[Norfolk Off-Topic]

18 hours ago, Former Resident of HR said:

So, I guess this may fit here but if not, feel free to move it accordingly. 

I used to live in Norfolk for many years and moved away around 2018. I come back from time to time to visit but each time, I am really starting to wonder (read: worry) at the decline of Norfolk over the past few years. The few bright spots like IKEA or the Outlet Mall are outweighed by downtown and Ghent. There are a lot of empty store fronts and dead restaurants. Little to no foot traffic. Ghent is time well spent used to be the slogan and it felt like "Ghent is just spent" would be more apt now. Is the city even trying to do anything or is this looked at as "not my problem, private business can step in"? They spent all that money on buying up two dead malls, have they thought of buying up some dead retail on 21st or Colley and leasing it out for cheap/free to some banner places that would bring in more customers? And as for much of the eastern half of Norfolk, I feel like it's driving into a time warp to 1999 and not much has changed.

I guess I always felt like there is a lot of potential and established strengths in Norfolk that are inevitably squandered. 

Retail use if shifting...  I think restaurant and service businesses are still in demand but the city has made it very challenging for any type of restaurant that wants to serve alcohol to open (or remain open).  The process is much easier and quicker in every other city.  To couple with that the landlords want ridiculous rents for areas that honestly don't have the foot traffic to support.  Your average VA Beach shopping center has more foot traffic than most portions of Granby Street downtown.  Why pay ridiculous rents and fight with the city government when you can do better in Virginia Beach?  I want to see the city grow and Granby be what it was 10 years ago but those two issues are prevalent.  All the new residential is popping up which is great but there are no retail amenities which is really odd.  Why even choose to live squished into an urban environment if there is no walkability?  I'd rather have a yard.

I will say Hampton Blvd has a ton of new retail tenants.  They all have parking lots.  I guess the new residents downtown can hop in their cars and drive to Hampton Blvd for shopping and dining.

[Norfolk Cruise Terminal]

I'm going on a Carnival cruise out of Charleston on the ship that is moving to Norfolk (Sunshine).  I've followed some facebook groups to gather information and one thing i can say is that these cruises attract a lot of people from out of town.  I suspect several hundred hotel rooms will be in demand the day before a cruise and in 2025 Norfolk will have weekly sailings in the Summer.  Seems like we could see the need for another downtown area hotel or 2 very soon.

[Norfolk Development 2]

I had heard that a local mexican restaurant group was planning to open a tequila distillery in that location.  Curious to see if the rumor was true.

[Headwaters Resort & Casino (Proposed)]

So thinking about it a bit more.  It's a pretty massive structure with the parking garage.  Casinos are usually one sprawling level from the several I've been to.  Maybe a small second story area in a few I've been in but almost always all one level...

Thinking the hotel demand was greatly reduced with the state allowing so many other casinos now.  Not gonna be much of a tourist destination anymore so no need to exceed regular market demand.  Hope the rest of the remaining land is developed with a lot of individual tenants and better street front activity. 

[Headwaters Resort & Casino (Proposed)]

It's not a bad design.  Hopefully the area is developed in a way that allows it to be an extension of downtown...  I just think Norfolk sold itself short again.  I'm just certain if it was open for public bidding there would have been a larger proposal from another group.

[Headwaters Resort & Casino (Proposed)]

Norfolk got screwed on this deal...  With the state legalizing non-tribal Norfolk would have had proposals from several competing parties like Richmond.