Old Beach Overflow?

Recently, an acre of marsh was listed for sale for about 140K, and we have learned it sold for 80K. The purchaser of the land is Bay Legacy Construction, which is tied to Senator Bill DeSteph. He has not answered any emails or questions about his intent with the land or how it will affect the residents of Old Beach, and Virginia Beach in general. However, we do know that they are planning something because other neighbors who live in front of the marsh have been approached by the builders and asked to sell pieces of the land for 100K, likely allowing access between the road and the marsh that they will need for building. The land is already zoned residential (R5D) for townhouses, so zoning will not be an issue. They will need to run roads and utilities to the property, which will likely disturb the area around the project, including Beach Garden Park. Also, the land is conveniently under an acre (0.9) so it will not have to get permits from the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Old Dominion University recently did a study and that property will be open water by 2040, according to projections from ODU. The property is on Little Neck Creek and that is tidally connected to the Lynnhaven and to the ocean. As sea level rises, that property will go underwater, as will Holly Road, where the culvert is. (See map.) That marsh connects to the area all around Laskin Road, so we know flooding will be an issue for everyone if it is allowed to be filled in and built upon. Why is this allowed? Why are wetlands not protected as a valuable resource? Why does the City Council continue to say they will not support projects such as this, and then vote 7-2 in favor of them? Anyone can look at this and know that it is not a good idea, but it continues to happen over and over again in Virginia Beach. Senator DeSteph recently said this in an interview with the Virginian Pilot: “Coastal flooding and resiliency are important issues for the Commonwealth but no where more significant than here in District 20, comprised of Virginia Beach, Norfolk and the Eastern Shore. As a long-time public servant and member of the Joint Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding, I believe flooding and resiliency programs should be funded by the General Fund.” As a representative of the 20th District, and a member of the Joint Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding, why would he buy and build on this valuable land?