Former Resident of HR

There is an Aldi going up in Churchland, Portsmouth right now that should open this fall. I would assume that we will be seeing a lot of them to pre-empt Lidl's arrival in the region (and US). I'd like to see Aldi go into some areas that are not well served by grocery stores in the local area as they are cheap and have a relatively decent selection. Much better than Sav-a-lot.

I drove through the other day and it's going to be next to the CVS. It's a free standing building.

That would be a nice location. In the renderings for the project that VB wants to build adjacent to the Norfolk Outlets they are fighting tooth and nail there was a very Wegmans looking store as well. So who knows?

There have been numerous articles about a new to Hampton Roads grocery store coming to Portsmouth (Aldi). Anyone know the exact address?

So I read in the Pilot that the former Super K-Mart at Hilltop will now be a... drumroll... Super Walmart. Such great news! (puke) I thought that there was this big rumor that Wegman's bought that property but I guess that is wishful thinking. http://hamptonroads.com/2015/08/walmart-supercenter-will-move-former-kmart-building-hilltop

I'd be surprised if Nordstrom stays with McArthur after they open a Rack 5 miles away. I think the writing is on the wall and hopefully Norfolk can read it. What might be nice is a Macy's move to downtown (maybe in the Nordstrom building, maybe in a new 3rd anchor space) and maybe another retailer like Off 5th sets up shop here in the area either at Pembroke or McArthur. It would be very bad if Nordstrom pulls out and then there are no other anchors in MacArthur besides Dillards. Even a Belk might be an ok fit... it would be better than an empty shell. Does anyone know where the WF is going to set up shop? Most of this new stuff seems like outparcel so I wonder if the PM is planning to get more stores inside. I go to the Target there (over Military Hwy) but never actually walk through the mall itself because it is still a dead zone inside.

I'm kind of curious because when looking at the site plan, there is a big spot where an "anchor tenant" is supposed to go (I would assume on the VB side of things). It looks like an upscale Super Walmart in the renderings but I am thinking I read something about how the second phase would have some big, unique to Hampton Roads type store. So I am wondering if this would mean Wegman's or an IKEA in that spot? Also, I was thinking that VB could have a reason to complain that Norfolk is taking all the tax revenue and leaving them with a parking lot and water retention pond but from the rendering, they are getting a substantial piece of the development in the form of this new anchor and assorted outparcels. Now it just seems like they are being petty for no good reason. I will say that I think Norfolk needs to improve road access (Miller Store Road) to the back of that property to link it to the Military Hwy interchange (AKA the secret airport exit) because it will get backed up with people trying to avoid Northampton.

It's sad that Military Circle has come to this. It used to be nicer. In the early 00's, Janaf was in steep decline but if you will remember, this is when they started doing all that road work on Military from VB Blvd to 264. Total nightmare for 3 years or so. Janaf has blossomed because the owners got a bunch of new places in there as well as spill off from when the Walmart converted to a Supercenter. Circuit City went out at Janaf and in no time, they had someone else in there. The Gallery at Military looks like The Dixie Square Mall. It would make a great spot for an arena or an IKEA/outlet mall like a mini-Potomac Mills.

I'm curious to know what's going to happen to the old HRT bldg just south. Personally I think it would have been better to make a Target on the old HRT site and the lot where CFA is going but that is my wishful thinking. I think the drive through around the front is tacky too but at least it looks like it will be hidden by shrubs. Of the two, I like this design better because at least the parking is moved to the back.

Au bon pain is now open in MacArthur Center.

Went to MacArthur the other night. Dead as usual. Finish Line looks like they are closing/closed and some new place is going in the failed Fudge Brothers shop that used to be s brand name store.

Gayle's/7-11? Wow talk about the weirdest double branding ever...

I think saying it could "go around" West Ghent is a colossal mistake. Tellingly out of touch and typical of Fraim. It would be a better bet for the city to split the line at Monticello, sending that line up Monticello to about 20th then have it zig zag around the IHOP, follow 22nd Street and then jump over those tracks somewhere, meet up with Hampton Boulevard where it is five/six lanes/has a median and then go up from there. The only way I can imagine it going around West Ghent means up the Elizabeth River Trail which is a highly used bicycle trail and a neighborhood with a fierce civic league or over the water. Both of which would mean no stops in areas that are desirable. I don't see a point in it going all the way up Granby unless there was a street car type link to go and do a loop down like 35th to ODU and 38th back? And speaking of... it would be cool if Norfolk and even VB would start looking at streetcar links to the line that would have their own right of way as streetcars are much cheaper and possibly more likely to get federal funding.

