Virginia Beach’s wide-open rural spaces are a huge part of what makes living here so special. 

 

When Linwood was a member of City Council from 1992-2002, the Open Space Program was a vital tool in protecting our City’s beautiful open spaces. But when he returned after being reappointed in 2021, he discovered that the Open Space Program had been terminated 5 years earlier. At Linwood’s direction, City Council has reinstated the Open Space Program, and with Linwood as council liaison to the reformed Open Space Committee, we have gotten back to our important work. Yet now – again at Linwood’s urging –the Committee has added the preservation of our official city tree – the Live Oak – to its responsibilities. Today, Linwood is working closely with the Open Space Committee to shape new policies that will protect our Live Oaks from uncontrolled pruning, trimming and removal. From one end of District 6 to the other, Live Oaks cool our homes and neighborhoods, soak up the flood waters after storms, and, like our open spaces, fill our local landscape with a unique beauty unlike anywhere else.