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Va. Beach Towncenter project

vdogg

By vdogg
in Virginia Beach

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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with all due respect guys, these buildings are all part of an entire project called the Town Center project.  There is definitely going to be uniformity with all the towers so they will be seen as part of the same project.  The next group of projects will have their own distinct look to them so dont worry too much about what they buildings look like yet.  Afterall, there are only two anyway.

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You may have a point there. My thinking is that TC is downtown but hopefully TC will be only a component of the DT Va Beach.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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TC really is building out quickly and there is not but so much room left. Besides the Performing Arts Center and Westin that are to be built, all that remains are the Taco Bell and Va Pilot building (top left parcel) and the future office tower (just east of the Cosmopolitan). Oh and a small parcel of land just west of the Cosmo as well. I might add though there is a huge amount of retail that has not been anounced as of yet and plenty of ground floor room for them as well.

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mistermetaj Hamlet

mistermetaj

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On the topic of the courthouses, when Virginia Beach and Princess Anne merged, one of the key parts of the agreement to call the whole area Virginia Beach rather than Princess Anne was that the courthouses had to be in the Princess Anne district. So that is the main reason they are so far away.

As for a lack of area, i thought i remember somewhere on this forum that there were rumors for developing the area with the planet music and columbus theater. Also, there is land in between city view and town center, so it is not acting as a real boundary for it yet. There is supposesd to be a building built when the suntrust building lease expires in a year built by the mall and there is always talks of taking down the Kmart by PA High School. Not to mention the fact that they are going to build on the HQ spot and create more land to build on when they assimilate the low rise office buildings by the mall into one 12 story tower. We have room yets so dont worry too much about it.

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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I wish they were being a little more orginal. The mock up of Reston is not very cool. I think the TC is the name for the entire "DT" area not just the projects that they are working right now. Also, I think they didn't move it because of its historical value. There is a statue from i think it was the civil war era. I think they should keep the buildings but move the actual muncipalities to the TC area. It would be wise to have all this in the most dense area to make it more avaliable to the majority of the population. I know it wouldn't be feasible as of right now but in the future move it to the TC.

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ace707 Hamlet

ace707

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As for a lack of area, i thought i remember somewhere on this forum that there were rumors for developing the area with the planet music and columbus theater. 

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Actually that area is already considered part of Town Center. Don't expect redevelopment on that area. It's Planet Music, Bed Bath and Beyond, Regal Cinemas and everything else there is considered anchor retail for Town Center just like Dick's Sporting Goods and everything else in between.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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Actually that area is already considered part of Town Center. Don't expect redevelopment on that area. It's Planet Music, Bed Bath and Beyond, Regal Cinemas and everything else there is considered anchor retail for Town Center just like Dick's Sporting Goods and everything else in between.

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Actually, it was said in one of the city council meetings the city is looking at those properties for more 'intense' purposes in the future. That being said when this may happen is anyone's guess.

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ace707 Hamlet

ace707

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Actually, it was said in one of the city council meetings the city is looking at those properties for more 'intense' purposes in the future. That being said when this may happen is anyone's guess.

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I think that would be a bad move. The property isn't in any horrible shape, the businesses are doing fine and add to the Town Center's feel for retail and the stores there are big-box retail. Whatever the case, I just hope the city does not start feeling like it can do anything and everything it wants and thinks it will succeed. Town Center is already starting to feel like a large retail area in the suburbs that just happens to have a big tower (soon to be joined with Westin) in the middle of it all. I guess it's not new urbanism, just new suburbanism.

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urbanlife Town

urbanlife

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Actually I figured Planet Music, Bed Bath, and the theater would get redeveloped eventually when there is a need for it. It would be easy to move them around while urban development was going on. Figure this, if the site was to be redone, you would start with the theater site first giving a place for Bed bath to move into. Then the Bed Bath site for Planet Music. Finally the Planet Music spot for a new multiplex theater.

