baobabs727

Norfolk Premium Outlets likely killed any hope of new national retail at Military Circle. Heck, some true insiders fear NPO will partially cannibalize MacArthur & even TCVB.

Light Rail is dead in VB.

The three recently quoted "experts" by local media outlets have indicated that we are either not on the map at all...or we are fourth. That combined with the cost of a franchise at over $1 billion, the lack of an ownership group, and the unfunded needed upgrades, and I'm sticking with "not right now." I also noted that you declined to answer my question. LOL. Note: Nobody is saying "never" or "impossible." I don't know where some of you are getting that vibe. This line of dialogue started because there were people here saying that they heard we were getting a team and then discussing some speculation re: the same that doesn't actually seem to exist. Trying to get to the bottom of it all. So far I don't see any smoke...much less fire.

Who is "telling" you ? What speculation? Where? Heard it from whom? As for the NBA, extremely highly unlikely. The facility is not ready-made in design for the NBA and there is no current funding for the couple hundred million $$ in upgrades that would be needed. Additionally, there are other cities ahead of us. Way ahead.

Victory!

This just proves that real life is stranger than fiction. He was "startled?" Took another exit? The mood "turned?" Maybe the article's author is just being overly dramatic. But then again, that bizzarro caveat at the end--a "one day" reconciliation period...or else (!)--makes me wonder if the mayor needs to take a vacation or something. I mean, certainly one wouldn't normally place a one day time limit on the negotiatiation of a couple of "crossing t's/dotting i's" sticking points for an agreement that has been four years in the making. Especially when one side purportedly has yet to be informed of the specifics of these remaining issues!

Because it makes for good click bait, lol. Frankly, I'm not factoring in a professional sports franchise as a top priority. However, I do appreciate the article because it has me wondering if we've been sold a bill of goods here. Perhaps this arena will, as suggested therein, be a nice but relatively lower rent, large facility suited more for a big University basketball program rather than an NBA team. Moreover, it sounds like a facility in this price range might be afflicted with certain budget-related insufficiencies in construction and design so as to render impossible or wildly impractical any future NBA-compliant expansion and upgrade. In the end, an arena financed and developed with private monies from hometown folks might just prove to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's certainly a blessing because we likely wouldn't have received such a fiscally responsible deal from anyone else. On the other hand, the blessing might well turn out to be a curse for pro basketball fans.

Oh Snap! Aubrey Layne puts the schmack down on City Council and BT's valet cul-de-sac. Ouch. http://pilotonline.com/news/local/columnist/kerry-dougherty/not-so-fast-on-atlantic-avenue/article_aa6e84e0-2328-5a20-8d9d-5aced6b8cc8d.html Honestly, I couldn't say that I disagree with Mr. Layne or blame him for his frustration. There's been quite a bit of incompetence coupled with arrogance and a leadership vacuum on Council with respect to light rail, the $20 million repayment and this latest request for additional state dollars.

Cautiously optimistic now that we might just find ourselves on 19th St., front row and center at a basketball game or a concert in a few short years. Whew.

Huh? The following tenants of Waterside District are all unique to our region: The FOOD NETWORK's Guy Fieri's Smokehouse Starr Hill Bar & Market Blue Moon TapHouse The Fudgery The MARKET Norfolk (@30k sq ft) Luk Fu Noodles & Dim Sum The Harbor Club Rappahannock Oyster Co. And that's the vast majority of tenants right there. Additionally, this venue will be far more upscale than the last one. There's not even a comparison to be made there, both in design and tenant mix. Everyone seems to be getting hung up on PBR and the bull riding. I've heard it from my people as well. But you've got to try to have a little something for everyone if you want to succeed. They've got it covered I think. Harbor Club will be very classy, & The Market will feature a visually stunning design and a huge open space with chairs tables and lounging areas ...and additional vendors. And by the way, Cordish should not be defined by the Hampton Roads Power Plant, alone. They've done quite a bit of great work at Baltimore and in Kansas City, just to name two off the top my head.

I agree. There have been whispers for years of Richmond doing some sort of public-private deal for a new arena. They really need a new arena. Notice I said "public." Apparently with their governmental structure and their metro transportation authority, they have more of a will to spend public monies on something like this than do we down here. Though I'll tell you, we should be mighty proud if we get this thing done down here privately without any government bonds whatsoever. Amazing indicator of the high confidence in our local economy and of our region's future potential.

Virginia Beach was recently named one of the "Four Overlooked Cool Cities That Appeal to Millennials" by GoodCall.com. https://www.goodcall.com/news/cool-cities-for-millennials-010113

Insidebiz slideshow presentation of what could be in store for the region if the arena deal goes through. http://pilotonline.com/inside-business/news/economic-development/what-a-virginia-beach-arena-could-mean-for-hampton-roads/collection_85ede452-0b64-55ac-af28-3dd60e5d7a97.html#4

By the way, Dave Hansen told me that Mr. Mayor has recused himself from the gap financing matter going forward because Towne Bank might possibly provide some of the financial backing for this project.

Yes, and all of that would be true for the first, second and...ahem...third (!) referendum on the same matter! I wrote to Mayor Sessoms before the third referendum explaining the same and imploring him to actually lead. He wrote me back saying that he intended to both lead AND follow. Ha ha.

