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Westin at Towncenter Progress

ToweringTurtle

By ToweringTurtle
in Virginia Beach

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

Posted
Posted

I don't think they code smileys with middle fingers so I guess this  :angry:  will suffice too. In actuality I'll probably be doing this  :angry: , this  :cry: , and this

:middlefingersmiley: , lol.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:rofl: I really hope they don't and I hope the Westin hurries up and break ground.

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okinawatyphoon Burg

okinawatyphoon

Posted
Posted

I don't think they code smileys with middle fingers so I guess this  :angry:  will suffice too. In actuality I'll probably be doing this  :angry: , this  :cry: , and this

:middlefingersmiley: , lol.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

HAHA!! :middlefingersmiley: haha thats really funny. But yes, I will probably just cry since all I can do is pretend to flick them off...

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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I have receive an email recently that confirms that groundbreaking will be in september.

Still no exact date but it's looking likely that it will be around mid month. That's all for now, just a little update.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is great news! I hope in the beginning of the month and not the end of it.

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urbanlife Town

urbanlife

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well I just got back from Bellevue, WA and I have to say I am happy to see all the planning on steps that are being taken for the town center on a grander scale. Bellevue sort of let the developers decide how the downtown was going to take shape and besides the tall beautiful towers, the urban feeling to the area was a joke.

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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well I just got back from Bellevue, WA and I have to say I am happy to see all the planning on steps that are being taken for the town center on a grander scale.  Bellevue sort of let the developers decide how the downtown was going to take shape and besides the tall beautiful towers, the urban feeling to the area was a joke.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What's bellevue got to do with this area? Just curious. :huh:

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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What's bellevue got to do with this area? Just curious. :huh:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think he was commenting on how good it is that our city is actually involved in the planning of town center instead of just letting a bunch of developers put together a patchwork of ideas. We can force them to concentrate more on urban concepts if we are involved in the process.

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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I think he was commenting on how good it is that our city is actually involved in the planning of town center instead of just letting a bunch of developers put together a patchwork of ideas. We can force them to concentrate more on urban concepts if we are involved in the process.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

didn't really think of it that way so i guess i see his point now.

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sugoiben Whistle-Stop

sugoiben

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exactly vdogg.  VB tends to let developers have their way and do what they want.  I think if the city stays heavily involved in this, the city is going to have a great project.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's not that they let them have their way, they don't have any choice. If some family wants to cash in on the old farm, that's been in the family for a hundred years, and sell it to a developer that wants to build a huge suburban neighbourhood on it, there is very little the city can do about if the zoning to do so is already in place.

I've always wondered though, when all that zoning got set down to begin with. When the city formed? They just do a blanket zoning of everything? Cause I

know that it always a huge deal to change zoning.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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It's not that they let them have their way, they don't have any choice.  If some family wants to cash in on the old farm, that's been in the family for a hundred years, and sell it to a developer that wants to build a huge suburban neighbourhood on it, there is very little the city can do about if the zoning to do so is already in place. 

I've always wondered though, when all that zoning got set down to begin with. When the city formed?  They just do a blanket zoning of everything?  Cause I

know that it always a huge deal to change zoning.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They have a choice in this case because it's city owned land and that's what we mean by getting involved. If development does not fit within certain zoning patterns they can reject it as well. That's why we have a bustling Town Center instead of another big box retailer (the smartest decision this council has ever made IMO).

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sugoiben Whistle-Stop

sugoiben

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They have a choice in this case because it's city owned land and that's what we mean by getting involved. If development does not fit within certain zoning patterns they can reject it as well. That's why we have a bustling Town Center instead of another big box retailer (the smartest decision this council has ever made IMO).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ya, the TC was like that. Wasn't just this council. The City has been sitting on that land for how long? Forever it seemed like. Really created something good there. But I mean as far as other parts of the city goes, when the city does not own the land, which is usually the case, and the zoning is already right, which oddly enough seems to be the case all too often too, then they can't do a thing to stop the sprawl.

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urbanlife Town

urbanlife

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actually zoning plays a huge part in how a city is built. If the city demands that structures built in a certain area have yo have a certain number of storefrontage or has to have a number of low income housing for every 200 units. The developers have to do this.

Hell is the city puts up a zoning for someone's farm land and has a list of demands a developer must meet to build on that land, the developer has to do it.

Zoning is the reason to Portland's success.

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sugoiben Whistle-Stop

sugoiben

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Start changing the zones. If they want to stop it they can.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's the problem though. The city could rezone everything to be built out nice and densely, and have it all be like the towncenter. But it seems like landowners are always extremely wary of zoning changes to land they own. Afraid that without favorable zoning they won't get their money out of their land one day. If you bought some land and it was zoned so that you could sell it some developer one day, and you might realize a nice profit, you'd be pretty upset if the city came along and zoned it for some other use that prevented you from realizing your investment.

I know it's completely off topic, but does anyone know when the beginning of time with regards to local zoning was? Has the current zoning in some places been in place there since... colonial times? The incorporation of the cities?

Just seems like as the area evolves, it's really hard to get the zoning to keep up

with the pace of sprawl, and so we have the suburban mess that much of Va Beach is today. Whereas places that were already built out prior to the post-WWII boom, like most of Norfolk, are laid out much more intelligently.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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Luckily for us though all of the development that is being planned around TC is going to be dense and mixed use as well. In addition, it should be well built and have high quality finishes, etc. Having the TC built has 'raised the bar' and other developers are following suit. Hopefully, all other future development will take notice and build accordingly.

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