Norfolk Development

[rusthebuss]

I hope so, I hope we are not getting too far ahead of our selves. I want to hear more about major jobs coming to this area. That is what we really need. More jobs in the entire area, but I would like to see more downtown Norfolk. If I heard more about jobs I wouldn't be so skeptical about all this development.

[lammius]

,

[rusthebuss]

[vdogg]

[rusthebuss]

Ocean View is going to be awesome i can't wait to see the what the city has become after 5 years. I live in Bayview, I just bought a house and i can forsee my house value increasing tremendously.

[ace707]

As great as the idea of attracting jobs as a whole and the want of "higher-paying" jobs, they aren't going to come if you don't have the appropriate housing and conviences to give employers the reason to come here. You may hate it but people will want that everyday items at Farm Fresh and/or Food Lion more than the G.W. market regardless of their income, not too far from where they live. Another thing is it is not easy to get those "higher-paying jobs" knowing that the national economy on a whole is not in good shape. We could be good enough for a company or two to put 100 or so "high-income income" jobs in our area, but we are hardly the area to depend on in starting a trend of economic recovery. Bio-tech jobs are one of the fastest growing job markets and there is no interest to bring such an industry in our area where we have hardly any room to grow. They will want "virgin" land before even thinking about converting land currently in use. Another thing too, our region is kinda tricky in terms of job location and employee living location. Norfolk has tens of thousands of jobs that push over the magical $45,000 a year mark, mostly in Downtown at the CBD, the medical area on the outskirts of downtown and the big heads over at NIT, but many of them live outside of Norfolk. So while doing business in Downtown make sense, efficiency and productive-wise, it doesn't because many can't live in Norfolk because housing is not available so they live further away, where they have land for their neighborhood grocery store and drug store. Housing demand is great, but it doesn't matter to big businesses if people don't feel convienent with it.

[rusthebuss]

I think that there is plenty of room, look at Suffolk and Chesapeake and parts of Vabeach that are not developed. This is a possiblilty but i think the problem is that the area needs to be solid and not falling apart. It will happen in years to come but we have to make ourselves more marketable. And work together is the big key....

[ace707]

I think that there is plenty of room, look at Suffolk and Chesapeake and parts of Vabeach that are not developed. This is a possiblilty but i think the problem is that the area needs to be solid and not falling apart. It will happen in years to come but we have to make ourselves more marketable. And work together is the big key....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah that is room for them but I'm willing to bet that many of these "big bucks" companies would preferably have a location in a business centric city and at least some density such as Va. Beach, Norfolk, and Newport News. The problem is those cities have either no space to develop or have zoning laws or boundries to prevent/slow development (like Va Beach's refusal to really make major development south of Princess Anne Road.) Would you like your employees working at a "cul de sac out in the woods"?

[rusthebuss]

These cities are begining to have alot of density. I don't think that's the issue, i think we are not selling ourselves. We should be able to sell ourselves with this huge port. You could manufacture your products and with a little drive have it shipped out to over seas or our central location between New York to Miami. Something like that. Or market the fact that we have a huge railroad company operating out of Norfolk to ship your goods across the country..

[ace707]

These cities are begining to have alot of density. I don't think that's the issue, i think we are not selling ourselves. We should be able to sell ourselves with this huge port. You could manufacture your products and with a little drive have it shipped out to over seas or our central location between New York to Miami. Something like that. Or market the fact that we have a huge railroad company operating out of Norfolk to ship your goods across the country..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah I think you're right that better marketing to businesses in America is in need. The international community has recognized our location, our shipping capability, and transport (airport and rail) but it's amazing how the businesses in our own backyard (referring to American businesses) are slow to jump and take advantage. Heavy volume of imports from Europe and Asia means says alot of more than growth, it means we make business sense! Marketing to American companies to expand in our area will strenghten our area and especially Norfolk as a world business connector.

[rusthebuss]

Lets hope this area explodes with the jobs. We need jobs like that of Charlotte. We need to bring our jobs to their caliber. I think it will come and i think people or companies are weiry to come to a place with so much military and thinks that the military will over ride them when conflict occurs.

[urbanfan]

Great new about the condominiums in Ocean View. I remember when most of that area was low income and full of drugs and prostitutes. The city has worked real hard to clean up that area and things are starting to fall in place for that area. I always thought an area like that would be profitable for expensive waterfront condos on homes. Hopefully more renassaince is planned for that area.

[rusthebuss]

I wonder what else is going to be announced i want more, more i tell you

[urbanvb]

I wonder what else is going to be announced i want more, more i tell you

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

YEAH!!

