I'll first say other cities who are scarce on land put up office towers on lots that size. New York definitely has towers on small lots. But anyway, this rendering is classis Ray Gindroz, he has mastered this type of style and design and puts it down in everyone of his projects. It's nothing unique or special. I'm not even going to say anything about the style, you all know I dislike the small town classic look that we so often try to replicate here in Norfolk. I'm just happy to see light rail and agree with the Kevin Murphy from the DNC, it needs more personality! The clock tower has got to go!

Until now, the vision for the rail station has been an office tower built over a ground-level rail station. Frank Duke, city planning director, said the site isn't large enough to support an office building.

Looks a lot like Harbor Heights, especially with the glass corner.

You know, I always did wonder how they'd fit an office tower on that land. It didn't seem big enough to me either. Not too sure about the clock tower. It's a bit too small townish for my taste. The rest though seems like a step in the right direction.

The biggest issue i have might be more at the Pilot than DNC, but this in no way strikes me as in the same realm of a Seattle Fish Market, St Louis Arch, etc. Hopefully that was just the Pilot stretching the analogies and not the intention of these people. To me, while appealing, the rendering lacks any distinct feature or landmark. The bell tower is the only thing, and i agree vdogg, a little too small town main square for an urban center like Norfolk. Where's the originality? A park with benches, plazas and fountains? Big deal. you think virginia beach is going to be identified by the fountain with three bronze birds in the middle? Of course not. If this is the 'gateway' to downtown, to the heart of Norfolk, then let's get some people thinking outside the box, something bold and original, that will instantly be recognizable as being 'in Norfolk' (and please God not a mermaid)

I know it's not going to happen but blandness/cookie cutter belongs in Town Center not in downtow Norfolk. That rendering could be a light rail station in Charlotte, Portland, Dallas, anywhere.

That does look great, however will it get scaled back because of the housing market?

They've finally posted the design of the building that fronts bonney. I am highly impressed. This will make a fantastic addition to downtown Virginia Beach.

Planners want Kirn light rail station to have an indelible identity

[indent][/indent]

Now this is interesting. 767 Granby is just north of brambleton, in an area that has been rumored to have development coming for several years now. Maybe things are starting to move forward. Hopefully it's something significant enough to serve as a catalyst for more development north of Brambleton.

Officials also expect to announce next week the finalization of a deal for a 300-room, 25-story Westin Hotel. It will be attached to a $50 million convention center and a parking deck.

The Westin project, at a cost of nearly $200 million, will be one of the most heavily subsidized projects downtown. The city will build the convention center, which will be paid for with meals and hotels taxes. It will also provide LTD Management, the hotel’s majority developer, with a $7.5 million “performance grant.”

There's a slew of great Norfolk pictures on the Skyscraper City site.

CBRE Brochure on City Walk (pdf)

This is dated 2007 and from the picture looks like late 2007. Does this mean City Walk is for all intensive purposes dead since no one knows what the new owner would do? Also interesting is the public-private partnership bit about a parking garage. I thought the city was done with that in Pembroke area once TC was completed.

The light rail would be elevated at Independence Boulevard, but it would cross other major roads at grade.

They'd just have to tear it and BB&B down and build a 3 or 4 story building with parking, theaters, and a new BB&B. The "street" between BB&B and Planet Music can be turned into a real street with the theater entrance and valet/drop off turn-off along this new street and BB&B on the corner. New shops would line Constitution.

After this, B&N and adjacent shops can be torn down along with that out-parcel. A new 3 or 4 story building with parking can be built there with a B&N on the corner of the Blvd and Constitution. Maybe include an urban Target with its entrance at the corner of the Blvd and that street between this shopping center and the one with Silver Diner.

Finally, the parking lot in front of Planet Music will be replaced with a park and bandstand for concerts that Planet Music promotes.

That's my vision for that shopping center. Pembroke mall on the other hand is a whole different beast: outdoor urban mall, apartments, condos, and office buildings: another mixed-use complex like TC but with an outdoor mall as the anchor.


Edit: I didn't realize just how big that property is. It's half as big as TC. What they should do is extend both Main and Columbus to Beasley and make a parallel road between Constitution and Beasley. Expand the theater at its current lot. Move BB&B to Constitution as part of a new parking structure and retail/high-rise office. Put Target where BB&B is with townhouses or a condo/apt building front Beasley. Then do the above renovation for B&N plus additional retail & office.

I can't imagine this hypothetical VB light rail line crossing a huge road like Independence at grade. That and Rosemont are the two that I think will absolutely have to be bridged over. There are proably 5-10 other roads that it would be nice to bridge (Constitution being one of them) but with the cost of steel and concrete being what it is, they would probably get value-engineered out. A bridge over Independence should free up basically anywhere between Independence and Constitution as a potential LRT station site, though.

They've begun driving pilings, doing while they demolish garage.

Also, the architect listed for the design has some great looking buildings, including the Marine Corps museum off of 95 in Quantico. I love that building. Website here

Your frustrations are felt by those on this site as well. You're talking about misinformed people who think (a) The money COULD be better spent on something else in transportation (WRONG: The Feds gave us their portion of the money for THIS project and THIS project alone), (b) The money should be given back to taxpayers so they can waste, I mean, spend it on themselves (WRONG: This is NOT their money; it's monies earmarked for transportation, not tax-breaks), © The project will not succeed because projections are overstated (WRONG: I'll bet anyone on this site the numbers are BELOW actual ridership--we see that with every project ever built in this town), (d) The money is a reflection of developer subsidy practices (WRONG: This has nothing to do with such practices; the money is not for developers). I could go on, but I'm bored thinking about those whiners.

I would point out that many Oceana workers are civilian contractors and the base provides work to many ancillary businesses (engineers, mechanics, science and tech) which definitely provide jobs earning close to or more than the median household income of Virginia Beach.