That would be the best way to go, all while increasing office, retail, and residential space.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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Yeah, I think as more as these projects are built (Cityview, Westin, Town Square) the more expensive the area will become but the more desirable it will be. So I can definitely imagine any property in the area will be up for grabs. Heck, I think probably within the next ten years investors will come knocking at my door offering to buy me out to build something new since I am located almost in the heart of TC. Maybe I should hold out for about a half a mil. ;)

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okinawatyphoon Burg

okinawatyphoon

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It all depends on what VaBeach's true intentions are.....suburban or urban? They might have big plans on becoming a big downtown and that retail in the long run might not have the financial impact that a corporation might have.

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Thats a valid question. Notice it is called "Town Center", not Downtown. However, I don't know what they're thinking. The Town Center site makes you think its a suburban development, but then what's with all these high-rise attempts? I think its Va. Beach's attempt to make a downtown without making people think its competition to Norfolk.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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Thats a valid question. Notice it is called "Town Center", not Downtown. However, I don't know what they're thinking. The Town Center site makes you think its a suburban development, but then what's with all these high-rise attempts? I think its Va. Beach's attempt to make a downtown without making people think its competition to Norfolk.

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Wow i wish i could find it but they explained exactly why they call it "Towncenter" on the Vbgov website. I'll paraphrase as best i can. They basically said that they call it towncenter because it is not, in fact, a traditional downtown in the sense that it is created by market forces. Instead it is an area which was being designed to be a core, or hub, to attract business and create an area of critical mass to spur a trend in urbanization. I am not at all happy with the explanation i just gave you so i'm off to find the real thing on their site. I'll post it here as soon as i can.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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That didn't take long :)

TC explanation

Here is the most relevant excerpt:

Will this become "downtown" Virginia Beach?

The Town Center project is not the same as the historical notion of a "downtown" area. When you study cities and what caused them to form, you'll see that downtown areas, as we know them today, were all formed by pressures and forces that don't exist now.

One of Virginia Beach's strategies is to look at the northern part of the city and to identify the areas that have the most potential for fostering economic vitality, and to be active in stimulating desirable development in those areas, while maintaining the unique characteristics of the other parts of the city. The areas with potential for higher levels of development are the oceanfront, the Lynnhaven Parkway corridor, Pembroke and the Northampton Boulevard area.

Therefore, while the Town Center won't be a traditional "downtown," it will be an exciting, high-quality, identifiable focus and gathering place for Virginia Beach citizens.

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mistermetaj Hamlet

mistermetaj

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Yeah, I think as more as these projects are built (Cityview, Westin, Town Square) the more expensive the area will become but the more desirable it will be. So I can definitely imagine any property in the area will be up for grabs. Heck, I think probably within the next ten years investors will come knocking at my door offering to buy me out to build something new since I am located almost in the heart of TC. Maybe I should hold out for about a half a mil.  ;)

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What is town square?

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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What is town square?

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The project thats supposed to go where the HQ currently sits. There was an article on it where they stated they were trying to create a development to mirror Towncenter. This is in the very early planning stages though so don't expect to hear much for a long time.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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The project thats supposed to go where the HQ currently sits. There was an article on it where they stated they were trying to create a development to mirror Towncenter. This is in the very early planning stages though so don't expect to hear much for a long time.

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I have driven by the HQ lot quite a few times and I must say that is one HUGE lot! Whatever they end up building is gonna be a huge endeavor for sure.

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mistermetaj Hamlet

mistermetaj

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I have driven by the HQ lot quite a few times and I must say that is one HUGE lot! Whatever they end up building is gonna be a huge endeavor for sure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

is it going to be city and private or all private investing?

If it is all private, i think that will lead to larger buildings.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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is it going to be city and private or all private investing?

If it is all private, i think that will lead to larger buildings.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it will be private. You can't really how large it is from this pic but here is the area.

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