Here is a thread for all the news and updates of that large metro! :)

A glass wall of the Virginia Beach Convention Center looms next to the old Virginia Beach Pavilion, which will be torn down in the spring. BILL TIERNAN PHOTOS/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT.
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/conventionbig.jpg

By JASON SKOG, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 22, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — The new $202 million convention center is the largest and most complicated project the city has ever undertaken, and it’s on time and on budget.

The glass curtain wall is nearly one-third done, all 15 of the 240-foot-long roof trusses are in place, and the first phase of the building is nearly half complete. By Oct. 1, the building is expected to be fully enclosed, allowing interior work to begin.

“I’m amazed it’s gone so smoothly,” said Dean Block , the city’s public works director and point man on the project. “So far, so good. I’m very pleased.”

Dean credits planning and coordination between the city and the project’s construction-manager firm, Turner Construction. He also gave a nod to the weather, which hasn’t caused any serious delays.

By October, the roof and walls should be in place, sealing the building from the elements.

“That’s a very important milestone because at that point we can begin working the interior aggressively,” said James L. Partin , the city’s construction manager on the project. “We have some very highly finished spaces, and that type of a space needs a dry climate and a lot of time to craft all of those finishes.”

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/conventionmap.gif

Partin said there haven’t been many hiccups in the construction, but the building’s size and complexity have posed some challenges.

“We are trying to implement a lot of cutting-edge technology and various systems that are not run-of-the-mill,” Partin said. “As such, you’ve got a very complicated design and need extremely high levels of coordination.”

A public observation deck will cap a 150-foot tower that includes an executive conference room with video-conferencing, electronic window shades and a triangular conference table with 21 high-speed data ports.

In the ballroom, a digital lighting system will put 16 million colors at the touch of a button and provide custom color schemes to change the look and feel of the room. Along the main hall, a series of video walls 60 feet to 90 feet wide will project such things as pictures, videos and messages for visitors.

Up to 275 workers are at the site every day, including concrete and steel workers, masons, electricians, fire-proofers, glazers, carpenters and drywall hangers.

Meanwhile, bookings for the building are coming in, said James B. Ricketts , director of the city’s convention and visitors bureau.

J.J. Boykin ties reinforcing rods together on Friday for the armature for a concrete tunnel located under the exhibition hall at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/convention1.jpg

Forty-nine conventions are scheduled from 2005 to 2010 , including the return of some groups that had outgrown the Pavilion, Ricketts said.

For 2006 , 114,000 hotel room nights have already been booked. Ricketts said one consultant’s study projected the building would attract 150,000 room nights, but not until 2009 . “And we’re still booking 2006 ,” Ricketts said. “I’m real confident about our pace.”

http://198.65.116.13/images/planEvent/lg_detailsL1.jpg

http://198.65.116.13/images/planEvent/lg_detailsL2.jpg

http://198.65.116.13/images/planEvent/lg_extWide.jpg


More information and renderings located here! :) (http://198.65.116.13/facilities/3200_newConventionCenter.asp)

Bob Matthews Reporting
New Luxury Hotel Coming To Norfolk
Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version
http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=2073760&nav=0oa8P3ot



(Norfolk, VA, July 22nd, 2004, 7:37 a.m.) In downtown Norfolk, everybody is buzzing about the possibility of getting a new luxury hotel along Main Street. Booster say it's just what Norfolk needs but others are worried about the cost, not just in dollars. Your NewsChannel 3's Bob Matthews has more on this story.

The new hotel would be across the street from the BB&T building on Main Street. And while the details are still sketchy, it could be as tall as 20 stories, which one person we spoke to thinks would make business busier than ever. He says, "Yesterday we had a port of call ship came in. It got here at ten and left at three. We had so many people coming from that boat came here to eat."

While nothing is set in stone the hotel would probably go in the parking lot of the BB&T bank. That's good news for historians because it would spare both the BB&T building as well as several other buildings like Selden Arcade on Plume Street. Harriett Collins, a Norfolk Historian says, "We tend to sluff off those things that aren't ancient or have their own particular following."

The good news for Harriett and other historians is that the proposed hotel would probably face BB&T which was built back in 1899 and was once Norfolk's tallest building. Whether the hotel actually gets built though remains to be seen. Sources at City Hall say the project is gaining momentum. City Council has talked about this project recently and it could be part of a bigger project that could include seven new developments by this time next year.

I particulary like the part where they talk about 7 new develpoments by the end of next year. 7! I don't know what happened. This area seemed to be staggnating for years and now both va. beach and norfolk are going crazy with construction. Most of the new projects proposed lately have been highrises also which is a really interesting trend that I hope keeps up.

Here is a link to some very good pics of downtown norfolk. I'll try to post all the pics here later if I get time. http://www.beyonddc.com/features/norfolk.html

Printer Version Of Inside Business - Hampton Roads


INSIDER NEWS
Bank building switch paves way for hotel
BB&T plans to vacate site for space in 500 E. Main

By Peter Hull
Monday July 19, 2004

A new hotel is set for downtown Norfolk after a deal involving two landmark Main Street buildings will pave the way for development of a luxury hotel and conference center, throwing into doubt the future of one of downtown’s most historic buildings.

Branch Banking and Trust, commonly known as BB&T, will leave its location at 109 E. Main St. and occupy space in the former SunTrust office building, still known as the SunTrust Center, at 500 E. Main St.

The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based bank will lease about 40,000 of the 70,000 square feet left empty when SunTrust Bank relocated to 150 W. Main St. at the end of last year. SunTrust occupies 53,000 square feet on two floors and a branch lobby service in the building, the last major development built downtown.

As part of the deal, Harbor Group – a real estate investment group based in Norfolk at the 16-story SunTrust Center, which it bought from SunTrust in 1998 – will purchase the BB&T building.

Officials at neither Harbor Group nor BB&T would release details of the deal, but when BB&T bought the building at 109 E. Main St. at the end of 2002, the company paid $6 million for the property – nearly twice its assessed value at the time. The building was assessed for $3.8 million in 2003, and real estate experts predict the sale price to jump higher still this time around.

The 228,541-square-foot SunTrust Center has a drive-through banking facility and its own parking deck. Officials would not confirm details of the naming rights, but when SunTrust left the building, officials for Harbor Group said at the time the naming rights would be available to a new anchor tenant.

The deal means developers – thought to include Robert Johnson, majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats National Basketball Association expansion team, and William Fuller, a Norfolk native and former Pro Bowl player – now have a site for a luxury hotel on land behind the BB&T building where the bank’s drive-through service stands.

The seven-story, terra cotta-façade building was originally the Citizens’ Bank Building and then the Seaboard Citizens’ National Bank. Also known as the Life Building and the Wheat Building, it was the city’s earliest multistory structure.

It was originally constructed between 1897 and 1899 and was Norfolk’s first skyscraper. It became an architectural hot potato among preservationists in 1989 when the previous owners announced plans to sell it as a development site for the construction of a modern high-rise.

Fuller confirmed Thursday that negotiations on a potential site continue and that 109 E. Main St. is one option. He said he could not comment on what would become of the BB&T building – and adjoining businesses, including Prince Books – because the building does not form part of the hotel plan.

“There are several options we’re looking at, and yes, one of those options is where the BB&T parking lot is,” Fuller said. “As of this point, Mr. Slone does not have anything to do with our potential hotel deal.”

Jordan E. Slone is the chairman and CEO of Harbor Group.

The hotel is thought to involve a 20-story plus, 250-room four-star hotel with adjacent conference facilities. It will stand on the same street as the Norfolk Marriott Waterside hotel, a 24-story, 405-room hotel with 60,000 square feet of conference space.

Johnson said publicly in the spring that he was in discussions with the city to build a downtown hotel, with the Hilton name widely touted as the hotel’s operator. Last year, a consortium that includes Johnson’s company, RLJ Development, was awarded an exclusive negotiating agreement with the city of Baltimore for a 750-room Hilton to serve as the city’s convention headquarters hotel.

Johnson also stated that he’d like to help Norfolk lure a Major League Baseball team to the city, but city officials said the hotel deal was unrelated to baseball.

Johnson became America’s first black billionaire when he sold Black Entertainment Television, the cable TV network he founded, to Viacom for $3 billion in 2001. Forbes magazine ranked Johnson, a Mississippi native, 348 on their 2003 list of the world’s richest people with an estimated worth of $1.2 billion.

He is partnering with William Fuller’s Fulco Development on the project. Fuller, who sits on the board of the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau, is an Indian River High School graduate and was a defensive lineman in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers in the 1990s.

Robert Johnson could not be reached for comment and Tom Baltimore, president of RLJ Development, did not return calls before INSIDE BUSINESS went to press.






A service of Richmond.com
All material copyright © 1999 - 2003 Richmond.com and Partners.

http://www.richmond.com/printer.cfm?article=3137307

sounds like an intresting switch all for one hotel to come in. sounds nice!

I particulary like the part where they talk about 7 new develpoments by the end of next year. 7! I don't know what happened. This area seemed to be staggnating for years and now both va. beach and norfolk are going crazy with construction. Most of the new projects proposed lately have been highrises also which is a really interesting trend that I hope keeps up.


ditto

http://www.divaris.com/rereview/TTCPlaza.jpg

Cheesecake Factory -- One of Many New Stores
Coming to The Town Center of Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: The more The Town Center of Virginia Beach grows, the easier it has been to secure new tenants, according to Gerald Divaris, chairman and CEO of Divaris Real Estate, Inc. “We’ve turned down several offers because we are very cautious about getting the appropriate tenant mix. We could fill every square foot of space tomorrow, but we want to make it the most dynamic and exciting mixed-use development possible.”

The $300 million Town Center of Virginia Beach is proving to be the center of it all in Hampton Roads, a multi-city MSA located in southeastern Virginia with a population of 1.6 million. With 321,000 square feet of Class A office space, 42,000 square feet of retail space and a 1,284-car, city owned, free parking garage -- Block 4 is complete. Nearby, Block 5 has One Columbus Center, a 134,000-square-foot, Class A office building; a new 176-room Hilton Garden Inn; and Towne Bank, a freestanding 16,000-square-foot, two-story building.

Yet, 2003 was only the beginning for the project. Four new city blocks will increase the upscale urban lifestyle feel in the new city center, and give people more reason to want to work, shop, dine and live here. Ultimately spanning 17 city blocks, The Town Center will provide a mix of Class A office, multi-level upscale retail, deluxe residential, a performing arts center and an array of restaurants and business-class hotels.

The development is already looking like restaurant row with the first wave of merchants comprised primarily of nationally recognized restaurants. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Cold Stone Creamery, California Pizza Kitchen, Town Center City Club, D’Mustard Co. and Red Star Tavern have been drawing hungry hordes. Yet, patrons’ dining options are about to get even better.



California Pizza Kitchen
is one of many restaurants
open in The Town Center
of Virginia Beach.



On Block 3, The Cheesecake Factory has begun construction on its 11,507-square-foot restaurant, the first full-scale version of this major dining concept outside Northern Virginia. The Calabassas Hills, California-based casual dining chain is expected to pull in tons of traffic to The Town Center of Virginia Beach, as it has in the country’s 63 existing Cheesecake Factory restaurants. Typical sites generate $1,000 per square foot in sales, or twice the average of others in its category. The 200 items on its menu include 40 variations of cheesecake and desserts, plus pizza, gourmet salads, seafood and various Asian culinary specialties. The restaurants, which typically average about 10,000 square feet, feature rich, upscale décor, with hand-painted ceilings and wall murals, Egyptian columns, lots of cherry wood, limestone marble and handblown glass fixtures. This is surprising considering the average check is under $20!

In the next block from The Cheesecake Factory, Bravo! Cucina Italiana is building a 7,946-square-foot, restaurant on Block 8 with 1,200 square feet of outdoor patio dining area fronting an open public plaza with fountains and landscaping. Bravo Development Company, the parent company of Bravo! Cucina Italiana and Brio Tuscan Grill, operates several highly successful restaurants throughout the country.

A two-floor comedy club will occupy 9,500 square feet in Block 8, including 2,500-square-foot mezzanine level. Funny Bone is a concept developed by owner and founder, Mitch Kutash, who also runs a Funny Bone in Richmond, Virginia. Additionally, he operates five Improv Comedy clubs in Florida and Ohio as a franchisee. Kutash’s clubs feature the stand-up comedy acts of first-rate entertainers.

Occupying 6,225 square feet in the existing Block 4, at the opposite end from California Pizza Kitchen, is Red Star Tavern, an updated version of the classic American pub. The owner is Chicago-based, multi-concept operator, Restaurant Development Group (RDG), which owns 34 restaurants nationwide. Its portfolio of concepts includes: Bar Louie, Nick & Tony’s, Bluepoint Oyster Bar, The Grillroom and more. Red Star’s wide-ranging menu offers hearty sandwiches, salads, savory seafood and steaks. Accommodating 100 at the bar and 200 in the dining room, the interior conveys an intimate feel with design elements that include a fireplace, curved leather booths, wood-paneled walls, flagstone, custom lighting and eclectic artwork.

The Town Center City Club is a second-level, 8,368-square-foot private club, also on Block 4. The elegantly styled establishment features dining rooms, a bar, a cigar lounge and meeting rooms. Exclusive memberships are offered on an individual or corporate basis.

Luxury apartment homes in The Cosmopolitan will bring a built-in market to the Town Center tenants, and increase the 24-hour activity in the area. There will be 14 floors and 341 choices of chic studio suites, or one-, two- and three-bedroom city apartment homes with dimensions up to 1,576 square feet. Two floors of The Cosmopolitan will feature luxury penthouses, with views of both Downtown Norfolk and the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The $60 million building will include first floor retail on the street, and a public parking garage for 856 cars.

Apartments will all contain quick-touch fireplaces, granite countertops on kitchen islands, and top-notch lighting systems. A full array of services and amenities will be offered including a rooftop plaza with gardens, heated swimming pool and cabana; a fitness center; a community room with a catering and demonstration kitchen; a boardroom with high-speed internet access; and an after-hours doorman. Additionally, concierge services will help residents attend to many daily details. The apartments are expected to be available for occupancy in the summer of 2005.



Galyan's opened its 84,000-
square-foot store at The
Town Center of Virginia
Beach in April 2004.


Other shopping opportunities in The Town Center of Virginia Beach include Galyan’s Trading Company, a seller of upscale sporting and outdoor lifestyle goods. Galyan’s opened the doors to its 84,000-square-foot, two-story store on the corner of Columbus Street and Independence Boulevard in April 2004. The Plainfield-Indiana-based retailer targets both outdoor and traditional athletic market segments with an amazing 90,000 items from private-label and proprietary brands.

The 23-story Armada Hoffler Tower is fully occupied, with the biggest names in law, finance and technology. Office tenants in The Town Center include: Armada Hoffler; Morgan Stanley; Wilcox & Savage; Cherry Bekaert & Holland; Pender & Coward; Senator George Allen; Thomas Rutherfoord; Troutman Sanders; Legg Mason; Mass Mutual; Faggert & Freiden; Williams Mullen and the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development.

One Columbus Center, an existing 11-story Class A office tower is getting a facelift. The building was designed and built in 1983 with the new city center in mind, establishing a high-rise focus for the new Virginia Beach skyline. One Columbus Center has remained fully leased since it opened and is still in great demand. Its tenant roster is a Who’s Who list including Divaris Real Estate, UBS Financial Services, Bank of America, BB&T Insurance/Pioneer Title, Columbus Executive Suites, HBA Architects and Wolcott Rivers. Exterior and interior renovations are underway and expected to reach completion in the summer of 2005.

The entire central business district is benefiting from the investment in the area. Across Virginia Beach Boulevard, two new restaurants have opened on outparcels at Pembroke Mall. Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Max & Erma’s are taking advantage of the synergy between workers, shoppers and diners at The Town Center.

Patrons are already making the development their destination for an evening out. They start with dinner at one of the several eateries, then take a quick stroll to the movie theatre or a browse around Barnes & Noble, capping off the night with ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery.

The Town Center of Virginia Beach is leased and managed by Divaris Real Estate, Inc. and Divaris Property Management Corp. The project is being developed and constructed by Armada Hoffler. Divaris and Armada Hoffler are principals in the project.

Divaris Real Estate, Inc.
One Columbus Center, Suite 700
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
TEL: 757.497.2113 FAX: 757.497.1338
info@divaris.com

http://www.divaris.com/rereview/TTC04ad.jpg


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New developments in norfolk
2 towers of 25 floors and 15 floors will be built on brambelton and granby street should take 36 months to complete.
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/breaking/granbytowers.jpg
this doesnt include 20+floor hotel planned on Main.
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=73711&ran=184013

a 25 story and 15 story building by suntrust building behind world trade center
a 20 story tower by macarthur mall for a large publishing firm
a 20-30 story hotel planned in center

http://www.beachscreens.com/Norfolk/Norfolk-VA-Skyline-04-02-02-02.jpg
http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/update-08-03-2002/Norfolk-VA-Skyline-04-02-2002.jpg
http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-2004-March/Norfolk-Moonrise-Skyline-12-08-2003-02.jpg
http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-2004-March/Norfolk-Moonrise-Skyline-12-08-2003-01.jpg

That is so cool I cant wait to go back...reminds me of a cleaner LA stuck in the "honey i shrunk the city" machine...I like it alot

Damnit, you beat me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was trying to post this as fast as I could :bash: .

It appears that the competition between norfolk and va.beach is on again. Both cities have been announcing new buildings left and right. Extremely cool.

Heres the article for those of us too lazy to click the link.

Two towers planned for Norfolk

The 400 condominium units would sell for between $250,000 and $400,000. MARATHON DEVELOPMENT GROUP


By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 30, 2004

NORFOLK – A developer has a plan to take downtown living to new heights.

Literally.

Marathon Development Group announced Thursday that it wants to construct 400 condominiums in twin towers – one 25 stories, the other 15 – at the southwest corner of Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue.

The development, if approved by the city, would be the tallest residential complex in downtown. The units would sell for between $250,000 and $400,000 and the complex would also feature six stories of parking, 17,000 square feet of retail space, a pool, an exercise facility and a club area.

The planned $100 million project could take downtown’s renaissance to a new plateau, city officials said.

As outlined by officials and the developer, the complex would meet a pent up demand for downtown living while encouraging the redevelopment of Granby Street to continue north toward Virginia Beach Boulevard. The income bracket of the condo buyers could help the city attract retail development beyond MacArthur Center. And when grouped with other developments, it could dramatically change the city’s skyline.

“Downtown Norfolk and this region has a tremendous amount of momentum,” said Buddy Gadams, president of Norfolk-based Marathon Development. “We have been working downtown for a while and have a first-hand knowledge of people wanting to live here, but they just can’t find the product.”

“We are targeting the urban person who doesn’t want a lot of space, but wants to be in the center of it all.”

The developer will submit its plans to the city’s Planning Department for review. The project, which could generate about $3 million in annual tax revenue, must then be approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council.

Gadams projected that construction could begin sometime late next year with the first phase – the 25-story tower – completed possibly by the summer of 2007.

Depending on demand, construction of the smaller tower could be done concurrently, with completion in five to six years.

Marathon officials have shared their plans with some city officials, including Mayor Paul D. Fraim.

“This seems to be a project that is well conceived,” Fraim said Thursday. “Our experience with Marathon Development and Buddy Gadams has been very good. We have reason to believe he can deliver.”







Marathon Development has completed several projects in Norfolk, Suffolk and Richmond.

John B. Levy, a Richmond-based real estate investment banking company that has similar projects in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Charlotte, N.C., is providing financing for the project.

That a project of this size will be financed entirely with private funds indicates how far downtown has come, Fraim and other city officials said. The city invested $100 million to help finance the construction of MacArthur Center in the mid-90s, seen by many as the catalyst for downtown Norfolk’s rebirth.

“We are on the radar screen,” said Cathy Coleman, executive director of the Downtown Norfolk Council. “It is validating all of the efforts thus far. Norfolk has been very patient and disciplined in its planning approach. It has been a determined effort that is really paying off.”

Coleman said she could not foresee any negatives.

“It’s a good developer, a good development in a strategic location. It can benefit a new part of downtown,” she said. “It’s going to put people in restaurants, people in stores and it’s probably going to enhance the opportunity to go after retailers.


“It enhances our ability to market downtown to unique retail outside of MacArthur. That has always been the goal to complete the streetscape and the offerings outside the center.”

Marathon Development has been working over the past few years to acquire the property. The site, which is zoned for high-density residential development, is home to an old bank building and parking lots.

The property had been mentioned as a possible location for an annex to the federal courthouse directly across Granby Street. But plans for an annex have not advanced, according to city officials.




The complex would also feature six stories of parking, 17,000 square feet of retail space, a pool, an exercise facility and a club area.


Rod Woolard, the city’s director of development, said Gadams’ project should produce “collateral development,” accelerating redevelopment on Granby north of Brambleton.

Across Brambleton to the north, renovations have begun on a restaurant and lounge. Diagonally is the Greyhound bus station, situated on property owned by the city that Woolard said is prime for development.

Andrew Little, a principal investor with the financier, John B. Levy, said the Norfolk/Hampton Roads area is considered a hot market for multi-family development because of its job and population growth, demographics and economic base.

“I think there’s a fervor right now.

There’s really a lot of institutional interest in projects that are large,” Little said. “Norfolk happens to be a market where there’s a lot of institutional investors interested in getting into play.”

With a number of condo units planned for downtown, Little said there is a concern about oversupply in the market. “Right now it looks pretty good. It doesn’t appear out of balance at this point.”

The project, which the developers are calling “Granby Towers,” could be one of as many as eight or nine underway in downtown Norfolk within the next 12 months, Fraim said.

Such activity could force the city’s planning department to pay closer attention to the changing Norfolk skyline.

While growth is welcomed, it must adhere to the overall vision for downtown, said Tim Polk, city planning director.

“We recognize with a maturing city that we are going to the next level,” Polk said. “The girth and widths and heights are going to change. We’ve already got developments coming down the pike that are significantly taller than what we have downtown. We will have to set guidelines on how tall we want to be.”

City officials have discussed with Urban Design Associates, the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based consulting firm which has helped craft plans for downtown redevelopment, about colors, materials and finishes of buildings, Polk said.

“We will have to be prudent with this trend,” Polk said. “We want to keep the urban context of our town. We want to make sure we retain our view corridors and vistas.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com

“We recognize with a maturing city that we are going to the next level,” Polk said. “The girth and widths and heights are going to change. We’ve already got developments coming down the pike that are significantly taller than what we have downtown. We will have to set guidelines on how tall we want to be.”
battinto.batts@pilotonline.com :)

will u get to see those towers in skyline pics, i think they are all the way by the scope

any renderings of other projects like the publisher building

will u get to see those towers in skyline pics, i think they are all the way by the scope

you'll probably be able to see the 25-story one. I don't know about the smaller tower since its view from the river will be blocked by the larger one.

any renderings of other projects like the publisher building
haven't found any so far.

Keep in mind that they said other "significantly" taller projects r planned so even if this doesn't make a major impact on the skyline , the other projects will. I can only guess how high significantly taller is to them. I have a feeling that we'll find out shortly though.

i wonder if a bank or something is trying to relocate to norfolk and plans a tall. significantly taller then the tallest existing building of 25 floors means at least 35 floors, in my mind atleast. i cant wait to see renderings, and plans.

I dont know why people play word games and make people wait for suspense. If you know you know and you announce it...if things are not for sure then dont build people's hopes up and come back to them with unclear information.

It appears that the competition between norfolk and va.beach is on again. Both cities have been announcing new buildings left and right. Extremely cool.


Some how I new this would turn into a town center vs. Downtown Norfolk battle. I could see it coming a few years ago. I agree it is a good thing :)

Is there a reason all of these buildings are 25 and 30 stories? height restrictions?
I think this metro has so much potential for an awesome commanding skyline.
Its there largest metro for mile along the Atlantic. It would be nice if it had some signature talls. :)

Is there a reason all of these buildings are 25 and 30 stories? height restrictions?
I think this metro has so much potential for an awesome commanding skyline.
Its there largest metro for mile along the Atlantic. It would be nice if it had some signature talls. :)Actually there is no current height limit in the downtown norfolk area. We've just never had the property values/demand to build much higher that that. It appears now with all this new development that they have to build higher to get the most value out of the property. Maybe thats why there are so many significantly taller projects coming down the pike (as the city put it :) ).

Process of building towers to begin with city meeting
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/towerbig1.gif

An architect’s rendering of Granby Towers illustrates the vast $100 million project, which could bring 400 condo units priced between $250,000 and $400,000 to the northern edge of downtown Norfolk. HUMPHREYS AND PARTNERS ARCHITECTS, L.P.


By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 3, 2004

NORFOLK — Officials with Marathon Deve lopment Group and the city’s planning department will meet Wednesday to begin the formal process of bringing a twin-tower condominium complex to Granby Street.

Projected water and sewage usage and parking will be among the likely topics of discussion regarding the $100 million project, which could bring 400 condo units priced between $250,000 and $400,000 to the northern perimeter of downtown.



The meeting is the first step toward winning city approval for a project that Buddy Gadams, president of Marathon Development, promises will be first rate.

“We are going to talk about the needs of that area and the development,” Gadams said. “We want to see how to build a development that is good for the city, good for the people who live there and for the developers.”


Background: Two towers planned for Norfolk

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Gadams said he doesn’t anticipate asking the city to make wholesale accommodations for his development.


“We bought this land and are going into the project without having to ask or demand anything of the city in terms of improvements,” Gadams said. However, Gadams said he would like to see sidewalk and streetscape enhancements in the general area.

It took several months and more than $2 million for Marathon Development to reach this point for the project, designed to meet a growing demand for downtown housing.

The first major step occurred about 18 months ago, when Marathon Development bought the land for the first tower at Granby and York streets. The 34,000-square-foot parcel, which contains a small church and 82 parking spaces, sold for $950,000, Gadams said.

The church, Integrity Heritage Church for All People, has a monthly lease with the developer on its space. The church, which fronts York, will be forced to move to make way for the first condominium tower, which would be 25 stories.

“We hate to displace anybody, but I think when you look at the magnitude of the project, the big picture, everyone one can be a winner,” Gadams said.


Officials with the church could not be reached for comment Monday, but Gadams said his company wants to aid in the move. “We want to help through real estate agents to find another space and possibly provide some financial incentives … in the spirit of being a good neighbor,” he said.

The entire complex, as planned, would stretch on Granby from Bute Street on the south to Brambleton on the north. It would occupy about half of the block bounded by Boush Street on the west.

If the project, now called Granby Towers, is approved by the city, construction on the first tower could begin in late 2005.

Depending on demand – Gadams said he is already getting phone calls from prospective buyers – construction on the second, 15-story tower could be done concurrently.


That tower, at Granby and Brambleton, would force The Vault, an off-site media rotation services company, to move. The business, which stores computer data for companies, is in a former bank building constructed around the late 1940s. Bob Henderson, owner of The Vault and an adjacent parking lot, said he sold the 26,000-square-foot parcel to Marathon Development in May for $1.25 million.

Henderson said he had been in discussions with officials three years ago about selling the property to the federal government for the proposed expansion of the federal courthouse across Granby. An appraisal was done on the property in preparation for a sale, but the talks halted following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, he said.

Henderson of Norfolk, who has a yearly lease with Marathon Development on the property, isn’t sure what he will do when the time comes to move. “I’ve been in business since 1982, so I don’t want to give up,” he said.

Henderson has witnessed a great deal of change since he bought the property in 1989. Years of decline had left the area a mishmash of empty buildings that lacked the cache brought on by recent revitalization several blocks south.

The idea of a condominium development of this magnitude on Granby would have seemed far-fetched back then, Henderson said. “That would have never been anticipated by anyone.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com




More Real Estate Articles
• Shifting control of association to owners - Aug. 2
• Two towers planned for Norfolk - Jul. 30
• Theme park proposal gives way to industrial park plan - Jul. 29

Is there a reason all of these buildings are 25 and 30 stories? height restrictions?
I think this metro has so much potential for an awesome commanding skyline.
Its there largest metro for mile along the Atlantic. It would be nice if it had some signature talls. :)
Here is a much more complete answer to your question. As I understand from reading this zoning ordinance, there is no height limit for DT norfolk.
8-2 Downtown Regional Center District D-2.
8-2.1 Purpose statement. The D-2 Downtown Regional Center District is intended to accommodate downtown Norfolk's role as the regional business, economic and cultural center. Office buildings, government offices, regional retail, and hotels are encouraged. Residential and other downtown uses are permitted.
At the same time, however, an appropriate environment should be created around the historic buildings that give downtown Norfolk its distinctive character, such as the Customs House, St. Paul's Church, and MacArthur Memorial. The planning commission shall require new development near such structures to contribute to an appropriate setting, in accordance with the downtown plan and in accordance with review criteria in section 8-0.9 and 8-0.10, and in section 8-0.11 if applicable.
In addition, Main Street from St. Paul's Boulevard to Boush Street has been identified as downtown Norfolk's principal retail street. To reinforce this role, this ordinance includes provisions for encouraging active uses along the street frontage and build-to lines on Main Street.
8-2.2 Permitted uses. All uses listed as permitted in the D-2 District shall be permitted only after review and approval pursuant to the provisions set forth in section 8-0.8. Uses permitted in the D-2 District are set forth in the Table of Principal Uses for Downtown Districts found at section 8-5.
8-2.3 Special exception uses. The uses specified as special exceptions in the Table of Principal Uses for the D-2 District found at section 8-5 shall be permitted in the D-2 District with a special exception provided they are approved pursuant to the standards and procedures for special exceptions set forth in Article V, Chapter 25 and comply with all other applicable requirements of this ordinance.
8-2.4 Required use of ground floor areas. The requirements of section 8-0.13 shall apply to all buildings which abut, and which have facades oriented to, the following principal streets or pedestrian ways in the D-2 District west of St. Paul's Boulevard:
(a) Main Street.
(b) Plume Street.
(c) City Hall Avenue.
(d) Granby Street.
(e) Atlantic Street.
(f) Bank Street.
(g) Commercial Place.
(h) Monticello Avenue.
(i) Boush Street.
8-2.5 Accessory uses. Uses that are customarily accessory to the above permitted uses and clearly incidental are permitted.
8-2.6 Bulk requirements. Bulk regulations in the D-2 District include floor area ratio (FAR), building height, yard requirements, and lot coverage, and required public open space. The FAR, yard and building height standards for this district are as follows:
(a) Floor area ratio: Five for all uses; maximum adjoining permanent public open space included in gross lot area shall not exceed 100 feet.
***(b) Maximum building height: None, except that height limits may be instituted to protect specific adjoining historic structures pursuant to the provisions set forth in section 8-0.11. ****
(c) Yard requirements: None, except build-to lot line on 75 percent of street frontage along those segments of Main Street and Granby Street in the district.
(d) Maximum lot coverage by buildings: None
8-2.7 Required open space. Ten percent of net lot area; none for parking garages.
8-2.8 Off-street parking and loading. All loading and maneuvering space shall be concealed from streets, public open space, and pedestrian ways, and be located within building lines. No off-street parking is required in this district. Curb cuts on Main Street shall be discouraged to maintain the pedestrian environment. Alternative vehicular access points shall be used wherever possible.
8-2.9 Signs. Signs in this district shall be in accordance with the regulations set forth in Article III, Chapter 16.

