levarforever

Very good point. But speaking of Maglev, without going off the subject too much, has ODU made any kind of progress with that? And just a thought...wouldn't it be cool if Norfolk not only led the way for light rail in Hampton Roads, but also Maglev?

...just to add, I think light rail will be a huge plus for the tourism industry in Norfolk, especially since Norfolk has year-round visitors. When you think about it, the Virginia Arts Festival, AframFest, and cruiseships bring scores of visitors to downtown Norfolk, who don't have their own transportation. So, light rail will give them an opportunity to get around from point A to B more efficiently. But I think the greater impact of tourism will happen after light rail is further expanded.

Yeah, it would have been nice to see the Military Highway coriddor included in the starter line or the Wards Corner area for that matter, but I suppose planners didn't want to jinx anything by reworking initial plans, thus adding on to cost estimates. In anycase, sadly to say, the nay-sayers are not going to change their opinions until they actually see light rail in action. And even then, they probably won't be completely sold on it. I've also noticed how much some comments on the VA Pilot are full of panic. The funny thing is, it reminds me of the ferociously negative reactions when Macarthur Center was still just on paper. After it was realized as a success, the nay-sayers dissappeared and finally accepted it, I pressume. I think the same thing will happen with light rail. That being said, I sort of understand the negative reactions in a way. I may be wrong, but I think most of it is from a fear of change and based on negative abstract views of urban life and development. Only time will tell if attitudes will change.

It's interesting to see so many complaints on the VA Pilot about why this light rail line won't go to the Naval Base, ODU, Ocean View and other places further out. But what they don't get is, this is a starter line. Meaning, it's meant to be eventually expanded to those other areas.

Most of the negative comments are just a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacking if you ask me. My guess is the opponents of light rail were kind of quiet for a while because they didn't think it would get this far. But now that they see it becoming a reality, it's like they're in panic mode or something.

Thanks for the link! Those are some nice renderings. They're more eye-popping than previous ones I've seen.

All this light rail talk has gotten me all psyched. I can't believe this is finally happening. Thank God

Oh I take that back...part of the city's action reads...

Not to get off the subject too much, but I posted this link to a rezoning ordinance from the city of Norfolk concerning land to be developed with townhouses in the vicinity of Washington Avenue, Church and Lexington Street. In fact, there are some new townhouses about a couple of blocks from the Attucks Theater if I'm not mistaken. I think they add to the kind of density you are talking about. Eventhough this area is somewhat outside of St. Paul's Quandrant, this action by the city council might be an indication that they are thinking high-density outside of downtown. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but you can read the ordinance for yourself. http://www.norfolk.gov/council_members/CouncilAgenda/ph3.pdf

I might be alone on this one, but I love the new rendering. Actually, it was what I was hoping for in the first place, not that the previous designs were unattractive; They were just not my taste. They were a little too "space age" for me. This one has a heavier, industrial-urban feel, without looking too blocky. And yet, it still maintains some sleekness, in my opinion. The straight lines are nicely capped off with the curvature at front and rear, so I think in that instance, there is a good balance. The previous renderings reminded me of the bullet train in Japan or Maglev, which, in and of themselves are great systems, I'm sure, but I think this new design fits Norfolk's city-scape more appropriately. The curvier desings would work better with a younger city like VA Beach, in my opinion. I mean, certainly if they were still going with the previous designs, I would still be happy, but I do prefer this one even more.

Hi everyone! Here's a new Virginian-Pilot article on light-rail. I don't know if the rendering is new, but it's so cool though! It's much more realistic than the previous I've seen. Unfortunately, I haven't come across any others as detailed as this one, so far. Norfolk officials gearing up for light-rail line

Not to get off the subject too much but, I was a student at NSU for about six years and I've been back there to visit recently and from my first-hand experience I can tell you, that campus has already had serious security problems. It's rediculous to think that a light rail station would somehow influence that one way or the other. I used to see all types of tresspassers and God-knows-who, walk through that campus like it was nothing, and not just during off hours, but while classes were in full gear. From what I can see, nothing really major has changed as far as security improvements. There are security guards there, but in my opinion there aren't enough checkpoints. Sure if you are entering by automobile, you'll more than likely have to check in, but that won't account for people who can walk in all willy nilly from surrounding neighborhoods, many of which are not exactly utopias, if you know what I mean. The truth is, NSU has already had several criminal incidents over the past decade, most of them from people who weren't even connected to the school in any kind of way. There was a murder there about two years ago I think. I'm starting to suspect there's another reason why the NSU Board of Visitors is afraid of light rail access to the campus, but at this point, I just don't understand what that could be. Personally, I don't see how such a major contributor to higher learning in Norfolk and the region, will somehow be hampered by more efficient transportation.

By the way, I got that pic from this site: http://www.geocities.com/greg_vassilakos/n...norfolk_lrt.htm It's not an official Norfolk light rail website, but the pictorials give you a feel for what light rail will be like here, as far as routes are concerned.

When Kirn is torn down, it would be nice if the city built a new main library like this, on the same plot of land, with the rail station inside the building. That would be so cool. I don't know how expensive that would be though.

