VIRGINIA BEACH — An unfinished beach replenishment project in the resort area is crimping some of the city’s top tax revenue-generating events.
Coastal storms have continued to erode the shoreline after the Army Corps of Engineers halted the pumping of dredged sand onto the beach in April. Organizers of summer concerts and sports tournaments held on the sand have had to rework their footprints as the width of the beach shrinks.
Resort area officials plan to ask federal legislators to restart the project before the city suffers from potential economic losses.
“It has huge implications for tourism,” said Mike Mauch, who serves on the city’s planning and resort advisory commissions.
He wrote in November to U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, whose 2nd District includes Virginia Beach, asking her to engage with the Army Corps of Engineers to help expedite their return. Members of the Resort Advisory Commission are working on another letter this week to send to Kiggans as well as U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine with a same request, Mauch said.
The corps is scheduled to pump more sand on the resort area beach in 2027, according to Mauch. At the very least, he and others want the sand renourished before the 2027 summer season, if not sooner.
The events on the beach will continue this year, but the logistics of planning have become more challenging with some organizers opting to relocate to wider areas or downsize playing fields.
“We love the quality of our beach and how big it is and how well it is maintained, but there’s only so much the city can control when it comes to mother nature,” said Matt Whalen, director of operations for the North American Sand Soccer Championships.
A contractor in April stopped pumping sand dredged from an ocean shipping channel onto the beach because the grains were “not beach quality” and were washing away, according to Mark Haviland, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, which oversaw the project.
Manson Construction Co. placed sand on the beach from 16th to 21st streets. The original contract called for renourishing the beach from 15th to 45th streets.
According to the corps, the resort beach had a healthy profile before the project began, but there was an opportunity to take advantage of the dredged sand from the deepening of the Atlantic Ocean Channel, which is used by large container vessels calling on the Port of Virginia.
The main goal of beach replenishment is to protect the coastline and properties from the impacts of storms and tidal events. A wider beach also provides ample space for large-scale events, which draw tourists and locals to the Oceanfront, who spend money and generate tax revenue.
Virginia Beach partners with the corps in funding sand replenishment projects. The city has invested more than $20 million since 2002 in the resort area.
The three-day sand soccer championships at the Oceanfront in early June generate $12 to $15 million in annual tax revenue. Nearly 900 teams participate and 100,000 people attend.
A 2023 festival report showed the sand soccer tournament provided the city the most return on its investment, with more than $15 in revenue for every dollar spent. It also drew the greatest percentage of non-resident visitors to Virginia Beach, with 77% from out of town.
Sand, and lots of it, is key to its success.
The event features 65 fields along more than 2 miles of beach from 5th to 34th streets. In addition to soccer, it includes space for other sports such as flag football, beach field hockey, wrestling and volleyball.
“No other event takes up as much real estate,” Whalen said.
Whalen and his team have already started to work on the layout for this year taking into account a narrow beach again. Ideally, they need 150 to 175 feet to provide space for people to sit between fields, players to substitute and beachgoers to place chairs and umbrellas, he said.
Every year, Whalen monitors the beach profile leading up to the event, preparing for the affects of any last-minute storms. The space between the Boardwalk and the high tide line shrunk by about 30 feet last year, forcing him to reduce the size of the fields, he said.
The shrinking beach is also affecting Funk Fest, a popular two-day concert event traditionally held in August on the beach.
Last year, Funk Fest had to be moved to 31st Street because 24th Street was too narrow, said William Younce, director of Beachevents, the city’s entertainment contractor. He said the event will be held on 31st Street again this year because of the erosion issues.
He estimated that at least 100 feet of sand is needed to accommodate the stage, video screens, tenting, a sand berm to protect the site and a 15-foot emergency lane for lifeguards because the beach remains open throughout the day.
A wider beach creates a more intimate environment and better viewing experience, Younce said.
Funk Fest is Beachevents’ most well-attended program, generating nearly $500,000 in tax revenue in 2025 and resulting in close to 10,000 hotel room nights, according to the Resort Management Office.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com