Info above received from this link http://library9.municode.com/gateway.dll/VA/virginia/377?f=templates&fn=default.htm&npusername=10121&nppassword=MCC&npac_credentialspresent=true&vid=default. You've got to search for it thought. I realize the above post is a little long. The important part I put asteriks (sp?) around.

Here is a much more complete answer to your question. As I understand from reading this zoning ordinance, there is no height limit for DT norfolk.
8-2 Downtown Regional Center District D-2.
8-2.1 Purpose statement. The D-2 Downtown Regional Center District is intended to accommodate downtown Norfolk's role as the regional business, economic and cultural center. Office buildings, government offices, regional retail, and hotels are encouraged. Residential and other downtown uses are permitted.
At the same time, however, an appropriate environment should be created around the historic buildings that give downtown Norfolk its distinctive character, such as the Customs House, St. Paul's Church, and MacArthur Memorial. The planning commission shall require new development near such structures to contribute to an appropriate setting, in accordance with the downtown plan and in accordance with review criteria in section 8-0.9 and 8-0.10, and in section 8-0.11 if applicable.
In addition, Main Street from St. Paul's Boulevard to Boush Street has been identified as downtown Norfolk's principal retail street. To reinforce this role, this ordinance includes provisions for encouraging active uses along the street frontage and build-to lines on Main Street.
8-2.2 Permitted uses. All uses listed as permitted in the D-2 District shall be permitted only after review and approval pursuant to the provisions set forth in section 8-0.8. Uses permitted in the D-2 District are set forth in the Table of Principal Uses for Downtown Districts found at section 8-5.
8-2.3 Special exception uses. The uses specified as special exceptions in the Table of Principal Uses for the D-2 District found at section 8-5 shall be permitted in the D-2 District with a special exception provided they are approved pursuant to the standards and procedures for special exceptions set forth in Article V, Chapter 25 and comply with all other applicable requirements of this ordinance.
8-2.4 Required use of ground floor areas. The requirements of section 8-0.13 shall apply to all buildings which abut, and which have facades oriented to, the following principal streets or pedestrian ways in the D-2 District west of St. Paul's Boulevard:
(a) Main Street.
(b) Plume Street.
(c) City Hall Avenue.
(d) Granby Street.
(e) Atlantic Street.
(f) Bank Street.
(g) Commercial Place.
(h) Monticello Avenue.
(i) Boush Street.
8-2.5 Accessory uses. Uses that are customarily accessory to the above permitted uses and clearly incidental are permitted.
8-2.6 Bulk requirements. Bulk regulations in the D-2 District include floor area ratio (FAR), building height, yard requirements, and lot coverage, and required public open space. The FAR, yard and building height standards for this district are as follows:
(a) Floor area ratio: Five for all uses; maximum adjoining permanent public open space included in gross lot area shall not exceed 100 feet.
***(b) Maximum building height: None, except that height limits may be instituted to protect specific adjoining historic structures pursuant to the provisions set forth in section 8-0.11. ****
(c) Yard requirements: None, except build-to lot line on 75 percent of street frontage along those segments of Main Street and Granby Street in the district.
(d) Maximum lot coverage by buildings: None
8-2.7 Required open space. Ten percent of net lot area; none for parking garages.
8-2.8 Off-street parking and loading. All loading and maneuvering space shall be concealed from streets, public open space, and pedestrian ways, and be located within building lines. No off-street parking is required in this district. Curb cuts on Main Street shall be discouraged to maintain the pedestrian environment. Alternative vehicular access points shall be used wherever possible.
8-2.9 Signs. Signs in this district shall be in accordance with the regulations set forth in Article III, Chapter 16.Well, I have another answer to this question. The Hampton Roads area is made up of seven independent cities (eight if you count Poquoson, but no one does) right next to each other and from what I know, five of the cities have their own downtown district. So instead of it all being in one area, it's all spaced out. Also if you look at downtown Norfolk in the early 80s, it was a dump. There have been vast improvments to waterside over the past 15-20 years. News of new towers to Norfolk keeps pouring in day by day.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=73981&ran=131370

NORFOLK — BB&T announced Thursday it is moving its regional headquarters literally up the block, a development that could step up the pace of construction downtown.

The bank also said it will sell the parking lot across from its current location at 109 E. Main to the city. Its move to 500 E. Main St. and sale of the lot could set up a domino effect of development that promises to reshape the look of downtown.
The parking lot is the potential site of a 25-story Hilton Hotel that would be built by Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television and owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA franchise. It would be tied into a small conference center built by the city.

Negotiations on the project are ongoing. City officials declined to comment Thursday.

A confidential city document obtained by The Virginian-Pilot indicates the city is also negotiating to purchase the nearby ICON building and a law firm run by Peter G. Decker Jr. “for the hotel and conference center.” The document was distributed to City Council members and other high-ranking city officials nearly two weeks ago.

Decker said he has had discussions with the city and negotiations continue. Johnson said several months ago that he’s interested in putting a high-end Hilton Hotel in downtown Norfolk.

The lot also has been mentioned as the potential site of a parking garage for the proposed Trader Publishing Building, to be built at the southeast corner of Granby Street and City Hall Avenue. A deal on that development is considered imminent.

BB&T’s move also creates an opening at 109 E. Main. Harbor Group International has an agreement to buy the property from BB&T as part of its lease of 500 E. Main to the bank.

All of this comes a week after a developer announced plans to build 400 condominiums in two towers at the intersection of Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue.

The activity is further indication of downtown Norfolk’s economic growth.

“These guys could have gone anywhere,” Mayor Paul D. Fraim said Thursday of BB&T. “This was an independent move by BB&T, and it continues to validate downtown as the business and financial core of the region.”

Others suggested there is more to come.

“There were definitely some people who thought that downtown was completed. It certainly is not complete. There is a lot more to do,” said Cathy Coleman, executive director of the Downtown Norfolk Council. “It is safe to say that this opens up a lot of opportunities.”

BB&T entered Virginia in 1995 by buying a Virginia Beach community bank, Commerce Bank. It acquired the 109 E. Main site three years later when it bought Life Savings Bank, a Norfolk thrift.

Based in Winston-Salem, N.C., the bank expanded its presence in Hampton Roads in 2003 when it bought First Virginia Banks Inc. BB&T also owns the brokerage firm Scott & Stringfellow Inc., which has offices locally, and the Norfolk money-management firm Virginia Investment Counselors.

Moving to 500 E. Main, a building occupied by SunTrust Bank until it moved to 150 W. Main St., gives BB&T a larger and more prominent presence in downtown.

The 16-story building is visible from Interstate 264 and the harbor. The bank’s logo will be displayed on two sides of the building, which also houses the Hunton & Williams law firm, Waterside Capital, the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance and the local office of the Virginia attorney general.

BB&T will occupy the bottom three floors and 40,000 square feet of space at 500 E. Main. Scott & Stringfellow is also moving to BB&T’s new location.

“That building gives us exceptional drive-through capability” for customers “and more than ample parking for our employees,” BB&T’s Regional President Robert Boyd said. By being in the larger building, the bank also gains access to a much larger pool of prospective customers than at its current location, he said.

The sale of the parking lot, seen by the city as a prime parcel for development, is still pending. “It has been the goal of the city for years to control the development of that site,” Fraim said.

Funds for the purchase of the lot, valued at more than $3 million, will come mostly, if not all, from downtown parking revenue, the mayor said.

Fraim declined to comment further about the status of discussions regarding Johnson’s proposed hotel or other potential uses for the parcel.

Decker’s law practice, at 201 E. Plume St., is next to the parking lot. Decker said he and his wife, Bess, have done a great deal of work on the building since buying it about 20 years ago. Selling it is “definitely not a done deal,” he said.

But Decker indicated a willingness to work with the city. “My wife and I will never do anything to stand in the way of the progress of the city of Norfolk,” he said.

“It’s kind of fun being in the middle of all of it.”

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=73981&ran=131370 (http://)

BB&T movement further up street opens up parking lot to development of 25 story hi end hilton hotel. This also opens up room for a new parking garage for the 19 story publisher building thats been approved. Plus the 25 and 15 story buildings just proposed are just the icing on the cake. theres more to come too.
Norfolk is going to have a real cool skyline soon. :)

i made a pic of what i suspect the skyline might look like with the addition of 25 story hilton
25 story granby tower
15 story granby tower behind it
19 story publisher building
does not include more then 5 other projects that havent been revealed fully
http://hometown.aol.com/aanvb/myhomepage/norfolk1.jpg?mtbrand=AOL_US

Nice photoshop work.

That looks awsome. Looks like its boom town. :D

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74369&ran=150541

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/tradermap.gif

Trader tower in Norfolk will bring 500 new jobs
By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 14, 2004

NORFOLK — Gov. Mark R. Warner has scheduled a news conference Monday to announce that Trader Publishing Co. will consolidate more than 1,300 employees in a new downtown office tower.

Officials in Warner’s office said Friday that he will attend a 2:30 p.m. news conference Monday in Norfolk to “make a major economic development announcement.” Sources who asked not to be identified say he will announce that Trader will build an office tower on the city-owned Federal Square parking lot at the southeast corner of Granby Street and City Hall Avenue.

More than 500 new jobs will be created, and the average salary for the 1,300 employees will be more than $45,000 per year, the sources said.

Hundreds of employees will relocate from Trader’s seven -story downtown headquarters on Plume Street and offices in Virginia Beach, Seattle and other cities.

According to a confidential memo distributed last month to city officials, Trader will spend $51 million on the building, which could be as tall as 19 stories. The memo notes that the Trader building will generate $38.8 million in city taxes and parking revenue during the next 20 years.

The city is expected to spend approximately $12 million on a parking facility for Trader, which would occupy the first seven stories of the office tower. It would be paid for in part with parking fees charged to Trader employees. It isn’t known what other economic incentives the city offered to lure Trader.

Word leaked out three months ago that Trader was negotiating with the city about building a 225,000-square-foot office tower. Sources say that rising construction costs drove the cost of the project much higher than expected but that a contribution from Warner’s Opportunity Fund sealed the deal several weeks ago.

Mayor Paul D. Fraim, City Manager Regina V.K. Williams and Conrad M. Hall, Trader’s president and chief executive officer, could not be reached for comment.

Luring Trader downtown is a coup for the city. Virginia Beach tried to entice Trader to Town Center, a new office, shopping and housing complex near Pembroke Mall. A Texas community that city officials have declined to name also negotiated with Trader.

City officials say attracting Trader is Norfolk’s biggest economic development project since the opening of MacArthur Center. Trader employees are expected to spend more than $7 million a year shopping and eating downtown.

The Trader building is just one of many recently announced projects expected to be built downtown.

Washington billionaire Robert L. Johnson has proposed building a 25-story Hilton Hotel that would be joined with a small conference center the city would build. A formal announcement is expected this fall.

Marathon Development recently announced that it will spend $100 million building 400 condominiums in two towers – one 25 stories and another 15 – at the southwest corner of Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue.

Several other projects have been approved or are under way: a 17-story retirement center in Atlantic City; a 12-story condominium, grocery store and office complex on Boush Street; a $41 million cruise ship terminal next to Nauticus; a 300,000-square foot, $94.5 million heart center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital; and a 338-unit , $38 million apartment and condominium project that Bristol Development is constructing on Monticello Avenue just north of downtown.

Trader is owned jointly by the Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises Inc. and Norfolk-based Landmark Communications, Inc., publisher of The Virginian-Pilot.

Founded in 1991 , it produces more than 650 publications, such as Auto Trader and Yacht Trader. It has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,000 in Hampton Roads split between downtown and the Convergence Center I in Virginia Beach. Most or all of the 440 employees in Virginia Beach are expected to relocate to downtown.

Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com

new rendering for 20 story trader publishing building and article
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/traderbuildingbig.jpg
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74413&ran=4295 (http://)

It's almost too much to keep up with. I can't wait to see the rendering for the new hotel.

oduguy, that link didn't seem to work, so I'm posting the arcticle that went along with the picture of that office tower here.

By HARRY MINIUM AND BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 16, 2004 | Last updated 2:07 AM Aug. 17

NORFOLK — Calling it a “signature watershed event” that reaffirms downtown’s position as the business hub of Hampton Roads, Mayor Paul D. Fraim joined state and local officials Monday in announcing that Trader Publishing Co . will build a new office tower for its electronic media division .

The new building will stand 19 or 20 stories and will bring 600 new jobs to Hampton Roads, many of them dedicated to Trader’s expanding Internet presence . It also will retain 550 existing jobs, including 400 moving to Norfolk from Virginia Beach , that would have been lost had Trader moved out of state.

“This is a company that could have relocated its offices to any major city in the country,” Fraim said. “Instead, it was determined to stay where its roots are, and to bring hundreds of jobs that will translate into hundreds of millions of payroll dollars over time.”

Trader, founded in 1991 in Norfolk, operates Internet and classified advertising publications in more than 300 field offices in 177 cities , among them The AutoTrader and TruckTrader magazines. It is jointly owned by Cox Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta and Norfolk’s Landmark Communications Inc., publisher of The Virginian-Pilot .

Trader will spend approximately $51 million to build and outfit the 270,000-square -foot facility, which will include 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 440 parking spaces on the lower floors.





Background Coverage:
Trader tower in Norfolk will bring 500 new jobs
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The building, which will have a capacity to house 1,300 employees , will rise at the southeast corner of Granby Street and City Hall Avenue on the city-owned Federal Square parking lot . It was designed by CMSS Architects , the Virginia Beach firm that designed that city’s Town Center development near Pembroke Mall .

Trader’s current headquarters , located on Plume Street within a short walk of the Federal Square lot , will remain open as Trader’s national headquarters , said Conrad M. Hall , Trader’s president and chief executive officer . Hall, a Norfolk native , acknowledged that building downtown could be more expensive than in other locations.

“Norfolk is the economic engine for Tidewater,” he said. “As Norfolk is strengthened, the region becomes stronger.”

Gov. Mark R. Warner, who gave the city $1 million from his Opportunity Fund to help subsidize Trader’s new building, said the addition of 600 jobs to Hampton Roads will be a major boost to the economy. Most employees will make in excess of $40,000 , he said.

Trader’s new building is expected to increase the demand for housing downtown. That’s good news for developers such as Buddy Gadams , who has a number of residential projects under way, and has proposed building 15-story and 25-story residential towers at the corner of Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue .

“I think what just happened with today’s announcement is the pent-up demand just got greater,” Gadams said.

Monday’s announcement capped more than a year of at-times frantic negotiations between city and Trader officials about the new building. Fraim especially drew praise from Hall.

“We would not be here today were it not for his direct, personal involvement in helping us get this project done,” Hall said. Hall said construction will begin in January or February and that the new building should be occupied by 2006 .

Virginia Beach is among several cities, including locations in Washington , Ohio and Texas , that Trader Publishing negotiated with before deciding to expand in Norfolk. Hall said the traffic congestion at the Town Center was a factor in his decision to locate downtown, but that the clincher was a survey done of Trader employees .

“Our younger employees especially indicated a preference for a downtown location,” he said. “This is where the restaurants and the night life are. This will make it easier for us to recruit and retain employees.”

Hall also expressed the hope that Trader’s decision will help begin to end the so-called “brain drain” of young, high-tech workers from Hampton Roads to other regions.

“We hope that Trader and many other companies in our region will together form the economic critical mass that will make it possible for our children … to find a challenging and rewarding job,” Hall said.

The news conference drew a who’s who of Norfolk’s power elite, including three former mayors , six members of the City Council and most other elected officials. Parts of two city streets were closed off, and a video feed of the news conference was watched by hundreds of Trader employees in a makeshift tent on Plume Street . Officials hope to bring the same group together for an announcement this fall or winter about a downtown hotel.

The City Council will vote today to spend $3.5 million to purchase a parking lot from BB&T Bank located on Main Street and will authorize City Manager Regina V.K. Williams to negotiate with two nearby property owners.

The city plans to build a parking deck with about 850 spaces on the properties. Many of those parking spaces will be utilized by Trader employees, Hall said .

However, officials also hope the garage will be topped off by a small conference center and a high-end Hilton Hotel to be developed by Washington billionaire Robert L. Johnson .

“We continue to have very positive discussions with Mr. Johnson,” Fraim said.

Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com.

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com.

heres a new skyline pic i made with 25 and 15 floor granby towers, 20 floor publishers tower, and a 25 floor hilton, as well as 12 floor apt and new cruise ship port.
http://hometown.aol.com/aanvb/myhomepage/new2.jpg?mtbrand=AOL_US

loves it, loves hampton roads and everything it has to offer..I was gonna live in ghent but life brought me to louisville....hopefully i will live there someday..it is definatly a coastal city in renaissance..praise the new norfolk and all its sisters

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74488&ran=241379

Norfolk council approves incentives for Trader tower
By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 18, 2004 | Last updated 9:46 PM Aug. 17

NORFOLK — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend a maximum of $13.8 million over 20 years to entice Trader Publishing Co. to build a downtown office tower.

Trader announced Monday that it will build a 19- or 20-story , 270,000-square-foot tower at a cost of $51 million . It will bring 1,100 employees downtown, officials said.

The city’s incentive package, which includes $2.5 million for the contribution of the building site on Granby Street, wasn’t announced until Tuesday.

The city will also provide $11.3 million over 20 years as part of a performance-based grant . If Trader meets yearly criteria for generating tax revenues and economic activity, it will receive a grant .

That number is factored for inflation. In 2004 dollars, the value of the grant would be $7.3 million, said Roderick S. Woolard, the city’s director of economic development.

Woolard said Trader will produce $40.7 million in tax dollars and parking revenue over 20 years.

“Out of that nearly $41 million, we would be returning $11 million as an incentive for the development of the Trader tower,” Mayor Paul D. Fraim said.

“Those are funds we would not receive without this development.”

Donald L. Maxwell, director of economic development in Virginia Beach , which also competed with three outside cities for the Trader building, said he was happy that Trader will remain in Hampton Roads. But he said he was concerned that Norfolk may have used incentives to lure jobs out of Virginia Beach .

More than 400 Trader employees likely will leave the Convergence Center I in Virginia Beach for downtown.

“I’m happy, because we have a lot of people who live in Virginia Beach who work for Trader,” he said. “But I have a concern with incentives being given.”

Maxwell said Virginia Beach also offered Trader incentives.

“But once they said they were considering moving out of the area, you use your best effort to keep them here,” he said.

Fraim noted that Trader is a company founded and headquartered in Norfolk and that the city offered incentives not to take jobs from Virginia Beach, but to preserve jobs in Hampton Roads.

“The economic development arena is very competitive,” he said. “Trader was offered substantial incentives by a number of competing localities.

“It is a fact that it will cost them more to do business in the city of Norfolk, because of parking costs, than it would in other locations. But because they determined they wanted to be in downtown Norfolk they were prepared to bear that additional burden.”

Robert Ruhl , business development and marketing manager for Virginia Beach , said he is glad Trader will remain in Hampton Roads.

“Obviously, if we couldn’t get them to stay in Virginia Beach, we wanted them to stay in the region,” he said.

But he bristled at comments from a Trader official indicating the Town Center wasn’t selected in part because of traffic congestion.

“Downtown Norfolk isn’t any better, traffic-wise,” he said. “Just look at what happens when there’s a bridge lift or the circus comes to town.”

Staff writer Chris Dinsmore contributed to this report. Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74523&ran=37304

It kinda makes one wonder if they are purposefully trickling information on a day by day basis. There has been a new announcement every day this week, literally.

It kinda makes one wonder if they are purposefully trickling information on a day by day basis. There has been a new announcement every day this week, literally.

For the sheer excitement and anticipation!? Hehe, I am very interested in Norfolk and the entire hampton roads area, as it seems to be an awesome growth spot and very progressive with growth in mind... AND THERE IS WATER AND A BEACH!. I cant wait to see what downtown Norfolk becomes. I have thought about moving there many times, keep me posted with all the growth info you can, I love reading it. Also any advice on going there , some tell me to stay away that it is a conservative wasteland that hardly gets anything done and some say it is a friggen blast all year round...anyways keep me posted...thanks!!

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74575&ran=3038

Cheesecake Factory set to open Aug. 31 in Town Center
By JANET DUNPHY, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 22, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH – A major player opens for business in the Town Center arena on Aug. 31, leading the way for other newcomers this fall.

After two invitation-only practice lunches and a posh charity event Saturday, The Cheesecake Factory will make its Virginia Beach public debut.

The restaurant, at the corner of Virginia Beach Boulevard and Central Park Avenue, will employ 300 people, said Howard Gordon, senior vice president of business development and marketing.

But don’t look for any advertising and don’t try to make reservations to eat there. Gordon said the company doesn’t need either tactic for success.

“We try to stay ahead of the curve,” he said, adding that the chain was one of the first to use pagers to alert waiting patrons that their table is ready. “Guest satisfaction is our highest priority. When one table gets up, another is seated. It’s that simple.”



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Inside, The Cheesecake Factory is lavishly outfitted with marble floors, cherry wood booths, hand-painted murals and hand-blown glass fixtures.

Gordon said the restaurant’s portions are generous, sharing is encouraged and most people take enough food home for a second meal.

Town Center’s full-service Cheesecake Factory is unlike the one in the food court at MacArthur Center in Norfolk, which is leased to HMS Host, Gordon said.

Town Center is a partnership among Armada Hoffler, the builder, Divaris Real Estate and the city of Virginia Beach. Kris Inderlied , director of marketing and public relations for Armada Hoffler, said three more restaurants, one retailer and a comedy club will open nearby in the near future.

Three streets will open in the fall as well, Inderlied said. Bank and Commerce streets will run through from Independence Boulevard to Central Park. Bank Street, formerly Potomac Street, will be one-way east and Commerce Street, formerly Cleveland Street, will be two-way. Market Street, formerly called Garrett Drive, also will reopen.

The building that houses The Cheesecake Factory will also have G.F. Keagan’s, an Irish pub, on the opposite corner at Bank and Market streets.

Three other retail sites on the building’s first level are available and there are two prospects for the office space on the second and third floors, Inderlied said.

Next door a public plaza will share a block with a building that will be home to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. That restaurant will take up a good portion of the second level and have outdoor balcony seating. An escalator will run from the public plaza to the restaurant, said Inderlied.

The Funny Bone Comedy Club & Restaurant, set to open in October, will occupy the rest of the second level.

Bravo! Cucina Italiana will be on the first level, complete with patio seating. Gerald Divaris , CEO of Divaris Real Estate, would not confirm that Ann Taylor Loft has committed to space on the first level, but a sign there announces the location. One retail space remains, Divaris said.

Mitch Kutash, owner of The Funny Bone, described his venue as a “dinner show,” but said patrons don’t have to dine. With about 9,000 square feet, the comedy club can hold 350 people, he said.

“This is a high-end comedy club. We have high hopes for this club,” said Kutash. “We’re centered around the nicest restaurants in the area.”

A Funny Bone opened in Richmond one year ago and the Town Center location will be No. 12.

Although the 341-unit Cosmopolitan apartments on the adjacent block won’t be ready for occupancy until 2006, Divaris said four tenants have signed leases for the first-floor retail spaces, which will be available in November 2005. Three of them involve fashion, which Divaris would not name, and the fourth is the Vie de France, a coffee and dessert shop.

Stewart Bazemore, a regional property manager with Drucker & Falk, the leasing and management agent and a partner in The Cosmopolitan, said some units have already been assigned. People from as far away as Chicago and New York City have inquired about the apartments. Some who’ve placed deposits are empty nesters, current apartment dwellers and professionals who work in Town Center now or expect to in the future.

The block across from the apartments, currently a parking lot, could eventually become an office tower, said Inderlied.

The smaller block on the opposite side of the apartments, currently a construction area, could become condominiums.

Two large, similarly sized sites are marked for “future development” on the master plan. One is located at the corner of Virginia Beach and Independence boulevards and is occupied by Taco Bell and The Virginian-Pilot. It is not included in current planning for phase three, said Lou Haddad, Armada Hoffler’s chairman and CEO. The second lot is at Independence and Columbus Street.

The city’s Performing Arts Center will be located in-between, and a third lot marked for development faces Independence. The future of that space depends on the city’s plans for the arts center, Haddad said.

“We’re not far enough along to say 'here’s the element and here’s the square footage.’ We’re evaluating what will be involved and making sure it complements what currently exists,” he said.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74790&ran=75015 (http://)
more apt proposals for norfolk
plus further talk about 17 story retirement community in atlantic city

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74790&ran=75015 (http://)
more apt proposals for norfolk
plus further talk about 17 story retirement community in atlantic city

Arghhh! That link doesn't work.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74790&ran=75015

Old storage building in Norfolk could become apartments

The old cold storage building is across the street from the PETA headquarters, on the south side of Brambleton Avenue. This view from near the Elizabeth River looks north at the building. L. TODD SPENCER/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT


By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 26, 2004 | Last updated 1:21 AM Aug. 26

NORFOLK — The downtown housing boom could be spreading west to the old Atlantic City neighborhood with a plan to turn a former storage building into an apartment complex.

The Wright Co., the developer of several projects in downtown Norfolk, is making structural repairs to a building at 517 Front St. with the intent of seeking the city’s approval for residential development there.

That approval is contingent on the city declaring the building structurally safe. It sits near the banks of the Elizabeth River, and because of a damaged bulkhead , water flows under the building at high tide, according to the city.

Lenny Newcomb, zoning services manager for Norfolk, said the city has had contact with the developer.

“We have met with them on site, toured the building and reviewed their preliminary plans,” he said. “They are currently reinforcing structural components of the building. They have not submitted plans and engineering studies or future uses for the building, though we probably anticipate them.”

Construction began recently and is expected to be completed sometime next year, said Christopher Malendoski, marketing director for The Wright Co. The four-story complex would feature 30 units with either one or three bedrooms, he said. Parking would be available on the ground floor.

Rental prices have not been determined, Malendoski said.

A number of residential projects are under way downtown, several of which involve The Wright Co.. The demand for housing in and near downtown is expected to increase, particularly once the new Trader Publishing Co. building is completed and it brings additional employees downtown.

Atlantic City is 30 acres of industrial riverfront on the south side of Brambleton Avenue between the Freemason neighborhood in downtown Norfolk and the regional medical complex that includes Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters.

It was once a thriving neighborhood of shipbuilders, longshoremen and other blue-collar workers.

The city recently targeted the area’s dilapidated buildings and idle waterfront for redevelopment into an urban waterfront village with mixed commercial and residential uses.

Construction is expected to begin in a few weeks on Harbor’s Edge, a $106 million, 17-story retirement community that will act as the cornerstone for the revitalization of the area the city now wants to call Fort Norfolk.

The retirement community is scheduled to open in 2006.

The area’s history and the redevelopment plans made it attractive to The Wright Co., Malendoski said.

The developer purchased the building from CHKD for $720,000 on June 1, according to city records.

“That’s definitely an up and coming area,” Malendoski said of Atlantic City. “We are trying to fit into the puzzle.”

But that will require overcoming the city’s concerns about the building’s structural integrity.

Malendoski is confident that will happen.

“The city has been very supportive of what we have done so far,” he said. “We all have the same goal, which is to create a nice place to eat, work and play.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com

^^^^ What ODU guy tried to post w/updated link.

As Oceanfront hotel rises, stakes are high for city and developers
By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 23, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — If everything goes according to plan, a 20-story luxury hotel will open here on New Year’s Eve, creating a new source of pride and excitement at the resort strip.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74683&ran=104712

But so far, little has gone according to plan for the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

As developer Bruce Thompson recently talked about his hotel at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue, he rattled off a list of what could go wrong in the $79 million public-private venture: Signs might not be finished in time. A park next to the hotel could be scaled back. Worst of all, the city might miss its Jan. 31 deadline for completing the public garage, which is supposed to provide parking for hotel guests.

“Nothing has gone perfectly on this project,” Thompson said. “Nothing.”

Thompson’s worries aren’t a simple case of opening-night jitters. After seven years and $31.5 million in municipal funding, the stakes for the city and the developers are daunting.


The Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront is about to be completed. Here are some facts about the hotel, the result of a public-private venture:
Total cost: $79 million

City’s share: $31.5 million

Developers’ share: $47.5 million

Number of Rooms: 295

Tentative soft opening date: New Year’s Eve

Public garage deadline to provide parking to hotel guests: Jan. 31

Amenities:

Rooftop zero-edged pool

Indoor pool

Private lounge with concierge services

Multilevel dining area

Outside cafe

A fine-dining restaurant with oceanfront private cabanas

Sources: City of Virginia Beach and Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the hotel succeeds, it will woo upscale tourists with its two restaurants, two rooftop pools, valet parking and sweeping views of the beach. That, in turn, could help fill the city’s new $202 million convention center with national bookings, encourage developers to revamp rundown shops and bars elsewhere at the Oceanfront, and generate $30 million in additional tax revenue over 25 years – above and beyond the cost of the project.

If the project fails, it could cost taxpayers and Thompson’s company millions of dollars.

Further complicating matters, the city and the developers continue to bicker even as the hotel’s opening draws near.