This is where the city should have put down their foot and said no. The NSU station will probably be mostly NSU students going downtown or coming in who now have to walk across a very busy road to get to the campus. And it is bad for the local community (which NSU hates anyway). Seriously, criminals are not going to rob someone and then run over to the LRT station and wait 15 minutes for a train. Oh well, maybe they will develop something on that lot that the station is on. Overall, the tide is nice. I have to admit I was doom and gloom to start with but in researching other transit systems (and public road systems) it is basically the same story: everything will cost 2-3 times more than they say it will. I have been on it most days but have yet to see them start checking for tickets. I guess they are trying to play nice to get rider numbers up? Lots of people on bikes and bus riders on it as well so looks like it could be the backbone to a better transit system overall.

I thought a big part of Portland's buildings' height also has to do with the severe negative reaction to the (now named) Wells Fargo Center and the other major factor we don't have here: the specter of a massive subduction quake. I want to say that there is a magic number that no building can be taller than which is why the US Bank Building (Big Pink) is the only other really tall building downtown.

Looks like the "for lease" signs up at the old Blockbuster are gone so that was quick. Anyone know something? As for the awful & horrible (sarcasm intended) news about Sam's vs. Chipotle I could care less. I heard the bar will still exist in some form and the real reason Sam's is going down had something to do with the owners splitting their business. If the Ghentites crying about Chipotle boycott then it will go belly up. Somehow I doubt that and it's all part of the great circle of commerce. Now if someone could get all the empty storefronts in Ghent leased out to any business, chain or not, it would be a real blessing.

So when you say "all corporate" does that mean paying staff with college degrees more than 22K a year?

When is PETA leaving? You've been saying that for months and I have heard that for years. Someone that works there told me that they were in DC (Maryland) and moved here because the rent was cheaper. When are they going?

This HT is probably the nicest grocery store in Hampton Roads at this point. I would not be surprised if Farm Fresh has to close another of its lame "The Market" stores in the not so distant future. It would be good to run them out and get a Bloom instead.

If the guy who owns Voila doesn't have a hand in it, then you may as well forget it. Aren't there like three people in Norfolk who own all the dt clubs and restaurants?

Been to Portland a lot. Don't know if I agree with the statement that the stops are clean or new looking. Unless you were on one of the lines that is almost new (yellow or green). Most of the older stops are pretty minimal and Portland is not really a police state type place. I think it has more to do with people respecting the idea of transit (and surroundings in general) than would ever be possible here. I do hope that the transit police are strict though. Compare the DC Metro with the Baltimore Metro and you will see what lax security turns a transit system into. DC's Metro does feel like it is falling apart but that is because of the escalators.

Interesting. So it is CHEAPER to live in Richmond and they make higher salaries on average.

Is the city really considering that? It would be nice for downtown businesses too if they could work out some sort of free parking for a certain garage or two after, say 6 pm, to encourage more people to have dinner downtown (and gain more sales tax than they would by charging what they charge). I think for a lot of people, the idea of paying for parking and the hassle it creates makes them shy away from downtown even if that amount is very small. Reduce or eliminate that and downtown would have an even playing field to compete against VB Town Center.

I thought that was the case but if you actually walk down the tracks and get a look at certain spots, it appears as if cars and trains will share segments of the track. Next time you are down there, take a look at these areas in particular: 1. The 200 York Street block. There is one car lane that heads east and then one westbound lane painted over the tracks. There is also a signal in the intersection of York and Duke that supports that westbound (on train track) lane. 2. 100 Charlotte Street block. I don't see how they would not have cars share the road with trains in this area unless they close the whole Charlotte/Bute "Y" down. 3. 400-500 E. Plume Street block. The tracks here look very "wavy" in this block for some reason. I don't see how cars would gain access to that garage there as well as the businesses further down Plume without sharing the roadway with a train. I guess that my point is that on almost all LR systems I have been on and seen, the trains have a dedicated right of way which is part of the appeal. I have also been on the Portland Streetcar in Portland, OR which runs right down streets for part of its route. In traffic, it becomes a bus on rails. By that I mean it becomes just another vehicle rather than a bypass to traffic. I personally don't know why the Portland Streetcar tracks are not closed to all other traffic during rush hours but it works because the train is only in one of the lanes of the road (Look up 2086 NW Lovejoy, Portland, Or for a better idea). In some places like Plume, the train tracks take up the whole street. My worry is that LR mixed with traffic and the wonderful HRT team that they have on hand will equal accidents and negative press which will in turn stifle its expansion. Also, with the large amount of space that the LR tracks take up, I would be very curious to see how they would make it viably go through Ghent. Taking the Portland Streetcar idea, I think the only way would be northbound trains going up one street (Colley?) and southbound going down another (Colonial?) and the Colonial train meeting up with the Colley via 23rd Street. I'm getting way ahead of myself with that, but if it can somehow be linked to Ghent, ODU and the base I think its potential would be enormous.

I have a question and I don't quite know if it has been covered in the archives or not. As I was looking at a few streets, it seems like the LR and cars will share the road in stretches. Is this right? I can see cars crossing over the tracks but actually sharing the road with the train makes zero sense to me. So basically it will be a bus on rails, trapped in downtown traffic? Anyone in the know, please elaborate.