Hampton Roads, VA

[Style™]

let's get this massive metro a thread in here!

[Style™]

Originally Posted by spark317

TOM HOLDEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 13, 2004
Last updated: 12:02 PM

The Virginia Department of Transportation on Tuesday released key financial data on two competing proposals from consortiums that want to build the “third crossing” over Hampton Roads.

VDOT stressed that the plans are based on assumptions about traffic growth and construction costs that may be greatly altered during the more than a decade it would take to complete the project.


A plan by Skanska/Washington/BAM calls for one-way tolls on the initial project segment starting at $2 in 2008 and increasing to $5.75 upon completion of a second segment in 2013. The segments are considered the project’s backbone.

The first would extend Interstate 564 from Terminal Boulevard in Norfolk past Hampton Boulevard to a new interchange with I-664 at the south island of the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel. That segment would offer motorists on I-64 an escape route during rush hours. The segment also involves connections to a proposed fourth state-owned cargo port at Craney Island and access to Norfolk International Terminals and the Norfolk Naval Station.

The second segment – the one that would increase the capacity for carrying vehicles between the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads – involves the construction of parallel tubes for the Monitor-Merrimac. Upon completion of that work, the toll would rise to $5.75 .

The third crossing also calls for a wider I-664 in Hampton, Suffolk and Chesapeake and a new four-lane road connecting the Martin Luther King Freeway in Portsmouth to I-564 north of Craney Island.

Building the entire network, according to the Skanska/Washington/BAM plan, would increase tolls to as much $8.50, but the consortium doesn’t specify what trip that toll would cover. The proposal predicts the project will cost $3.2 billion, with about $890 million of that coming from the state and federal governments.

“I’ve read both proposals,” said Mal Kerley , VDOT’s chief engineer. “As far as what they plan to do, they’re pretty much the same. … Both talk about tolling all the crossings down there.”

Both consortiums believe the crossing can be completed by about 2013, and both say they will need more time to develop detailed financial plans.


VDOT’s construction budget is shrinking and it does not have enough money to help build the project. The project being proposed would be built under the state’s public-private partnership law, which allows private companies greater room to finance, design, build and operate public roads.

A proposal from a group led by Fluor Virginia offers three approaches to financing the third crossing but does not offer specifics on what tolls might be. The first calls for paying for the work entirely with tolls, while the other two offer various levels of public investment and different toll rates.

Fluor’s option for financing the project entirely with tolls also includes imposing tolls on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Monitor-Merrimac complex.

That proposal could pose the most problems for lawmakers whose support could be needed, because no improvements are planned at the Hampton Roads facility. But it would solve another problem that highway planners have warned about: As long as there are “free” options for crossing Hampton Roads, it will be difficult to attract motorists to new toll facilities.

Fluor’s other two options would put tolls on just one of the existing bridge-tunnels.

Fluor estimated the public investment needed, were it to build the project, would range from $413 million to $630 million. It also predicted the project would cost $3.2 billion.

Both consortiums promised to deliver the project about $1.3 billion cheaper and five years sooner than previously estimated officially.

The proposals will be reviewed by VDOT, and one or both will be presented to the Commonwealth Transportation Board next year for further review.

[Style™]

By MARISA TAYLOR, Pilot Online
© October 13, 2004 | Last updated 6:50 PM Oct. 13

VIRGINIA BEACH - The City Council voted Tuesday to approve building a $46.7 million performing arts theater at Town Center, sweeping aside doubts about rising construction costs.

Supporters said the 9-2 vote fulfilled a promise made to community groups that the city would re place the Pavilion theater, which is being torn down in May. Clancy & Theys Construction Co. is scheduled to complete the 1,200-seat theater at Town Center by August 2007.

“Sure, I have concerns about the money,” said Councilman James L. Wood, before voting yes. “But I think these are details that can be worked out.”

The vote, which was greeted by applause in the packed council chambers, confirmed the city’s support for a project that several weeks ago appeared endangered by concerns about the theater’s cost, size and location.

Five of the 11 council members had said they were unsure whether they could support the project, which had increased in cost by $4.4 million. The city has set aside $35 million for the theater and must come up with another $11.7 million . Some council members wondered whether that additional money could be recouped through fund-raising efforts, ticket fees and the sale of naming rights.

Some also worried that the theater’s smaller size would mean the city would have to subsidize its operations as well as its construction.

But by the end of the debate, only Councilwoman Reba S. McClanan and Councilman Bob Dyer voted against the project. Dyer, who was elected in May, said he was fulfilling an election promise to spend the city’s money wisely.

“I do not in any way malign your efforts – I am not anti-arts,” Dyer told an audience made up mostly of theater supporters. “Please understand that I am making good on a promise I made.”

McClanan did not explain her vote but previously expressed concerns about the risk of relying on private fund raising to repay the city.

Other council members said they felt they had no alternative but to approve the theater after witnessing the outpouring of support from community theater groups.