“Ever since this project got started, people have been scratching their heads wondering what’s going on,” said Kevin E. Martingayle, a lawyer who represents several hotel owners opposed to the project. “One minute there seems to be great harmony between the city and developer; the next minute, great acrimony.”

According to public documents, Thompson has repeatedly sent the city a list of what he sees as sticking points, including the escalating costs of the public park. Accusing city officials of foot-dragging, he has hinted in letters to Beach officials that he could have grounds to sue the city for what he claims are unfulfilled obligations.

When asked recently about the negotiations, Thompson blamed a slow-moving city bureaucracy for the holdups.

“I’ve heard 'whoops’ so many times that it makes me nauseous,” he said. “I sit in a meeting, we find out all the details. Two months goes by, three months goes by. I say, 'Where’s the document that affirms what we said?’ They say, 'Well, we really can’t do that.’ ”

Beach officials said the wrangling over details is understandable given the importance and size of the project, and they point out that they have resolved countless other disputes to the satisfaction of both sides.

“This is just the nature of the beast,” City Manager James Spore said. “Once the project is done, we’re going to have a nice park and a nice project and people are going to be happy with it. Hopefully all of these issues will be worked out before the project is done.” At least every couple of weeks, a list of Thompson’s demands arrives at city hall and is circulated among the Beach’s top officials.

Although Thompson’s complaints have changed little over the past six months, the tone of his letters shifts between appeasing and litigious.

One of Thompson’s main concerns is how much the city will spend on the 1.32-acre public park. According to the city’s preliminary estimates, the park is expected to cost roughly $700,000 more than the $1 million already budgeted.

That figure doesn’t include extra items such as a $400,000 base for a statue of Neptune, a paved service driveway, lighting and trees. With the extras, the city estimates the park could cost as much as $2.4 million.

Beach officials say they are unlikely to approve the additional items because they need to stay within the budget. The city is spending $7.6 million more than expected on the public garage, which will include parking for hotel guests. The garage now costs $19.8 million.

At the same time, the city doesn’t want to be seen as skimping on the park, which is perceived as important for the public’s support of the entire project. In 2000, voters approved a nonbinding referendum that called for a park – not a hotel – at the 31st Street site. But the City Council went forward with the hotel and smaller park saying it was too late to back out.

Barbara Messner, an activist involved in the referendum, said the park that ended up being approved is too small for the public to get any real use out of it.

“That’s not a park,” she said. “It’s just a constant slap in the face for the people who said they didn’t want a hotel there.”

The developers are concerned that the city will sacrifice quality for cost, but they also don’t want to kick in any more money for the basic plans for the park. They argue that the city should have anticipated and planned for an increase.

“We have $160 million worth of development in one phase or another, and I’ve never had a budget that’s come in exactly right,” Thompson said. “Now they’ve made these statements that it will not be one dime over. I shudder because what that really means to me is that they’re going to cut something.”

The developers are also pressing the city to offer hotel guests special beach service, which they describe as essential to a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign billing the hotel as a resort and spa. They want more expensive chairs and umbrellas, water and towel service for guests and beach toys for children.

“Failure of the City to not provide its moral, if not contractual obligation in this regard would force the Developer to reprint all its marketing products and possibly put our resort designation with Hilton in jeopardy,” Chad Poultney, one of the developers’ representatives, wrote in a letter to the city in June. “We request written assurance that Beach Service will be provided ...”

But city officials want to make sure that they can provide special beach services for the hotel without additional cost to taxpayers. If they find a way to accomplish that, they want to be able to offer the same service to other hotel owners as well.

“We agree in principle,” Spore said. “We just want to make sure we don’t end up losing money.” Park costs and enhanced beach service are just two sticking points in a long list of differences between the city and the developers.

For months, Thompson did not notify the city of the hotel’s opening date. Beach officials said they needed to know in order to avoid paying damages if the garage opened late. In June, the matter was resolved when the developers announced the opening date and promised not to impose fines before Jan. 31.

“There were some terse discussions over that issue,” City Attorney Leslie L. Lilley said. “We’re partners on this project. There should not have been any need for that.”

But Beach officials also think some conflict is healthy in any public-private venture because it proves the city isn’t caving to unreasonable demands. They point out that Thompson has a reputation as a perfectionist and a tough negotiator, characteristics that can make for a difficult partnership.

“He’s a strong advocate for his position,” said City Councilman Peter Schmidt, who thinks that the hotel will benefit the resort in the long run. “That advocacy has caused us to have some flare-ups.”

City Councilman Richard Maddox , who represents the resort district, said occasional friction is natural between opposing interests accustomed to different ways of operating.

“Developers are used to being able to look the partner in the eye and saying, 'Do you want this, yes or no?’ ” he said. “But when they ask the city manager something, the city manager has to ask 11 other people.” Years before Thompson got involved, delays and controversy had impeded the hotel project. In 1988, the Virginia Beach Development Authority bought the first piece of property east of Atlantic Avenue between 30th and 31st streets for $3.4 million. When developers didn’t immediately express interest in building on the site, city officials argued over how to proceed. Some wondered whether a hotel would ever be built.

Plans for a new, much larger convention center to replace the Pavilion resurrected the hotel proposal. Proponents argued that without a luxury hotel, the city wouldn’t have enough high-quality rooms for conventioneers when the center opens next year.

In June 1997, the city solicited bids. Of three proposals submitted, the city chose a proposed four-star hotel by Thompson and his partner, Edmund Ruffin.

But opponents continued to object to the city investing in the hotel project when the public had voted for a park. They also expressed concern that Thompson and Ruffin would end up profiting at the city’s expense.

“There was a perception that this was governmental funding of competition,” Martingayle said. “It wasn’t necessary for the city to get involved and put this deal together with special treatment and concessions.”

Despite their public-private partnership, the city and the developers didn’t end up with a conflict-free relationship. While Ruffin opted out of day-to-day decision making, Thompson emerged as the public face of the project. Behind the scenes, Thompson quickly clashed with Beach officials over issues large and small.

In December, the city’s project manager became so frustrated that he swore at Thompson during a meeting. The city found another project manager, but the friction continued. Several times this year, Thompson has accused the city of increasing his share of the costs by refusing to agree to his demands.

“What is the forum for the debate and resolution. ... Is it the court?” Thompson wrote Spore in one e-mail in January. “I pray not. ... A vote from council? Not very efficient.”

On June 22, Thompson called an emergency meeting with Beach staff to discuss his list of demands. The two-hour session ended without resolution. “It’s been very time-consuming,” Spore said of the discussions with the developers. “It’s a much finer level of detail than I typically get involved with.”

With the project nearly completed, Spore is conciliatory. He laughed when asked about Thompson’s reputation for sending ranting e-mails. In one, written in March, Thompson said negotiations had reached an impasse. “The arguments and debates etc. have quite frankly wore us out ...” he wrote. “We can not and will not participate in this process any further.”

Spore is the one who sounds tired. “There’s no evidence that they’ve been worn out,” he said. But he remains upbeat about the project, calling Thompson a hero for his role. “If it hadn’t been for Ed’s and Bruce’s commitment to the resort area and their absolute tenacity, this project wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

Once the hotel opens, the test will be whether it leads to redevelopment at the resort, encouraging tourism so that the city can recoup its investment.

“The whole thing has been messy and time-consuming, and it has never been clear what the city stands to get out of this project,” Martingayle said. “But the last chapter still isn’t written.”

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74859&ran=132019
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/beachmarriottmap.gif

Luxury hotel proposed to replace Dunes at Oceanfront

A local businessman is negotiating with the Marriott chain to build a 14- or 15-story, 250-room luxury hotel that would replace the Dunes Oceanfront, above. GARY C. KNAPP


By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 27, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — A local developer has approached the city with plans to build a luxury hotel on Atlantic Avenue across the street from the 9th Street public parking garage.

Thomas Lyons, chairman of Tidewater Hotels & Resorts, is negotiating with the Marriott chain to build a 14- or 15-story, 250-room hotel that would replace the Dunes Oceanfront. The proposal, which is expected to be considered by Marriott International Inc. next month, has prompted city officials to rethink their plans for Rudee Loop. Jim Ricketts, director of the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, briefed the City Council on Lyons’ proposal during Tuesday’s closed session. Council members saw preliminary sketches of a hotel with a curvy glass design.

“The plan they have is one of the most impressive I’ve seen in my time on council,” City Councilwoman Reba McClanan said. “It’s very elegant looking. It’s the kind of design you see in a major resort town in Florida or in Las Vegas.”

Tim Stiffler, president of Tidewater Hotels & Resorts, would only confirm that his company was in negotiations with a “major flag hotel.”

“It’s too early to say anything more,” he said. “I would confirm that we plan to develop an Oceanfront hotel that we think would be a complement to the convention center.”
Another high-quality hotel at the Oceanfront would provide rooms needed to attract bookings for the new $202 million convention center set to open next year, city officials said.

A study commissioned by the city concluded that the resort area needs at least 800 more convention-quality rooms. The 295-room, 20-story Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront under construction at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue is supposed to help fill the gap, but the city is banking on other hotels being redeveloped at the resort area.

If approved by Marriott, the project would be the chain’s third luxury hotel in Hampton Roads. It also operates the 405-room Norfolk Marriott Waterside hotel and the 244-room Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel and Waterfront Conference Center.

Virginia Beach began buying property at the southern end of the resort strip in 1998 for a proposed public-private venture that would include a hotel and park. So far, the city has spent $11.5 million to buy 3.6 acres for the project.

But Beach officials said they are now considering putting off their plans for building a hotel at the site for at least five to 10 years. Council members said they want to see the results of the proposed Marriott, the new convention center and a $79 million partnership with the developers of the Hilton, which entails $31.5 million in public funding.

The Hilton is scheduled to open on New Year’s Eve, and the convention center will open next year.

“I would be very hesitant to put taxpayer money into another project right now,” City Councilman Peter Schmidt said.

As part of Lyons’ proposal, the city would lease to his company 300 of the 610 parking spaces at the 9th Street parking garage.

The developers also plan to allow the city to create larger public easements on both sides of the site for better beach access. In exchange, they hope to build a larger pool that would encroach on the public green space in front of the hotel. Such an arrangement would be precedent-setting along the Oceanfront.

Richard Maddox, the councilman who represents the resort area, said the city would have to ensure that any parking lost to the hotel would be quickly replaced by public surface parking at Rudee Loop.

“To me, this entire deal needs to be contingent on public parking at Rudee Loop for this to pass the smell test,” Maddox said. “You can’t take away half of a parking garage and lease it to a private interest without doing something else for the public.”

The city would also extend the boardwalk to Rudee Loop and accelerate the development of a public park at the site, Maddox said. In the past several years, residents who live in the Rudee Loop area have lobbied for a larger park at the site instead of a hotel.

City officials, enthusiastic about the prospect of another new convention-quality hotel – this time with no major public investment – said they hope to work out the details to make the Marriott project happen. According to the city’s estimates, a Marriott would generate $48 million in additional tax revenue over 20 years.

Lyons, who is Virginia Beach’s top hotel developer, owns two Courtyard by Marriott hotels and a Fairfield Inn & Suites, another hotel associated with the Marriott chain, which is expected to open next week. All three hotels are located in the resort area.

His company has also filed plans with the city to build a Residence Inn by Marriott at 33rd Street and Atlantic Avenue.

The Marriott hotel and an adjacent 28-unit condominium would be operated in partnership with the owners of the Dunes Oceanfront, who declined to comment.

The latest proposal is not the first time the Marriott has considered building a luxury hotel in Virginia Beach.

The developers of the 31st Street site negotiated with Marriott but never cemented a deal.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com

http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-05-06-2003/Towne-Center-05-06-2003-10.jpg

http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-05-06-2003/Towne-Center-05-06-2003-04.jpg

http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-05-06-2003/Nauticus-Portsmouth-Naval-Hospital.JPG

http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-05-06-2003/Downtown-Norfolk-Virginia.JPG

http://www.beachscreens.com/Image-Archive/Beach-Screens-Wall-Paper/Update-05-06-2003/USS-Wisconsin-00.jpg

This is the building the new hotel would be replacing.
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/duneshotel.jpg

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75046&ran=164414 (http://)

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75046&ran=164414 (http://)

I can't get to that link. What is it too?

Never mind. I see it. For some reason the link above doesn't work for me but this one does. I still can't figure out the difference though. :dunno:
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75046&ran=164414

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75105&ran=224154

By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 2, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — It’s an icon that has been many things to people during the years.

An observation point to watch the sun set beyond the Chesapeake Bay.

A gathering spot for food and drinks with friends and family.

A place where couples look each other in the eye and profess their love.

But Duck-In and The Beach Club , which sit on one of the area’s most admired and coveted parcels of land, will exist only in memory after Aug. 14, 2005.
After that, its panoramic views will be reserved for condominium dwellers.

A group of developers has a contract to buy the property and plans to replace the restaurant with a $100-million condominium complex to be named Point Chesapeake.

The 158-unit development, which could open in late 2006, is being formally announced at 11 a.m. today at The Beach Club at 3324 Shore Drive.

“We were not looking to sell. We were not marketing the property,” said William R. Miller III, owner of the business. “Over the years, we have had several offers. This was an offer made by people of substance, and it was a substantial offer.”

Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the 7-acre property is assessed at $5.08 million, according to city records. Another business, Deep Blue Marine, leases part of that property and will be forced out by the development.

Miller asked that this not be a eulogy for Duck-In.

“We have had a great run,” said Miller, who assumed ownership of the business from his parents 23 years ago.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun in this last year,” he said.



For the Terry Companies, this is a chance to build a high-profile complex that will meet a growing demand for distinctive condominium living.

“This piece of property is one of the prime pieces on the East Coast,” said Vincent Napolitano, president of Napolitano Homes, a partner in the Terry Companies.




A group of developers has a contract to buy the Duck-In and The Beach Club and plans to replace it with a $100-million condominium complex to be named Point Chesapeake. The 158-unit development could open in late 2006. CMSS Architects, PC.

The new community will be designed in the colonial revival style, the developers said. The mid-rise buildings will be connected by covered walkways and landscaped to create a village-style community.

Each of the six buildings will offer views of the Bay or the Lynnhaven River, the developers said.

Units will range in size from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet. Pricing has not been determined, but the developers said it would be marketed to empty nesters, older professional couples and retirees.

Duck-In started in 1952 as a roadside diner next to the old Lesner Bridge. The name is the result of an informal contest held in the restaurant one night, according to its Web site. Duck-In was chosen because the place was so small that you had to “duck-in” and “duck-out” of the door.

Miller bought the business from his parents 1981 after a career as an educator at his alma mater, Norfolk Academy. During his tenure, the business has quadrupled in size. Its most recent expansion, The Beach Club, opened in 2001. The establishment now has a staff of 175.

As it has grown, the business has remained committed to providing food in a fun atmosphere, patrons said.

“The atmosphere and service are excellent,” said John Weeks, manager of Shore Drive Marine, who has been in the area since 1979. “It’s always been excellent. The Duck-In has been there for years and just about everyone hates to see it go. It’s definitely a landmark.”

Mark Anderton , 55, owner of Shore Drive Shell, has watched the Shore Drive corridor grow during the years. He isn’t overly excited about increasing the density, even though more traffic might be good for his business.

“I can imagine anything happening in this corridor. Anything that would create a condo sounds like something they would do. Anything to increase the population density. It’s just a way of life here. You just have to accept that,” he said. “I would hate to see the Duck-In go. On the other hand, I know condos are what make people money.”

Richard “Tuck” Bowie also has been a frequent patron of Duck-In, drawn there by the ambience of the sunsets and the Bay.

As one of the developers, he also sees the property’s potential.

“It’s a piece of property that we thought would present a tremendous opportunity to create a beautiful community in that location,” said Bowie, president of Terry/Peterson Residential, a partner in the development.

The Terry Companies is a joint venture between Napolitano Enterprises Inc. and Terry/Peterson Venture Ten LLC. The companies, both based in Virginia Beach, have built numerous residential communities in the Hampton Roads region.

The developers submitted plans for the condominiums to the city Wednesday to formally begin the process of receiving a conditional use permit needed for Point Chesapeake.

The property is zoned for residential use, but any multi-family development in the Shore Drive Overlay District needs to apply for a conditional-use permit. The city’s planning department will review the plans and report to the planning commission. That commission will make a recommendation to the City Council for approval or denial. The council will make the ultimate decision.

City officials who have seen the plans support the idea.

“It appears to be a very high –quality project,” City Manager Jim Spore said. “It’s what the zoning permits. I think there’s a lot of people who would like to see the Duck-In continue. But if it is going to redevelop, the proposal looks pretty solid.

“They showed sensitivity to the site with the number of buildings and the height and the density. They are below density. Those are all what I would consider a positive. It is not just a high-rise building putting every possible unit on the site.”

Traffic has long been a concern along that stretch of Shore Drive, and there are plans to widen the Lesner Bridge. The developers have agreed to make accommodations to allow for the widening of the bridge, which isn’t expected for at least another 10 years.

And the developers plan to grant the public access to the more than one acre of beach front on the property. It is now open only to restaurant patro
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/duckcondos.gif

Revelers gather at the Duck-In on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach. Many pull their boats right up to the beach to join the party. File photo by Martin Smith-Rodden / The Virginian-Pilot.

Miller, 59, said he is prepared to move on to another stage in life, one that could possibly include law school or politics.

“I have a desire to be an advocate for small businesses,” he said.

He knows that his establishment has provided many memories to people over the years, including himself.

The parties, the oyster roasts, the couples who met and exchanged nuptials there.

That’s why he wanted to remain open for another year, to honor each of the bookings that have been made and to make more memories. Duck-In is still taking reservations, but none beyond Aug . 9 .

“We could have done this a year ago,” Miller said. “I have a commitment to my customers. We would not have done it this year if we had to cancel one party.”

Miller plans to erect a notice to Duck-In fans who pass by the business.

It will say: “Only 11 more months to make memories.”


Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com.

When does construction begin on the Norfolk skyscrapers?

When does construction begin on the Norfolk skyscrapers?

Harbors edge starts construction in october, The Trader tower in January. Granby towers won't begin construction till late 05' and there is as yet no specific date set for construction of the hotel.

:) Changes Coming For The Norfolk Skyline
http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=2277218


(Norfolk, VA, September 9th, 2004, 7:27 a.m.) The Norfolk skyline is about to go through a change. Over the next year, seven new high rise construction projects are scheduled to go up and on Thursday, the city will begin making room for those developments.

The building that used to be the Mary Jane Bakery will be demolished on Thursday. The bakery closed its doors in 2001 and that ended the three generations of baking on Granby Street. Two hundred people once worked in the bakery and now it will become a place to live rather than a place to make a living.

Three blocks of businesses from the Ghent Antiques Store to the Mary Jane Bakery will be turned into luxury condominiums as part of the redevelopment of Downtown Norfolk. Just down the street, at the corner of Granby and Brambleton, Marathon Development plans to build two high-rise buildings worth about one hundred million dollars.

The two towers, fifteen and twenty-five stories tall, would include residential and retail space, an exercise facility, and six floors of parking. In addition to those projects, the Atlantic City Retirement Community will begin soon. And a luxury hotel is in the works on Plume Street. Further down Granby, Trader Publishing will build a nineteen story office building.

Today's demolition event is being called a symbolic event and will begin at 11:00 a.m. And we're being told it will take place rain or shine.

Norfolk is doing a great job of improving itself, im very very impressed. it :) really is a beautiful city.

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/lifestylecenter.jpg
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75439&ran=119273
Virginia Beach’s Town Center features a P.F. Chang’s restaurant on the left in the tower building and The Cheesecake Factory restaurant on the right. One block behind these restaurants is The Cosmopolitan Apartments at Town Center, a 341-unit building that will be completed late next summer. CHARLIE MEADS/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT


By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 12, 2004

David Smith was in the market for a new residence.

The attractive interest rates had Smith thinking about buying a single-family home, but he considered the time demands of his career and changed his mind.

He needed a place that would fit the lifestyle of a 49-year-old single man who works in the aviation industry and doesn’t have the time or inclination to mow a lawn.

Smith found what he was looking for at Virginia Beach’s Town Center, though the “what” isn’t really there, yet.

He put a deposit in for The Cosmopolitan Apartments at Town Center, a 341-unit building that should be completed late next summer. Smith was enticed by the idea of living close to his job and literally steps away from restaurants and shops. And by doing so, he became part of a trend of people looking to add convenience to their lives by sleeping, working and having fun all in close proximity.
Smith is a future resident of a lifestyle center, the real-estate industry’s response to that trend.

“There’s a lot of amenities that I like that they are going to offer right there within a few blocks,” said Smith, who lives in another part of Virginia Beach now.

If Smith sounds like someone ready to move into midtown Manhattan, then the developers have hit their target.

The goal of a development like Town Center is to create an urban environment in a suburban setting. The concept has been around for nearly 20 years, but has been fueled recently by the comebacks of America’s downtowns, including Norfolk’s. Residential development such as The Cosmopolitan is a new wrinkle developers are throwing into the mix to help generate clientele for the lifestyle centers’ restaurants and shops.

And as land becomes more scarce in Hampton Roads, it is likely that more of these mixed-use developments will appear in the area, real- estate officials said.

“As we run out of desirable land, density is going to be an answer to the problem of sprawl,” said Lou Haddad, the president and chief executive officer of Armada Hoffler, the developer of Town Center. “We may be a bit behind the curve in Hampton Roads because of the abundance of land we’ve enjoyed. I think change happens slowly and gradually. It’s a reality that our population is going to face.”

Lifestyle centers are defined in the retail industry as affluent, main street concept shopping areas. They are open developments, ranging in size from 80,000 square feet to 1.3 million square feet, and include landscaping and parking close to the stores.

The opening of the Shops of Saddle Creek in Germantown, Tenn., outside of Memphis, marked the first development built as a lifestyle center per se. Since then, similar projects have sprouted across the country, with the majority of them in the South and Midwest. There are now about 100 of these developments in the United States, including some of which were aging retail areas that were redeveloped. About one in five of all new shopping centers are being developed as lifestyle centers, according to the National Research Bureau.

“Each decade, there was a development of choice,” said Patrice Duker, a spokeswoman for the International Council of Shopping Centers. “In the 1970s and 1980s, it was the enclosed mall. Then it was power centers in the 1990s. Currently, it’s lifestyle centers.”

Lifestyle centers differ from so-called power centers in the size of the stores. With power centers, you get the Wal-Marts and Targets. Retailers such as Chico’s, Talbots, Williams-Sonoma and Banana Republic are among the top lifestyle center merchants.

Lifestyle centers have traditionally been developed to work in concert with enclosed malls, said Duker of the Manhattan-based trade association. Research by the International Council of Shopping Centers shows that lifestyle centers perform better than traditional enclosed malls in terms of sales per square foot and operating costs.

The centers are thought to generate a higher frequency of shopper visits per week and less common-area maintenance costs due to their open formats, according to industry research.

“They are gaining popularity because they are atmospheric. They are very architecturally designed,” Duker said.

Larger retailers that are considered anchors in traditional regional malls are starting to appear in lifestyle centers as mall developers such as Simon Property Group and General Growth Properties adopt this concept. That is expected to increase the average size of the centers, according to the research bureau.

The popularity in Hampton Roads is fueled partly by the turnaround of downtown Norfolk, local retail and real-estate experts said.

“I think the trend is moving back away from the suburban and more into the urban,” said Jeff Parker, a senior associate in Norfolk with CB Richard Ellis, a national commercial real-estate firm.

That would make downtown Norfolk an evolving lifestyle center, local experts said.

Parker pointed out that developers such as Buddy Gadams and Bobby Wright have taken advantage of this trend by redeveloping old buildings into condominiums with retail development on the ground floor.

Since announcing the project in July, Gadams said he has received more than 100 calls from prospective residents for his proposed two-tower condominium development at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue and Granby Street.

Gadams said he proposed the project hoping to attract downtown workers who want to be close to their jobs.

Tina Wright, an employee of Trader Publishing, and her husband, are prospective buyers. The empty-nester couple lives in Norfolk’s East Ocean View area.

“Being able to walk to work, we could be a one-car family,” said Wright, 43, an executive assistant at Trader’s downtown Norfolk office. “We’ve lived downtown before and we loved it. We miss having all the restaurants to select from and being close to the mall and all the movies. We have lots of good friends downtown. It seems every day more people are moving down here.”

That search for convenience is why residential development has become a new component of lifestyle centers, analysts said. It also helps to create a captive customer base for retailers.

“It is important to retail outlets and restaurants in terms of making sure you maximize the use of the center,” said Haddad of Armada Hoffler. “What you are trying to do is make it so you can do all the basics of your life without getting in your car.”

Gadams said developments such as Town Center are great, but try as they might, they can’t compete with downtown in terms of character.

“The lifestyle centers are going to do fine, but they will never reach the critical mass that a good downtown will reach,” Gadams said. “People are looking for the old buildings, the architecture. You cannot build that over night. It takes hundreds of years.”

Drucker & Falk LLC, a real-estate management firm overseeing leasing of The Cosmopolitan, is banking on it not taking that long.

Wendy C. Drucker, executive vice president with the company, said the complex is drawing great interest from empty nesters and young professionals on the go.

“Virginia Beach has never been a place where people can congregate,” Drucker said. “People are seeing that this is going to be a place to gather and meet and eat and live and work.”

Some of The Cosmopolitan’s units will be as large as 1,500 square feet and feature granite kitchen counter tops, balconies, oversized tubs and fireplaces, Drucker said. Rents will range from about $900 to $2,400 a month.

“There is a real need for upper-end rental housing in Hampton Roads,” she said. “Renting now is not by default. Renting has become a choice. We are seeing a rental component in these lifestyle centers all over the country. Any of the lifestyle centers I have been to in Ohio, Northern Virginia and Florida all have a rental component.”

Smith, the Virginia Beach resident who has a deposit at The Cosmopolitan, is looking forward to moving in.

“I think it is just going to be an exciting area with very upscale restaurants and good entertainment,” he said. “It just offers a lot.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com

Town Center spurs redevelopment
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/towncenterbig0921.jpg
Town Center in Virginia Beach. BILL TIERNAN/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT.


By MARISA TAYLOR , The Virginian-Pilot
© September 21, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — An abandoned Hannaford grocery store near Pembroke Mall is an ugly reminder of business plans gone awry.

Nearby, a Pizza Hut continues to draw customers, but the building has seen better days.

A block away, an old Merchant’s Tire and Auto Center remains shuttered.

Vacant lots, empty big-box businesses and aging buildings surround Town Center, which aims to create an urbanized downtown. But in the last year, a growing number of developers have bought these properties and other as investments, ripe for redevelopment.

“Development plans are being dusted off on every piece of property around Town Center,” said Gerald S. Divaris, the project’s leasing agent.

Earlier this year, developer Michael Sifen filed plans to demolish the Hannaford building and replace it with a shopping center.

The owners of the Pizza Hut are now preparing to renovate the red-roofed building and attach an addition to create a new L-shaped shopping center. The old building will be resurfaced in a style similar to Town Center.


New development around town center:
1. CITYVIEW — 24 acres of retail, office and residential with a possible hotel.

2. ETHAN ALLEN — Two-story furniture store.

3. RESOURCE BANK — A 90,000-square-foot bank headquarters and adjacent parking garage.

4. PEMBROKE RETAIL CENTER — 54,600 square feet of retail.

5. SMOKEY BONES BARBEQUE & GRILL — A 7,000-square-foot restaurant.

6. PEMBROKE OFFICE PARK — Recently renovated, owners also plan to build an adjacent 10-12-story office tower.

7. PIZZA HUT — Planned renovation to existing building to look like Town Center. Shops will be added.

8. MERCHANT’S TIRE & AUTO CENTER SITE — Developers proposed to build a new LongHorn Steakhouse.
And Atlanta developers recently approached the city about tearing down the Merchant’s Tire store and building a LongHorn Steakhouse.

“This latest wave of development shows market recognition of that area,” said H. Blount Hunter, a retail analyst in Norfolk. “The market appears to be reacting to the risk the developers and the city took.”

Some developers are also taking a cue from Town Center’s urban design and drawing up plans for multilevel shops, offices or apartments connected by sidewalks and landscaping.

On nearby Bonney Road, a 24-acre project called CityView will include apartments, office space, shops and a possible hotel, if approved by the City Council. The project’s developers describe CityView as the gateway to Town Center.

Apartments will look out over Thalia Creek, which meanders through the property. Residents will be able to walk or bike on paths that are expected to connect to Town Center.

“It’s not to say we wouldn’t have developed the site without Town Center,” said F. Andrew Heatwole, the project’s developer. “But we probably would have built something more suburban, like three-story walk-up apartment buildings with surface parking.”

City officials hope to see more projects like Heatwole’s instead of traditional apartment buildings, strip malls or big-box retailers.

But not all the projects being proposed are what Virginia Beach officials had in mind.

Many commercial buildings in Pembroke were built in the 1960s and ’70s, when zoning allowed big-box, retail and strip malls. The zoning did not allow development that mixed residential and non residential uses.

The old Hannaford property is one such site. According to plans filed with the city, Sifen plans to build a one-story shopping center there.

The property’s zoning allows him to proceed with his plans without the City Council’s approval.

Sifen owns several shopping centers, convenience stores and mini-storage units in Virginia Beach, according to city records. He declined to comment on his Pembroke proposal.

An abandoned HQ store sits next to the Hannaford site, yet another example of property that could end up conflicting with the city’s vision for the area.

The 80,000-square-foot HQ building has sat unused since the home-improvement store shut its doors in 1999. At one point, Target expressed interest in the property, but Virginia Beach officials have n’t heard of any specific plans for the site.

“The city doesn’t have the zoning standards in place to always get what they want in terms of appearance for this new wave of development,” Hunter said . “The question is whether everything coming out of the ground makes the area look like it’s growing or makes it look like an odd space ship just landed there.”

City officials may never be able to ensure that certain properties develop how they want, Hunter said. Virginia Beach is one of the largest cities in the country without a redevelopment authority, which, in some cases, has given localities power to condemn property in the name of economic development.


Voters rejected creating a redevelopment authority in 1996, when the city was trying to acquire residential property for an office park in the Burton Station neighborhood.

For the right projects, Hunter said, public inducements such as tax breaks may be the only option.