According to Forbes for 2016, the Predators ranked 26th out of 30 teams in total value, 20th in attendance, and lost $2.2 million in operating income. (By comparison, Carolina lost $15 million and ranked dead last in attendance.) On the other hand, the ten year increase in value was pretty strong, and the Nashville market is vibrant. When the Norfolk Admirals were in the AHL, they usually ranked about 15th through 17th out of 30 teams in attendance. https://www.forbes.com/nhl-valuations/list/ Since you're living here now in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia--more specifically, the Birthplace of a Nation--I, for one, would be stoked (a little VB surfer lingo for you) to read more of your posts/perspectives re: our region. When/if you're so inclined, of course.

Hampton Roads ranked 4th among possible NBA expansion locations "In a Feb. 17 story for SBNation.com, NBA Editor Tom Ziller – a Sacramento resident, no less – ranked Hampton Roads fourth among possible NBA expansion locations. According to Ziller, the region would have to wait in line behind Seattle, Mexico City and....Louisville." http://pilotonline.com/inside-business/news/commercial-real-estate/hampton-roads-ranked-th-among-possible-nba-expansion-locations/article_ec8bdd7f-11ae-5fda-a9a6-c0ea6aae4e47.html Louisville? Our MSA is quite a bit larger than even their CSA. Very odd. Overall, however, it's a great opinion because the other two cities are rather obvious, and the third is debateable.

Daytona? Heh. They make us look like chumps.

That design is boring as Hell. I've seen better entry signs to housing and condominium developments. And yet here we are talking about the entry to the largest city in Virginia?! Clearly, City Council is petrified of its own shadow. Aim low!

Right, well I consider SPQ as Downtown for the sake of simplification. And I think Norfolk can focus on more than one strategic growth area at a time. City government doesn't operate in a vacuum when it comes to development. It's the private sector that is risking the money, and so they do extensive research and are very careful as to where exactly to place their brick-and-mortar. City government is very unlikely to persuade private enterprise to invest where they don't want to invest or where they don't believe they will be most profitable. And while City government should always promote economic growth vigorously, ideally they shouldn't be in the real estate or development business, picking and choosing winners and losers sometimes at taxpayers' expense or actually owning massive blocks of vacant land or even brick and mortar. Clearly, there is major, transformative change with significant investment coming from exclusive, outside national retail happening along NH Blvd. And it's actually coming now, not later or in the theoretical. Hopefully national developers will take notice of IKEA and Simon and will seek to put their hard-earned dollars at risk in Norfolk. In turn, I hope that the city will do their very level best to recruit, to encourage, to market, to incentivize judiciously when appropriate, to rezone when needed, etc. But what I don't see the city doing is turning a blind eye to any one of the aforementioned development areas to favor or to focus more on another. I could be wrong.

I was wondering...between Military Circle, Downtown+Fort Norfolk and the Northampton Blvd Corridor, which area do you think will receive the most private investment $$ over the next...5 years? Will they compete with each other for $$? Right now, the major projects slated for or near completion in DT/FN have got to be worth in excessive of $275M. That doesn't include the potential remaking of the waterfront by Cordish, and/or by others. Plus additional office towers are likely given the falling vacancy rates and rising rents. For NH Blvd, between IKEA, the Simon Premium Outlets and the Simon/Nusbaum adjacent parcel, approx. $210M will be invested. Plus there's evidently been a ton of new interest in land around the airport and down the Blvd on both sides...so you could be looking at easily doubling or tripling that amt. in years to come. MC is kind of a question mark, although it clearly has tremendous potential for $100's of millions of future investment. The city appears intent on controlling redevelopment of the mall and has already made some adjustments for new office space. My best guess is that NH Blvd actually has a chance at exceeding Downtown in new development over the near to mid term. The location is primo, and IKEA and the Outlets will be a major attracting element for other investors across the nation. Of course, that doesn't mean that Downtown won't boom, as well! I suspect that it will. I just hope that talk of sea level change and redistribution of economic wealth won't slow it down.

I am very familiar with Baltimore, and all I can say is besides Camden Yards and right along the edge of the harbor, it's scary as a mug.

Yes, no rebound affection please.

Awesome!

The "blocking of the views of the water and public access to the water" is why I specifically chose two buildings with walk-through bases. Are the renderings coming through? I think they're cool as anything. And functional. And rebut "the arguments" to some extent. I guess nobody else agrees, & that's OK. Lol. If you're speaking of blocked views at 5, 10 stories high or higher, I already mentioned that the building needs to be dimensionally slim. That would be mitigating of said concerns. However, there's nothing anyone can do about partially blocking some hotelier's view from a few hundred yards away. Any tower on the property, no matter how svelte or see-through, will block somebody's view from somewhere. But honestly, I'm not really concerned about protecting the Marriott's or Hilton's views. They are not entitled to the view. They didn't pay for vista rights, or air rights or anything else. That's what happens in cities: buildings get built, views get obstructed. With respect to legitimate concerns from Council and from citizens relative to the appropriateness of such a tower on that site and any adverse impact therefrom on a myriad of entities, you have to approach the problem from the standpoint of taking the objections one by one and seeing if you can solve the problem. Architecturally, site plan wise, or otherwise. Creativity, Talent, Perseverance, Imagination, and perhaps most importantly, Open Minds, are all needed to make this project even a remote possibility. The direct and indirect economic benefits could be massive, and the skyline would be modernized and transformed in a way we haven't seen since the advent of the gorgeous NS tower, some 30 years ago.