a beach village, a community lawn, nature play area, picnic grove and an event pavilion, per WAVY's reporting. City officials are also exploring a conservancy model for long-term management, under which Virginia Beach would retain ownership of Rudee Park while an outside nonprofit organization handled day-to-day operations at the site, WTKR reported.