“The one with the money gets to make the rules,” he said. “The minute anyone asks for one penny, Virginia Beach ought to come back and demand what they want in return.”


Virginia Beach officials say they already are influencing the design of new buildings – in many cases, without offering major inducements.

At the city’s urging, Darden Restaurants, which owns Red Lobster and several other restaurant chains, scrapped plans to build a Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill next to Pembroke Mall in its usual log-cabin style. Instead, it will be brick, blending in more smoothly with Town Center across the street.

Joe Chabus, Darden Restaurants’ spokesman, said his company saw the area as a good launching pad for its first Smokey Bones in Virginia. The restaurant will open in February, followed by another in Chesapeake.

“There’s a lot of commercial and residential activity in the area, and the restaurant’s visibility is very good,” Chabus said.

Five years ago, developer Bert Crawford said he would never have imagined building an Ethan Allen furniture store near Pembroke Mall. Now, his company is building a two-story Ethan Allen at Independence Boulevard and Columbus Street, across from Galyan’s. The store will open next year.

“The city asked us to do this, and we said, 'Gee whiz, let’s make this work,’” Crawford said. “We’re putting a lot more into this project than we normally would, but in the long run, we think it’s going to pay off.”

To encourage proposals that harmonize with Town Center, the city has crafted a new zoning classification for projects that include homes, offices and shops. The new zoning classification, if approved by the City Council in October, would encourage “less intense and less dense” development than Town Center.

City officials want to discourage suburban sprawl, but they don’t want to over do the Town Center look.

“You want to avoid a bland, vanilla style of development where everything looks exactly the same,” said Steven Thompson, the city’s chief financial officer.

Developers say they also have to be careful to look for the right type of tenant for the city’s redevelopment plans to work.

Aubrey Layne, president of Great Atlantic Management, said his company decided to buy the Pembroke Office Park across from Pembroke Mall because of Town Center’s early success. The company spent about $750,000 on renovations and plans to build another office tower nearby.

But Layne said he was concerned that developers weren’t luring enough new tenants to the area.

“Most of the new buildings have just been attracting tenants from other locations,” he said. “We’ve just been shuffling the deck.” Many developers said they are willing to take the risk of investing in property near Town Center.

They believe the biggest danger they face is missing the opportunity.

“I know plenty of people who wish they knew five years ago what they know now,” Crawford said . “If they had, they would have been doing what they’re doing now a lot sooner.”

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com.

Even though I joined this site in early September, I just came across across this thread. Its good to have another Hampton Roads thread on the internet. Vdogg, I know that that I've seen you on Richmond City Watch. Maybe its time that Hampton Roads had a true home on the web.

Those "new" Norfolk skyline views look great. Development to beef up the Norfolk CBD is a plus in my book.

Anyway, on to the subject of this post. Right now there is construction on Boush Street between Freemason and College Place. I want to say this is a 12 or 15 story mixed use building (commercial/retail/residential) that I've heard about, but now I can't find any info on it. (Can anyone help me out on that?) The land has already been cleared and what looks like a parking garage is now taking shape. I'll keep tabs on the progress of the site because I work in the building behind it.

Even though I joined this site in August, I just stumbled across this thread. Those "new" skyline views look great. Development to beef up the Norfolk CBD is a plus in my book.

Anyway, on to the subject of this post. Right now there is construction on Boush Street between Freemason and College Place. I want to say this is a 12 or 15 story mixed use building (commercial/retail/residential) that I've heard about, but now I can't find any info on it. (Can anyone help me out on that?) The land has already been cleared and what looks like a parking garage is now taking shape. I'll keep tabs on the progress of the site because I work in the building behind it.
You may be referring to Harbors edge which is a 17-story luxury apartment building which is supposed to be starting construction now. I'm sure I posted something about it earlier in this thread. I'll try looking though it so I can find the reference for you.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74790&ran=75015

Old storage building in Norfolk could become apartments

The old cold storage building is across the street from the PETA headquarters, on the south side of Brambleton Avenue. This view from near the Elizabeth River looks north at the building. L. TODD SPENCER/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT


By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 26, 2004 | Last updated 1:21 AM Aug. 26

NORFOLK — The downtown housing boom could be spreading west to the old Atlantic City neighborhood with a plan to turn a former storage building into an apartment complex.

The Wright Co., the developer of several projects in downtown Norfolk, is making structural repairs to a building at 517 Front St. with the intent of seeking the city’s approval for residential development there.

That approval is contingent on the city declaring the building structurally safe. It sits near the banks of the Elizabeth River, and because of a damaged bulkhead , water flows under the building at high tide, according to the city.

Lenny Newcomb, zoning services manager for Norfolk, said the city has had contact with the developer.

“We have met with them on site, toured the building and reviewed their preliminary plans,” he said. “They are currently reinforcing structural components of the building. They have not submitted plans and engineering studies or future uses for the building, though we probably anticipate them.”

Construction began recently and is expected to be completed sometime next year, said Christopher Malendoski, marketing director for The Wright Co. The four-story complex would feature 30 units with either one or three bedrooms, he said. Parking would be available on the ground floor.

Rental prices have not been determined, Malendoski said.

A number of residential projects are under way downtown, several of which involve The Wright Co.. The demand for housing in and near downtown is expected to increase, particularly once the new Trader Publishing Co. building is completed and it brings additional employees downtown.

Atlantic City is 30 acres of industrial riverfront on the south side of Brambleton Avenue between the Freemason neighborhood in downtown Norfolk and the regional medical complex that includes Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters.

It was once a thriving neighborhood of shipbuilders, longshoremen and other blue-collar workers.

The city recently targeted the area’s dilapidated buildings and idle waterfront for redevelopment into an urban waterfront village with mixed commercial and residential uses.

Construction is expected to begin in a few weeks on Harbor’s Edge, a $106 million, 17-story retirement community that will act as the cornerstone for the revitalization of the area the city now wants to call Fort Norfolk.

The retirement community is scheduled to open in 2006.

The area’s history and the redevelopment plans made it attractive to The Wright Co., Malendoski said.

The developer purchased the building from CHKD for $720,000 on June 1, according to city records.

“That’s definitely an up and coming area,” Malendoski said of Atlantic City. “We are trying to fit into the puzzle.”

But that will require overcoming the city’s concerns about the building’s structural integrity.

Malendoski is confident that will happen.

“The city has been very supportive of what we have done so far,” he said. “We all have the same goal, which is to create a nice place to eat, work and play.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com

^^^^The above arcticle is about the construction you were referring to Liger Zero.

No, Vdogg, its not Harbor's Edge. I know about that new development over in the Atlantic City area. This is behind TCC and the James Madison Hotel. I know that I've heard something about, but as I said in my previous post, I can't find anything on it now. I'm thinking its the project mentioned in the lower third of this article, but I can't confirm it.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=63949&ran=167255

Wow, thats a good find :eek2: . That one slipped waaaayyy under the radar screen. I guess with all these high profile projects coming online that one lost its newsworthiness. I took the liberty of driving by the area today and I must say that it matches the exact description of the area in which that 12-story building/ parking garage are supposed to be built in that arcticle. I'm dissappointed that the project was able to make it this far without them providing any artist rendenderings. It'll be interesting to see how this all comes together and whether it compliments all the other development on Granby.

Heres a link to a very detailed plan of norfolks redevelopment in the grandby/fort norfolk area. Pretty interesting.
http://www.norfolkdevelopment.com/INITIATIVES/documents/NEWULIBooklet_000.pdf

Wow, thats a good find :eek2: . That one slipped waaaayyy under the radar screen. I guess with all these high profile projects coming online that one lost its newsworthiness. I took the liberty of driving by the area today and I must say that it matches the exact description of the area in which that 12-story building/ parking garage are supposed to be built in that arcticle. I'm dissappointed that the project was able to make it this far without them providing any artist rendenderings. It'll be interesting to see how this all comes together and whether it compliments all the other development on Granby.


They are indeed building a parking garage. I wish they would of build an office tower on top the garage, kind of like 150 West Main.

Union Mission buys Norfolk lot

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75900&ran=51021&zr=1

The Union Mission has purchased a Norfolk office building and warehouse, above, and are looking into various options on how to use the property. MARK MITCHELL/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT.
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/newmissionmap.gif

By DEBBIE MESSINA, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 23, 2004 | Last updated 8:03 PM Sep. 22

NORFOLK — The Union Mission has purchased a downtown office building and warehouse that city officials had their eye on but has not decided what to do with it .

A spokeswoman for Union Mission said the nonprofit organization might consider moving its programs for the homeless, now on Brooke Street, to the building at St. Paul’s Boulevard and Bute Street, the former home of AmeriComm Direct Marketing Inc .

“We’re looking at various options, everything from moving the entire mission, to moving part of it, to separating out the programs somewhat,” said Linda C. Jones , public relations director for the ministry. “The property became available, so we want to see what the possibilities are.”

Jones said the ministry is looking at other properties as well. In addition to relocating its homeless shelter, the Union Mission needs a new warehouse.

For many years, the Union Mission has wanted to either relocate or renovate its 1908 building in the heart of the downtown business district. The city has encouraged the ministry to move as downtown revitalization spreads.

Some city officials at first endorsed the ministry’s plan to move to Monticello Avenue near Ghent, then rejected the idea when residents objected after learning the mission had housed some sex offenders. The city also halted a proposal to renovate and expand the existing Brooke Avenue facility.

The Union Mission paid $3.2 million last month for the one-story building.

The city had offered $2.7 million for the same building with hopes of using it for temporary courtrooms while the city builds a high-rise courts complex. It had been appraised at $2.4 million in early 2003 .

“We thought we were making a good offer, but obviously it wasn’t good enough,” said Stanley A. Stein , acting assistant city manager. “Now we’ve got to regroup and rethink what we are going to do. … That was our first preference of sites.”

Mayor Paul D. Fraim said the property also is vital to the eventual redevelopment of the east side of St. Paul’s Boulevard. The city already purchased the nearby Downtown Plaza, which is mostly vacant.

Jones said the ministry was unaware that the city wanted the building when it first embarked on the purchase but has since talked to city officials about the dilemma.

“We know they want it,” Jones said. “We just want to have a place to continue doing what we’ve been doing for 100 years somewhere in the downtown area, or close to downtown. I wish we had a solution, but we’re not there yet.”

Fraim said, “We will continue to talk to the Union Mission about the city’s control over the site.”

City Councilman W. Randy Wright is not ready to write off the site either.

“There’s still a sense that the city can still maybe secure that,” he said.

He said the ministry could “have a real difficult time getting permits” for the building, depending on what it wants to do.

Fraim said a homeless shelter is “probably not the best use for that property… The city wants to help the Union Mission come up with a good result.”

Reach Debbie Messina at 446-2588 or debbie.messina@pilotonline.com.



The city had offered $2.7 million for the same building with hopes of using it for temporary courtrooms while the city builds a high-rise courts complex. It had been appraised at $2.4 million in early 2003 .

Man, I hope all this doesn't screw up that project :bash: . All the courts in one high-rise should make for a very tall building when they go through with it.

Wow, thats a good find :eek2: . That one slipped waaaayyy under the radar screen.

LOL. Yeah, that slipped in quietly. Its amazing how quickly construction is coming along. (Then again, a parking garage doesnt need as much structural work done on it compared to a true building) On Monday, there was one cement support post in the ground. A glance out of a window near my office facing the site shows the slabs in place for the 3rd level of the parking garage with the horizontal supports for the 4th level alredy being placed.

On a side note, there is site preparation work currently being done on St. Paul's Blvd between MacMall and the Chamber of Commerce building. I beliive that there is going to be a residential development there, but I'm not sure if its going to be a high rise or something along the lines of 3 to 4 stories. :dunno: If it was going to be a high rise, I'm sure we would have some notification on it, but then again I could be wrong seeing how the Boush St. project slipped through the cracks.

If the city doesnt get the property the the Union Mission just purchased, how about the possibilty of building the new courts building on the Downtown Plaza lot seeing how the city already owns that land. A lot can be done with the Plaza area. I can envision maybe 2 high rises with a parking garage or maybe 3 if a garage can be integrated into a building like 150 W. Main.

I'm getting dizzy just thinking about all thats going on in Downtown Norfolk. :dizzy: :nuts:

I believe the St. Pauls Macmall area is going to be lowrise (3-4story) residential that is supposed to compliment the granby towers project (They are in fact being built by the same people). That whole area (all the way down to fort Norfolk) is supposed to be made up of several low,mid, and high-rise residential projects.

Apartments or condos will open above two Granby restaurants
By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 24, 2004 | Last updated 9:32 PM Sep. 23
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=75945&ran=92528

NORFOLK — The upper floors of the buildings that house two popular downtown eateries – Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub and Restaurant and the 219 Restaurant – will be turned into condominiums or apartments.

Marathon Development Group has purchased 215-219 Granby Street and 241 Granby, known as the Portlock Building, in separate sales.

The transactions closed last week, and no timetable exists for completing the projects, said Buddy Gadams, president of the development company. No price has been determined for the units because the developer doesn’t know if they will be apartments or condos.

Gadams said both restaurants are vital parts of downtown and plans are for them to remain open during construction.

Marathon bought 215-219 Granby, which includes the 219 Restaurant, from the estate of John L. Roper for $1 million, Gadams said.





241 Granby: Twelve residential units of about 900 square feet are planned for the 20,000-square-foot building. Much of the plumbing and electrical work is done.
215-219 Granby: Eight residential units of up to 1,200 square feet are planned for the 20,000-square-foot building. Plumbing and electrical work is needed.


--http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/granby219quinns.gif
The developer bought 241 Granby from Emerald Properties in Kentucky for $1.5 million.

Gadams said construction had begun on the upper floors of the Portlock Building to turn it into an extended-stay hotel. That construction was halted when one of the building’s former owners, Commonwealth Enterprises LLC, went into bankruptcy.

Gadams said the six-story, 20,000-square-foot Portlock Building would have 12 residential units that average about 900 square feet.

Much of the plumbing and electrical work is done, and Gadams expects little disruption for Jack Quinn’s.

“I think we’ll be all right, who knows?” Jason Graves, manager of Jack Quinn’s, said Thursday. “I guess we’ll have to see.”

The situation is a bit different at 215-219 Granby, also a 20,000-square foot building. Eight residential units of up to 1,200 square feet each will be built, Gadams said.

Plumbing and electrical work is needed, and it’s likely to have some impact on the 219 Restaurant and Atlantic Lithography at 215 Granby. Gadams said efforts will be made to lessen it.

“We’d like to work closely with the retail tenants downstairs to find out what their needs are because we are going to need their cooperation during the renovation,” Gadams said.

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com

By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 28, 2004

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/arttheaterbig.gif

VIRGINIA BEACH — Three years after the City Council decided to build a performing-arts theater at Town Center, political support for the project appears to be eroding.

Faced with escalating costs, at least five of the 11 City Council members said they don’t know if they still support the city’s plan for a 1,200-seat theater.

The council is tentatively scheduled to vote on the project Oct. 12.

“The theater is not a done deal,” said Councilman Richard A. Maddox, who said he is considering voting against it. “There’s a lot of concern about the fate of the project.”

If the council delays a decision, the project could be permanently derailed. The timing of the vote is key to keeping Clancy & Theys Construction Co. on schedule to begin building the theater in May.

Supporters worry that delays will give critics the chance to lobby for a larger, 3,000-seat theater in the resort area.

“By showing a lack of decisiveness, we’re playing right into the hands of the special interests who want a theater at the Oceanfront,” said Councilwoman Reba S. McClanan.

Growing doubts about the current proposal represent a gradual turnaround for a council that in 2001 unanimously backed putting the theater at Town Center.

Since then, two successive elections have swept in a new group of council members who are less enthusiastic about the project. Meanwhile, the cost has climbed.

In February, the city estimated that the theater and an adjacent parking garage would cost $42 million to $44 million. But in the past six months, construction costs for municipal projects have risen 10 to 15 percent.

Some council members speculated that the cost rose because the city took too long to decide not to build a performing-arts academy and city-leased retail space next to the theater.

In a recent closed session, city staffers told the council that the cost may be up to $5 million more than expected. The city plans to release the final figure at an Oct. 5 council briefing.

Maddox said he was never sold completely on the project but felt obligated to go along with the supporters after his election in 2002. Rising costs have changed his mind and prompted him to resurrect the idea of a larger theater at the resort. He believes a bigger theater would be more successful financially and would boost tourism in the resort.

“I think we need to erase the blackboard and start over,” Maddox said. “As it stands, the project doesn’t have broad support.”

Councilmen Peter W. Schmidt, Robert Dyer, Ron A. Villanueva, and Harry E. Diezel also are skeptical of the theater plan. All were elected after the original vote.

“It was the right decision then,” Schmidt said. “But it may be the wrong decision now.”

In 2002, the council approved $35 million in hotel, meal and cigarette taxes for the project, although the theater’s cost was projected to be as much as $50 million. The city planned to cover the $15 million gap with ticket fees, private funding and sale of the naming rights.

Now, with higher costs, the private sector is expected to pick up a bigger share of the tab.

The city also is preparing to front the money until private donations and ticket fees start coming in.

“I’m looking at this like it’s a business plan and an amenity for the public,” Diezel said. “I still have my doubts about it as a business plan.”

Dyer, a Regent University professor, said he doesn’t think the city can afford another big project with cost overruns. The council already has increased funding for a garage being built for the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront at 31st Street and for the $202 million convention center that will replace the Pavilion.

But Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf and council members McClanan, Rosemary Wilson, Louis R. Jones and James L. Wood believe it’s too late to back out of the project. They think Virginia Beach should move quickly to build the theater, even though they, too, are alarmed by the higher cost.

Wilson said the theater must be built to replace the Pavilion theater, scheduled for demolition in May.

“It’s not like we’re throwing the money away,” Wilson said. “We’re tearing down a theater, and we promised to replace it.”

When council members began discussing whether to build a theater at Town Center, they also debated building a larger theater in the resort area or renovating the old one. In the end, they decided the city should first build a smaller theater at Town Center because local performing-arts groups needed it.

“I can assure you this was not a throwaway thought by one staff member,” Oberndorf said. “It was carefully studied by consultants who found out the needs of the performing-arts groups.”

Dyer has approached Regent University officials to see whether they would let Virginia Beach use Regent’s 750-seat theater if the Town Center project is put on hold.

But representatives of performing-arts groups said the Regent theater is too small to use permanently. A 3,000-seat theater in the resort area would be too big.

“None of us has a problem with a bigger theater being built eventually,” said David Kunkel, music director and conductor of the Virginia Beach Symphony Orchestra. “But in no way should it take the place of the community theater we were promised.”

Even if the project proceeds as planned, some performing-arts groups will be without a venue for more than two years, until the new theater opens in August 2007. The city has yet to come up with an alternative.

Jeff Meredith, executive producing director of the Virginia Musical Theater, said further delay would hurt his organization. “We could survive for two years,” he said. “But after that, we might have to disband.”

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com.

Family asked to finance Beach theater
By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 28, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — The proposed performing arts theater at Town Center might be named after a local family that runs a large development company, according to city records.

Virginia Beach officials have asked brothers Art and Steve Sandler to donate $8 million to the city in exchange for naming the proposed 1,200-seat theater after their family.

A spokeswoman for the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Foundation , a charitable organization named for Art and Steve’s deceased parents, said Monday the family is interested, but is waiting for Virginia Beach to set up an appropriate fund-raising structure before making a decision.

The family has a reputation for supporting philanthropic causes, including the new $40 million Jewish Community Center campus, which is named for Reba and Sam Sandler and opened in July. The Sandlers donated $7 million to the project, making them the lead contributors.

The Sandlers’ development company also is behind one of Virginia Beach’s most contentious projects. In May, the company bought Wedgewood Mobile Home Park for $12 million and gave the park’s 900 residents six months to move.

The park will be closed Oct. 31 to make way for townhomes, apartments and single-family houses.

City officials said concerns about the city accepting donations from developers are misplaced.

“Any time you’re working with people who have money, there is concern they might be looking for something in exchange,” said Steven Thompson, the city’s chief financial officer. “In this case, there is no quid pro quo.”

Negotiations over the naming rights are part of the city’s efforts to close a funding gap of as much as $15 million for the theater.

At least five of the 11 City Council members say they don’t know whether they will vote for the project because of uncertainty about financing.

Others believe contributors are waiting for the city’s go-ahead.

From the outset, city officials predicted they would have trouble raising money from private contributors, partly because the city doesn’t have a strong philanthropic tradition.

After the City Council gave its initial approval of the project in 2001, Beach officials started compiling a list of possible donors. Staffers identified the Sandlers, the Breeden family, which owns numerous apartment buildings and shopping centers in Virginia Beach, and the Batten family, which owns Landmark Communications, publisher of The Virginian-Pilot. City officials said they never directly approached anyone but the Sandlers. The discussions began two years ago when the brothers told City Manager James K. Spore they might be interested in contributing to a future municipal project.

No one is better or more involved in city construction than Sandler, city officials wrote in undated notes prepared for discussions with the brothers.

According to city records, staffers planned their courtship of the family carefully, taking care to gauge the brothers’ different personalities.

They noted that Steve Sandler was known as a tough, “street smart” negotiator who would “drill you with questions.” They described Art as “analytical.”

In April, the two brothers met privately with Spore, Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf and former Councilman Linwood Branch to discuss the theater. The same day, Steve Sandler wrote a thank you note to the mayor.

“Art and I look forward to the opportunity to name the new Performing Arts Center,” he wrote. “Good luck on the upcoming election. We believe that your leadership is essential as changes occur in Virginia Beach.”

The mayor responded with her own letter. “We are thoroughly convinced that this theatre offers a tremendous opportunity to recognize your family’s contributions to the community,” she wrote.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilot online.com.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=76454&ran=63248

Downtown Norfolk demand is high for residential units
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/granbytower300.jpg

Architectural schematics and renderings of Granby Towers, planned for Norfolk by Marathon Development Group, just one of the hundreds of housing units being developed in downtown Norfolk. HUMPHREYS AND PARTNERS ARCHITECTS, L.P.


The Virginian-Pilot
© October 6, 2004

Residential development in the city is booming, with more than $1 billion in private investment earmarked for housing during the past 4½ years.

After losing population nearly every year since 1960, the city saw a turnaround beginning in 2001. The number of homes has increased by about 1,500 since 2000 in spite of the demolition of hundreds of homes in East Ocean View and Broad Creek.

City officials celebrated the progress this week at the groundbreaking for St. Paul’s Place, a $20 million, 90-unit condominium development next to MacArthur Center.

“It’s a significant new addition to downtown,” Mayor Paul D. Fraim said.

Yet in reality, it is but a small blip on an increasingly busy radar screen for the city. In 1997, just 187 building permits were issued for new housing units in the city. In the past three years, there has been an average of more than 500 per year, most of them single-family homes. Last year the total hit 538 – the highest in more than two decades.


Some recent large residential projects in Norfolk:
East Beach
Developer: East Beach LLC
Cost: $250 million
Housing: 700 homes on 90 acres

Broad Creek
Developer: Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and The Community Builders.
Cost: $200 million
Housing: 600 homes on 87 acres.

Harbor’s Edge Retirement Center
Developer: Fort Norfolk Partners, LLC
Cost: $107 million.
Housing: 17-story retirement community with 163 units.

Granby Towers
Developer: Marathon Development Group.
Cost: $100 million.
Housing: Two residential condominium towers with 400 units, retail, parking, exercise facility.

Harbor Walk
Developer: Genesis Group
Cost: $60 million.
Housing: 240 condominiums and marina over 21 acres in East Ocean View.

The Landings at Bolling Square-Larchmont
Developer: Collins Enterprises Cost: $60 million
Housing: 184 condominiums near Old Dominion University.

Tazewell Lots
Developer: Robinson Development and Stanton Partners.
Cost: $40 million.
Housing: 77 condominiums in mixed-use project with a grocery store and offices.

Bristol at Ghent
Developer: Bristol Development.
Cost: $29 million.
Housing: 268 rental units, 90 condominiums and 5-story garage on site of former bakery.

388 Boush street
Developer: Collins Enterprises Cost: $26 million.
Housing: 100 condominiums, parking garage

St. Paul’s Place
Developer: Wermers Development, Inc.
Cost: $20 million.
Housing: 90 condominiums next to MacArthur Center.

CHURCH street corridor
Developers: NRHA Public/Private Partnership
Cost: $7.1 million
Housing: In Westchurch 26 new homes completed, five homes remain.

*Project investment figures are approximate. Source: City of Norfolk Department of Development
Work recently began on Harbor’s Edge Retirement Center, a 163-unit, $107 million facility in Fort Norfolk.

East Beach, site of the first Homearama to be held in Norfolk, will eventually have 700 high-priced homes on 90 acres in East Ocean View valued at more than $250 million. Nearby Harbor Walk will have 240 condominiums valued at $60 million.

Broad Creek, a redevelopment project sponsored by the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority with private developers, began with the demolition of two public housing projects – Roberts Village and Bowling Green – to make way for mixed-income housing near Norfolk State University. Eventually, the $200 million project will be the site of 600 homes, a library, fitness center, walking and biking trails, ponds and parks. Broad Creek is among three finalists to host the 2005 Homearama.

Much of the new development has focused on downtown. Just three years ago, the city set a goal of creating 1,530 more downtown housing units by the year 2010.

In less than half a decade, 1,280 have been built, are under construction or have been proposed. That does not include 358 units of apartments and condominiums to be built by Bristol Development off Monticello Avenue, or a proposed 114-unit apartment complex in Freemason.

“This is a 24-hour community,” Fraim said. “People are attracted to our amenities downtown. Increasingly, they want to live downtown.”

Private developers and academics agree. Dr. Vinod Agarwal, an economics professor at Old Dominion University, said he was advised when he came to ODU in 1981 not to live in Norfolk or go downtown after 5 p.m.

“Obviously, things have changed,” he said. “Norfolk has become a national example of how you revitalize a downtown.”

Dan Johnson, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis in Norfolk, has not participated in any residential developments in Norfolk. But he said he is amazed at the demand for housing in the city.

“To say there’s been a rebound in housing in Norfolk would be an understatement,” he said. “I do not see an end to the demand for housing, especially downtown. I am not an expert, but I don’t believe we have reached the depth of the market.”

David Block, an associate broker with William E. Wood and Associates, said the demand for housing is spread across the city. From Park Place to Roosevelt Gardens to Norview, whenever a developer builds a few houses on vacant lots, they sell quickly.

“We can’t build them fast enough,” he said. “Anywhere we stuff houses, people are willing to pay $300,000 or more for them.” Not everyone is pleased with much of the new housing. Advocates for low-income residents note that particularly in downtown and Ocean View, virtually all of the new housing is for upper-income residents.

Broad Creek is the only large project in the city that will include housing for people with lower incomes. Shorewood Cove, an $8 million, 132-unit apartment complex near Military Circle, was another affordable housing complex that opened two years ago for senior citizens.

Vice Mayor Daun S. Hester, Councilman Anthony L. Burfoot and other community leaders have called on city officials to include some moderately-priced housing with the new luxury housing.

“The only way to end the cycle of poverty is to deconcentrate poverty,” Burfoot said.

Councilman W. Randy Wright defends the fact that he fought successfully to

:deadthrea

Not so fast vdogg. Sometimes you have to wait things out. I've been relieved not to hear about any new projects recently. Its hard to keep up with at times. Its great to know that so much is going on, but sometimes you need to take a breather.

Just when you thought this thread was lifeless, here comes news concerning the new focus of downtown Norfolk revitalization.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=76938&ran=222606

As a representative of TCC Norfolk, I'll be attending a session with city leaders and the consulting firm on tomorrow afternoon. If anything major is revealed, I'll be sure to pass it along.

As a representative of TCC Norfolk, I'll be attending a session with city leaders and the consulting firm on tomorrow afternoon.


I'm a student at TCC (Va. beach campus of course), are you a student too or do you work for them? Oh yes, and please do post any updates as soon as you know them. I guess I kinda jumped the gun with the deadthread post. Then again, I'm not one known for my patience. :)

I'm a TCC employee, but I do plan to take classes during the spring semester. I did the college thing in Richmond a few years ago. I wasnt feeling the city, but I stayed for 3 years. Now I feel that its time I get back into school while I'm still young.

Well, I've been rather busy the past week and had not had a chance to make an update on the "briefing session" that was held last week with the City of Norfolk, Urban Design Associates, and TCC Norfolk. The future looks more that bright for downtown Norfolk. Main points included a new TCC student center next to the Norva; creating a true arts/theater district in the Chrysler Musuem/Harrison Opera House area; the possibility of a new downtown central library on Granby Street; and the possible relocation of some city offices. And of course the new projects planned (Trader, hotel, Boush St project) were mentioned as to how they fit into the grand scheme of things.

As far as the arts district is concerned, the plan is to create a district with retail and residental space as well as reconfiguring the route of some streets in the Boush St/Va Beach Blvd/Llewellyn Ave corridor. There is talk of creating a partnership between the city of Norfolk and TCC on a new central library on Granby Street/Brambleton Avenue where the bus station is.

The overall plan is to seamlessly integrate the north side of downtown and south Ghent. Urban Design gave a very good hour long presentation of the overall scope and depth of the future of Downtown Norfolk. They will return to the area sometime in December to give a progress report.

Traders Online Effort Growing Into Empire:
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=77155&ran=116031

Redevelopment Targets Beach's 19th Street Corridor:
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=77201&ran=240449

Well, I've been rather busy the past week and had not had a chance to make an update on the "briefing session" that was held last week with the City of Norfolk, Urban Design Associates, and TCC Norfolk. The future looks more that bright for downtown Norfolk. Main points included a new TCC student center next to the Norva; creating a true arts/theater district in the Chrysler Musuem/Harrison Opera House area; the possibility of a new downtown central library on Granby Street; and the possible relocation of some city offices. And of course the new projects planned (Trader, hotel, Boush St project) were mentioned as to how they fit into the grand scheme of things.

As far as the arts district is concerned, the plan is to create a district with retail and residental space as well as reconfiguring the route of some streets in the Boush St/Va Beach Blvd/Llewellyn Ave corridor. There is talk of creating a partnership between the city of Norfolk and TCC on a new central library on Granby Street/Brambleton Avenue where the bus station is.