The city considered renovating the Pavilion theater, but rejected that idea because of the cost. Recently, several council members explored using Regent University’s theater, but concluded the venue was too small.

Two years ago, the city projected the theater would cost $50 million to build. In February, a new estimate came in for millions lower. While the city was negotiating a final contract with the builder, construction costs began rising.

Councilman Richard A. Maddox, one of the project’s most vocal skeptics, said he decided to vote for the theater even though he thinks it is too small.

“We got hundreds of e-mails in support of this thing,” Maddox said. “Except for e-mail from one or two people, we never heard from anyone who was against it. It was a very coordinated lobbying campaign and a very effective one, quite frankly.”

Tuesday night, Dot Wood, the head of the city’s theater advisory committee, vowed the money temporarily fronted by the city would be paid back by the private sector.

The city also announced the state has approved the fund raising structure needed to begin accepting donations. City officials are planning to add a $3 fee per ticket to raise $5.4 million for the project.

City officials also have asked developers Art and Steve Sandler to donate $8 million to the city in exchange for naming the theater after their family. The family has expressed interest, but hasn’t announced a decision.

The city may be pursuing another type of theater in the near future. Maddox said Tuesday that he hopes the city will now pursue building a 2,500- to 3,000-seat entertainment complex in the resort area, which would be supported by the creation of a tax increment financing district.

Such districts, which are known as “TIFs,” funnel any growth in property tax revenue back into public projects in that area. The Town Center garages are being funded with revenue from such a district.

[Liger Zero]

Check out this thread for more info:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=120291

[Liger Zero]

Check out this thread for more info on projects in the Hampton Roads Area:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=120291

[Style™]

or - you could just post the information here.

[Liger Zero]

Originally Posted by Style™

or - you could just post the information here.

I could, but I didnt want to be redundant by having the same info in more than one place on the same site. But if thats the request, then so be it. Starting now, I'll post info here as well as in the Southeast/Projects and Contruction subforum. For info before now, I advise to check out the link I posted above unless someone (other than me) wants to post 4 pages of info here in this subforum.

[Style™]

well, please do post here. this is a better forum anyway.

[Style™]

Mayor Paul Fraim announced today that the City of Norfolk has become a $1 billion neighborhood.

During the past four and a half years, Mayor Fraim said almost 3,000 new residential units have either been built, are under construction or been approved for construction, topping the $1 billion dollar mark for residential development. This does not reflect the significant investment in hospitality, tourism, retail, business and commercial developments.

This kind of unprecedented growth, Fraim said, was beyond the city’s wildest dreams just 20 years ago. In addition, he said $25 million has been invested in more than 1,000 residential additions, repairs and expansions.

Fraim said virtually every neighborhood in the city is being touched by the unprecedented growth in residential construction.

“From the banks of the historic Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk to the sands of the Chesapeake Bay in Ocean View, investors and developers are transforming this old seaport town into a vibrant and exciting community.”

Fraim said the construction of the new residential units reflect a genuine faith in the future economic prosperity of the city by prominent developers and investors from across Hampton Roads and the United States.

Mayor Fraim made the announcement during a ceremony to launch the construction of St. Paul’s Place on Freemason Street. The plan calls for the construction of 90 condominiums on one of Norfolk’s most historic thoroughfares. The prices of the condominiums will start at $185,000.

The developers of the project, Jack Pope and Jeff Wermers, said the project has been carefully designed to compliment the historic integrity of Freemason Street. Two of the city’s most historic homes, the Willoughby Baylor House and the Moses Myers House, are located at opposite ends of the street.

Mayor Fraim predicted that residential construction will continue in the city at a rapid pace.

“The city’s reputation as one of the finest communities in the country is spreading as more and more people discover the advantages of living in a dynamic urban community.”

[Style™]

Originally Posted by willy

By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 11, 2004

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.

[Style™]

Originally Posted by willy

Special thanks to stealingpears over at Richmondcitywatch.com for taking these photos.







This where Trader Publishing is going to build a 20 story tower to replace the BB&T lot. Hilton is also planning to build a 25 story hotel right near that.



















These are just some web finds that I threw in.

Originally Posted by willy

Newport News's downtown has been taken over by Northrop Grumman (Shipyard), so it's pretty gritty. There is a lot of crime around the downtown area, which keeps businesses and people away.















The city has been focusing a lot of their attention on these two projects for some time. When finished Oyster Point business center will/is replacing N.N's downtown

Oyster Point (City Center)










Port Warwick

[lammius]

Talks might resume to bring Expos to Norfolk

Robert DuPuy


By HARRY MINIUM , The Virginian-Pilot
© December 21, 2004

NORFOLK — Major League Baseball will reopen negotiations with the city about relocating the erstwhile Montreal Expos to Harbor Park this coming season if officials are unable to conclude a stadium-finance deal with Washington, Robert DuPuy, baseball’s president and chief operating officer, said Monday.

