levarforever

Yeah, I know it might be a while before development around the light rail stations start booming, like you said 2 to 3 years after light rail is built...but they should definitely start now. It would be nice to see Norfolk develop transit villages like they've done in Arlington. Norfolk should come up with a specific development plan for the light rail stations in the lower density areas, instead of anticipating what may be developed there.

Here's a VA Pilot article concerning Norfolk's recent demolition of historic buildings. It should spark an interesting conversation here. Credibility demolished along with Norfolk storefront

Too bad I didn't get to see the light rail segment on channel 48. Did they say anything about future expansions to the Navy Base or ODU?...Just curious.

The next light rail expansion...what will it be? Any guesses? I know it's too early to speculate, but I guess I'm just curious.

Here's an article from Portfolio Weekly discussing the recent successes of HRT, including light rail. I think you'll find all this news very promising for us when you put it all together. Three Cheers for HRT

Has anyone read this blog on VA-Pilot yet? It's kind of funny in it's sarcasm. It pretty much expresses the same sentiment most of us on urbanplanet have. Here's a link incase you want to comment: Light rail skeptics, listen u SO THE WRITER OF SATURDAY'S LETTER about light rail believes it can't succeed because people in this day and age won't walk a few blocks to a station in return for a break from stop-and-go traffic. Just like when others said MacArthur Center would be a flop; that no one could be enticed to come to Granby Street at night; no one would want to live in a downtown Norfolk apartment; and that the Tides' ballpark would be better off built in the suburbs. Yes, let's continue to invest in the accoutrements of "personal transportation." The automobile

This story is on HRT's website too. ] Micheal Townes named chairman of APTA

Here's a Virginian-Pilot article anouncing Micheal Townes has been named the American Public Transit Association (APTA) chairman. Respectively, Norfolk City Councilman W. Randy Wright will head the APTA Transit Board Members Committee. It could have some very promising implications for transportation in Hampton Roads. I posted this in the Off-Topic thread as well, because it could pertain to both. HRT president named chairman of national transit group

Actually, I've seen old houses being renovated in Park Place...Victorian, Arts and Crafts style, etc. I know what you mean about the new construction on the blocks that have been cleared, which I don't really like because the houses they put in their place don't do the historical integrity of Park Place any justice. For example, I've lived in Park Place for years, on 35th street to be exact, where you can see those new vynill houses on Newport Avenue, (34th and 35th among other places) dubbed "Park Place Central" or something like that. They look too assembly-line for my tastes and as if they can be picked apart with my bare hands. The older, and brick houses, I might add, appear sturdier and not so artificial. There isn't a wide spread initiative to renovate the houses in Park Place that I know of, but there are some private investors doing so. Sure the process is slow, but I've seen it happen enough to think that there is a burgeoning mixed income community. Not by design of coures, because Park Place wasn't originally concieved for that purpose. There was a young couple that moved into one of the old houses down the street from me and across from them a middle class family, one of them being someone I knew from Granby high school. I even lived next door to the business of a fairly well known Norfolk figure, who shall remain nameless. Believe it or not there are people of middle income sprinkled around Park Place. It just tends to go unnoticed because of Park Place's negative reputation. Now whether the new development or renovations are an attempt to weed out the unproductive citizens intentionally...I wish I could read minds, but I can't say for sure. It could happen once the middle class become the overwhelming majority there, but that's speculative at this point. As it stands now, I think Park Place can capitalize on it's present mix of income status. As for the apartments there, atleast they're fixing them up instead of letting them go to waste. I'm not sure which one's in particular you're talking about not having a/c. I'll have to do some research on that. Just curious...What do you think about the three newly renovated apartment buildings on 36th street? I think they're called Kensington Condominiums.

