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I agree the concept in that rendering would be absolutely ideal. Unfortunately, Fort Norfolk Plaza isn't exactly a promising step in that direction.

Don't forget all the apartments/condos above retail on Granby and the recently renovated warehouse on Monticello. Those are much cheaper (I think) and are in a much better location.

These videos are awesome! Especially check out the first one.

I support that idea. If somebody could compile a list of the appropriate people to contact I think it would be great if we all - or as many of us who wanted to - sent out a mess of emails. Imagine if the offices of city leaders and developers were bombarded with all of our criticisms and suggestions within the span of a few days. Maybe we could turn a few heads. Or raise a few eyebrows. Or whatever.

Portsmouth to buy land for new courthouse

You stumped us. But I've got another one... Where is this?

I would hesitate before reading too much into this - their elected officials don't hit on much either.

The money would be given jointly in order to purchase a tract that lies within both cities but I assume they will each own the segment inside their own limits. Norfolk will use theirs for light rail, provided that goes through, but I assume Virginia Beach will be free to use their section however they like.

That really turned out to be an attractive development - and just the kind of thing Rus has been saying Norfolk should build. Well, I agree. That is some dense, high quality infill.

That's exciting. I know there was some speculation that there was really no good place to run a train line parallel to Hampton and Colley - is there any consensus on what the route might look like? Perhaps it will operate like a streetcar and move with traffic down Hampton until it gets past the really awful traffic section.

I certainly hope so - but what about that quote makes you think that would be in the works?

I didn't catch te specific location of this parcel in that article - does anybody know it? Also, urbanlife, I think we can temper that statement of praise after hearing about the tatoo parlor opening just North of downtown.

In regard to the change in the Barnes & Noble location, I'm having something of a mixed reaction. While I was uncertain whether that store (which would have taken up only a portion of the "third-anchor" space) would have been a perfect fit for the location, I was definitely excited about having more major retail fronting Monticello Ave rather than just inside the mall. MacArthur Center is kind of a wierd thing for retail in the city. You could say that downtown Norfolk is building a strong retail base by noting that there is a downtown H&M, a downtown Apple Store, and now a downtown Barnes & Noble, but it sucks that they all have to be contained inside the mall and rather than enhancing the street life downtown. I really hope Wachovia Center attracts some good retailers - maybe even a few new local shops - and that the "third-anchor" site eventualy gets put to good use.

Do you know roughly how much of the space will be used and which parts will remain open? Also, is it true that will be no access from the mall to the bookstore? Considering this Barnes and Noble will only partially fill the space and may be only partially accessible, do you think it will be a good development for that spot?

I'm all for raising the gas tax, but if it's going to be 10 cents per gallon then it needs to replace the proposed tolls. As for Spruill's comment about raising taxes in Chesapeake, isn't his party the one campaigning on smart spending at the moment? Doesn't he know that initiating new spending measures without raising the appropriate money from somewhere will only get us record-high debt?

I agree this funding plan is ludicrous. Raising the gas tax is, in my mind, the fairest way to fund transportation projects. All users benefit from an increased road system so all users should contribute. Tolls are inconvenient, costly for regular users (especially regular users of existing roads that will soon be tolled but not improved), and will counteract any positive effects on traffic brought about by the new projects. The only fair toll system is to toll only the new roads - and only until they are paid for. I hate to think that from now on every time I have to go between South HR and the Peninsula (which is, admittedly, rarely since I live in Philadelphia) I will have to make sure I have a few disposable dollars in cash.

The next cruise ship to arrive on Norfolk is Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas on April 28. I'm not entirely certain, but I think the new terminal will be open by then.

A permanent flight to England would be terrific! I really hope that pans out.

Nothing new, only what you just said. What I'm REALLY excited about is the idea/plan for creating a pedestrian mall between the Chrysler and the Harrison Opera House. That area needs some serious rethinking and I think the mall idea would be amazing. Anybody heard anything about that? On the same note, weren't they supposed to be starting the pedestrian extension of Granby St between the World Trade Center and the Customshouse a while ago?

You make a really good point, Chesapeake Pirate. If I wasn't before, I'm officially torn now. I still think if we're going to pass a sweeping ban then we need to establish provisions for exceptional circumstances (such as hookah bars, cigar clubs, and other businesses whose primary product is tobacco).

To petition their employers to make a change, to organize, to look for a job with another employer. Honestly, this is a very hard position for me to hold ideologically because I am a pretty consistent advocate of workers' rights. But, as I said, I'm all for greater restrictions or regulation but an outright ban seems to me a step too far.

I don't believe that it is so simple. A responsible market should offer you the ability to eat/work/play in a smoke-free environment. Now, I usually don't trust the market to be responsible and I don't drink in bars often so I don't know how that works out in practice, but it seems only logical that if consumers want smoke-free restaurants there will be businesspeople eager to take their money. I don't think I would oppose a system in which business owners had to obtain a permit to allow smoking on thier property, but I could not support a complete ban.

Curator of glass collection at Chrysler Museum resigns It's nice to see he'll be staying in Norfolk, especialy if he will be filling an empty niche in the art market. Whoever takes over his position at the Chrysler will be in for a hell of a job - 10,000 pieces is a HUGE collection!

Letting my inner conservative out here: This is a change that I firmly believe has to come from the market itself, not from legislation. The merits of a smoke-free environment are numerous and self-evident; also, a smoke-filled restaurant will likely drive away some consumers who would prefer not to sit in that kind of environment. For those reasons, restaurant owners should prohibit smoking in their establishments. For the same reasons, lawmakers should prohibit smoking in enclosed public spaces - and I can see no reason why anyone should have the right to smoke cigarettes in the U.S. Capitol, one of the most significant pieces of historic architecture in the country. However to disallow tobacco smoking in private establishments where consumers are free to demonstrate their support or opposition to smoke-free restaurants with their selective patronage strikes me as overly totalizing. There are some circumstances where smoking is perfectly acceptable and should not be outlawed. This should be a "right to choose" issue alongside abortion rights and marriage equality. The government would be wise to restrict smoking in all government-owned facilities, but there is no reason why a populace informed about the dangers of tobacco smoking cannot make their own choices at the level of the individual.

It's always nice to have a new collection of photos taken with an eye for aesthetics as well as documentation. My request is to just try to get a few good shots of downtown that we haven't seen before - something that might make someone like me, who only gets home to Norfolk once or twice a year, smile.