The overall plan is to seamlessly integrate the north side of downtown and south Ghent. Urban Design gave a very good hour long presentation of the overall scope and depth of the future of Downtown Norfolk. They will return to the area sometime in December to give a progress report.

It seems as though they're trying to steer the Granby and Brambleton areas towards a New York style uptown (high-rise luxury apartments intermixed with high-end retail). It's a very ambitious plan and they seem hell bent on accomplishing it. I wonder if people had just gotten off their butts years ago, instead of fighting the plans for urban renewal (particularly macarthur center) where would we be today?

Hey guys- Im really glad there's a Hampton Roads thread getting so much attention. Who knows, maybe that's a sign of things to come for HR. I'm currently living in Richmond where the housing market is all abuzz, but apparently the real housing miracle is happening in my hometown in Hampton Roads.

I'd like to bring some pictures and news to everyone's attention. Firstly I want everyone to see some pictures of a new upscale waterfront community in Newport News's downtown area (a traditionally blighted site). Then a few pictures of Port Warwick, City Center at Oyster Point, and Christopher Newport University.


Champion Development - http://www.championdevelopment.com - is doing the waterfront community that was approved yesterday by the city council.

http://www.championdevelopment.com/images/project_images/NEWPORT_VIEWS_1_LG.jpg

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http://www.championdevelopment.com/images/project_images/NEWPORT_VIEWS_2_LG.jpg

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For more information see Champion Development's website (http://www.championdevelopment.com/newportnews.asp).

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And now for some pictures of Port Warwick:


http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/PortWarwick1.jpg
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http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/PortWarwick2.jpg
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http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/PortWarwick3.jpg
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http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/PortWarwick4.jpg
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http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/PortWarwick5.jpg
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http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/PortWarwick6.jpg
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I should note that these pictures are over a year old and so much has happened in that area. The stores and restaurants are bustling and the area is literally thrumming with activity. It's an amazing, shining example of Neo Urbanism at it's best. To read more about it, go to Port Warwick's website (http://ww.portwarwick.com).


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Now for some City Center. Their website is here (http://www.oysterpointonline.com). This is probably the most exciting project in Newport News, which is actually growing and developing alongside VA Beach's Town Center, though with far less coverage even though it got an award that Va Beach didn't.

Apparently, Va Beach has been having trouble getting office space, something Newport News has been quite successful with, while Newport News is having a hard time getting retailers and restaurants, something that Va Beach is having no problem finding. From what I read somewhere, the two developments are working off one another and Newport News is starting to attract the same chains that you see in Va Beach. I know that a Red Star Tavern and PF Chang's Chinese Bistro are coming to Newport News soon, as well as a Mariott among other things. Anyway, here are some old pictures I took:


http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/CityCenter1.jpg
http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/CityCenter2.jpg
http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/CityCenter3.jpg
http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/CityCenter4.jpg
http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/CityCenter5.jpg

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Finally, here are a few pictures of Hilton Village, Newport News's quaint historic boutique nexus.

http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/Hilton1.jpg
http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/Hilton2.jpg
http://ramsites.net/~ceciremh/Hilton3.jpg

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I hope you all enjoy these pictures and info.
I hope not to offend anyone... I like the southside a lot, especially Norfolk, but I just feel agitated that the Peninsula doesn't get the attention I think it rightly deserves. Even Hampton's recent developments warrant a second look, though my hopes for an Urban Renaissance lie with Newport News.

Peace

The Peninsula has long been overlooked when it comes to development when Norfolk and Va Beach take the spotlight. There are a lot of projects taking place on the other side of Hampton Roads and its good that neourban pariah bought this to light. I myself was aware of some of the Peninsula projects, but I didnt know the true scope and depth of them. Port Warrick and City Center look great.

Kinda off subject, but there has been an idea rolling around in my head for sometime now. I've been thinking about developing a website for the Hampton Roads area. I feel that there is more than enough infrastructure in this region to showcase it.

I've been thinking about developing a website for the Hampton Roads area. I feel that there is more than enough infrastructure in this region to showcase it.
Absolutely! We're waaay bigger than Richmond. If they can have one, why can't we. :)

REGION'S TALLEST COMING TO VIRGINIA BEACH :eek2:

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/towncentera.jpg

VIRGINIA BEACH -– The developer of Town Center has cemented a deal to build the tallest building in Hampton Roads -– a 30- to 32-story tower that will include a Westin Hotel and luxury condominiums.

It will be the second hotel to come to Town Center. The 176-room Hilton Garden Inn opened last year.

The Westin will be built at Columbus Street and Independence Boulevard, across the street from Dick’s Sporting Goods. It will be part of Town Center’s third phase, which also will include new offices, shops and restaurants.

The 215-room hotel will be topped by 104 condos. It is scheduled to open in spring 2007. Developers are working on bringing a high-end restaurant to the hotel’s ground floor.

“This should be the nicest hotel in the region,” said Louis S. Haddad, president of Armada Hoffler, the company developing Town Center. “The condos will also be the highest end in the area.”

Currently, the tallest buildings in Hampton Roads are the 26-story Dominion Tower in downtown Norfolk and the 23-story Armada Hoffler Tower at Town Center in Virginia Beach.

awesome development in va beach, nice looking tower too.
wow norfolk and va beach are changing overnight.
norfolk has a lot of towers that are going to be built as well

REGION'S TALLEST COMING TO VIRGINIA BEACH :eek2:

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/towncentera.jpg

VIRGINIA BEACH -– The developer of Town Center has cemented a deal to build the tallest building in Hampton Roads -– a 30- to 32-story tower that will include a Westin Hotel and luxury condominiums.

It will be the second hotel to come to Town Center. The 176-room Hilton Garden Inn opened last year.

The Westin will be built at Columbus Street and Independence Boulevard, across the street from Dick’s Sporting Goods. It will be part of Town Center’s third phase, which also will include new offices, shops and restaurants.

The 215-room hotel will be topped by 104 condos. It is scheduled to open in spring 2007. Developers are working on bringing a high-end restaurant to the hotel’s ground floor.

“This should be the nicest hotel in the region,” said Louis S. Haddad, president of Armada Hoffler, the company developing Town Center. “The condos will also be the highest end in the area.”

Currently, the tallest buildings in Hampton Roads are the 26-story Dominion Tower in downtown Norfolk and the 23-story Armada Hoffler Tower at Town Center in Virginia Beach.




:bash: :bash: Damnit! I wanted to be first to post this. :) I knew everyone would be all over it the moment I read the newspaper this morning.
Norfolk won't stand for this though. I expect them to probably announce an equally sized tower in the near future. This is what i'm talking about though. Watch out Richmond/Charlotte , there's a new kid on the block now :cheers: .

I noticed that the above post didn't have all the details about the project so heres the full story from the Virginia Pilot.

Region's tallest building planned at Town Center

An artist's rendering of the proposed 30- to 32-story hotel/condominium building at Town Center in Virginia Beach. COURTESY OF BRENNAN BEER GORMAN ARCHITECTS

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/towncentera.jpg







By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 5, 2004 | Last updated 2:21 AM Nov. 5

VIRGINIA BEACH -– The developer of Town Center has cemented a deal to build the tallest building in Hampton Roads – a 30- to -32-story tower that will include a Westin Hotel and luxury condominiums.

The Westin will be built at Columbus Street and Independence Boulevard, across from Dick’s Sporting Goods.

It will be part of Town Center’s third phase, which also will include new offices, shops and restaurants.

The 215-room hotel will be topped by 104 condos and is scheduled to open in spring 2007.

Developers are working on bringing a high-end restaurant to the hotel’s ground floor.

The condos, which will include two levels of penthouses, will sell for $400,000 to $2 million. They will cater to buyers who want the concierge service and amenities of a hotel, such as a pool and health club.

“This should be the nicest hotel in the region,” said Louis S. Haddad, president of Armada Hoffler, the company developing Town Center. “The condos will also be the highest end.”

The hotel and condos will be the latest addition to the 21-acre project, which aims to create an urban downtown in Pembroke through a public-private partnership.

Armada Hoffler plans to invest about $130 million into the latest phase, which includes another block of space for retail, restaurants and offices with the 400-foot hotel as the centerpiece.

Currently, the tallest building in Hampton Roads is the 23-story Armada Hoffler Tower at Town Center.


If the City Council approves the terms, the city would contribute up to $28 million for a 1,100-space parking garage, a 10,000-square-foot conference center and ballroom, sidewalks and streets.

The council is scheduled to hear a briefing on the proposal Tuesday. Public hearings and a vote are expected in the coming weeks.


Council members, who received an initial briefing in a closed session, said they believe the proposal would be a successful addition to Town Center.

“It’s further proof that the city’s investment in the Town Center has spurred additional development in the city,” Councilman James L. Wood said. “The fact that we are attracting a top-drawer hotel that is not surrounded by the ocean just shows how successful the project truly is.”

The Westin will be the second hotel to come to Town Center. The 176-room Hilton Garden Inn opened last year.

Originally, the developers had planned to build a second hotel years from now. But Gerald Divaris, Town Center’s leasing agent, said the success of the Hilton Garden Inn jump-started negotiations for a luxury hotel.

“This is a living project,” Divaris said. “It’s changing as demand dictates.”

So far, the city has spent $44.2 million on the first two phases of Town Center, with the developers pitching in $173 million.

The first phase includes the 23-story main tower, nine levels of parking with 1,284 spaces, the Hilton Garden Inn and street-level shops and restaurants.

The second phase, which is still being built, includes a 341-unit apartment building, a parking garage, a public plaza and more shops and restaurants.

Developers plan a fourth and possibly fifth phase in the project, which would include the Taco Bell and Virginian-Pilot properties.

City leaders and developers first hatched the idea of creating a downtown from scratch in the 1970s, but the City Council didn’t approve it until 2000.


At that time, the city pledged to contribute $52 million – almost one-third of the project’s total cost – to build two garages, buy land and construct roads and utilities.

Since then, the project’s scope has grown along with the private and public investment. When Town Center is completed, the city projects at least 24,000 people will live, work and shop in a 14-block radius.

Last month, the City Council approved building a $46.7 million performing arts theater at Town Center. The 1,200-seat theater will open by August 2007, across the street from the Westin.

Except for the theater, public funds for the project are generated by a Tax Increment Financing district, known as a TIF.


The TIF for Town Center is a 238-acre area around the site. Within the district, property taxes are earmarked for paying back loans for Town Center improvements during the next 20 years.

Virginia Beach officials said the project is developing fast enough to generate enough money to pay back the loans.

“Two years don’t make a trend,” said Patricia Phillips, the city’s finance director, “but we were conservative in our projections and we have exceeded our projections.”

Despite the project’s rapid growth, Town Center has critics, including competitors who claim the city’s interest in the project creates an unfair advantage for Armada Hoffler.


Some question whether the city should pledge millions of dollars, especially when the project is said to be doing well on its own. Councilwoman Reba S. McClanan said she would like to see some of the TIF revenue earmarked for road projects that will relieve traffic.

“I’m just hesitant to invest more of the taxpayer’s money on garages,” she said.

Councilman Bob Dyer said he will look closely at the city’s participation to make sure the city doesn’t over-invest in public-private ventures.

The city also is building a garage for the 295-room Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue.

“From what I’ve heard, this hotel is a great project,” Dyer said. “I just want to make sure I scrutinize our part in it.”

But other city officials and businesses in the area rave about the project and see the hotel as further proof of its success. They note that the project is drawing national retail and restaurant chains and sparking new development in the Pembroke area.

“I’ve heard nothing but positive reviews from people,” Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said.

The developers say they believe the city is protected from any loss in revenue because they’ve agreed to pay for any shortfalls in TIF revenues. Also, companies located in Town Center pay higher tax rates to cover the garages’ operating and maintenance costs.

“We’re hopeful that as Town Center unfolds, the public sees the benefits of creating a place like this in the midst of the city,” Haddad said. “For the investment of public infrastructure, we’re bringing high-quality jobs, retailers, restaurants and residences that otherwise wouldn’t be here.”

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com

This is awesome news for the Beach. Norfolk wont stand for this. I can see the headlines now in a month."Norfolk to build a 550 ft tall building making it the tallest building in Hampton Roads.

This is awesome news for the Beach. Norfolk wont stand for this. I can see the headlines now in a month."Norfolk to build a 550 ft tall building making it the tallest building in Hampton Roads.
:hahaha: Thats exactly what I said. There is no way in hell Norfolk is gonna take this s..t. Their reputation proceeds them. I honestly think Va. Beach knows Norfolk has something in the works so they felt they had to trump them. I bet that the new courts complex will be the next "tallest in the region" announced from Norfolk. Doesn't matter much to me though. Whoever wins this one, we all win IMO.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=77731&ran=89013

Town Center developer questions city’s tax assessments
By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 6, 2004 | Last updated 8:16 PM Nov. 5

VIRGINIA BEACH — The developer of Town Center is challenging the city’s property assessment of $55.9 million in office space at two buildings. The appeal to the Board of Equalization contests the city’s $41.1 million assessment of a portion of the 23-story Armada Hoffler Tower. A consultant hired by Armada Hoffler argues that the assessment should be $35.8 million.

The city’s assessment would require the developers to pay $726,700 in taxes. If Armada Hoffler succeeds in reducing the assessment, the firm would pay $93,400 less.

Armada Hoffler also is questioning the city’s $14.8 million assessment of One Columbus Center, a 130,000-square-foot office building on Constitution Drive. The developer argues the assessment should be $12.4 million, which would require it to pay $42,400 less.

Kris Inderlied, spokeswoman for Armada Hoffler, said the appeal does not signal any rift in the relationship between the city and her company, which routinely monitors all expenses.

“Our partnership with the city has been great, and sometimes good people can disagree,” she said. “We will abide by whatever decision is made.”


The board is expected to rule later this month.

Armada Hoffler is the city’s partner in the 21-acre Town Center project, which aims to create an urban downtown in Pembroke through a public-private partnership. On Thursday, the company unveiled its plans for a 30- to 32-story tower that will include a Westin Hotel and luxury condominiums in the latest phase of the 14-block project.

The Town Center project ranks Armada Hoffler as one of the city’s top property owners. So far, the city has assessed Town Center property’s value at $106.3 million, requiring Armada Hoffler to pay $1.8 million in taxes this year.

The dispute arose because Armada Hoffler says the city should have assessed the office space at a lower occupancy rate, which would have lowered the assessed value of the property.

Earlier this year, Armada Hoffler appealed to City Real Estate Assessor Jerald Banagan, who declined to change the assessments. Last month, the company then took the case to the board.

Banagan said he could not disclose the occupancy rate relied upon by the city or the developers because it’s protected proprietary information under state law. However, he said the city routinely assesses new office space at a 5 to 8 percent vacancy.

“We use what we feel is stabilized vacancy,” Banagan said. “They wanted us to use a start-up grace period and assume a lower vacancy.”

Armada Hoffler bought One Columbus Center in 2000 but ended up moving many of the tenants to new buildings that opened in Town Center, he said.

“They experienced massive vacancy when they moved law firms to other buildings,” Banagan said. “We don’t feel it was a typical situation that should affect the assessment.”

Appeals to the three-member Board of Equalization are infrequent. Last year, 323 property owners appealed to Banagan, and 24 went on to the board. In those 24 cases, board members ruled in favor of 10 property owners.

This year, the city will collect a total of $378 million in real estate taxes.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com

If you get a chance, please take a look at my website poll at this link.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=149699

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=77816&ran=151594

Rising rooftops, hopes at Town Center
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 9, 2004

The tallest building in the region already belongs to the newest downtown: Virginia Beach’s Town Center, rising on 21 acres in Pembroke.

But the 23-story Armada Hoffler Tower stands to be dwarfed by a new arrival in the neighborhood.

The developer said last week that it will build a 30- or 32-story, $130 million tower to house a Westin Hotel and luxury condos costing between $400,000 and $2 million.

It would be part of Town Center’s third phase, and would open in 2007. It’s more evidence that Virginia Beach’s enormous Town Center gamble may ultimately pay off.

The development, built through a public-private partnership, is designed to replicate an urban downtown in Pembroke. The public part of the investment already has cost Virginia Beach $44.2 million, according to reporting by staff writer Marisa Taylor.

That has attracted four times as much private investment, already raising the region’s tallest office building on the site and attracting destination restaurants, like the Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Chang’s, that are unique to Hampton Roads.

In other words, there’s a sizzle at Town Center, if not yet a steak. The Westin turns up the heat.

Last month, the council helped make Town Center a cultural destination, as well, by approving a $46.7 million, 1,200-seat theater set to open in August 2007 across the street from the Westin.

If the City Council OKs phase three, which would include the new hotel, the Beach’s tab would expand by as much as $28 million, for a 1,100-space garage, a conference center, sidewalks and streets.

Taken together, the first three phases sound mighty impressive, validation of an idea first proposed 30 years ago.

The city’s financial risk comes in the form of a 238-acre Tax Increment Financing district around Town Center. Increases in property taxes in the TIF will finance the city’s portion of the development.

That’s money unavailable for schools, public safety and other municipal needs for two decades.

It’s a financial sacrifice worth making only if Town Center pays off by creating a windfall of new jobs and investment that would not otherwise have located in the region. It’s off to a promising start, but it’s too early to know if it will meet that test.

Town Center would not exist but for the taxpayers’ investment. Without it, a big box retailer would have squatted on the site. There’s no question that Town Center is a higher and better use for the property.

But at some point, and the sooner the better, the council must wean Town Center off its public subsidies.

So far, the progress gives every reason for confidence, but it is a bit early to shout victory from Town Center’s rising rooftops.

When the rest of Pembroke starts to sizzle, too, we’ll know that Town Center has been worth the cost.

:eek2: OMG. I'm out of town for like 4 days and then BAM! Now here comes this. Tallest building in Hampton Roads? To echo what bigbruiser and Vdogg said, I dont think that Norfolk will take this sitting down. Vdogg may be right: Norfolk may have something big on the horizon, Va Beach found out about it and announces this new buidling. Virginia Beach is the new kid on the block when it comes to a CBD. I like their ambitious plans, but it seems to me that VB is quickly trying to build a CBD when they dont realize it takes years to develop. The city needs to have patience on a major undertaking such as this. A replica of the success of Downtown Norfolk doesnt happen overnight, but Virginia Beach seems to believe otherwise. Well I guess that as long as its in the Hampton Roads area, its ok in my book. I'm finished my ranting and raving for now.

On the lighter side of things, I dont believe the article stated a height in terms of feet, but I'm thinking a 30-32 story building will be roughly 500 feet tall. That would make it not only the tallest building in Hampton Roads, but also the tallest in the state. If thats the case, then at least the tallest building in VA would look nice compared to the current title holder, the Monroe building in Richmond.

(....patiently waiting an announcement from the city of Norfolk.... :wallbash: )

:eek2: OMG. I'm out of town for like 4 days and then BAM! Now here comes this. Tallest building in Hampton Roads? To echo what bigbruiser and Vdogg said, I dont think that Norfolk will take this sitting down. Vdogg may be right: Norfolk may have something big on the horizon, Va Beach found out about it and announces this new buidling. Virginia Beach is the new kid on the block when it comes to a CBD. I like their ambitious plans, but it seems to me that VB is quickly trying to build a CBD when they dont realize it takes years to develop. The city needs to have patience on a major undertaking such as this. A replica of the success of Downtown Norfolk doesnt happen overnight, but Virginia Beach seems to believe otherwise. Ok, I'm finished ranting and raving for now.

On the lighter side of things, I dont believe the article stated a height in terms of feet, but I'm thinking a 30-32 story building will be roughly 500 feet tall. That would make it not only the tallest building in Hampton Roads, but also the tallest in the state. If thats the case, then at least the tallest building in VA would look nice compared to the current title holder, the Monroe building in Richmond.

(....patiently waiting an announcement from the city of Norfolk.... :wallbash: )

It's def. over 400ft. That was stated in the article (the actual newspaper one) in the first few paragraphs. So even if it doesn't beat Monroe, it will be within 50 ft of it.
Still taller than anything we have in Hampton Roads. I think people will be shocked at the size of it when its finally built (It'll really stand out). That being said, council meets tonight to approve/disapprove this project. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that no height is shaved off this thing and the project goes through as is.

Well I guess last night was just a briefing, and the actual vote comes next month

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=77903&ran=125642
Developer: Westin could help lure retail to Town Center
By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 10, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH — A proposed Westin Hotel at Town Center will help lure big-name retailers and employers to the 14-block project, developers told the City Council Tuesday.

The 30- to 32-story tower would include both the Westin and 104 luxury condominiums and is proposed at the corner of Columbus Street and Independence Boulevard .

Louis S. Haddad, president of Armada Hoffler, which is developing Town Center, said the 215-room hotel eventually could help fill retail space and a future office tower because of the quality of the project.

Haddad acknowledged challenges in securing retailers for the 21-acre project, which aims to create an urban downtown in Pembroke through a public-private partnership.

“I would’ve hoped the retail would have turned out to be a lot easier,” Haddad said.
In June, Dick’s announced it would buy Galyan’s, dashing developers’ hopes for a more upscale sporting goods store.

But Haddad said he remained upbeat about more high-end retailers eventually signing on.

Armada Hoffler plans to invest about $130 million into the hotel and surrounding shops and offices. The city is being asked to contribute close to $30 million for a parking garage, a conference center and possibly two pedestrian bridges.

Much of the city’s share is generated by a Tax Increment Financing district, known as a TIF. The TIF for Town Center is a 238-acre area around the site. Within the district, property taxes over a capped amount are earmarked for paying back loans for Town Center improvements during the next 20 years.

If approved by the City Council next month, the 400-foot tower would be the tallest building in Hampton Roads. With its spire, the Armada Hoffler Tower in Town Center stands at 396 feet, making it the tallest building. The Dominion Tower in Norfolk, which has 26 stories, is 340 feet.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=77903&ran=125642
Developer: Westin could help lure retail to Town Center
By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 10, 2004

If approved by the City Council next month, the 400-foot tower would be the tallest building in Hampton Roads. With its spire, the Armada Hoffler Tower in Town Center stands at 396 feet, making it the tallest building. The Dominion Tower in Norfolk, which has 26 stories, is 340 feet.



So much for beating out the Monroe Building in terms of height. (Note to developers: Is there anyway you can add about 30 or 40 feet to the building - a few more floors perhaps? lol) And as far as I'm concerned, having spires included in the overall building measurement is the cheap way to increase height.
:tiasd:

So much for beating out the Monroe Building in terms of height. (Note to developers: Is there anyway you can add about 30 or 40 feet to the building - a few more floors perhaps? lol) And as far as I'm concerned, having spires included in the overall building measurement is the cheap way to increase height.
:tiasd:
Thats why i never considered armada hoffler taller than dominion. This one will be taller than AH even with its spire :) .

I'm glad some one else agrees with me on that. I've never considered Armada Hoffler to be taller than Dominion Tower either. I'm not a big fan of spires myself, but I have seen a few that really compliment a building, a point that AH's misses altogether. At least the new Westin will be the tallest building without question.

I deleted my post about the new hotel because VaCeltic has the same article with a rendering below. No need for duplicate postings.

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/marriottbig.gif

VIRGINIA BEACH — The next luxury hotel at the Oceanfront could give the public more beach access and open space but limit the number of parking spaces at the Ninth Street garage.

Developers of the 15-story Marriott plan to swap land with the city, which would give the public more than 50 feet of open space on either side of the hotel on Atlantic Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets.

The curvy, glass hotel would be built where the Dunes Oceanfront now stands, in a joint venture with the present hotel owners.

Tidewater Hotels & Resorts, the company behind the proposal, has asked to lease 300 of the 610 spaces at the city garage for hotel guests.

Tim Stiffler, Tidewater Hotel’s president, said the deal would give his company enough space to build a hotel with all Oceanfront rooms because the property wouldn’t be taken up by a parking garage.

If the City Council approves the project next month, the city could then use the open spaces on either side of the hotel to develop small parks. In exchange, the city would close the section of 10th Street next to hotel.

“It breaks up the concrete wall” of hotels, said Jim Ricketts, director of the city Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We not only get open space, but we get a first-class hotel.”

The city plans to make up for the lost parking spaces at the Ninth Street garage by providing more spaces at city property seven blocks away at Rudee Loop.

Most of the year, the public uses fewer than the 310 spaces that would remain in the Ninth Street garage under the proposal, Ricketts said. During the summer, however, extra spaces would be needed.

The 250-room hotel, which also will include 28 condominiums, is the latest luxury hotel that requires some sort of public inducement.

The Marriott deal, however, would involve much less municipal involvement than the city’s ongoing large-scale public-private ventures.

Last week, developers unveiled a proposed 30- to 32-story hotel and condominium at Town Center.

The city’s contribution of nearly $30 million would be funded through tax-increment financing, which takes future increases in real estate tax revenues within the area to pay off loans within 20 years.

Also, the Hilton Hotel at 31st Street involved $31.5 million in public money, mostly for a parking garage. The 295-room hotel is scheduled to open by New Year’s Eve at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue.

The Marriott could be a formidable competitor to the Hilton.

Glenn E. Tuckman, president of Professional Hospitality Resources, which is developing the Hilton, complained about the Marriott proposal in a Sept. 3 letter to the city manager, saying it involved too many public inducements.

His company’s concerns include the parking arrangement, the height of the building and a proposed encroachment by the Marriott’s pool onto the green space next to the beach.

Tuckman said the city refused to grant his company a similar encroachment, which means the 31st Street hotel will have fewer oceanfront rooms. City officials, however, said PHR had always planned to put its pool on the roof. Tuckman said his company’s complaint was not prompted by fear of potential competition.

“We support the continuing upgrade of the Oceanfront and share the city’s vision,” he said. “We just think the same set of rules should apply to everyone.”

Tourism officials say there is more than enough room in the market for another luxury hotel at the Oceanfront. According to city estimates, Virginia Beach needs at least 800 new hotel rooms to support the $202 million convention center, which is scheduled to open in 2007.

Earlier this year, Virginia Beach officials delayed the city’s plans to attract a new hotel at Rudee Loop partly at the request of PHR, which was concerned that another public-private venture would compete with its 31st Street hotel.

So far, the city has spent $11.5 million to buy 3.6 acres at Rudee Loop. Council members said the city should wait five to 10 years before developing the site.

The city has tried to persuade Marriott to come to Virginia Beach since the mid 1970s. But the chain didn’t see the city’s hotel market as lucrative until now. For decades, Hampton Roads ranked among the slowest growing markets in hotel rates and occupancy.

Instead, the chain opened Norfolk’s Marriott Waterside hotel and the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel and Waterfront Conference Center.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com

:) ^^^^ You beat me again I see. I had this all copied and pasted and ready to go. I think we're starting to go a little overboard with the hotel development though. I'd really like to see some more office towers announced.

http://goldkeyphr.com/images/mgt_company/future/shoppes_lg.jpg

The shorter tower to the right in the picture in nearing completion.

OCEAN BEACH CLUB: Gold Key/PHR Hotels and Resorts has also broken ground on Ocean Beach Club, the $100 million oceanfront resort and retail complex that will be the largest and most luxurious in Virginia Beach to date. This development will consist of four towers, two of which will be 100-unit timeshares managed and marketed by Gold Key Resorts, with a third tower to be a hotel operated by PHR. Along with the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel, the modern and exclusive Ocean Beach Club will hasten Virginia Beach's emergence as a first class resort destination

This courtesy of Willy from SSP. I thought it should be added to this forum as well.

The upcoming hotel/residental developments are nice, but as vdogg said - where are the office towers?!?!?!?!?

but as vdogg said - where are the office towers?!?!?!?!? They're going to be built in Norfolk.

Don't know if you all seen this Inside Business article from about six months ago. In that issue there was an awesome rendering of the completed Fort Norfolk that I have yet to find on the net.

A renewed Norfolk
City grows from within as redevelopment of Fort Norfolk begins

By Peter Hull
Inside Business - Hampton Roads
Monday May 3, 2004

Rising like a phoenix from the flames out of derelict buildings and overgrown parking lots, Norfolk?s growth over the last 20 years has proved nothing short of staggering. On what was once an urban wilderness now stands a modern skyline. What was once a no-go zone after dark is a thriving nightlife of bars and restaurants along ?Granby Row.?

And when all roads headed out of the city at the end of the work day to new subdivisions in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk, the city reversed the trend. The downtown residential revival is arguably the city?s greatest achievement and will soon reach its goal of 5,000 downtown residents. Downtown property values have grown more than 83 percent in the last 10 years, from $440 million to $807 million. And in 2003 they jumped another 9.3 percent, or $93 million.

But what?s on Norfolk?s horizon?

Cruise ships. Lots of them.

More than 30 cruise ships carrying more than 50,000 visitors made port calls to downtown?s makeshift Nauticus cruise terminal last year. And buoyed by announcements from cruise lines Holland America and Celebrity Cruises that they plan to homeport ships in Norfolk, twice as many cruise ships will call here in 2004, bringing more than 150,000 people with them.

The initiative is an attempt by the city to attract a share of the 8 million-plus U.S. cruise passengers ? a number which has jumped nearly 78 percent since 1996 ? to a city where passengers can walk off the ship straight into downtown to spend their money.

To help supply the demand, the city last week unveiled its design for a $41 million, 80,000-square-foot cruise terminal to be built next to Nauticus, the National Maritime Center. The terminal will open in fall 2006 and the funding includes $5 million to improve the infrastructure surrounding Nauticus and Town Point Park.

Watching the ships sail into port will be residents of Norfolk?s newest downtown waterfront community. Work begins this week to demolish the old Dixie Manufacturing Company buildings along Front Street at the end of Colley Avenue in historic Fort Norfolk. The area, also known as the Atlantic City area, has been the site of commercial buildings since the mid-1800s.

Forming an integral part of Norfolk?s 2010 master plan, the redeveloped neighborhood will consist of what the city describes as ?a mixed-use urban waterfront village nestled between downtown and Ghent.?

In March 2002, the city brought in an advisory services council from the Urban Land Institute to formulate a conceptual master plan to redevelop the entire Fort Norfolk district. Founded in 1936, ULI is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advises localities on how to best make use of their land and resources.

