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.

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.

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.

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.

When did they lose financing 3 times. I thought they only lost it once...which was last September, 2007 and we still don't know when or if they will get again!

LTD Management Co. needed a new corporate headquarters. It had outgrown its suburban office in Chesapeake, and Malay Thakkar and the firm’s five other managing partners wanted a premium address — something that would reflect the success of the hotel development and management company.

Have you all seen the news articles regarding the LED signboards? A tax paying small business owner put a LED signboard in his store window and the city beat him down, citing city rules that you are not allowed to have LED signboards for advertising. He appealed to the council, and got struck down.

HOWEVER, Bank of the Commonwealth has two poor quality signboards on Bousch street. They run business ads 24x7. When asked the City said it was cool for them because they are for the community. I've never, ever, seen a single ad for anything community related.

Sounds like someone is in the good ol boy network!

I don't even know why the bank exists.... ING Direct and Emigrant Direct both slaughter their interest rates. I used to use Bank of Hampton Roads for one of my business accounts and they too ... were pointless. Nice people, but no real reason for them to exist. They rates were horrible. When they added the signage to Dominion Tower, it was hilarious. They don't have a customer facing counter in the building. They spent tons of money to put up signs on a building that has some offices of theirs. Their customer facing offices are in the worst tower downtown, the building near MacArthur memorial. I guess the reason they pay such low rates is they are blowing all the money on the sign rights for Hell's tower (Dominion Tower).

Amusing.

Sadly even these days ING Direct and Emigrant Direct aren't paying good returns.

But back to the signs, I'm of the opinion Bank of the Commonwealth should be forced to remove their signs. It's a double standard.

Could the actual organization for the Va Arts Festival grow so big it's self destructive? While walking by the nice office space currently around 150 East Main Street I've always wondered if putting on a couple of concerts a year required such office space.

The only thing that might keep this project alive right now is replacing Marathon and Buddy with true big project developers. They'd have to cut the project in half, retail and residential especially, to keep it alive if Marathon is insisting on taking the lead. It just won't be done with an unproven developer at the helm.

And depending on your definition of imploded, you could argue that things already have...

lawsuits, leins, torrents of bad publicity, repeated false starts, phony ground-breaking, losing financing at least three times....maybe implosion might be a little strong but this project has been anything but quiet, it would make sense for it to just fade away quietly into the night, unfortunately

There is a new mixed use project going before design review on March 24th. Very short on details but the location puts it smack in the middle of downtown.

3.
Preliminary Review Projects
a.
Downtown Certificate of Appropriateness
i.
439 Granby Street, new mixed use building

* crickets & tumbleweeds *

OK, things are getting eerily quiet with this project.
The only thing that might keep this project alive is by replacing some residentail with office space.

I'm really surprized that things haven't imploded yet!

Wow! Moving right along there!

That Pic with the rendering for the VA arts festival, is that what is going to be built?