[krdarden]

YEAH!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Vdogg, I think that the new courts complex will be built on the site of the previous courts with possibly another tower "with sweeping" views next to it! There was a news paper article last year concerning this project but it will be a couple of years away.

I think that the plaza should be used to showcase something special in Norfolk! It could serve as a place for a cluster of condominiums and retail shops. A couple of plaza towers called "Plaza 1 and 2" would be awesome also!

I really like the design for Scope; however, we should tear it down and replace it with a 18,000 or 20,000 seat arena either next to Scope or where it is located presently. Maybe the Chrysler Hall could be rebuilt near the Harrison Opera House to really help that area explode into an arts entertainment community. The new arena should be incorporate some of the features of Scope just to silence the critics! Oh yeah, we could start a topic on what to name a new arena downtown! I like something like "The Domino" ! I can hear you guys now calling it Dominos like in pizza

[vdogg]

Hey Vdogg, I think that the new courts complex will be built on the site of the previous courts with possibly another tower "with sweeping" views next to it! There was a news paper article last year concerning this project but it will be a couple of years away.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes this is true. It is at least a couple of years away but at least gives us something to look forward too (and post about) after this first round of projects is done.

[rusthebuss]

Lets hope these projects are not stopped by anything. I hope they keep growing in size or height i should have said

[krdarden]

Lets hope these projects are not stopped by anything. I hope they keep growing in size or height i should have said

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess in the future we will have a downtown, midtown, and uptown, and a crosstown to go along with our P/town!

[ace707]

Have any of y'all heard about a developer from Florida or Georgia making a plan to build a tower in Downtown? I keep reading about speculations. Can anyone tell me what this plan/proposal is, when it first was announced, company's involved and any other details about it.

I know this doesn't directly have anything to do with Norfolk but I thought it would be interesting to read... The Burj. It's currently set to be 129 stories but developers already said it will be higher and someone slipped by giving a 137 story figure. I wish luck to the man working the crane for this project lol!

[vdogg]

Have any of y'all heard about a developer from Florida or Georgia making a plan to build a tower in Downtown? I keep reading about speculations. Can anyone tell me what this plan/proposal is, when it first was announced, company's involved and any other details about it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes i have heard about this several times but so far have not been able to find the article and therefore cannot totally confirm. This is supposedly a Miami developer who is currently building a highrise condo project in downtown Jacksonville who expressed interest in an article of doing the same in Norfolk. Supposedly in the planning phases. People have seen this article so i know it exist but i have tried every conceivable combo on google and have yet to find it. I would start by perusing the jacksonville development threads (or even Miami) for names of developers and see what we can dig up about their companies.

[rusthebuss]

I guess in the future we will have a downtown, midtown, and uptown, and a crosstown to go along with our P/town!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It would be nice to see it really evolve to a major city status

[lammius]

Maybe the Chrysler Hall could be rebuilt near the Harrison Opera House to really help that area explode into an arts entertainment community.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like this idea of an arts/entertainment community at the gateway to Ghent. The Harrison Opera House is also close to the Chrysler Museum so the three venues close together would = great possibilities. I think an area of shops, cafes, coffeehouses, small art galleries, and bars featuring performances could be developed in that area (either along VB Blvd or Olney or Llewellyn or elsewhere nearby that could cater to that sort of a "creative class."

I've been reading lots of things by planners and consultants who say a visible and active creative class provides a climate and city lifestyle that businesses find attractive.

There also seems to be lots of buzz in the same circles about visible gay and lesbian communities. That if a city has a gay/lesbian enclave that exhibits a socially tolerant local culture and that businesses also find that favorable. A professor from FSU lectured on this at this year's American Planning Association conference.

I remember people referring to Ghent as "the gayborhood" but is it really? I always thought of it as just being sorta granola.

[vdogg]

I remember people referring to Ghent as "the gayborhood" but is it really?  I always .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The case could be made. Ghent has always been one of the more socially tolerant areas of the city, sorta like an enclave if you will. It's also been the driving force behind a lot of the arts and culture in this area, which i guess in a way would make it more attractive to the "cosmopolitan" type of person. This type of person seems to sell well to the business community.

[willy]

Is there anyone here that has the time and the software to draw in all the tower proposals to a skyline photo of Norfolk?

These should be a good start.

[vdogg]

Another good vantage point is coming in from the pinners pointe interchange through the midtown tunnel. From this direction Norfolk and P-towns skylines appear side by side and it looks like one continuos city. It's a great panorama and you can even see where harbor heights and Grandy tower is going to go and Sentara and Harbors edge currently under construction.