?The panel that we got in to help us became extremely excited,? said Rod Woolard, director of development for the city of Norfolk. ?And they got excited about it because it?s all on the water.?

Woolard said the ULI report identified the 30-plus acres of the Fort Norfolk district as a ?jewel? to the city and the region as a whole. They quickly saw the area as a natural continuation of the downtown waterfront, a nexus adjacent to the regional medical center between Ghent and downtown.

?And they just looked at that and said it?s a perfect moment in time for the development of an urban waterfront village,? Woolard said.

That?s village in the sense of atmosphere, not size.

When complete, at least 1,800 residential units and more than 800,000 square feet of office and research space will fill the area between Colley Avenue and Rader Street and Brambleton Avenue and Front Street. Rader Street is the short street at the end of Front Street where the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? office building and the Pier Condominium building are located.

The mostly single-story light industrial units will be replaced with a marina, hotel, office units and a park, plus the retail and residential development along a reconfigured street plan.

There also will be a cultural center where visitors can learn about the George Washington-commissioned Revolutionary War-era fort and an Elizabeth River Trail for joggers, bikers and walkers.

?When you look at it in its reconfigured state you?re looking at a tremendous change and a wonderful opportunity for the city,? Woolard said.

The development ? which will begin with Harbor?s Edge, a $90 million continuous care retirement community ? is an extension of the urban planning model that has proved so effective in downtown?s resurgence. Based on the European city model of people working, dining, shopping and living all within the same district, the concept is a nationally growing trend away from the suburbs that spread across America after World War II.

?Clearly when you look at the renaissance that the city has enjoyed, it all really started with the reclaiming of and the rediscovering of the downtown waterfront. It allowed for many of the other opportunities in the downtown to occur,? Woolard said. ?It?s wonderful when you can generate economic capacity on the water.?

For those interested go to this link http://www.vbgov.com/e-gov/estream/ccarchives.asp?councildate=11/9/2004

It is a link to the recent briefing given to a closed session of city council about phase III of the towncenter. It's about an hour long but lots of details are given and some pretty interesting stuff is mentioned for the future. :)

Some more instructions. When u click on the link go down to where it says informal session. Scroll down to CM Briefing/ Town Center Phase III Term Sheet. Then go down below that and click view council index. Then the video should start in a few seconds.

I didnt have time to watch all of it, but what I saw was interesting. Good find Vdogg.

:bash:
Portsmouth council slows downtown redeveloping
By MEGHAN HOYER, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 15, 2004

PORTSMOUTH — It was designed to look like Norfolk’s Freemason. The plans called for multistory condominiums and townhouses, stores, office space and a hotel in one of the city’s most underused urban areas.

But before the public ever heard about it, Portsmouth’s Gas Lamp District – an ambitious proposal to redevelop nearly half of downtown – died.



Last week, City Council members directed administrators to withdraw from a confidential agreement with Norfolk developer Harvey Lindsay, saying the project would cost too much and give one company too much control over such a big area.


Instead, the city will oversee individual development projects in the sprawling 16-block area south of High Street. This approach ensures that the work will take much longer, but it will give Portsmouth more control over the final product.

“There’s nothing wrong with the Gas Lamp idea,” interim City Manager James B. Oliver Jr. said. “The exploration just went to its ending point. Sometimes you just decide the interests are just not as aligned as we need to get them.” The Gas Lamp District was an idea that fermented quietly behind the scenes in Portsmouth for more than a year.


It called for public agencies to buy nearly all the private land south of High Street between Court Avenue and the waterfront – currently a mishmash of city office buildings, empty lots, surface parking and private businesses. The agencies would then sell the property to a development company that would build the new district.

It started out fast, with strong support from former City Manager C.W. “Luke” McCoy. In April, McCoy signed a memorandum of understanding with Harvey Lindsay Development and CMSS Architects, pledging the city’s help in moving the new project forward. Around that time, the City Council, in a meeting closed to the public, received maps and sketches of what such a development would look like.

The district, with a name similar to a well-known arts and entertainment quarter in San Diego, included two of the city’s most desirable properties for development: t he waterfront parking lot in front of the City Jail and the federally owned parking lot at the foot of High Street that the city has been trying to acquire for years. Plans also called for one of the city’s largest office buildings, at 200 High St., to be torn down eventually to make way for a new building.


William A. Hudgins, president of Harvey Lindsay Development group, said Portsmouth attracted the company’s interest because of its historic feel, the waterfront and the thinking that downtown could accommodate many more residents, offices and stores. The idea was to create a pedestrian neighborhood, dotted with actual gas lamps, that would complement Olde Towne.

“There’s an untapped potential here,” he said.

But new council members elected in May and an interim city manager who took McCoy’s job in July were less enthusiastic about the proposal.

Portsmouth is in the middle of writing a new Comprehensive Plan – a citywide land-use plan – that Oliver said he’d like to complete before taking on a new development that would change much of downtown.

Then there was the cost. The Gas Lamp District required significant public investment from a city with limited money. Hudgins said those improvements – including plans for a new city parking garage – could be paid for through tax revenues coming from new development. But council members balked at the money needed up front.

And finally came the issue of handing long-term development control over to a private business.

According to the memorandum of understanding, a second, more formal development agreement would have given Harvey Lindsay control over building design and location.

That agreement was never finalized.

“This is a situation where the new council is actively backpedaling from what our forebears did,” Councilman Stephen E. Heretick said. “I don’t think it’s responsible to the people to turn over the future of downtown design to an entity that’s not elected.”


In response to the Gas Lamp situation, the city has created a committee to handle proposals for downtown development. Previously, developers were bringing ideas to a variety of agencies, from the City Council to the Economic Development department.

Now, all proposals will go before the same group, consisting of representatives from the Planning Department, Economic Development, the City Council and city management.

Oliver said the city also plans to create a downtown master plan – a detailed design for all of downtown, specifying what types of businesses and housing need to be where – and then shop individual parcels to developers for construction.

Harvey Lindsay officials said they’ll be waiting in the wings if city officials decide they would like to take another shot at a privately run planned development.

“I don’t think Portsmouth is quite ready,” Hudgins said. “That’s fine. You really need shared vision and shared commitment. Your public sector partner needs to be on the exact same page with you. But we’re going to be here for a long time, and to the extent we can work with the city on certain projects, we’d like to do that.”

Reach Meghan Hoyer at 446-2293 or meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com.

So much for P-town coming out of the dark ages.

So much for P-town coming out of the dark ages.

LOL.

Anyone see that article on where Portsmouth purchased the Holiday Inn on Crawford Parkway? They bought it over a dispute with the previous owners due to lack of debt payment. The article further explains what could happen to the property after the lease agreement with Holiday Inn expires in 2008.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=78107&ran=14283

After reading both articles, picture traveling on the Elizabeth River and seeing an impressive skyline on each side of the water....

LOL.

Anyone see that article on where Portsmouth purchased the Holiday Inn on Crawford Parkway? They bought it over a dispute with the previous owners due to lack of debt payment. The article further explains what could happen to the property after the lease agreement with Holiday Inn expires in 2008.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=78107&ran=14283

After reading both articles, picture traveling on the Elizabeth River and seeing an impressive skyline on each side of the water....
Yes, i've imagined this many times. An opposing yet complimentary skyline on the other side of the water. Kinda like sim city. It would look awesome. I don't see it happening anytime soon though with the current makeup of P-towns council. It would take something akin to the great Chicago fire to get that city to redevelop. As far as HR cities go, they are furthest behind in redevelopment efforts.

Portsmouth has been rather slow in getting the ball rolling in development. Being the other core urban city of Hampton Roads, Portsmouth should be on the move by leaps and bounds. I was driving through there one day last week and it seems so barren and desolate. There are a lot of empty vacant areas that could be put to good use if the right development plan was put into place. For a city of roughly 100,000, I would have expect more progress than what we already know of. The Renaissance Hotel was a great start. P-town has to step it up in order to be recognized as a reputable player. Many opportunities have passed the city by because it wasnt ready. I know the city council has Portsmouth in its best intrests, but their visions and will to take chances arent as strong as those in Norfolk and Va. Beach. I'm not placing the blame on city council; I know there are other factors such as money and demand. And plus change doesnt happen overnight.

On the bright side though, its good to see that the city has focused on Victory Crossing and I hope the success of VC can happen to the Midtown area and eventually across the rest of the city and the region. Whether we like it or not, we are all in this together. What happens in one city, directly or indirectly, affect the others. This area needs to promote regionalism more and stop being afraid of stepping on each others toes. If a single city has success in something, just think what could happen if it was a combined effort.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=78721&ran=232403

Town Center's $1.6 million plaza should be finished next month
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/towncenterplaza.jpg
The Town Center plaza is paved with marble imported from Turkey. A 14-foot-wide fountain is almost ready to be installed at the entrance. MARK P. MITCHELL/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT


By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 30, 2004 | Last updated 1:12 AM Nov. 30

VIRGINIA BEACH — The city’s $1.6 million plaza in Town Center is expected to be done by next month in time for the opening of several nearby restaurants and a store.

Developer Armada Hoffler is spending millions to build the Town Center’s shops, restaurants and offices.

City officials say the plaza will help set the project apart from just another suburban shopping mall. The plaza is expected to become one of the main gathering spots in the Pembroke area.

The public square’s foundation is made of marble shipped from Turkish quarries. The tiles first arrived in Miami by boat before being hauled to Virginia Beach by truck.

The marble has added to the plaza’s polish and its price tag. The marble is $8 per square foot, compared with $5 per square foot for a brick surface. The City Council approved the plaza last year, although it cost more than double the $700,000 originally set aside.

OPENING SOON: Next to the plaza, several businesses will open soon. They include:
This week: Bravo! Italian restaurant

Early December: Ann Taylor Loft

Early January: Funny Bone Comedy

Club and Ruth’s Chris Steak House
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/towncenterplazamap.jpg
“While it is more expensive, it really provides a level of quality which will make this special and different from any other plaza in the area,” said Mark Wawner, project manager for the city’s Economic Development Department.

Similar to European squares, shoppers and restaurant-goers will be able to relax on the plaza’s steps and watch musicians and jugglers perform in a sunken area on the edge of the plaza. A 7,000-pound, 14-foot-wide fountain is almost ready to be installed by crane at the entrance.

The plaza takes up half a city block. Restaurants and shops take up the other half.

Bravo!, an Italian restaurant, is scheduled to open within the next week. Next door, Ann Taylor Loft will open in early December. Funny Bone Comedy Club and Ruth’s Chris Steak House will open early next year.

Public space is interspersed throughout Town Center, a public-private venture that aims to transform the Pembroke area into a more urban, pedestrian-friendly area.

The plaza will be owned by the Virginia Beach Development Authority, which is drawing up guidelines on how it should be operated.

Like other public space, city officials will determine how to handle loiterers, homeless people and protesters. Unlike most public parks, the developers also will have a say on those matters. An advisory committee of city officials, developers and business owners will make recommendations in the coming weeks.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com

Enough with the Atlanta and Charlotte construction projects, someone please keep this thread alive!!!!! AHHHHHH

Enough with the Atlanta and Charlotte construction projects, someone please keep this thread alive!!!!! AHHHHHH

Thats why I like SSP. Hampton Roads dominates over there (at least a decent size chunk of the southern forum). I think it has to do with the fact that there are a lot more locals on that board than this one, though I don't know why.

That being said i've been concentrating so much attention over there that I really haven't been posting too many updates over here. I'll see what I can post on here that we don't already have.

Don't mind me. Just my 100th post. I couldn't resist :) .

There is a new website on the block. Check out http://americanuprise.com when u get the chance. I've already started posting in the Hampton Roads section.

Rapid-transit plan focuses on Oceanfront

By JASON SKOG, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 7, 2004 | Last updated 11:25 PM Dec. 6

VIRGINIA BEACH — A system of sleek, modern buses known as ''bus rapid transit'' could become a reality at the Oceanfront with $15 million in state money that Gov. Mark R. Warner is expected to announce Friday.

The funding would cover nearly half of the estimated $35 million price tag. The city is expected to chip in $12 million and the federal government the remaining $8 million or so.

Warner is expected to propose the money as part of a new transportation funding package.

On Monday, the governor’s office declined to discuss specifics, but said details will be unveiled Friday during Warner’s scheduled visit to Hampton Roads.

“The governor’s package recognizes that the solutions to our transportation issues will not be asphalt only,” said Warner spokesman Kevin Hall. “Our initiative will make a significant investment in rail and mass transit programs.”


Planned routes

The proposed system includes 20 buses, similar to this one, and 29 stops over roughly six miles. The route would focus on Atlantic and Pacific avenues and 19th Street, serving Virginia Beach’s new convention center.

Councilman Richard A. Maddox, who represents the Oceanfront, said he learned late last week that the money would be included in Warner’s spending plan, to be presented to the General Assembly on Dec. 17.

“Without the money from the state, this project would be dead,” Maddox said Monday.

While the legislature must approve the spending, Maddox said he is encouraged about the project, which he has been working on for two years.

The proposed system includes 20 buses and 29 stops over roughly six miles. The route would focus on Atlantic and Pacific avenues and 19th Street, serving the city’s new $200 million convention center.

Maddox said there’s talk of buying an extra four buses to provide express service between the Oceanfront and Town Center along Interstate 264. Bus rapid transit systems, or BRT, are becoming a favorite in mass-transit circles for several reasons.

At about $6 million per mile, it’s a fraction of the cost of a light-rail line, which costs $25 million to $30 million per mile, or more. One mile of four-lane interstate costs about $50 million .

BRTs run on rubber tires and not a rail, so they can go anywhere a regular bus goes. Capacity is upwards of 120 passengers – nearly triple that of a standard city bus. And most run on alternate fuels such as electricity, natural gas or a hybrid of gas or diesel and electric.

The vehicles have wide-opening doors on both sides, much like a subway car, and sit low to the ground for curb-level boarding. Some have sensors to detect special striping in the pavement, allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel as the bus steers itself at station stops.

Ticketing is also much like a subway system.

Passes are sold at kiosks, and tickets are checked randomly to thwart freeloaders.

A feasibility study suggested that a resort area system would be most efficient if Atlantic and Pacific avenues were made into one-way streets.

That proposal has always attracted strong opposition from resort-area business owners who worry about being on the lonely end of a one-way road.

Virginia Beach voters rejected light rail in a 1999 referendum, but so far BRT has received a warmer reception.

If the buses become a reality, Beach leaders hope it’s just the beginning. The city also is negotiating to buy an 11-mile stretch of Norfolk Southern right-of-way that the railroad is seeking to abandon.

The land would give BRT buses an uninterrupted

path between the resort and the city’s border at Newtown Road, where they could connect to Norfolk’s planned light rail.

“We’re very excited,” said Michael S. Townes, president of Hampton Roads Transit, a partner with the city in the project. “This could be the start of a citywide transportation system that is very flexible and has the capability of connecting various points with one another and the rest of the region.”

The buses could be running by 2007, in time for the new convention center’s opening.

Reach Jason Skog at 222-5113 or jason.skog@pilotonline.com.

New owner of York Building is making plans for renovation
By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 11, 2004 | Last updated 9:16 PM Dec. 10

NORFOLK — An office building in a prominent downtown location has a new owner who plans to give it a new look.

The York Building, at 142 York St. , near the corner of Brambleton Avenue and Boush Street, was purchased at the end of October by Edgewood Properties/York Center LLC.

The partnership, lead by John Katsias, paid $2.9 million to the previous owner, which also is known as York Center LLC but is a different entity.

The Katsias Co. , of which Katsias is the president, will oversee leasing and management of the nine-story, 50,000-square-foot building.

Katsias said he and his partners were drawn to the building because of its proximity to several housing developments.

“With all the new residential happening around that, we feel like this building will be a new plus,” Katsias said. “We figured all those people living on Granby will need doctors, lawyers and other businesses.”

Katsias said the group is reviewing plans for renovations to the building’s common areas. He expects the renovation plan to be completed in a month or so, and then work will begin.

The group is also renewing leases with tenants. Richard Grether, one of the owners of the Oasis Cafe, on the ground floor, is uncertain about what the new ownership will mean.

Grether recognizes that the building needs updating, but he also hopes it maintains its older feel.

The restaurant has been struggling in the past 18 months because road construction on Boush Street has hurt business, Grether said. A rent increase might be hard to take right now.

“When new people come in, you raise the rent. But I don’t want it to go atrocious,” he said. “We are in downtown, but we’re not. I can’t see paying a high exorbitant rent. I just don’t see that here.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com.

Vote on project near Town Center is delayed
By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 15, 2004 | Last updated 9:56 PM Dec. 14

VIRGINIA BEACH — The City Council delayed consideration Tuesday of a $70 million development of apartments, stores and offices near Town Center.

The council rescheduled the vote on the CityView project to Jan. 11.

Ripley Heatwole Co. Inc. is proposing building the project in two phases on a 23-acre site off Bonney Road across from Bendix Road. The first phase would include 202 apartments and a parking garage. The company is asking to build an unspecified amount of offices and shops and at least 470 apartments or condos in the second phase.

But the City Council decided they couldn’t vote on CityView because a Virginia Department of Transportation consultant is studying proposed Interstate 264 overpasses that could slice through the project.

The VDOT consultant is expected to propose two overpass routes – one east of Independence Boulevard and one west. The route proposed to the east is expected to cut through CityView.

Construction of any overpass could be 10 to 20 years in the future and a proposed route would have to go through an extensive approval process.

But Virginia Beach officials want to buy land for a potential route before new development around Town Center makes that impossible.

The Planning Commission had delayed consideration of the CityView proposal for about a month, hoping the study would be completed. The commission eventually approved the project, even though the study wasn’t completed. Virginia Beach Planning Director Robert Scott said Tuesday that he hoped it would be done by January in time for the council vote.

CityView’s developers filed their request under a new zoning ordinance approved by the City Council in October. The zoning encourages more urban-looking projects in the Pembroke area and gives developers more leeway in determining the mix of shops, offices and apartments.

F. Andrew Heatwole, senior vice president of Ripley Heatwole Co. , said he plans to build between 45,000 and 150,000 square feet of office and retail in the second phase.

Thalia Creek runs through part of the site, which includes 7.5 acres of wetlands and a heavily wooded area on the northern portion of the site. A pedestrian bridge spanning Thalia Creek will connect the two phases.

Heatwole said the wetlands would remain untouched and most of the trees would be preserved. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Board approved the plans last summer.

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilotonline.com.

VIRGINIA BEACH - Developers are considering turning the site of an abandoned HQ store into shops, offices, condominiums and possibly a hotel.

Last month, L.M. Sandler and Sons Inc. paid $13.5 million for the 12-acre property on Virginia Beach Boulevard, a block from Town Center.

In early discussions with city officials, company representatives mentioned plans for a possible large-scale project similar in design to Town Center.

Sandler representatives said their plans are in the preliminary stages. If a new development is pursued, the company probably would need a rezoning from the City Council.

“It’s a big decision,” said Debra Williams, a Sandler spokeswoman. “We want to make it cautiously.”
:eek2:
Sandler and its affiliated companies develop homes and business properties from Maryland to Florida. The company recently stepped up development in Virginia Beach.

Earlier this year, Sandler bought the Wedgewood Mobile Home Park for $12 million and gave its 900 residents six months to move. The park closed Oct. 31 to make way for townhomes, apartments and single-family houses.

The company also recently made news when city officials asked brothers Art and Steve Sandler to donate $8 million for the naming rights to a future Town Center performing arts theater. No announcement has been made on their decision.

Company representatives decided the HQ property was a good investment partly because of Town Center, a public-private development of shops, offices, apartments and hotels across from Pembroke Mall.

“We’re trying to come up with a vision that would complement Town Center,” Williams said. “The city has done a great job creating a sense of place and we want to be part of it.”

The HQ building has sat unused since the home-improvement store shut its doors in 1999. An OfficeMax store remains open on the same site.

For more than a year, Target has expressed interest in buying the HQ site. City officials told the big-box retailer they only want a Target mixed with condos and offices, similar to a proposed “vertical power center” that never got off the ground in Norfolk’s downtown.

Sandler and Target representatives recently met for “very preliminary” discussions. “It’s true, we’re interested in that site, but it’s premature to say that we’re coming,” said Aimee Sands, a Target spokeswoman.

Sandler also liked the HQ property because it’s within the Tax Increment Financing District, or TIF, which the city created to pay for Town Center infrastructure, such as parking garages.

Within the 238-acre district, property taxes over a fixed amount are earmarked for paying back loans for Town Center improvements over 20 years. City officials said they are open to redirecting TIF revenue as an incentive, if a worthy project emerged in the future.

“The location within the TIF certainly made it more attractive,” Williams said. “How that could impact us, we don’t have any idea yet.”

So far, the city has funneled the district’s “increment” in property taxes only to Town Center. City Manager James K. Spore said the city’s priority is fulfilling its obligations to Town Center, which is about to start its third phase, which includes a proposed Westin Hotel.

“Right now, the TIF revenue is pretty much committed,” he said.

However, Spore said he supports the type of project being considered by Sandler. “It’s exactly what we were hoping would happen in the area around the Town Center,” he said.

City planners see the Pembroke area as ripe for redevelopment, even though it’s sprinkled with abandoned buildings and vacant lots.

Several projects have been proposed recently that mirror Town Center’s more urban design. CityView – 23 acres of apartments, shops and offices off Bonney Road – is one.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on CityView in January. It is within the TIF district, but it will not receive any TIF revenue.

Town Center developer Louis S. Haddad said there is room in the market for another large development in Pembroke, even one across the street from Town Center. “The real measure of success of Town Center is how much it creates around it,” Haddad said.
:eek2:

I have an incredibly detailed PDF file explaining the vision for Downtown Norfolk. It is similar to the one on the urban design associates website but much more in depth. I forgot where i got it from so if anyone would like it email me at VaCeltic@aol.com. It displays the former plans to extend waterside and create a gathering plaza where there is now green space. I believe the public shot the idea down last year or so. But it also depicts the development where TraderOnline will be and the parking lot across from the courts building/prison, even a new stadium and housing around the harbor park area.
You wont be disappointed!

Hi I ran across this forum while searching for info on Trader's new building in Norfolk. I am 16 years old and currently live in Japan. I lived in Chesapeake from 1993-2001. I have a great interest in Norfolk and its current projects. I know the new Trader building is scheduled to begin construction in January or February, but does anyone know if it is still on schedule?

PS- I have a few G-Mail invites if anyone wants one.

Early March is what i heard but yeah, it's prettty much on schedule as far as construction projects go.

]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/guynvb/towncentera.jpg

By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 5, 2005

VIRGINIA BEACH — The City Council on Tuesday approved plans for a 30-story hotel-and-condominum tower in Town Center.

By a 7-1 vote, the City Council agreed to build the project’s fourth public parking garage, a conference room and possibly two pedestrian bridges in Town Center’s latest phase.

Armada Hoffler, Town Center’s developer and the city’s partner in the project, is still finalizing details of a proposed 215-room Westin hotel that will be topped by 104 condos. The company also plans to build more offices and shops.

The tower will be the tallest in Hampton Roads.

It will be built on Columbus Street and Independence Boulevard, across from Dick’s Sporting Goods.

According to preliminary estimates, the city could end up spending about $30 million on the project. That includes $19.5 million on the garage, $6.5 million on the 17,000-square-foot conference room, $2.5 million on the two proposed pedestrian bridges and $1.5 million on streets.

Armada Hoffler plans to invest $130 million.

Louis S. Haddad, president of Armada Hoffler, said the city’s contribution is important in securing deals with national chains and will help lure major retailers to the project.

As the project design is finalized, the city’s contribution might change. Tuesday’s vote gave developers the go-ahead to refine the design, and Haddad said the hotel might end up being bigger.

Three council members were absent from Tuesday’s vote.

In early spring, the council is expected to vote again on a final agreement with Armada Hoffler.

The hotel would open in spring 2007.

Councilman James L. Wood said Virginia Beach’s continued contribution to Town Center showed the city’s support of the project’s direction.

“This is a vindication of Town Center’s success,” he said.

But Councilwoman Reba S. McClanan, who cast the only “no” vote, said she felt that the council didn’t have enough details about the financial workings of the deal to support it.

“I want to be persuaded,” McClanan said. “I want them to handle this like a PR project for the citizens: This is how we’re investing the money, and this is how the city will benefit.”

Most of the public money for the project is paid for with property taxes generated by a Tax Increment Financing District, a 238-acre area around the site.

Property taxes that were being paid within the district in 1998 continue to go to city services and schools. But the “increment” in property taxes spurred by the development of Town Center is being invested back into the project, mostly to build the garages.

The Town Center’s first phase includes a 23-story main tower, a hotel and shops and restaurants. The second phase, which is still being built, includes an apartment building, a public plaza, and more shops and restaurants.

Since the TIF’s inception, the area has generated about $3.4 million in property taxes that can be spent on the project. Last year, the city made its loan payments on the public improvements and still had $1.3 million left over.

Money for other public improvements, such as the streets, comes from an economic investment fund that takes money from higher taxes on cigarettes and from the city’s capital budget.

Councilman Bob Dyer said he initially had doubts about the level of the city’s participation because the project seemed to be doing well on its own.

He eventually decided to vote in favor of the latest phase because he was told the deal wouldn’t have happened without the city’s help.

“I have some reservations about the city being in the business of building garages for select projects,” Dyer said. “But I don’t want to kill a good project.”

Reach Marisa Taylor at 222-5108 or marisa.taylor@pilot online.com

VDogg your sigs website isn't working

VDogg your sigs website isn't working

Thanks. That website was taken down a few months ago. I haven't been to this page in a while and forgot that was still in my sig. I'll change it.

I like the art deco inspiration this building has. It will be a nice addition to the Pembroke Town Center.

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/mainbuildingbig.jpg

The property at 109 E. Main Street, built in the late 1800s, was the first multi-level office structure in downtown Norfolk, according to Harbor Group. STEPHEN KATZ/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 6, 2005

NORFOLK — If you had breakfast or lunch recently with Peter Decker Jr., two things were likely to happen.

You would eat at his son’s restaurant, D’Egg Diner. And on the way there or back, Decker would take you inside the bank building at 109 E. Main St. to admire its architecture.

“I’ve always been a fan of Italian Renaissance, and this is a classic Italian Renaissance building,” he said.

Decker will soon be able to gush at the structure’s beauty while working at his law practice. He and his wife, Bess, have a contract for the right to buy the century-old building from Harbor Group International. The deal is expected to close at the end of this month.

The $5.7 million deal will be the latest in a string of transactions that clear the way for a new hotel and conference center downtown. That development, in the works for months, is expected to be announced soon. Harbor Group agreed to buy the building from BB&T last year when the bank signed a lease to become the anchor tenant at 500 E. Main. The firm has since sought to pass that potential ownership on to another buyer. The building does not fit into Harbor Group’s portfolio of holdings, officials said. “It is an excellent building, but it is not something we typically would focus on,” said Jordan Sloan, chairman and CEO of Harbor Group.

The company owns several large office buildings throughout the country, including 500 E. Main and Dominion Tower in Norfolk.

While Harbor Group was looking for a buyer for the BB&T building at 109 E. Main, Decker was searching for a new headquarters for his law practice, Decker, Cardon, Thomas, Weintraub and Neskis, PC.

The city of Norfolk paid $2.6 million for the building that houses Decker’s firm at 201 E. Plume St. last summer . The acquisition makes way for the construction of a luxury Hilton Hotel, a conference center and an 800-space parking garage. Billionaire Robert Johnson, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA franchise, will develop the hotel.

Decker’s law practice will occupy the second and third floors of 109 E. Main. At least one more tenant, likely a financial institution, is expected to occupy the building.

The property, built in the late 1800s, was the first multi-level office structure in downtown Norfolk, according to Harbor Group.

“Bess and I are very excited to own a truly great part of our city’s history,” Decker said. “It is a building that I have admired.”

Reach Battinto Batts at 446-2642 or battinto.batts@pilotonline.com.

Hey guys, great news! I just got done watching the city council closed session on on vbtv and they mentioned a construction start date. They said "we plan on starting construction on block 7 which includes the westin hotel and condominium project this spring, with about a 24 mth construction period and the hotel opening in spring of '07". So if u don't have a camera get one by spring, lol. Also i have included links to 3 pdf documents that outline the entire plan for phase III including some mention of plans for an office tower on block 11 (behind columbus center). Enjoy!

http://www.vbgov.com/dept/clerk/vgn_files/towncenter_110904.pdf
http://www.vbgov.com/city_hall/hot_topics/pdf/towncenter_termsheet_phase3.pdf
http://www.vbgov.com/city_hall/hot_topics/pdf/town_center_phase3.pdf

I can't wait for the announcement of the new hotel in Norfolk. Norfolk sure deserves it, and it would be great to fill in the skyline more.

sorry if this was already posted, but I remember reading about this a while ago. On the architect's page ( http://www.humphreys.com/v3_projects.php?project_id=12144&project_type=ob ) for the Granby Towers, it says that the one tower is a "25 story residential tower on top of 6 levels of structured parking." Now I'm no English expert, but that sure sounds to me like its a 31 story building. So it looks as if we have a little competition from the hotel in the other city.

Towncenter hotel condominium tower redesigned and increased to 35 stories in height!

Below is a link to the developers briefing to city council last week (real player streaming video). They show a rendering of the new builing (which btw looks much better IMO) and the developer says explicitly that the trend is for things to get bigger (meaning this may not be the final height). Video is approx. 9 minutes long. Enjoy.

http://www.vbgov.com/e-gov/estream/ccarchives.asp?councildate=1/4/2005

When u get to the page click the pull down menu above the view council index button. Scroll down to "Resolution re Phase III Towncenter" Once you have that selected click on "View council index" and the 9 minute briefing will play.

I just don't get it....why does Virginia Beach want to try so hard to build their own downtown? It does nothing to help unify our region. We will never get any more powerful as a region with competing downtowns. Norfolk is already considered by most to be the downtown of hampton roads, but we will never attract a pro sports team or become any more well known with such bitter city lines.

This was not meant to offend anyone at all. I'm sorry if it did.

Why should Virginia Beach hold itself back just to unify the region. The opportunity is there to create a really beautiful city and jobs for a lot of people, they would be foolish to pass it up.