Hey, this is great news. Banana Republic is going to open a store in Macarthur Center. Check out this brief but exciting article in the Virginian-Pilot. http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?...&ran=157234

It may be pointless at this time to bring up the issue of the missing third anchor for Macarthur Center, but I was just thinking. Remember when Norfolk was trying to get Macy's which was obviously unsuccessful. Well, now that Hecht's stores have been replaced with Macy's, maybe Norfolk should have gone for Hecht's in the beginning. Shoulda', coulda', woulda'... Oh the irony Then again, for Macarthur to get a Macy's now would be nothing special, considering the fact that we have several in the 757 area. So, it would be better for the mall to get Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus. That's wishful thinking I guess. That empty space is sort of like my creepy looking middle school math teacher, who had long strands of hair hanging from her arm. You just want to do something about it, but you know can't. I guess you can't rush progress. It's not as if the mall hasn't been doing well without a third anchor. By the way, I'm trying to think where the ice skating rink will end up once they do get a third anchor. Okay, I'm thinking waaaaay to far into the future.

I don't know if it's started already. It seems too early, but you never know. I have no idea how engineers prepare for constructing a light rail system, however, according to the Virginian-Pilot, "If no objections are raised, local officials will sign a contract accepting $128 million in federal rail funding, and start construction this fall." Fall is just a few weeks away, so I'm looking forward to seeing something happen. If I'm not mistaken, light rail should be running by late 2009 or January 2010. Reps Thelma Drake and Bobby Scott sounded pretty confident that light rail will become a reality, so there just might be some preparation going on for construction already, but I wish I could say for sure.

I wonder what role Portsmouth and Chesapeake will play in future light rail expansion. Some areas in Chesapeake and Portsmouth seem to be just a hop-skip away from Norfolk. You could also throw Southside Norfolk in the mix too. Some of the areas like Berkley and Campostella would be a straight shot from Norfolk's proposed 7.4 mile starter line. I'm just theorizing here.

"In those days, Norfolk desperately wanted a "modern" look. We suffered low self esteem over the tawdry Navy boom years of wartime, so older buildings, both good and bad, were regarded as symbols of decay and decline." Hi Padman. Great post! It's very enlightening. I wonder if your statement above sheds light on why Norfolk, even today, seems so quick to tear down old buildings, even ones in fairly good shape. If thats the case, I think on some level it makes the city of Norfolk look like it is sort of ignorant of the rest of urban America. I'm not saying that is true, but to me, it gives that impression. Someone needs to explain to the city council that "old" does not equal "decay". I've always felt that much of a city's identity exists because of it's antique architecture. So the more you start to erase that, the more that city begin's to loose a sense of self. Old myths die hard in Norfolk, apparently. Not to get off the subject too much, but just look at the whole hooplah over bringing tattoo parlors back. Frankly, oppositions like that make us seem uncultured and narrow-minded.

I think extending to the Navy base is a great idea and basically the logical next step. It would be great for the military community here. Besides, the Navy base is one of the major areas in Norfolk, besides EVMS and Downtown. Connecting all the major stops in Norfolk should be taken care of first, which brings to mind the Norfolk International Airport. You have to throw that into the mix too.

I hear that the only other obstacle, assuming congress is a real obstacle to begin with, is the Kirn Memorial Library. From what I understand there have been concerns about revitalizing it. I haven't read the article in Portfolio Weekly yet, but my feeling is that, for years, Norfolk needed to tear down Kirn and build a new main library, because it is run down in some aspects, but mostly, because it is outdated. We need something more state of the art anyway, so I don't think it will be a great loss to begin with except for people who have worked there for years. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't it built in the 1960s?

Heeeey, I was going to post the news about this, but I guess ya beat me to it....lol. This is great for Norfolk and, subsequently, the whole region. Everyone is saying it is a done deal. I hope you're right about the "mere formality". I'm still going to keep my fingers crossed really tight though.

I think that the historic architecture in Norfolk is much of what separates it from other cities in the 757. That is not to say that other cities in this region don't have historic buildings, I'm just saying Norfolk seems to stand out in that regard more so than Portsmouth, for instance. Our historic architecture makes up most our identity, so the more that dissappears, the less distinct we (meaning the city of Norfolk) will be from VA Beach, Chesapeake, or Hampton. That is already the long held belief anyway, that this region is monotonous. If Norfolk is going to truly be a historic city, than one would expect there to be physical evidence of that. I remember someone mentioning how much this area is in love with suburban life. I think that is so true, to the point that we don't really respect a historic urban appeal as much as Northern cities like Philadelphia or Washington D.C. This is not to mention how backwards we've been on other issues. There was a time when "Hampton Roads" was still struggling to establish an official name for its self, something that should have been settled about 300 years ago...but I digress. This is not about Norfolk trying to be like the aforementioned cities. This is about Norfolk living up to its potential and being able to balance an appreciation for its past as well as the future.

Without entertaining the unnecessarily condescending question at the end, I'd like to remind you that I never suggested that any other form of transportation wouldn't work to some degree in Va Beach. I'm open to all solutions that could be affective. However, in light of what you said, it begs the question, why acquiring any kind of mass transit system, that could be a catalyst for the entire region, light rail or otherwise, would not be spear-headed by VA Beach according to details about the city I already stated and that everyone in the 757 region is already aware of. Sure 30 foot hybrid buses are a good idea, complimentarily, except for the fact that they still have to confront traffic woes, just like all other motor vehicles. Whereas rail transit can bypass such headaches. Furthermore, rail transit travels on a direct route, making vast distances between certain areas, which is also indicative of VA Beach, seem like only a hop-skip away. So, it would actually make more sense that the vast sprawling, premiere city of VA Beach, imaginary Green Line or not, would take the lead in light rail, versus the city of Norfolk where in many districts you can walk or ride your bike to the mall. Lets not forget that VA Beach has almost twice as many people as Norfolk and just as much traffic, if not more.

I don't think I would want to ride anything called the "Hampster". It strikes me as indignant and inhumane to animals don't you think.