Just to add...without clogging up the traffic ... For a mixed use community in St. Paul's quadrant to work, meaning one that includes middle-income and affordable housing, it is important to attract the young professionals, college students, and the like or as some would call them, "yuppies". It's that particular group of the middle-class that, I believe, is more open-minded to the sentiments and desires of those who live on the lower end of the economic ladder. I find them more willing to interact and mingle with the low income demographic, even beyond racial lines. I think they are the future of Norfolk, in that they will defy old myths about low income residents and urban life in general. I mean no offense, but most of the phobias, real or imagined, about urban life are still held by the older, more conservative, suburb-loving crowd...and I'm saying this as someone who considers himself a young conservative...well reasonably conservative. Anyway, I find that for the most part, the young-professional is more open to diversity (racial, cultural, socio-economic, etc.), so I would urge the city of Norfolk to keep this in mind when redeveloping the Quadrant. If I'm not mistaken, much of downtown's continued success in the housing market is due to it's appeal to young professionals, whether that was intended or not. I mean, that's just what I hear nowadays. On that note, I'm not saying all the older middle class wouldn't be interested.

I believe the low income residents of the Quadrant can come out winners in future development. From what I understand, the city of Norfolk wants to achieve a mixed-use, transit oriented development...something along those lines. Usually, such developments include a mix of incomes as well as a mix of retail and office uses. Take Park Place for instance. In the past several years, I've noticed an influx of the middle-class into Park Place(the vast majority of them being young professionals who can't quite afford the more expensive housing) fixing up the old houses and apartment buildings. Now, you can see relatively expensive housing and affordable housing on the same street. I think the activity there is building up too. Recenly, there have been old apartment buildings from the early 1900s converted into what are called "affordable condos", which is ironic, because Park Place is generally regarded as a low income neighborhood that has wrestled with crime and blight for years. Here's a link to a Virginian-Pilot article from last year, addressing the same issue: Affordable Condos in Park Place. Things are changing there. And from what I can see it is, to some degree, a mixed income neighborhood. Certainly, it wasn't originally built for that purpose, but I think it reminds us that the same is possible for St. Paul's Quadrant.

Yes, I agree it should all be one master plan. That way, the design will be more uniform and appear to be purposeful. I'm anxious to see what Norfolk has in mind, if anything, so far. If Norfolk doesn't get this Quadrant redevelopment going soon, I plan to swamp the council with so many letters they'll have to use a leaf blower to get through city hall...lol.

It would be interesting to compare the negative reactions to light rail, to the negative reactions MacArthur Center recieved when it was in it's conceptual phase. I remember when the city hadn't even broken ground on Macarthur Center and so many people were livid about it and saying it would be a complete failure...tax burden, who's going to shop there...you know the usual. Just like now, you had detractors from outside of Norfolk railing against of things, a mall; even from outside of Virginia. That's the part that really perplexed me more than anything else. Again, you're seeing the same thing today against light rail. Bottom line, people's view of urban life and development needs to be updated and attitudes need to modernize, instead of resorting to tantrums everytime something has the potential to transform our comfort-cul de sac from mediocracy to something that stands out.

Here's an example of transit-oriented development (design) in Arlington. If Norfolk does the right thing with St. Paul's Quadrant and other areas, it could look something like this one day. Sorry if the picture is a bit pixelated, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.

I've been coming across info on Arlington, VA and I hear it's the nation's leading example of transit oriented design and mixed use development and so on. And I was thinking to myself, "why can't Norfolk be like that"? 7 of Arlington's 11 metrorail stations have high density development around them. They call it following the "smart growth" philosophy. Actually there are several terms that pretty much mean the same thing. Anyway, I was thinking about moving up there, not just for the urban feel, but because they have more graphic design jobs up there. I think Norfolk could learn a lot from Arlington when it comes to mixed-use development in the Quadrant. I read something about Arlington getting rid of a lot of the sprawled areas and adhering to a more high-density approach, by building more row houses and other high density housing. Arlington also has made an effort provide more affordable housing. I think Norfolk can learn from that too.