I just don't get it....why does Virginia Beach want to try so hard to build their own downtown? It does nothing to help unify our region. We will never get any more powerful as a region with competing downtowns. Norfolk is already considered by most to be the downtown of hampton roads, but we will never attract a pro sports team or become any more well known with such bitter city lines.

This was not meant to offend anyone at all. I'm sorry if it did.
Out of curiosity, what part of this area are u from?

the graphic of that tower is so much better compared to the first. Almost looks like something you would see in SE Asia.

Yes its definately a much better building. I kinda liked the 1st one myself because of the art deco design but this new one makes it look like crap.

I lived in Chesapeake for 8 years and moved in 2001. But I just don't think that Virginia beach needs their own downtown. Our region is never going to receive the recognition it deserves with two mediocre skylines/downtowns. We need a vibrant, exciting downtown that can attract a stadium and pro team. It is harder when Virginia Beach draws business away.

I disagree Okinawa. I think the more centralized cores you have on the Southside (Downtown Norfolk, Town Center, Downtown Portsmouth, VB Oceanfront etc.), the easier it will be to push new transportation projects linking the dense areas (such as light rail). I've always believed that even though the citizens of VB voted down light rail, the city council has gone ahead anyways to develop densely, when the day will come people will have no choice but to sign on to mass transit options. The more urban the area becomes, the greater chance these connections have to succeed, and the more connected the region will become in itself. Down with suburbia!
VaCeltic
:weirdo:

I lived in Chesapeake for 8 years and moved in 2001. But I just don't think that Virginia beach needs their own downtown. Our region is never going to receive the recognition it deserves with two mediocre skylines/downtowns. We need a vibrant, exciting downtown that can attract a stadium and pro team. It is harder when Virginia Beach draws business away.

But the thing is the only thing that inspired norfolk to start doing the kind of development they r doing now is Va. Beach towncenter. Norfolk didn't want to be left behind and they responded accordingly. This IS good for the region. Competition is always good because it inspires people (and cities) to think outside the box and come up with new and more innovative ideas. Virginia Beach growing up is not the cause of our regions problems. It is completely possible for the cities to cooperate on a political level and compete on an economic level and still benefit the "region" as a whole because in the end the businesses are still settling in the region, no matter which city it may be. If we play our cards right, two major downtowns in the same area can give us that recognition you desire (Dallas-Ft. Worth, Minneappolis-St.Paul) Both have two very large yet competing downtowns and are recognized the world over.

whats going on in norfolk with all the developments, any further news or updates on construction times. when are we suppose to know about the hotel they want to build. what about granby towers, it sounds like they will actually be 31 and 21 floors, is everything going through with this proposal.

Well the reason that Minneapolis St. Paul and Dallas Ft. Worth prospered is because of their huge populations. There is more than enough business for both. But here, we don't have that much.

I also want to know if anyone knows any construction start dates for Norfolk. thanks.

A rundown on some Norfolk project updates:

I've heard that Trader is supposed to be breaking ground this month. As of now the city's parking lot is still operational at the site.

There's no word as to whats going on with the Hilton. Pete Decker purchased another office building on Main St about a block from his current building. So that makes way for the Hilton project to go forward assuming there are no additional hang ups. But as of yet, there is no official announcement from the city yet.

I dont know too much about the progress at Harbor's Edge near the Medical Center.

The former Commonwealth College building at Boush St. and College Pl. is almost nothing more than a pile of rubble. Work is still being done on the parking deck.

St. Paul's place near "MacMall" is coming along.

Thats all that I have for now. I have a few construction pictures of the parking deck on Boush St. just to sate anyone's appetite. I'll post them when I get a chance.

Oh, I also forgot about construction of the Heart Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. I was around that way this past Saturday. It looks like its at the 4th or 5th floor. I really didnt have time to examine it like i wanted to.

Hey Liger Zero, what about the Granby Towers? I've read that construction should be starting in the fall or something. Do you know anything about it?

I think you are correct the Granby Towers are supposed to start construction in in the Fall of this year.

I think willy is right about the fall start date. I read that somewhere too.

What about the new cruise ship terminal? any word on when that is being constructed?

Construction begins on cruise terminal in Norfolk

By IBRAM ROGERS, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 18, 2005

Stephen Kirkland, Nauticus’ cruise marketing/operations manager, said it is like the dog catching up to the car.

That’s how he feels about the construction that began last week on a new 80,000-square-foot cruise terminal that will sit in the harbor between Town Point Park and Nauticus.

“We’ve been chasing this thing for a long time,” Kirkland said. “Now we’ve got it.

The facility will cost $36 million, and the city will spend $5 million to renovate surrounding piers and Town Point Park.

The terminal, scheduled to open in the fall of 2006, will add even more force to a business that has been churning with momentum.
Two cruise lines – Holland America and Celebrity – decided to make Norfolk a home port in 2004 for one of their ships, despite Norfolk’s use of a temporary facility next to Nauticus. As a result, Norfolk is one of the fastest growing cruise line ports on the East Coast.

“We’ve watched the cruise ship business grow very dramatically as of late,” said Nauticus director Richard Conti. . “We’ve been able to build up a pretty strong business without” a cruise terminal.

The terminal will be a corrugated-steel-and-glass building with a maritime look to complement nearby Nauticus. It will have a huge rotunda, perfect for hosting parties. Kirkland contends that it will have the best view of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk.

“It’s truly going to be a jewel on the East Coast,” said Kirkland, who used to work for Carnival Cruise Lines and has seen just about every terminal in the country. “For most of the new terminals what they’ve done is taken existing cargo warehouses and converted them to terminals.”

Unlike many competitors, this terminal will be dedicated to cruises and won’t handle cargo. That’s ideal for Holland America, said spokesman Erik Elvejord.

“The whole idea is that when people come off the ship they want to be as welcome as when they come on,” Elvejord said.

Norfolk hosted about 50,000 cruise line passengers in 2003 and more than twice that amount in 2004.

This year, Norfolk expects to welcome about 114,000 passengers. When the ships come in, construction on the new terminal will have to cease for security purposes.

“It will be challenging over the next couple of years as we are pouring concrete,” Kirkland said. “But it’s a good challenge to have, as luckily we have so many days with passengers.”

Conti said he hopes the new terminal attracts bigger ships carrying even more passengers.

If Norfolk’s business grows to 198,000 passengers yearly, then the terminal would be self-supporting. The city sells millions of gallons of water to cruise lines for one revenue stream, and it also charges $6.50 for each cruise ship passenger.

More passengers mean more traffic, though. Therefore, $5 million is earmarked to expand the entrance to the Nauticus parking lot and the loop itself.

Kirkland said the renovations definitely will improve the traffic flow around Nauticus. He said it will preclude the need for a lane on Boush Street to be shut down when the larger cruise ships arrive.

“We’ve made it happen with temporary facilities,” Kirkland said of the growth of the cruise industry in Norfolk to date, “so having a dedicated terminal will certainly be more attractive to the lines.”


I guess my question answered itself in a couple days haha.

I agree with vdogg about competition. If Norfolk and Virginia Beach get into a pissing match to build the tallest buildings, imagine what we'll get--some big, creative, wonderful buildings!

Oh, and in the video the gentleman said the new rendering is of a 35-story building and that the trend is to make it bigger and better. You guys think this thing could hit 40?

its a possiblity but i'm not gonna get my hopes up. I'm happy with 35. Baby steps. :)

pssh..Virginia Beach can have the tallest....who cares. But why hasn't it been covered lately? Nothing in the paper that I have seen. Things seem to be quiet about projects sometimes. Soon we should hear about the new Hilton hotel in Norfolk, and maybe some new Town Center stuff......I CAN'T WAIT!

I'm most anxious to hear about the rumored courts complex and how much real estate that could free up east of St Pauls Blvd.

I'm most anxious to hear about the rumored courts complex and how much real estate that could free up east of St Pauls Blvd.

I'm most anxious to hear about the rumored courts complex and how much real estate that could free up east of St Pauls Blvd.

I remember reading something about that a while ago.....a year ago I think. Hmm....I wonder what could be going on with that....

There has been no news as of late concerning the courts complex as of late.

There has been no news as of late concerning the courts complex as of late.

What about Trader tower. Its getting awfully close to the end of January and i thought they were supposed to be breaking ground this month.

What about Trader tower. Its getting awfully close to the end of January and i thought they were supposed to be breaking ground this month.

Yeah, does anyone know when construction starts on the Trader building?

Norfolk airport attracts record number of passengers in 2004
By DEBBIE MESSINA, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 20, 2005 | Last updated 8:55 PM Jan. 19

NORFOLK — Norfolk International Airport had its best year in 2004, with 3.78 million passengers taking advantage of low fares and a new airline. That’s 10 percent more traffic than in 2003, which was a flat year for the airport.

Airport officials credit the record numbers primarily to lower fares, driven by Southwest Airlines and the ailing industry’s efforts to boost sales.

“A lot of airlines, now more than ever, are emulating the low-cost carriers, and that’s having an effect in and of itself,” said Wayne Shank , airport deputy executive director.

Shank said the June launch of another new low-fare carrier, Independence Air, also helped drive air travel here.

Norfolk’s traffic growth again outpaced the nation’s, which grew 5.7 percent last year, according to the Air Transport Association , the trade industry for airlines.

The airport’s previous record high passenger count, 3.46 million, was posted in 2002 – the first full year of operation for Southwest Airlines in Norfolk. Before that, traffic had not climbed much above 3 million since 1994 when Continental Lite was flying or the mid- to late-1980s with People’s Express.

Higher passenger numbers make Norfolk more attractive for airlines to launch new service or expand existing routes.

The airport’s record year comes during a turbulent time for the airline industry, which is expected to post losses topping $5 billion in 2004 .

For the second consecutive year, Delta was the dominant carrier at the airport, capturing 23 percent of the market. Delta was followed by US Airways with 22 percent and Southwest with 20 percent .

For decades, US Airways was the top carrier here. Its ranking slipped after the airline filed for bankruptcy protection and reduced its flight schedule.

Shank expects the upward trend to continue into 2005 .

“We hope to see another increase this year, but I don’t think we’ll see another 10 percent ,” he said. “It depends on what happens with air service.”

Already, Southwest announced it will begin nonstop service to Chicago in March , its first expansion here. And up-and-coming low-fare carrier Jet Blue has expressed interest in Norfolk.

“Jet Blue actually said they’re looking at the Norfolk market for later this year,” Shank said. “But they’ve not made any promises or given us any indication it will happen for sure.”

Norfolk’s eight major airlines – American, Continental, Delta, Independence, Northwest, Southwest, United Express and US Airways – offer close to 100 daily departures. The top markets out of Norfolk are Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, New York and San Diego.

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport also reported record traffic for 2004 with nearly 916,000 passengers, a 25.6 percent increase compared to 2003.

To handle the growth, the airport added two new jet loading bridges and 200 new parking spaces last year. Plans are underway for 1,200 more parking spaces.

AirTran, Delta and US Airways Express serve the Peninsula airport.

Hampton Roads’ two commercial airports are among the fastest growing in the nation, according to Aviation Daily, a trade publication. Newport News/Williamsburg ranked fifth and Norfolk is 24th for passenger growth between 2000 and 2003 .

The report also showed that during the same three-year period, Norfolk’s average one-way fare dropped 18.9 percent to $138 while Newport News’ fell 12.7 percent to $110.

I've long thought Norfolk International was an embarassingly small airport for a region of that size. I know they opened a new terminal a couple of years ago. Any new plans for expansion?

The airport seems to be pretty well hemmed in my development and the Chesapeake Bay. Have they considered a new airport at a larger site?

I've long thought Norfolk International was an embarassingly small airport for a region of that size. I know they opened a new terminal a couple of years ago. Any new plans for expansion?

Yeah, I thought the same thing about it being small. Charlotte has such a really busy airport and the metro area is similar in size to ours if i'm not mistaken. About expansion, a new concourse is planned, but won't be built until it is needed and that will be at least a couple years I've been told. There has been talk for a while about a whole new airport, which I think would be a good idea. But that won't be for at least 20 years.

Yeah Charlotte is actually smaller than Hampton Roads, surprisingly

what about the Trader building? someone has to know about its status.

I've long thought Norfolk International was an embarassingly small airport for a region of that size. I know they opened a new terminal a couple of years ago. Any new plans for expansion?

The airport seems to be pretty well hemmed in my development and the Chesapeake Bay. Have they considered a new airport at a larger site?


About 4 or 5 years ago there was talk about building a large regional airport in Isle of Wight county just on the other side Suffolk but the project would cost billions of dollars and "never got off the ground".

http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg11259.html

However there are plans to construct a 7000 foot runway parallel to the 9000 foot primary runway at Norfolk International.

I personally prefer a new airport instead of the current situation. Norfolk doesn't have a lot more room for expansion, and i don't think nnwa does either.

I tried emailing Norfolk development about the Trader building but my email wouldn't send for some reason. Maybe I'll try again later. Does anyone know the situation with the Trader building? (sorry for asking for the hundredth time)

No news on this end concerning Trader. I'm sure when someone hears something, they will place it here. It was reported that the building was supposed to break ground this month and even though January is not over, I'm skeptical about construction starting this month. I drive by there every weekday on my way to work and the city is still using it as a parking lot.

Random question. I remember there being buzz about a highrise condo in the Riverview neighborhood at Llewellyn Ave. on the site of an old motel. Have there been any developments in that story?

according to Willy on Skyscraper Page's website, the city of Norfolk should begin constuction on Trader building either next month or in march.

yeah it seems to be as of now that the foundation for the Trader Building will start in february and construction will start in march. so its coming along. Harbor's Edge has also started construction, as well as the cruise ship terminal.

TCC will move into new 15-story building in Norfolk

Harbor Heights, at 476,000 square feet, will be one of the largest buildings in Hampton Roads in terms of floor space. CMSS ARCHITECTS FOR ROBINSON DEVELOPMENT GROUP


http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/business/tcchq.jpg






By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 31, 2005 | Last updated 9:38 PM Jan. 31

NORFOLK* — Developers have reached a deal with Tidewater Community College to move more than 255 employees into a new 15-story, $38 million downtown building that will replace the current home of the d’Art Center.

Called Harbor Heights, at 476,000 square feet it will be one of the largest buildings in Hampton Roads. Dominion Tower, downtown Norfolk’s tallest building, has 400,000 square feet.

When first proposed more than two years ago, the combination of condominiums and lofts, a grocery store, office tower and parking garage was supposed to rise 11 stories. Two stories were added to accommodate TCC’s administrative staff and two more for additional condominiums and lofts.

Originally slated to hold 77 luxury condos and lofts, the building will now house 99, starting at $300,000 and running to just less than $800,000, said Chris A. Sanders, vice president of Norfolk-based Robinson Development, the project’s main developer.

Deposits have been placed on nearly 60 condos and lofts, said Robert M. Stanton, head of Stanton Partners, another participating developer. Many will feature sweeping views of the Hampton Roads harbor.

“This is one of the last, if not the last, developable sites offering this type of water views in downtown,” Sanders said.

“The demand for housing downtown exceeded our expectations.”

Construction should start in March and will take nearly two years, Stanton said.

The building will be bounded by Boush Street, College Place and Tazewell Street, a short distance from the City Hall Avenue site where Trader Publishing Co. will shortly begin construction on a 20-story office tower. Robinson Development is also a partner in that project.

“There will be $85 million to $86 million worth of development under way within a few blocks,” Sanders said.

Harbor Heights will have a first-floor G.W. Market that will be operated by Farm Fresh, which would be the first, large grocery store to serve growing numbers of downtown residents.

Sanders said the grocery store will have a Starbucks and a choice of products not available in most grocery stores. Parking will be free for grocery customers, he said.

“Nothing else like it exists in Hampton Roads,” he said.

TCC President Deborah M. DiCroce said the college will occupy 70,000 square feet in Harbor Heights and in an adjacent six-story building that will be connected to the main tower.

Robinson Development is to build the adjacent facility, which will occupy the site of a small college building.

TCC’s entire administration, including financial aid and academic and student affairs, will relocate from the college’s four other locations, DiCroce said. Some have already moved downtown into temporary space.

It took more than a year for TCC and the developers to finalize a deal.

“We will be able to return some space to virtually every campus for instructional purposes,” said DiCroce, who noted that with a fast-growing student body, that space is needed. TCC serves more than 35,000 students in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk and downtown Norfolk.

Consolidating the staff downtown “will allow us to work better, work smarter, and more efficiently ... and to participate in the revitalization of downtown,” she said. “It shows the power of the public and private sector joining forces.”

Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com.

nice, new 15 story massive tcc, 20 story publisher, 17 story retirement community, what about our 25 and 15 story towers and 25+ hotel, possible tall court tower? this is a boom, on relation to the cities size probably the best in the country.

wow this is amazing!! I really want to hear about the new proposed Hilton. Does anyone know anything about it?

Amazing. Simply Amazing.

why isn't there any info on CMSS's website? or am I just missing it?

Here are some pictures that I've taken over the past 6 weeks or so.Cranes at retirement site in Ft Norfolk/ Atlantic City area

http://img123.exs.cx/img123/8250/10000786hv.jpg

Sentara Norfolk General Heart Center in the distance

http://img123.exs.cx/img123/6743/10000972oh.jpg

Parking deck construction on Boush Street

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/786/10000831bd.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/7746/10001028ms.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/3453/10000084ay.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/6102/10000463yf.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/3982/10000729cj.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/2894/10000895yk.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/153/10000872ny.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/6408/10000906ub.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/8231/10000911pt.jpg

http://img190.exs.cx/img190/9171/10000929rr.jpg


More to come.....

Hilton Hotel Expected Soon according to article and also some companies will be expanding.


Norfolk will announce Gypsum plant expansion, Maersk move to downtown
By HARRY MINIUM, MICHAEL DAVIS AND CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 2, 2005

NORFOLK* — Mayor Paul D. Fraim will announce two economic coups for Norfolk in his state of the city address today.

United States Gypsum, the nation’s largest maker of gypsum wallboard, will spend at least $133 million expanding its plant in Berkley, Fraim will tell an audience at noon today at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside, said city officials who asked not to be identified.

USG Corp., the Chicago-based parent company of U.S. Gypsum, will announce the expansion at an 11 a.m. press conference at the Marriott. The expansion is the largest business investment in the city since Ford Motor Co. built a $375 million expansion of its assembly plant nearly four years ago.

Fraim also will announce that Maersk Line Ltd. will relocate its corporate offices from the Riverside Corporate Center off Military Highway to the Bank of America Building downtown, said officials in the real estate industry and city officials who asked not to be identified.

Both projects are good news for a city already flush with recent major announcements on economic development.

Among them: Trader Publishing Co. said it will build a 20-story, $51 million office tower downtown, Ford announced a $26 million expansion of its truck plant on Monday and work recently began on Harbor’s Edge, a 17-story, $103 million residential retirement facility near downtown.

An announcement is expected in the next few weeks on a high-rise Hilton Hotel to be built downtown alongside a new conference center.

In the past five years, Norfolk has seen nearly $5 billion of investment in residential, commercial and industrial development, city officials say.

Maersk had looked at prospective sites in other cities, including Virginia Beach’s Town Center and cities outside the region, sources said.

Maersk will occupy approximately 40,000 square feet in the Bank of America Building, sources said. The company did not return a call seeking comment.

Maersk is one of the Defense Department’s primary shipping contractors. It manages a fleet of 54 U.S.-flag ships in commercial and government service, including surveillance vessels requiring top-secret security clearances.

It is a subsidiary of Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, which is also parent of the world’s largest shipping line Maersk-Sealand and APT Terminals. That company is building a $450 million container terminal in Portsmouth.

U.S. Gypsum needed to expand its capacity to make wallboard and other construction materials to keep up with increased construction demand.

Norfolk economic development officials were able to persuade the company to expand in Berkley rather than build at a new site in another city or state.

The city and Gov. Mark R. Warner offered U.S. Gypsum financial incentives to expand in Norfolk, sources said.

Fraim declined to comment Tuesday.

The complete details of the U.S. Gypsum expansion, including the number of jobs involved, could not be learned Tuesday. The company owns about 45 acres at its site at 1001 Buchanan St., according to city property records. The total assessed value of the land and improvements was $5.8 million last year.

Opened in 1947, the facility makes gypsum wallboard, plaster and industrial gypsum. USG operates under bankruptcy reorganization, which it filed in June 2001 to deal with more than 100,000 asbestos-related injury lawsuits. The company used asbestos in its products from 1930 to 1972.

Local plant officials deferred to USG’s corporate headquarters for comments on the plant expansion. Officials there did not return repeated telephone messages.

Staff writer Battinto Batts contributed to this report. Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com. Reach Michael Davis at 446-2599 or michael.davis@pilotonline.com. Reach Christopher Dinsmore at 446-2271 or chris.dinsmore@pilotonline.com

The website for this development is now up as well as a new sign at the intesection. Groundbreaking is scheduled for sometime this summer.

ResidencesatWestin.com (www.residencesatwestin.com)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/guynvb/DSC01976.jpg
pic courtesy of guynvb from ssp.

that design is atrocious. Lose the thinly disguised parking ramp!

It's already been redesigned, the new design should be presented to the city tomorrow.

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/wedgewoodaerial.jpg Dense development planned for Wedgewood site in Va. Beach

The now-vacant Wedgewood Mobile Home Park site lies within sight of Virginia Beach's Town Center tower. STEVE EARLEY/ THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT


By JON W. GLASS, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 7, 2005 | Last updated 7:50 PM Feb. 7

VIRGINIA BEACH — From Interstate 264, the former site of Wedgewood Mobile Home Park appears like a barren wasteland.

Scattered about are a few ruined trailers, the skeletal remains of a park that once housed 383 mobile homes and about 900 residents. The rest of the park is scarred patches of dirt, a boarded-up clubhouse and winter-bare trees.

On this spot, developers Art and Steve Sandler hope to build an urban-style neighborhood in this decidedly suburban city.

The 48-acre tract is near the Independence Boulevard off-ramp, within sight of the 23-story Town Center tower.

On Wednesday, Wedgewood Associates LLC will present its plan – a dense, urbanized residential development called Cornerstone – to the city Planning Commission.

Wedgewood Associates, an affiliate of L.M. Sandler & Sons of Virginia Beach, wants to rezone the property for up to 846 townhouses and apartments. That would double the site’s housing density.

City officials are encouraging the proposal, saying it fits their plan to transform Pembroke and Town Center into a bustling downtown where residents shop, dine, work and live.

“I think it’s going to set the tone for the area and, hopefully, spur additional redevelopment,” said Barbara Duke, a senior planner who reviewed the proposal. “This is new and very different than any other development in the city, and it’s a major investment in an area of the city we haven’t seen major investment in.”

Steve Sandler said he and his brother saw the potential of Wedgewood when the city broke ground on Town Center five years ago.

“Most people saw a trailer park,” Sandler said. “My brother and I saw the future of Virginia Beach. This may very well end up being the right project at the right time for downtown Virginia Beach.”

The Sandlers bought the mobile home park for $12 million last May. They evicted 900 residents, mostly low-income, many on fixed income and with poor credit. Some could not move their trailers because of the cost or the age of the homes.

After reviewing plans for Cornerstone, city planners asked the developers to consider setting aside part of the project as affordable housing. Sandler said the city has no requirement for creating affordable housing, so he could not comply with that request.

“I’m in favor of having a city with all its residents having a place to live, but we’re not making policy here,” he said. “We’re just trying to make a good community.”

Sandler described Cornerstone as “moderately priced.” The one- to three-bedroom townhouses are expected to sell from the mid-$100,000s to more than $300,000, Sandler said. The less-expensive units are mixed throughout the project, he said.

Cornerstone would offer 234 two-story townhomes built atop each other in four-story buildings. The concept of “stacked” townhouses has become trendy in urban markets, but is new to Virginia Beach, Duke said.

The project also would include 242 three-story townhouses and 370 apartments. The apartments would adjoin a four-story parking garage, an urban element that’s rare in Virginia Beach.

Buildings will front Bonney Road, Dolton Drive and Alicia Drive. They will feature front porches and rear-loaded garages.

The site is within one of 12 “strategic growth areas” targeted by city planners as suitable locations for much of Virginia Beach’s future growth. Most of the areas lie along I-264. The goal is to create dense, urban-like development mixing homes and stores.

Sandler said the Wedgewood site is not large enough to accommodate anything more than homes. He said Cornerstone fits the city’s vision of creating a population center around Town Center.

Sandler declined to comment on whether his company plans to redevelop adjacent properties, including the neighboring County View Mobile Court, the city’s largest mobile home community.

Reach Jon W. Glass at 222-5119 or jon.glass@pilotonline.com

http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/cornerstoneplan.jpg

The Sandlers bought the mobile home park for $12 million last May. They evicted 900 residents, mostly low-income, many on fixed income and with poor credit. Some could not move their trailers because of the cost or the age of the homes.

After reviewing plans for Cornerstone, city planners asked the developers to consider setting aside part of the project as affordable housing. Sandler said the city has no requirement for creating affordable housing, so he could not comply with that request.

“I’m in favor of having a city with all its residents having a place to live, but we’re not making policy here,” he said. “We’re just trying to make a good community.”

I'm happy about the density of the project and the increasing urbanization of the town center area. But it seems like these developers thumbed their noses at the very people they pushed out of the mobile home park by not building low-income housing with the project. Virginia Beach had better get moving on creating some low-income/mixed-income housing demands because it seems they are just redistributing/channeling all the wealth in va beach to town center, leaving other suburban parts of the city vulnerable to great decline. Any other opinions on this?

that design is atrocious. Lose the thinly disguised parking ramp!
I'm reposting this for u cause the original post is buried somewhere in this thread and is easy to miss. If u want to see the new rendering go here and follow these instructions:

http://www.vbgov.com/e-gov/estream/ccarchives.asp?councildate=1/4/2005

When u get to the page click the pull down menu above the view council index button. Scroll down to "Resolution re Phase III Towncenter" Once you have that selected click on "View council index" and the 9 minute briefing will play.

I'm reposting this for u cause the original post is buried somewhere in this thread and is easy to miss. If u want to see the new rendering go here and follow these instructions:

http://www.vbgov.com/e-gov/estream/ccarchives.asp?councildate=1/4/2005

When u get to the page click the pull down menu above the view council index button. Scroll down to "Resolution re Phase III Towncenter" Once you have that selected click on "View council index" and the 9 minute briefing will play.
Just watched it and it's looking great. I love the new design. Right now it stands at 35 stories but he did say they're looking to make it bigger. "the current trend is for everything to get bigger." Maybe 40 stories+?

Panel OKs mixed-use project 10-1

The Virginian-Pilot
© February 9, 2005

VIRGINIA BEACH — After two months of delay, the City Council reached agreement Tuesday with a developer who wants to build apartments, offices and shops on 23 acres off Bonney Road, near Town Center.

The council voted 10-1 to rezone the parcel for CityView, a dense, urban-style development.

Click here Councilwoman Reba McClanan voted no.

The $70 million project was delayed because it lies within a corridor being considered for an Interstate 264 overpass. The city and the developer, Ripley Heatwole Co. Inc., worked out a plan to accommodate the overpass.

CityView is the first project to win approval of a new mixed-use zoning that promotes an urban environment around Town Center.


“We’re trying to replicate and continue the success of Town Center,” said Andrew Heatwole, senior vice president of Ripley Heatwole Co. The project would be built in two phases, including a 202-unit apartment building and four mixed-use buildings that could include apartments, condominiums, offices, a hotel and shops. The buildings could range from three to 15 stories tall.

:D Towncenter website has been updated with the new rendering and with new info. The site list the building as 30-stories but who knows. Its been fluctuating between 30 and 35 for months now. We probably won't know for sure until there is another official announcement from council via the pilot. http://www.vabeachtowncenter.com/site_plan.stm

http://www.vabeachtowncenter.com/pix/body_block7.jpg

The tallest building in Virginia is the James Monroe building in Richmond. That stands at 449 feet. Could this possibly top it?

The tallest building in Virginia is the James Monroe building in Richmond. That stands at 449 feet. Could this possibly top it?
If it stays at 35 stories instead of 30 then yes, its definately in the running. The developer said the building is well over 400ft tall but no more specific than that.

All you'd have to do is make the spire a little longer and you'd have it I'm sure ;)

Would be fun to have a little rivalry going between the cities though I don't see any high rises in Richmond's near-future. Most development seems focused on historic areas with low rise buildings.

Good, just let Norfolk/VA Beach catch up first. Then the rivalry begins.

If it stays at 35 stories instead of 30 then yes, its definately in the running. The developer said the building is well over 400ft tall but no more specific than that.From watching the VA Beach council meeting the presenter had it at 35 stories and was looking to make it bigger. I think 35 stories is a given. Now the goal should be 40 stories. :yes:

lets not forget that one of the Granby Towers might be 31 stories. It said 25 stories of condos on top of 6 floors of parking.

Also, what happened to the twin tower idea for town center? I remember a long time ago when the project started, there was supposed to be twin towers correct?

Its listed here http://www.vabeachtowncenter.com/site_plan.stm on the master site plan where it says future office site. Nothing happened to it, it just moved. Its still planned,though i doubt it will be its twin, the design will probably be totally different. They moved it back so they could build the cosmopolitan cause there was such a high demand for apartments. There is word though that they are making some progress on bringing a company in for the next office tower so stay tuned :)

Well the :bleep: just hit the fan on this one. If all the drama over the TBA development is any indication this may not go through. This is both good and bad. On the hand, i'd really like to see development extend across the I-264 corridor. On the other hand it really pisses me off that they kicked out all thouse people who had no where to go, and on top of that refused to help them find a place to live because they didn't "have" to. Part of me hopes this project is rejected just to teach them a lesson.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=82034&ran=177915

Drawing the line on affordable housing

The Virginian-Pilot
© February 12, 2005

Steve Sandler and his brother, Art, leveled the Wedgewood Mobile Home Park to make way for their Cornerstone project, a village of townhouses and apartments mimicking an old American city.

The 48-acre plot is near the Independence Boulevard crossroads with Interstate 264, within sight of Town Center.

In other words, that site, which the brothers bought for $12 million, is right near the city’s new downtown. Because of municipal investment at Town Center, the value of any Cornerstone home will be higher, as will the riches they’ll bring to the Sandlers.

