195 replies to this topic

[hoobo]

All the negative comments appear to come from outsiders especially those in Suffolk and Chesapeake, the two cities that stand to lose the most if Portsmouth succeeds in its redevelopment.  Portsmouth residents posting on pilotonline appear to be strongly in favor of what the City is doing.

[vdogg]

The deadline for this RFP (also a .pdf file) has been extended to March 1st. Hopefully we'll hear some news by then.

[erdogs]

With the news we've been getting lately, do we really want know what comes out?  

[lil-bear]

erdogs, on Feb 19 2007, 08:32 PM, said:

With the news we've been getting lately, do we really want know what comes out?  

LOL

Let's wait on the seven part series from the Va. Pilot about all the "Gloom & Doom"!!!

[lammius]

I wouldn't expect 6 huge condo towers to come about now.  I'd really be satisfied to see something low-rise but mixed-use and walkable, allowing Portsmouth residents and visitors to enjoy the waterfront and take advantage of some of the best harbor views in the region.  In all honesty I'd rather not see a blockade of tall buildings on the waterfront.  This isn't the Oceanfront here.  Norfolk's plan for Fort Norfolk stated it best, shorter buildings on the water, stepping up to taller buildings behind.  

I'd love to see something exciting come of the old Portside area.  I thought one of Portsmouth's biggest mistakes was getting rid of that entertainment facility years ago and "redirecting attention" to High Street Landing.  The problem with High Street Landing is that, while visitors arriving there are close to the main street of Olde Towne, the first couple of blocks are just parking lots and ugliness.  Visitors wonder, "am I lost?"  "is there really anything worth walking down this street for?"  If attention is to be focused at High Street, make it an active, exciting, and inviting place!  What Portside did well was that it greeted visitors right away and was a great hangout for locals.  Friday evening happy hours were always lots of fun as people sat outside drinking beer, chatting and laughing.  Always a great start to the weekend.

[wrldcoupe4]

Any updates on this project?

[vdogg]

wrldcoupe4, on Apr 14 2007, 01:41 PM, said:

Any updates on this project?

Not really other than the RFP is officially closed and that they are working with a developer. Nothing concrete though and no articles so we'll see.

[vdogg]

Yes!

Quote

When urban planner Ray Gindroz unveiled his plans for revitalizing downtown in 2005, he advised city officials to concentrate first on remaking waterfront land south of High Street.   Gindroz wanted city leaders to hold off on redeveloping what he considered Portsmouth's most valuable property - the Holiday Inn site in Olde Towne. Waiting, he told Portsmouth leaders, would only make the land more valuable.

Two years later, city officials have scrapped development work on the south side - save for plans to build a Circuit Court - and have instead turned their attention to the hotel at the northernmost point of downtown.

Quote

Through a formal solicitation process, city leaders have accepted proposals from three developers for mixed-use projects that would incorporate office space, a hotel and condominiums. Each project calls for hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment to be poured into downtown, said Councilman Ray Smith.

[urbanfan]

vdogg, on Apr 24 2007, 05:15 AM, said:

Yes!

This is actually not very good news.  This is only one piece of property.  The article said that plans for the property that had already had recieved proposals was shelved.  And that the property was going to be used for the circuit court building.  Exactly what Gindroz warned against.

[vdogg]

urbanfan, on Apr 24 2007, 07:18 AM, said:

This is actually not very good news. This is only one piece of property. The article said that plans for the property that had already had recieved proposals was shelved. And that the property was going to be used for the circuit court building. Exactly what Gindroz warned against.

I fail to see how a couple hundred million dollars worth of development in downtown is not good news. If you read through the article, there are a lot of valid reasons why the south side property was put on hold as well as the north pier being shelved for now.

Those being:

Quote

In the meantime, plans for the North Pier, which is located south of downtown next to the nTelos Pavilion, have been largely shelved.

City leaders spent much of 2006 weighing proposals for the site. A developer was chosen but no agreement was ever reached, Lynch said.