“We would contact all of the former interested communities, including Norfolk, both with regard to next year and beyond,” if talks break down with Washington, DuPuy said in an e-mail to The Virginian-Pilot.

DuPuy’s comments came amid other media reports that put Norfolk back into the picture for the Expos, who moved to Washington two months ago and have been rechristened the Washington Nationals.

The Washington Post reported Monday that baseball sources indicate that Norfolk “is considered a primary alternate home” for the Expos if the deal in Washington falls through.

ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons reported much the same on ESPN.com.



P O L L


Should Norfolk entertain a second round of talks with the Expos?


Yes
No
Undecided



View results



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If the deal with Washington falls through, commissioner Bud Selig “is not going to play at RFK Stadium, and the word around baseball is that the Nationals will play the next two years in Norfolk, Va.,” Gammons wrote.

Baseball officials negotiated a stadium-finance plan that called for Washington to pay for most of a $531 million facility, but that deal is on the brink of collapse. The District of Columbia Council rejected the plan last week in favor of one that calls for private financing of more than half the stadium.

The council’s final meeting of the year is scheduled tonight. A deal must be in place by Dec. 31 or baseball in Washington is dead, Mayor Anthony A. Williams said.

The Washington Post reported that Norfolk would be the favorite if a deal falls through in Washington primarily because of its location in the eastern time zone. Other potential candidates include Las Vegas and Portland, Ore., located too far away to play in the National League’s East Division.

“The league schedule is done, and the Nationals are playing an East schedule,” said William Somerindyke Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Norfolk Baseball Co., the group that tried to buy the Expos and move them to Norfolk.

“That means they’re not going to send a team to the West.”

Northern Virginia and Monterrey, Mexico, are other sites that were considered. Officials in Hampton Roads reacted cautiously to the reports.

“I’m not going to speculate, because I have no idea what terms might be discussed,” Mayor Paul D. Fraim said.

He called the chances of the Nationals relocating to Norfolk “really a long, long shot.”

Added Somerindyke: “I don’t know how seriously to take this until Dec. 31,” he said of the end of baseball’s agreement to negotiate exclusively with Washington. “I can’t imagine that Washington’s not going to get the deal done.

“But if they don’t, then obviously we’ll try and take advantage of any opportunity we get.”

Left in limbo by the potential turn of events is the Norfolk Tides Triple-A team. Ken Young, the Tides president, said he has not been contacted by Major League Baseball and was surprised by The Washington Post and ESPN.com reports.

“I do think that the Washington City Council will come around and things will get worked out,” he said.

He said it’s too late for the Tides to relocate, and that the Nationals would have to play 81 home games at Harbor Park, while the Tides will play 72.

“That’s basically 153 home games in a six-month period,” he said. “It would be difficult.”

He also lamented the possibility that even a speculative story about the Nationals coming to Norfolk might hurt Tides’ ticket and corporate sponsorship sales.

DuPuy said Major League Baseball would discuss relocating the Nationals both on a temporary and permanent basis with other communities in January if talks break down with Washington.

Somerindyke said if baseball proposes anything but a permanent relocation, it would be unfair to the Tides.

“If they bring a team here for two years, then try and move it out or fold the team, it’s not fair,” he said. “Then you’ve completely ruined the market for the Tides.”

Norfolk City Councilman W. Randy Wright said he “wouldn’t rule out” discussions on any subject with Major League Baseball, but said relocating a team in Norfolk temporarily “wouldn’t make a lot of sense.”

If negotiations begin anew with Norfolk in January, it’s unlikely a deal could be reached quickly. Major parts of state legislation that call for state and local taxes generated at a stadium to be dedicated to stadium debt expires on Dec. 31.

Fraim said “we’ll cross that bridge if we have to” when asked if the city would ask the General Assembly to extend the legislation.

“I have no idea what they’re going to do,” Fraim said of baseball officials.

“All I know is that we’ve had no contact with them. We didn’t have much contact with them before, either. They keep things very close to the vest.”

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




More Major League Baseball Articles
• D.C. mayor says baseball deal is ''close to dying'' - Dec. 16

[lammius]

Ooops. I should've previewed. Didn't mean to leave that Poll in there!

[ralex231]

WHere is this?

[vdogg]

Way to go guys. You can never have too many hampton roads forums. SSP seems to have HR pretty well represented so its time to start concentrating some effort back here now.

[astro]

Cool! A Hampton Roads thread is back. Good to see.

[lammius]

Too bad the Expos story was dead only hours after it was released. Washington seems to have nabbed 'em for sure this time

[fwskyline]

If I may make a request, could we see some Norfolk neighborhoods? I'm particularly curious as to what Ghent and the area around Lafayette Park look like. Maybe the actual beach portion of VA Beach, too.

[oduguy1999]

Norfolk















VA Beach

[VaCeltic]

cool pics oduguy