“Most people saw a trailer park,” Steve Sandler said. “My brother and I saw the future of Virginia Beach. This may very well end up being the right project at the right time for downtown Virginia Beach.”

P O L L

Should Virginia Beach City Council approve rezoning for the urban-style Cornerstone housing development near Town Center?

Yes
No
Maybe, with revisions
Not sure

All this has come at a price, of course. About 900 people were evicted from the trailer park, some of whom complained about their treatment. There’s little question, though, that the city is better off with this kind of visionary urban neighborhood in such a prominent spot.

Under the current zoning, the brothers have a right to build roughly 12 residential units per acre. But this week, they asked the Planning Commission’s to rezone the property to allow twice as many units per acre, or 846 in all.

The Planning Commission said yes. The City Council, which must also approve the added homes, should say no.

There’s a very simple reason. The Sandlers’ quest to build more houses at Cornerstone will in obvious ways increase the pressure on Virginia Beach schools, its highways and its public safety system. But this and developments like it have less obvious, but quite substantial economic effects that the council must begin to consider.

One of city government’s highest priorities is to find some way to encourage affordable housing. There’s a severe shortage of places to live within the means of the teachers, firefighters, salesmen and other ordinary workers on whom the city’s economy, military bases, and government agencies depend.

But no amount of municipal effort will ever be enough without the help of developers like the Sandlers. The Sandlers, though, will apparently do little at Cornerstone to help that effort, at least according to brother Steve:

“I’m in favor of having a city with all its residents having a place to live, but we’re not making policy here. We’re just trying to make a good community.”

Let’s parse those comments.

“I’m in favor of having a city with all its residents having a place to live”: Affordable housing is a good thing.

“But we’re not making policy here”: We’re here to make money.

“We’re just trying to make a good community”: And that doesn’t include affordable housing and the kind of people who live in it.

In other words, after evicting 900 people from their trailers, and asking the city to give it the benefit of allowing more houses, the only way the Sandlers will build affordable housing is if they’re forced to.

That stance is simply wrong and short-sighted. Granted, the brothers’ attorney, at Wednesday’s hearing, said that neighborhood would include units that sell for $125,000, though he wouldn’t — or couldn’t — specify how many.

That’s simply not good enough. The City Council should reject the Sandlers’ appeal for more units until the developers figure out some way to make affordable housing a real part of Cornerstone instead of an off-the-cuff proposal designed to deflect criticism.

Rejection, in this case, may well be the soul of invention. It will also go a long way toward demonstrating how serious the Virginia Beach City Council will be about providing housing opportunities for the people who do important work in our community.

thats horrible, some people and companies have no hearts, i wouldnt support them one inch. its coldheartedness and it shouldnt be tolerated.

VA beach has kinda always been that way though, all those relics in the council have no idea what its like to live in this century.

Any news on granby towers, those are some nice looking buildings and im very excited for norfolk.

they are still on track and scheduled to start construction in the fall.

It'll certainly help the booming Virginia Beach economy though.

Does anyone know if work on the foundation for the Trader building has started?

Does anyone know if work on the foundation for the Trader building has started?
Nope, not yet. Not till the beginning of March.

Does anyone else NOT like the Westin design (new or old)?

Does anyone else NOT like the Westin design (new or old)?

I wouldn't mind it...but I just don't think it looks well where its at. It will be one of the only high rises in the area and will look strange in my opinion. I personally like the old design better too.

Does anyone else NOT like the Westin design (new or old)?
I hated the old one but love the new one. As with anything u can only get a "feel" for what something will look like from a rendering. There are some buildings that i thought looked absolutely horrible in the renderings that turned out looking fantastic in real life (and vice versa). I'm more interested in what construction is going to go on around this building and how this may compliment that. Of course its going to look out of place as does the AH tower right now cause we are building a downtown from the ground up. We have no skyline as of yet, we have to start somewhere. I have confidence that in time those buildings will start to look less and less lonely.

I actually love the new design and in maybe 20 years VA Beach will have a great skyline. Maybe in a 100 years Norfolk and Virginia Beach can connect their skyline. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. heh.

Hello forum!! I'm a New Yorker who lives in Charlotte now and I have traveled the world and I work with with different projects in the city of Charlotte and New York and are u kidding me ......Hampton Roads is no where near the size ot the Charlotte area...Remember if u compare Hampton roads that means you have to compare that to Charlotte metro also and if you take each city alone against the city of Charlotte alone there is no way that you are near the size of that city.....lol.......come on now lets be realistic......Charlotte's area is about 500 sq miles to Norfolk's 250 sq miles and Charlotte's metro area in size and population (over 2million) far exceeds any city or population in the Virginia state...But it's good that VA is starting to make some good changes with their cities...GOOD LUCK VIRGINIA...This is a reply to a forumer who said that the Hampton Roads was bigger than the Charlotte area.

Yeah, I thought the same thing about it being small. Charlotte has such a really busy airport and the metro area is similar in size to ours if i'm not mistaken. About expansion, a new concourse is planned, but won't be built until it is needed and that will be at least a couple years I've been told. There has been talk for a while about a whole new airport, which I think would be a good idea. But that won't be for at least 20 years.
As far as the airports go in Charlotte and norfolk there is no comparison ....Charlotte airport beats Norfolk out by a long shot...I'm going to post the stats of these 2 metros and airports so you can see for yourself....

Census 2000:

Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC MSA 1,330,448

Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA-NC MSA 1,569,541

And your land area numbers are also pure fiction

City Population
Charlotte 540,828
Norfolk 234,403

City Land Area:
Charlotte 242.3 mi2
Norfolk 53.7 mi2

City Population Density
Charlotte 2232 ppsm
Norfolk 4358 ppsm

MSA Population Density
Charlotte 459 ppsm
Norfolk 668 ppsm

UA area
Charlotte 806 mi2
Norfolk 554 mi2

% of MSA Popn living in UA
Charlotte 79.9%
Norfolk 91.3%

By all indications Norfolk is the more populous, dense, compact area. Charlotte sprawls more and incorporates more of the rural population around the UA into its MSA population.

that the Hampton Roads was bigger than the Charlotte area
It is!

Charlotte's metro area in size and population (over 2million) far exceeds any city or population in the Virginia state HUH, Charlotte is larger than the state of Virginia? :weirdo:

It's funny how that can be when it's not even as large as the Norfolk metro.

And noting that northern Virginia has 2.1 million in its share of DC's metro.

Charlotte airport beats Norfolk out by a long shot Isn't it supposed to? Charlotte is or was a hub airport, right? That is why the air traffic is higher! In the quote that you responded to there was no comparison with the airports, but only with the metros. okinawatyphoon even said that our airport was small and it is for our metro size which is LARGER than Charlotte.

You are one of those people (one pops up in theses forums every so ofton) that troll around these forums with your cities dick in their hand claiming how big it is. But once we all take a closer look at it we realize that it's just a strap-on.

lammius, Norfolk's population is now over 242,000, which makes the pop. density roughly 4,600 per sq. mile.

Yes but to be fair I used undisputable Census 2000 data

I didnt say that Charlotte was larger than VA..DUH...it's funny that you posted some old stats and info that isn't correct....check emporis and Times Almanac 2004-2005 and the city council and you will see that Charlotte city population alone is over 600,000 and the metro is about 2.1 million....I know you want to boost your city up and all but there is no way that "Norfolk " or any city in VA will catch up to the status of Charlotte , while Norfolk has starting building ,Charlotte is already 10 steps ahead and they are constantly building too....And this is not about DC it's about the Norfolk area....and trying to imply that I'm just trying to make my city look good ,I'm from NY, So don't go that route....and Norfolk isn't worth reading about .....I know I was going to get bashed in this room but it's OK being that it's only VA and LAM...LOL. GET A GRIP ON REALITY AND CHECK YOUR EMPORIS stats about those two cities and if you use one method two calculate a city's population , use the same method 4 the other city...I'm pretty sure when I go to work and tell this joke to my co workers and even those people from VA that are constantly moving here , they will all laugh at your facts and your need to make your area COME ALIVE....

Yes but to be fair I used undisputable Census 2000 data
Yes you are right and even then ,Charlotte was in the top 5 fast growing cities in the USA...Where was Norfolk or VA for that matter.....Just get some real facts and up -to -date info please...I'm pretty sure the next argument will be that Norfolk is growing faster than Charlotte...It's crazy man....lol

I suggest to all you VA FORUMERS get something to do in your "STATE" and then maybe you can try to compare yourself to Charlotte and i'm glad this is where i'm at now because VA IS TOO SLOW........maybe I can arrange a trip,( on me), to have a plane come and pick you all up at your wack airport and fly you into Charlotte so you can see the difference.I'm through in this thread, you tell to many lies and your facts are so old and dead just like your city's downtown night life and energy.

Just remember to check your city's size and compare it to Charlotte and you will see that you can put Norfolk in this city limits about 3 times and Norfolk is just a very small town with more people than it needs....Charlotte isn't small at all so it doesn't look as dense as the Norfolk area...duh....thats like putting 30 apples in a shoe box versus 30 apples in a 32 inch tv box...come on get a grip!!!

Maybe in 10 yrs you can go to NY,LA,CHI and hear people talking about Norfolk like they talk about this area, and again thats why it's so many people moving to this area everyday instead of moving out.Willy , take your strap on and fu** yourself with it!!!

Good lord you're an idiot on so many levels!! I'm pretty sure your friends at work have already figured that out, though. I would imagine that the Charlotte forumers on this site have figured this out also.

Charlotte Chamber (http://www.charlottechamber.com/content.cfm?category_level_id=134&content_id=186) As you can see the MSA for Charlotte for 2004 is 1,500,338. The number that you are touting is the CMSA, which most forumers feel is total bullshit. It's just a way to make the metro look and sound bigger by adding a ton of sprawl.

I'm through in this thread I thought you were through? But you still are spouting off ignorant shit. What are you trying to prove? Most people on this forum know about the Norfolk metro and understand it's importance. You on the other hand feel the need to belittle the metro with completely uneducated personal opinions. If you don't like the area, for whatever reason that's fine. Just shut the fuck up and go on with miserable existants.

I'm pretty sure when I go to work and tell this joke to my co workers and even those people from VA that are constantly moving here , they will all laugh at your facts and your need to make your area COME ALIVE....Oh, and tell everybody at Target I said hi!

I thought you were through? But you still are spouting off ignorant shit. What are you trying to prove? Most people on this forum know about the Norfolk metro and understand it's importance. You on the other hand feel the need to belittle the metro with completely uneducated personal opinions. If you don't like the area, for whatever reason that's fine. Just shut the fuck up and go on with miserable existants.

Oh, and tell everybody at Target I said hi!
Mrs. willy I don't work at target , I work for a law firm!!! So while i'm making big money you continue to wave the ships in and cry for major sporting teams...Oh by the way my office is on the 44 floor, do you even have buildings that tall in your "Hampton Roads" :bash:

I didnt say that Charlotte was larger than VA..DUH...it's funny that you posted some old stats and info that isn't correct....check emporis and Times Almanac 2004-2005 and the city council and you will see that Charlotte city population alone is over 600,000 and the metro is about 2.1 million....I know you want to boost your city up and all but there is no way that "Norfolk " or any city in VA will catch up to the status of Charlotte , while Norfolk has starting building ,Charlotte is already 10 steps ahead and they are constantly building too....And this is not about DC it's about the Norfolk area....and trying to imply that I'm just trying to make my city look good ,I'm from NY, So don't go that route....and Norfolk isn't worth reading about .....I know I was going to get bashed in this room but it's OK being that it's only VA and LAM...LOL. GET A GRIP ON REALITY AND CHECK YOUR EMPORIS stats about those two cities and if you use one method two calculate a city's population , use the same method 4 the other city...I'm pretty sure when I go to work and tell this joke to my co workers and even those people from VA that are constantly moving here , they will all laugh at your facts and your need to make your area COME ALIVE....

If this is the type of person NY is shipping down south nowadays i say we ship him back as defective and demand an upgrade. Talk about a thread hijack, u step in here and just flame away. Ridiculous. How old r u anyway? Judging by the lack of logical thought process and inability to discuss matters on an intelligent level i refuse to believe that you are out of highschool. Look at the title of this forum, I do not see a Charlotte vs. anything anywhere in that title. This forum is about Hampton Roads development and is for intelligent, like minded, people who are interested in development to discuss the matters of the day. There are plenty of Charlotte vs. threads for you to attend without you having to spout crap here. If i were a mod, i would delete the last 2 pages of this thread because it does absolutely nothing to contribute to this site.

Mrs. willy I don't work at target , I work for a law firm!!! So while i'm making big money you continue to wave the ships in and cry for major sporting teams...Oh by the way my office is on the 44 floor, do you even have buildings that tall in your "Hampton Roads" :bash:
You do not work for a law firm. You're a kid that is just trying to stir the pot. Give it up.

hotspott, coldspott, or whatever the hell your name is, it really doesnt matter. Why did you come here and ruin a perfectly good thread? I was going to go a bit further, then I realized you arent even worth it.

Now back to our regularly scheduled thread topic.....

If this is the type of person NY is shipping down south nowadays i say we ship him back as defective and demand an upgrade. Talk about a thread hijack, u step in here and just flame away. Ridiculous. How old r u anyway? Judging by the lack of logical thought process and inability to discuss matters on an intelligent level i refuse to believe that you are out of highschool. Look at the title of this forum, I do not see a Charlotte vs. anything anywhere in that title. This forum i about Hampton Roads development and is for intelligent, like minded, people who are interested in development to discuss the matters of the day. There are plenty of Charlotte vs. threads for you to attend without you having to spout crap here. If i were a mod, i would delete the last 2 pages of this thread because it does absolutely nothing to contribute to this site.
Man don't forget to cap the I's ok and you talk about intelligent...lol......I was just bringing you to reality in "your forum".I said good luck to your area for the improvements but someone posted some false information and I corrected it.I don't have anything against VA and really I could care less.Yes there are alot of NEW YORKERS moving down here and i'm pretty sure our education is far better than your's. Stop trying to put down other cities to make your city look better or bigger for that matter. Everyone has their chance and your time will come , good luck VA. I'm going to leave it like that , no hard feelings just don't try to insult my intelligence because thats not cool and working in the field i'm in ,I know numbers , calculations and stats.

hotspott, coldspott, or whatever the hell your name is, it really doesnt matter. Why did you come here and ruin a perfectly good thread? I was going to go a bit further, then I realized you arent even worth it.

Now back to our regularly scheduled thread topic.....
Ok you still want to talk shit but it's cool I don't even have the time to argue over petty matters......GOOD LUCK VA!!!(there are some smart,cool people that do live there).

Stop trying to put down other cities to make your city look better or bigger for that matter.
If you can find anywhere in this thread where i put down someones city please post it here and i will apoligize immediately. I do not believe such an example exist. I have nothing against you but i have everything against what you are trying to do here. What is the purpose? From what i can figure out someone had facts and figures that contradict your own. Fine, post your figures and they can post theirs and everyone else can decide for themselves which data is more valid based on their own research. It is not worth all this drama. Each city has its good points and its bad points. What propels a city forward is the support and enthusiasm of its citizens (like the ones you see on this board). You seem to have a problem with people in this city actually taking pride in it for once. Why is this such a bad thing to u?

hotspottny,

ANYONE who does any analysis of population statistics uses Census data. It's the only hard, detailed, and accurate population data we have. Unfortunately the Census is only conducted only once every ten years. You'll learn this in middle school civics class. It's outdated but it's what we have. We'd like more frequent data collection but the Census is an expensive and labor intesnive production. Petition your congressperson to push for a more frequent Census (this is an idea that has been considered many times before). No population data analysis or comparison is ever seriously done based on data collected from other sources.

The Census Bureau ESTIMATES produced each year based on building permits issued and housing removed can be useful though they are not entirely accurate. It's always interesting to see how the decennial Census proves many estimates made the previous year to be quite wrong (or right). For this reason statisticians use ONLY decennial Census data.

The site you cited is a buildings catalog, not a statistical research website. Their data differs from Census 2000 data and even from Census Bureau estimates for years since. Where did they get those numbers? Anyone's guess. They don't cite a source.

But EVEN IF we did entertain that 2.03 million figure for a moment, is that sort of growth believable? That would mean the MSA has grown by almost 700,000 (or 65%) in the past five years. Is 65% growth over 5 years possible there? Las Vegas, the fastest grower in the country grew by 88% between 1990 and 2000. That translates into 44% over either five year period of the '90s. Charlotte is growing, but certainly not at 147% the rate of Las Vegas' growth.

But there's no reason to be sore about it. According to Census estimates (true or not) Charlotte MSA grew by over 200,000 persons in five years. That's almost a 15% increase over that period. That's amazing growth and something to be proud of. It's also more a more reliable estimate (consider the source). Let's just hope that growth adds some density to that area.

Mrs. willy I don't work at target , I work for a law firm!!!

What law firm?

ANYONE who does any analysis of population statistics uses Census data. He doesn't because it makes Charlotte look smaller. A metro of 1.5 million people with a core city of roughly 540K is not small by no means.

I like Charlotte and I'm glad to see all the development going on down there, but to act as if it's this huge urban utopia nipping a the heels of NYC or Atlanta is just asinine.

There's no reason to reply to this nut job. His posts are all over the place.

Vacant Norfolk bank building will be demolished in 2 months
By IBRAM ROGERS, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 19, 2005 | Last updated 6:55 PM Feb. 18



NORFOLK — A downtown bank that has attracted attention for more than 50 years with its curving Indiana limestone exterior and huge gleaming windows is about two months away from extinction, said Troy Capp, superintendent of Old Dominion Demolition Corp.

City officials issued a demolition permit to the owners of this historic building at the corner of Bute and Boush streets Jan. 21.

Capp said his crew is currently separating the bank from Clark’s Art & Glass, an adjoining building on Boush Street. He said that the process is expected to take two to three more weeks.

The building, originally constructed for the Bank of Virginia and most recently used by First American Bank of Virginia, has been vacant for more than a decade. The roof has failed, and cracks and mold have shown up on its once attractive windows.

Before the workers started cleaning it out, it looked like a jungle inside.

“It was the worst building I have ever seen in my life,” Capp said. “And I’ve taken down over 200 buildings.”

Preservationists understand the terrible shape of the building and therefore are not against its demolition, said Mark Perreault, president of the Norfolk Preservation Alliance.

“We just want the facade to be incorporated into the new project,” said Perreault, noting that it’s an example of Art Moderne architecture. “One reason that downtown is so appealing is its character, so we need to be careful that we make sure that we are retaining and enhancing its character.”

The owners have no immediate plans for the site, said Tim Polk, the city’s planning director.

“Our downtown is really re-emerging and there is a lot of construction and even more on the way,” Polk said. “I think they are going to take a wait-and-see approach and watch all of the construction to see what the market will show.”

The owners of the building, a group called Five Associates, could not be reached for comment. Neither could Ed Woodard Jr., the president and CEO of the Bank of the Commonwealth, who represented the owners in a meeting with the preservation alliance last summer.

“The market is highly profitable right now,” said Stanley Stein, an assistant city manager. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the owners didn’t have a lot of options on their plate.”

I was downtown this past weekend and noticed a banner across the billboard for the Granby Towers. The banner read "now accepting reservations call ###-####". So, it seems that the project is still a go and the construction still should start later this year.

http://www.humphreys.com/images/12144_2_big.jpg

http://www.humphreys.com/images/12144_1_big.jpg

whoa! thats great! I really just want Trader to start construction already and find out about this Hilton hotel.

Portsmouth is commissioning a firm to study redevelopment possibilities in its Olde Towne area. One of the sites is the Federal parking lot on High Street between Water and Crawford Sts. The area is adjacent to the bustling High Street antique and restaurant district as well as High Street Landing (water inlet served by HRT pedestrian ferries).

I've had my eye on this property for years. What do you guys think will become of it? IMO it would be best used as a highrise condominium with ground floor retail/restaurant space. The ground floor activity will bring High Street's vibrance to the waterfront and the residences will be ideal for Norfolk commuters who can hop on a ferry directly across the street!

Also it could be a small park. High St landing was built several years ago where a park once existed. It would provide a nice gathering/events place for a city that has been developing all of its open space.

Opinions?

I'm getting over-anxious....but anyone know of any activity at the Trader building site?

I'm getting over-anxious....but anyone know of any activity at the Trader building site?
Not til March. i know, i'm anxious too. But March is only a few days away.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=82772&ran=179212

Developers want to transform Va. Beach resort area

By JON W. GLASS, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 27, 2005

VIRGINIA BEACH — Up and down the resort,
developers and property owners are lining up to help the city transform the Oceanfront into a high-end, urbanized center that bustles year-round with people and businesses.

But so far, the city has not made it easy for them to deliver.

It took two years for developer Jeffrey R. Gordon to win approval to build a clutch of townhouses and offices at Baltic Avenue and 21st Street.

The project, now under development, is the first of its kind to be approved at the resort, and it is viewed as a model for the resort’s future look.

Even so, Gordon had to argue his case before the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals. His hardship: the Beach’s own outdated zoning rules. The city has yet to amend them to accommodate the urban streetscape envisioned by Beach planners.

And at 29th Street and Arctic Avenue, Lance Goldner, owner of the 1960s-vintage Cherry Motel, is still waiting.

A year and a half after first approaching the city, he still needs city approval to raze the two-story, 39-unit motel and replace it with a five-story, 72-unit condominium building.

The city has put his plans on hold, he said, because of the Navy’s opposition to high-density housing at the resort, which is exposed to noisy fighter jets from nearby Oceana Naval Air Station. His hopes to rezone the property rest on a city land-use study begun last summer to address the Navy’s concerns.

Completion of the study, initially set for last December, has been delayed twice. Goldner is skeptical that it will be ready in March, as now planned.

“We’re ready to go, the timing is right, and we’re on 100 percent hold,” Goldner said. “We’re trying to upgrade and nobody can do anything.” With the city’s new $202 million convention center taking shape on 19th Street, interest in redeveloping the resort has jumped significantly, said Billy Almond, chairman of the city’s Resort Advisory Commission.

In nearly every corner, land owners and developers are maneuvering to cash in, quietly trying to assemble large parcels from the hodge-podge of lots and dilapidated buildings scattered everywhere.

Gordon moved to Virginia Beach three years ago, after being involved in redevelopment projects in Northern Virginia, including Old Town Alexandria.

He said he was surprised at the tired, run-down appearance of Virginia Beach’s resort area.

To make way for his 21st Street project, he has bulldozed two old single-family homes and a duplex that were “pretty scary looking.” He will construct his project next to an aging motel and old houses with peeling paint.

“The Oceanfront is a diamond in the rough, and I’m just trying to polish my facet of it,” Gordon said. “The fact that the city is making a capital investment there is a real positive, but it has to be married with private investment as well.”

The resort’s promise is one reason developers are willing to take their chances before the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

Almond, a landscape designer, said his design firm, WPL, is working for a property owner who will appear before the appeals board in March, seeking to redevelop the corner of 16th Street and Pacific Avenue.

The owner wants to build a three-story building with shops on the first floor and apartments on the top two.

It’s a classic urban design – a picture of the city’s vision – but it’s not allowed under the current zoning rules.

“Those who are out there pioneering it are trying to do what the city wants,” Almond said, “but the mechanism needed to let it happen isn’t in place yet.” City leaders counsel patience.

“We know there are problems,” said city Planning Director Robert Scott. “I think we have extended to all of them a signal that we are in favor of what they’re doing. But all of this planning has got to be a balancing of interests.”

Scott said he hopes revisions to zoning rules, such as the ones Gordon needed, can be made by the summer, after more public debate.

The changes would let developers do such things as put buildings up against sidewalks and put parking in the rear, an urban design that reverses the thinking behind the Beach’s suburban roots.

The design is similar to Town Center’s and to the redevelopment that has sparked downtown Norfolk’s renewal. It is meant to get people out of their cars and walking.

As for the Navy, Scott said he remains optimistic that the resort can be redeveloped “with sensitivity” to the military’s needs.

Scott said it would be difficult for Virginia Beach to back off its plans to redevelop the resort given the city’s huge investment there, including the new convention center.

The city is pushing for 3,000 more homes at the resort.

City leaders say increasing the number of residents will help sustain a year-round economy at the Oceanfront.

“We’re trying to get better retail and restaurants, and it’s very difficult to do that on a seasonal economy,” Councilman Richard Maddox said. Developers such as Greg Nelson agree. He hopes to redevelop the Things Unlimited thrift shop property on 17th Street into a five-story building with shops on the lower floors and condominiums up top.

He envisions elevators and a pool and spa for residents of the proposed 22 to 24 condominiums.

His plan would require a rezoning to allow greater density on the property , which is slightly more than a half-acre.

The wild card, he said, is how the city will respond if the Navy objects.

“If the city sticks to their vision, I think it will work extremely well,” Nelson said. “I question whether the city has the ability to pull it all together, but I’m a believer.”

At this point, some property owners can only wait. It can get frustrating.

Gordon Huey, a spokesman for Sea Realty Inc., said the city has pushed back his firm’s plans to raze a block of businesses at Laskin Road and Pacific Avenue and replace them with shops, offices and 200 condominiums.

The buildings would be up to seven stories tall. A block to the east, the new 31st Street Hilton rises 20 stories tall.

The hotel, an adjacent city parking garage that will include shops, and the convention center all served as sparks to Sea Realty’s project.

But as those projects near completion, Sea Realty’s plans, which require various zoning changes and an increase in housing density, remain in limbo.

“The question is, how long do we wait?” Huey said. “We can keep patching these old buildings up, but that’s not good for us, the hotel or the city.”

Reach Jon W. Glass at 222-5119 or jon.glass@pilotonline.com.

Below is a link to the comprehensive plan for the Wedgewood urban development near towncenter, there's also some discussion of possible 264 flyover routes (it appears that the flyover affects this project as well as cityview). It is scheduled to go before council for a vote March 22.

http://www.vbgov.com/dept/planning/vgn_files/18_Wedgewood_CRZ.pdf

Also, there has been some controversy over this project due to the developers steadfast refusal to include affordable housing for all the people he kicked out on the street. Not sure if this one will pass or not.
That being said, it's a very nice looking project. Kinda reminds me of D.C.

This article kinda slipped under the radar screen. Haven't seen it posted anywhere yet so here it is.
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/print.cfm?story=66197&ran=232362
Program helps to upgrade downtown
By DEBBIE MESSINA, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 17, 2004
Last updated: 10:21 PM

NORFOLK — A dilapidated Granby Street department store that’s been transformed into luxury loft apartments owes its rebirth to a new city program that offers incentives to fix up old commercial buildings.

Developer Frank T. “Buddy” Gadams Jr. said the project would not have happened, at least not right now, if the city had not expanded its tax abatement program last year to include commercial properties. The program grants tax breaks for major renovations.

The old Ames and Brownley Department Store is one of four properties in the 400 block of Granby Street that are in the program . The 49 apartments , which rent for $1,000 to $1,600 a month, are all taken.

“You walk out on the street and see the amount of construction going on right there – it’s quite exciting,” Gadams said.

That’s exactly what the city was hoping for last February when it expanded the program, once restricted to homeowners, to include commercial and industrial properties.

“Downtown is where most of the investments are happening, and tax abatement keeps that momentum going,” said Councilman Barclay C. Winn . “We’re hoping it spreads throughout the whole community.”

So far, 12 properties are enrolled, five of which are owned by Gadam’s Marathon Development Group . Except for one on 21st Street in Ghent and another on 35th Street in Park Place, all are downtown.

Only two renovations have been completed . Together, those properties increased in assessed value from $1.3 million to $5.3 million .

To qualify for the program, a building must be 50 years old, or 20 years old if it is in an enterprise zone. The tax abatement is offered for multifamily, commercial and industrial buildings if their values increase 40 percent . Single-family residences must be at least 15 years old , and their value must rise 20 percent.

No taxes are paid on the improvement for 10 years. The taxes are then phased in over the next five years until the entire value is taxed by the 15th year .

One catch: Property owners must apply for the program before starting any work. The program is administered by the city assessor.

Since the residential tax incentive began in 1998 to encourage neighborhood revitalization throughout Norfolk , 150 homes have been improved. Another 150 are under renovation; most are in affluent neighborhoods and many are on the waterfront.

The total increase in property value for completed residential and commercial renovations is $13.6 million, according to the city assessor’s office. That represents about $190,250 in taxes lost to the city in a year.

Roderick S. Woolard , the city’s director of development, said he’s not unhappy with the program’s progress but said it “will work better as more people know about it and we have more experience with it.”

He said the abatement program is a good economic development tool because it encourages property owners to reinvest in properties that are declining in taxable value. He added that he’s not surprised the activity has been concentrated downtown because that’s where the city’s oldest buildings are.

“I’d love to see it more broadly used, both in terms of the number of companies as well as the breadth of the areas where it’s happening,” Woolard said.

The city’s development staff met recently with business owners in the Norfolk Industrial Park to push the program.

“You have to convince people to do that kind of thing,” said Vice Mayor Daun S. Hester . “We just have to keep working at that, and we will.”

Both Winn and Hester said they wonder how many of the improvements would have been made if no tax relief was offered. “I suspect on the commercial side, half would have been done anyway,” Winn said.

When the tax abatements applied only to residential properties, the application forms included a question about whether the improvements would have been performed without the tax break. About 85 percent indicated the work would have been done, said Wayne N. Trout, city assessor.

That question is no longer part of the application.

The financial value of the program is to spur improvements that would not have been possible without the incentive. Otherwise, the city is missing out on taxes it would have collected anyway.

Developer Gadams knows from experience that the tax-abatement program can be “the icing on the cake to move the project forward instead of having a building sit vacant.”

Even if the abatement wasn’t the deciding factor, it has other benefits. Gadams said that by lowering the tax burden, more money is freed up to invest in the project, resulting in a higher-quality product.

“A lot of times, the improved value takes a big chunk of cash flow and there’s not enough money to do a first-class job on the renovation, so you end up cutting corners and doing an inferior job.” he said.

“If it’s upgraded the quality of rehabilitation,” Winn said, “that’s a great offshoot.”

Reach Debbie Messina at 446-2588 or debbie.messina@pilotonline.com



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