Va. Beach squatter is told to move

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Raymond Strand built his home on a $15 million plot just blocks from the Oceanfront, with golf-course views and country club neighbors.

The only problem? Strand doesn't own the property.

The 60-year-old homeless man has been squatting on city land for about a year.

The 6 acres off Laskin Road has a storied history in Virginia Beach. It was once the site of the Seashire Inn, a 1950s-era motel. A developer tore down the Seashire to build condominiums with starting prices of $795,000. In 2005, the city and state rushed to buy the land for more than twice its $6.5 million assessed value to stop the condo project and keep Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach.

Strand said he settled on this parcel out of desperation.

He was sleeping nearby in a grove of trees, exposed to the weather, last winter when he came upon the property, said Strand, who drifted to Virginia Beach after he failed to pay his rent in a Richmond housing project.

The site, which the city uses as a staging area for construction projects, seemed a good place to build a shelter, Strand said.

He found left-over plywood and nailed together a white shack with green trim, topped with a skylight made of thick plastic. He built an outhouse later, he said, because he got tired of waiting for public buildings to open so he could use their bathrooms.

He furnished his home with other peoples' castoffs. The wood blinds came courtesy of an Oceanfront restaurant. The mini-fridge was missing a door and had been abandoned by the previous owner. The boom box, tuned to a gospel station, is dated with a cassette player.

Strand even hooked up to the construction crew's power source for electricity.

"I'm happy, because it's functional to my needs," he said.

He introduces himself as the night watchman for the property, although Virginia Beach authorities say that is not true.

City officials have been aware of Strand. But nobody complained about him, and he didn't draw much attention until the city recently started preparing for the newest phase of the Laskin Road utility and road improvement project.

Police visited Strand last week and told him to move. They introduced him to the administrator of the homeless shelter.

Construction trucks will be using that site, and the city fears liability issues if Strand is injured, said police Lt. Donald Fox.

And while officials have no indication that Strand is a danger to himself or others, city leaders don't want to encourage the homeless to create permanent shelters on public property, Fox said.

Strand will be eligible for more help at the shelter, and considering his building skills, maybe a job, Fox said.

"He's a pretty decent-looking guy and a pretty decent-spoken guy," Fox said. "He's a cut above what we see."