Virginia Beach to welcome the state’s first intentional community for disabled adults
By Grace Silipigni
After 15 years in the making, a groundbreaking intentional community is set to redefine the landscape of adult living in Virginia Beach. Vanguard Landing, a $42 million project, aims to foster connection, purpose and independence for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Vanguard Landing is more than just a housing development, however. The 75-acre property is designed to collaborate and be enjoyed by all members of the Virginia Beach community. Its goal is to actively promote engagement between residents and non-disabled individuals through vocational and recreational activities.
Debbie Dear, the community’s founder and executive director, began planning for Vanguard Landing in 2010. As a mother of a child with disabilities, Dear recognized a critical need for specialized care in Virginia Beach.
“The current options for our family members for living and having a full life of opportunities are simply non-existent or not appropriate for the persons who seek our level and quality of care and lifestyle,” says Dear.
Dear left her post as an administrator at Virginia Beach City Public Schools to dedicate herself full-time to the Vanguard mission. She and her team faced a number of obstacles after acquiring the Pungo Ridge property in 2013. But a decade of meticulous planning, community outreach and fundraising later, they celebrated a triumphant groundbreaking in 2024.
As the first of its size and scope in Virginia and the surrounding five-state region, Vanguard Landing is poised to become a national model for personalized care and community integration.
Vanguard Landing is currently rounding out the final touches on Phase 1 of its development. The neighborhood’s 24 cottages and eight townhomes will accommodate 128 residents, the first wave of which will be welcomed into their new homes in January 2026.
“All full-time residents, known as a Vanguard citizen, will live in one of our residential offerings and partake in all of our programming and activities,” says Dear. “Our future day program residents will be those that choose to live somewhere else, perhaps at home with parents, but will come to our community for four to five hours a day for programming.”
With exceptional care as the cornerstone of the Vanguard mission, each citizen will have an individualized care plan carried out by Vanguard staff.
“Every citizen will have a Vanguard Individualized Plan, or VIP, to help each of our Very Important Persons grow and develop skills that are important to them and for them,” explains Dear. Citizens will also have around-the-clock care and support.
Early champions of the project such as City Councilmember Barbara Henley and former Mayor Will Sessoms have also been integral to its success.“What really got to me at the groundbreaking,” says Sessoms, “was there were a lot of parents with young adult children that want to feel comfortable that when they are gone that their child will have a good place to live and be taken care of–not only that, but that it will give them a purpose and that they will be active. I have to applaud Debbie for coming up with the wonderful idea. It’s a great team, and it’s something that is really going to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Phase 2 of Vanguard Landing will hone the vocational skills Dear and her team hope residents will acquire. The second phase will allow for additional residents, up to the community’s maximum of 185, as well as a special event venue, Sportsplex, an Enterprise Building, animal area and Perseverance Guest House, a space dedicated to donors.
Also on-site will be the VanGarden and Farm Market, an enterprise for growing and selling plants, flowers and vegetables in the farmstand. The market will provide purposeful work for citizens as well as a healthy source of food in Vanguard’s dining hall.
ANSWERING THE CALL
The opening of Vanguard Landing is a first step toward answering the tremendous need for appropriate living arrangements for adult with disabilities, most of whom live with family caregivers. Estimates indicate there are more than 90,000 strong candidates for their services in Virginia alone.
“Everything in the business plan is designed to be a place for citizens to live, work, gain skills and socialize,” says Dear. “All on-site businesses are employment opportunities and revenue streams to support the intentional community.”
The success of Vanguard’s second chapter of development is heavily dependent on funding. “The next two buildings that are greatly needed that we are raising money for,” says Doug Brown, Vanguard Landing’s operations director, “are the Sportsplex gym and the Enterprise Building which will house the Van-Dough’s bakery and sandwich shoppe, the Acorn & Oak gift shop, the Art Center/Theater as well as the residents’ cool hang-out, Sir Noodles.”
The Sportsplex will include a track, basketball and volleyball courts, weight training areas, yoga and dance classes and table tennis. It will also serve as a venue for the Special Olympics, a premier event for members of the disabled community.
Beyond the campus, Vanguard Landing will also assist citizens with job skill training and employment opportunities in surrounding retail centers as well as off-campus learning experiences. Vanguard Landing also boasts two classrooms and a computer lab on-site.
Vanguard Landing continues to accept applications for future residents, both disabled and neuro-typical. Every future citizen is thoroughly vetted to ensure their success at Vanguard. Visit the Vanguard Landing website to explore admissions information as well as ways to give and promote the success of Virginia Beach’s newest community.
Learn more at vanguardlanding.org.
Grace Silipigni
Grace Silipigni is an elementary school Spanish immersion teacher based in Virginia Beach and a regular contributor to Coastal Virginia Magazine, covering a wide range of topics such as health and wellness, education and learning, food and drink, happenings and events, travel and getaways and more.
