vdogg

One thing that is missing from this conversation is how much depth this will give to the ocean front. This project combined with the vibe district and Atlantic Park will culminate in a large area of continuous urban development. This will basically become a second downtown for Virginia Beach, and together is at least two to three times larger than Town Center proper. This will be quite the game changer once all is said and done.

I'm guessing "small town flavor" is when you threw your lettuce at the phone, because that's when I threw my coffee...

This looks absolutely fantastic and I'm encouraged by council's response, Henley notwithstanding. She just doesn't want any development anywhere, time for her to move out to a smaller town.

Believe it or not, it's actually taller than it was supposed to be . Originally slated to be a 1-2 story building. Definite suburban office park vibes, which matches what's across the street. At least it adds to density though.

What was Thompson's proposal ( not sure I've seen it posted anywhere) and what do you think is wrong with this one? I think it looks pretty sleek, and seems designed to compliment the new terminal.

1) Yes, 100% 2) Maybe, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. We've never had trouble getting warehouses from anyone built in this area, but office is another story...

The Art Institute in Town Center is closing. Nothing to do with Town Center itself, instead, this has all the markings of ridiculously poor management. All their campuses nationwide are closing effective tomorrow. I feel for these poor students, you can't tell me they didn't know that they were going to have to close their doors before today. The fact that they gave people no notice is dumbfounding to me. https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/09/25/the-art-institute-of-virginia-beach-abruptly-closes-surprising-college-community/

I'll tell you what, after driving through the district, the buildings that are under construction now provide quite the urban presence. Of course I wished for something taller, but it is unquestionable that what is being put there now is far better than what was there before. This project is definitely a benefit to the cohesiveness of downtown.

You are correct. It was always slated to be part of the development when completed.

Now taking bets on which will be finished first, the casino or the HRBT.., https://www.13newsnow.com/amp/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/new-timeline-norfolk-casino-construction/291-6eee57c2-707f-4d2c-9884-4befa13c5f2a

The Canopy submitted a site plan to planning on August 24th. Not sure what, if any, changes may have occurred.

It appears they had to submit revised construction plans to the city. Those plans were received 8/25/23.

Yeah, I don't know. I feel like we shouldn't give in to that demand. We already have buildings that were significantly shortened because they were next to Freemason. This is smack in the middle of downtown and 2 blocks away from where the APPROVED Granby Tower was supposed to be built (34 stories). This thing is only 8 floors tall, they'll live. We give in to their demands and we might as well just put a 7-story cap on all of downtown and be done with it. I agree the design could use some work, but height shouldn't be an issue in that location.

Sooo... I have no clue what's going on. Apparently the VA hospital may not actually happen as earlier indicated, and according to the city, they're still in talks with Wellness Circle. I don't even know where to start with this. https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/08/26/an-arena-housing-va-facility-the-plan-for-military-circle-remains-unclear/

I honestly don't believe my eyes. There may be hope for Granby Tower yet! https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/new-high-rise-project-downtown-norfolk-in-the-works/291-9df71d5e-6f73-4de2-92b1-38023d15be59 For those who haven't been around long enough and may not know what I'm referring to. Cosmo 418 Thread

Saw this coming but still sad that it's official. Time to move on. They need to sell that land back to the city instead of squat on it. No more public private deals for them. They've milked this city for all it's worth and what they've left us with is mediocre at best. Time for the city to put out another rfp.

Looks like we'll start seeing this rise soon.

Not unusual. The crane there earlier looked like part of a pile driver. It's not unusual for them to drive test piles and pause for a few weeks before starting construction. I wouldn't read more into it than that.

24 acres of prime real estate taken off the blocks for a VA hospital.... I'm all for taking care of our vets, but this is just not the right location. We need to think big here. I also wonder if this land will still be taxable after the VA purchase, anyone have insight on that? I'm not too excited about yet more Norfolk land being taken off the tax rolls by the federal government. Hoping this is not case.

They're going to need several of these eventually. Very large site.

Good on the city for sticking to their guns! A rare win for them. https://www.wtkr.com/news/city-officials-developers-meet-to-discuss-future-of-norfolk-casino-project ""Last month, the developer submitted plans to build the casino first and the resort second, but that appears to be causing some questions about the project. Mayor Kenny Alexander told WHRO the phased development plan was not allowed in the deal with the city."" ""We're not going to settle for anything less than [the original plan], and we just want to make sure they understand that," Alexander told WHRO. "We intend to adhere to what the voters were told as it relates to what we're going to get.""

I think it would easily pass again, but a new referendum entails several years of delay, and endangers funding for the flood wall.

What a s___show. Developer is putting this on the city, not sure if I buy that just yet. Whatever the reason, this seems to be another delay... https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/07/24/norfolk-casino-developer-pulls-pared-down-plan-from-city-review/?lctg=65B674C414BF646764B78480B8&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pilotonline.com%2f2023%2f07%2f24%2fnorfolk-casino-developer-pulls-pared-down-plan-from-city-review%2f&utm_campaign=Breaking-News&utm_content=Alerts "NORFOLK — The developer of the proposed Headwaters Resort and Casino next to Harbor Park pulled their development application from review by the city’s architectural review board Monday, according to city documents. The city recommended the team of HeadWaters Resort and Casino development not present the application needed for a building certificate for the first phase of the casino, according to a Monday news release from a spokesperson for the casino development group. The decision to withdraw the plans comes after the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and their development partners had submitted a pared down plan in June that proposed building the casino and hotel in two separate phases. The Pamunkey tribe, development team and city officials will instead meet privately Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the developer. The review board’s agenda states the review was “indefinitely deferred by applicant.” The city sent the tribe and development team a letter on July 14, providing contradicting directions to a previous letter from the city dated March 1, according to the release. The tribe and development team requested a meeting after the most recent letter to “to get clarity from the City on its proposed path to acquire the land and begin construction on the resort as soon as possible,” "

Hoo boy... Didn't even want to post this because... damn. Can we get some good news this year? https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/07/20/virginia-beach-convention-center-is-losing-more-than-2-million-per-year-heres-what-likely-contributed-to-the-loss/

Do not be surprised if nothing further happens at Town Center under Armada Hoffler. I think the writing has been on the wall with this for quite some time. At least it makes it easier for the city to move on next year when their option expires. https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/07/20/armada-hoffler-celebrates-20-years-of-virginia-beach-headquarters/ "The company has “deep roots” in Virginia Beach, Haddad said, but the future for its headquarters is unclear. Today, the company has larger investments outside Hampton Roads than within the region as it has grown primarily across the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, he said. And so, there are opportunities to move to a higher growth area." “But ultimately, the decision of where the company is located is going to be based on what brings the most value to our shareholders,” Haddad said I would love to give the folks who are trying to build the Capstone development at the oceanfront a shot at building something at Town Center instead.