Initial estimates found that it would be too expensive to provide infrastructure such as parking at the property, which juts out into the Elizabeth River, said city engineer Richard Hartman. There also was some concern about whether the pier could support a high-rise building and how much foundation work would need to be done, he added.

Taken into context, the fact that 3 developers have been chosen to develop any of the Portsmouth waterfront is very good news.



And the property you are referring to had only received 1 proposal. The Holiday in site is the one that has received several. They are simply going with the more economically viable location.

[vdogg]

Also, at the end of the article:

Quote

Last year, the North Pier site had been marketed to developers along with a 2.5-acre lot across from City Hall. With the plans on hold, city officials have now earmarked the lot for the new Circuit Court.

The publicly-owned property was the cheapest and easiest option for locating the court, Councilman Doug Smith told residents last week. Lynch added that his department is marketing the North Pier site with hopes that another company will submit a redevelopment plan.

"That doesn't mean it won't happen in the future," Heretick said. "But given the realities facing us right now, we needed to go to the Holiday Inn site."

The circuit court is going on a 2.5 acre lot across from city hall, not the north pier site itself.

[urbanfan]

vdogg, on Apr 24 2007, 07:20 AM, said:

Also, at the end of the article:
The circuit court is going on a 2.5 acre lot across from city hall, not the north pier site itself.

Yes, we've gone from 6 high rise towers, which you might as well shelve all that.  To reinventing a piece of property that yes is in a state of disrepair.  There are three proposals, but only to redevelop this one site. I fail to see how this is good news in any form.  There is a reason Gindroz gave the city a plan.  That is to follow through with it.  Norfolk did and with great success. Not to mention that it may have been expensive to develop the previous lot that was empty.  But how much more expensive do you think it's going to be to have to demolish the existing buildings, grade, drive piles and then we all know that there is going to be lots of money asked for from the city which they don't have to provide help with the parking structure and street, drainage improvements. I don't see any good from this. All I can say is I hope they have some great business lined up to fill the space, otherwise this thing could be a disaster.

[vdogg]

Do I think we'll get 6 towers out of this? No. Did I ever think we would? No. I've always thought that realistically we may get 3 or 4 at the most once all was said and done and I believe we're still on track with that. I understand what you're saying about Gindroz's plan, and in an ideal world I would've liked to see every single one of his ideas implemented. This is Portsmouth however, they are not a rich city and are just now starting to realize the fruits of their revitalization efforts. Gindroz has a beautiful vision, but at some point that vision has to meet up with reality, and that is what is happening now.

[vdogg]

Ha. So i'm obvioulsy alone in my enthusiam for the Portsmouth waterfront since no one else but urbanfan has commented on this today. Honestly, I think Portsmouth is making a lot of great strides and I think that this is another step in the right direction (even if it isn't exactly as everyone had hoped for).

[PeninsulaKiddo]

vdogg, on Apr 24 2007, 03:40 PM, said:

Ha. So i'm obvioulsy alone in my enthusiam for the Portsmouth waterfront since no one else but urbanfan has commented on this today. Honestly, I think Portsmouth is making a lot of great strides and I think that this is another step in the right direction (even if it isn't exactly as everyone had hoped for).

I will also sound unenthusiastic as I'm about to run off to dinner then class in a bit ( ) but, it's a great thing -- Portsmouth has an amazing waterfront and I'd love for it to be better-utilized and more-cohesive with Norfolk's burgeoning skyline!

[urbanlife]

actually I like seeing redevelopment attention happen to the northern part of the downtown because that would be the easiest part to reconnect back to the rest of the city.  Much of the city's focus should be on everything north of the nTelos Pavilion.  I think once that part of the city is in order and functioning the way it should, then the rest will take care of itself and more towers will come.  Plus I have always felt Portsmouth should target residential housing in their downtown because they already have a commercial core across the river, no need to compete.