Chesapeake Pirate

Are there any active development plans for the land between Monticello Ave. and Armistead Ave., between 14th and 16th St.'s?

Looks the same as it has the past 34 years to me. When did they add on?

NEW! Sunday Acoustic Concerts on the Waterfront With Hunter Hughes Part of New Waterside Events Program Free and Everyone is Welcome

For Immediate Release: This Weekend Inside Waterside Festival Marketplace, Downtown Norfolk ...all activities and shows are free Friday, July 10 Friday Family Date Night 5 pm - 6:30 pm: Here

The Gym is not moving. It is expanding with an additional location to be better able to serve those who work in the downtown towers. The Gym Downtown Waterside Fitness Studio The Gym Downtown has opened a 2nd location inside Waterside on the first floor. During our introductory period

Not "on Boush", but at the corner of Boush and College Place. Entry faces College Place. The site I was told about was formerly a convenience store that closed when The Market opened under HH.

You are being much too posiitive. The E. Princess Anne property is very close to the Broad Creek neighborhood to the east and not far from the continually revitalized Church St. corridor to the west. Don't recall much if anything very new in that stretch in well...forever...so this is a postive to me. If the rent is managable for those who need a lower level, and if all the other apartments are too high and keep increasing, they may have a niche to fill. With the other, good to see something begin to happen in the Fort Norfolk area. It's obviously a tough time for any development activity.

Other side of Boush....where the little convenience store used to be.

Someone told me that Machismo is moving to corner of College Place and Boush. Is this old or new news?

The key is what you said. This a starter line. It is not a magic trick that will be the best light rail in the country the very first day. It needs to be expanded sooner rather than later to the Oceanfront, to ODU, to the Naval base, to the airport, to Greenbrier, and to the Peninsula. It will take a long time but thank God Norfolk has started the ball rolling.

I am very pleased to see that Virginia will apparently very soon become a place where smoking is no longer allowed in restaurants. While I am not interested in debating that, I am interested in what impact there will be on our Norfolk restaurants. I suspect that a few establsihments that cater to the heavy smoking and drinkers may have some troubles...perhaps serious troubles, but I think overall more restaurant business will result because people will no longer have to worry, wonder or perhaps avoid certain restaurants because of the concern with smoke.

What is an unbias opinion piece? 10th graders giving a professional writing advice? How many in that class write for the VP now? Last I checked, Kerry is still drawing a paycheck.

I understand the purpose you state, but since this thing is right on the edge of the field, chances are some folks are going to want to party and watch the game too to some degree. As presently designed, that flexibility will only be avaialble to those very close to the rail by the outfield. What I would suggest would require starting out a few feet higher in the back and then just drop down one or maybe two additional levels with perhaps two rows of "high tables" on each level. Just as is done in the main ballpark, ADA compliance can occur on the upper level.

I wonder why it was designed to have just one level. It seems it would have been wise to have two or three. Just one step up for each level and so many more could be out there and actually be enjoying themselves and see the game too.

This is a nice video of the light rail project showing what it will be like to travel from stop to stop. Sorry if this has been linked before. Ride the Tide

Nice update on the plans and progress of converting the former James Madison hotel downtown into Class A office space. It is in a great location to get a little jump on the Wachovia Center movement to redistribute some of the office space available downtown which is mostly south of City Hall Avenue. I think this a real healthy thing in the ongoing evolution and redevelopment of downtown. Converting the James Madison Hotel

Why are you at a loss? I suspect the money is already raised, or a good amount of it is raised and the balance pledged from the loyal and responsible members of the church. I love them too. Most people do. However, there is certainly no clear cut opinion that this is a very special house worthy of throwing one's body in front of the bulldozer over.

What's so wonderful about this particular house? Yes, I know it is old. There are hundreds very similar all over Ghent. There will still be hundreds very similar with no known plans to tear any of them down. And the church that owns it has raised the money to build an addition to their church to better serve the community and voluntarily offered to build a replica across the street. I salute Christ & St. Luke's for this carefully considered effort.

I read that the same way vdogg, and I agree with you. I think the point was a more central location in the city that would be closer to the most who would use it.

Sorry to hear of your accident, and hope your recovery goes well.

I think that in today's world your suggestion to just move these folks out and get on with what the city thinks is right would be both political suicide and misguided. Like it or not, this is home to many people who have apparently lived there for quite some time. It is also a unique area in that it contains several beautiful old historic churches. I don't know that the city has promised everyone they can still live there when the plan is implemented, but it only makes sense to realize there will be a residential component to the plan and it would seem to make a lot of sense for it to include some affordable housing. I remember a high rise tower for the elderly being discussed as one option among many when I attended one of the early planning sessions. This is a very exciting opportunity for the residents and for downtown and I think the opinions and desires of those the city has living there now should be considered. Obviously government failed all of us coming up with these warehouse type low income housing projects. A new and better way will benefit everyone.

I think you are right. Virginia Beach didn't care about having a downtown until Norfolk's dowtown resurgence. Once Norfolk's light rail system is under construction, I predict Virginia Beach will take another hard look. I suspect they will at least at first limit their consideration to Town Center. My perception is that they still consider the beach to be mainly for tourists who stay in the hotels. I don't think they can wrap themselves around a system that would make it easy for non-hotel stayers to make their way to the oceanfront.

I hope all the stops are complete stops....it will make getting on and off easier . I may certainly be missing something, but how could a train know before it gets to a station that there is no one there intending to get on? And even if it were that smart and knew that no one was intending to get on at the next station, how would it know whether a rider already on the train might want to get off? I have ridden light rail in Salt Lake City and San Diego and recall no such smart features. Is this new technology?

The local housing market as measured by assessments is holding steady in spite of all the negativity. Based on all the doom and gloom, I am surprised to hear that assessments are not projected to be going down. Jump in home values expected to taper off in '08

I don't recall any statements that the St. Paul's Quadrant plan was supposed to be completed a "long time ago". I went to one of the workshops and had a chance to participate and add ideas several months ago. We were specifically told to standby for further work by the consultants to absorb all of the public input and have then come up with some early ideas, but that nothing would proceed with further public involvment. Sounds like it is time for further public involvment and to see what the consultants have come up with. Unfortunately, I have an out of town trip that weekend so I hope everyone here who is interested and able will attend October 5-6 sessions. No one will be able to say they didn't have a meaningful chance to offer their opinions on what should be done with this area of downtown Norfolk.