VIRGINIA BEACH — A waterfront restaurant owner takes a seat across the table from a hotel operator. A surf shop chain entrepreneur greets the executive director of a popular Oceanfront arts district. A prominent developer’s attorney pulls up a chair next to a seasoned architect who has left his mark on countless Virginia Beach projects.
It’s the first Thursday of the month, and the Resort Advisory Commission meeting is about to begin. The group’s members are the who’s who of the Oceanfront’s business community, appointed by the City Council to the citizen advisory panel. They’ve been instrumental in swaying the council to approve numerous initiatives and known to sound off when their recommendations don’t prevail.
Nearly every initiative in the resort area has the thumbprint of RAC members on it…