Jump to content

Norfolk Hilton Project


rusthebuss

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 1.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Has anyone heard anything about granby tower or the hilton yet???? :huh:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You've probably heard all you're going to out of Granby for a while, unless they do another redesign or get their website up (can't wait for that!). As far as the Hilton, I better be knocked out by the sheer beauty of it's architectual design to justify them delaying an announcement for this long. <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was an arcticle in todays pilot that is not availiable at pilotonline that talks very briefly about the hotel and conference center but it finally gives us a timetable. The article was actually about televising Norfolk city council meetings. It went on to say there is a budgetary meeting coming up at the next council meeting (which i think is next wednesday) and among the items being included in the budget is money for the hotel conference center and $84 million for the courts complex. Whatever is decided the budget will be adopted May 4th. This means 2 things.

1.) The only thing holding up the Hilton is the city and their budget process and we should know something by May 4th, possibly sooner (like after the council meeting next week).

2.) It appears, since they will be including money in this years budget, that the courts complex will start sooner rather than later.

All around positive news, and as soon as they make that article availiable online, i'll post the important parts here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I've been thinking about it....but I'm only a kid and don't have a lot of money haha.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't worry okinawa. Usually they put the article up on the site the day after it was printed in the paper. I'm certain it will be availiable online soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Told you they'd post it :D . Here is the most relevant excerpt:

Hester acknowledged that the upcoming budget debate will be lively. The budget will be adopted in May.

Taxpayers are demanding relief from skyrocketing property assessments. The city is expected to build a conference center to attract a Hilton Hotel downtown and is scheduled to begin paying for a new $84 million courts complex.

There is a $9 million shortfall in infrastructure for Broad Creek, a new housing development near Norfolk State University.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rereading the article, i'm wondering where i got may 4th from. Maybe i got it off the cities website. Oh well, guess i'm off searching. I'll see what i can find that may be able to nail that date down for you. Coincidentally, ground breaking for phase 3 of towncenter is also scheduled for May 4th. Maybe i'm getting my Mays mixed up :D. At either rate, something on this project will happen by May so we can at least rest with that knowledge :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope this doesn't effect the hilton or any other development downtown. NHRA is really screwed up and i'm glad to see norfolk step in to take over.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The way i read the article, if anything is going to be affected it will be televised city meetings. In other words, the items mentioned will be in the budget regardless, and if they have enough left over after that they will decide to televise the meetings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2.) It appears, since they will be including money in this years budget, that the courts complex will start sooner rather than later.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The money has actually already been proposed. An initial $750,000 funding was already approved last year, likely for site planning and preliminary architectual work. The amount escalates each year through the 2009 budget. From the looks of it, I would say it's going to be completed in 2010.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have they actually announced where they are exactly going to put the courts and are they going to alter roads or create roads? What will they do with the old city hall and court house? Are they going to create an underground walk way from the jail to the courthouse?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have they actually announced where they are exactly going to put the courts and are they going to alter roads or create roads? What will they do with the old city hall and court house? Are they going to create an underground walk way from the jail to the courthouse?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A few years back, they proposed the new courts complex on the parking lot and wooded area on the southeast corner of St. Paul's Blvd and City Hall Ave. ajacent to General District court. That was back then when the sniper shooting suspects had their trials moved to Va. Beach and Chesapeake over Norfolk due to being outdated (no tunnels connecting to the courts and jails, lack of "modern" security measures, etc). As for the for City Hall, it was proposed that when the new court building is finished and occupied, circuit court would be torn down and a new City Hall tower (proposed 20-25 stories) be built along St. Paul's Blvd with an entrance where the current circuit court entrance on St. Paul's Blvd is located. I remember in the pilot that someone from the city council that the current City Hall building will then be torn down and that the southern half of the block which is made of a parking lot, gardens, and the southern half of the circuit courts would be a site of a future office tower when needed. That tower would fill a void in the skyline between Dominion Tower and the skyline on Main St. That was a few years back though so I don't know how plans have changed since.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was posted over at SSP by NSUREDD.

I spoke with the City Planners office. The Hotel is going through some design changes because of the location.

The owner of Becroft and Bull told me he has to be out by the end of April because they will be tearing his building down for the Hotel.

They are working with the buildings on Granby because only the Copy place on Market and Granby will be torn down.

Not much but, it is all I have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was posted over at SSP by NSUREDD.

I spoke with the City Planners office. The Hotel is going through some design changes because of the location.

The owner of Becroft and Bull told me he has to be out by the end of April because they will be tearing his building down for the Hotel.

They are working with the buildings on Granby because only the Copy place on Market and Granby will be torn down.

Not much but, it is all I have.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What type of design changes and what does the location have to do with it? Is the Hotel being scaled back due to lack of space? Taller? Shorter? What does this mean as far as an annoucement anytime soon?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So whats going to be at downtown plaza?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not quite sure. About a year after MacArthur Center opened, a developer announced their plans to build an open air, retail, food and entertainment plaza very similar to what Town Center has in the form of the Bravo Plaza area (just obviously with more buildings) and a parking garage to handle visitors. The city later confirmed that they would support and pursue the proposal. Then after a year or so of silence, word (actually rumors) started going around that there was opposition. I don't have any idea what exactly made the project fizzle but some rumors I heard was that MacArthur Center had opposition. Then I heard the mall agreed after the city proposed building a pedestrian bridge over St. Paul's Blvd which would in turn encourage people to also visit the mall and vice-versa. Then rumors started going around that shop owners on Granby St. feared stiff competition since the proposal would feature mostly national food and entertainment chains and even among city officials, they feared that it take business away from Waterside since both would be so similar in use. Those rumors came around for a few years but recently, I can't remember exactly what article it was, but I think I read it in one of the forums here that the whole proposal was axed which also by the way was confirmed to be canned in the pilot a few months back.

Since then, many have said apartments (which I don't think would be good for that plot, I prefer retail center or dividing the land for high-rise office space since we seem to be running a little tight on supply for that end), the federal courthouse expansion (which basically seems to be speculation and rumor at best so far but we'll have to wait and see), the city has proposed making it and all judiciary complex (basically instead of the single, all-courts tower on the Southeastern corner of St. Paul's Blvd and City Hall Ave., they would take the plaza and rebuild it for multiple city government buildings and court buildings) of all of which, the latter has had a more likely-hood of happening as of right now. But really, until anyone from the city officially talks again, I'll just continue to wonder when they will make up their mind on that land.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was all he/she wrote, maybe you or I could PM him/her to find out some more info.

Maybe the original design had the historic buildings along Granby being torn down to make way and Norfolk put the breaks on that, so they had to redesign it and incorporate them into the final project. If that's the case then it might get a little taller with the smaller footprint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't remember exactly what article it was, but I think I read it in one of the forums here that the whole proposal was axed which also by the way was confirmed to be canned in the pilot a few months back.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This wouldn't be related to the failed "vertical power center" of a few years back would it? Something about that was mentioned in an article for the development of the HQ property in Va. Beach, because someone wanted to try something similar there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was all he/she wrote, maybe you or I could PM him/her to find out some more info.

Maybe the original design had the historic buildings along Granby being torn down to make way and Norfolk put the breaks on that, so they had to redesign it and incorporate them into the final project. If that's the case then it might get a little taller with the smaller footprint.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe so. The city owns the IKON building, the parking lot, and the Decker building but I never heard anything officially concerning the rest of the buildings on Granby St. They can do it though 'cause the garage across the street is built accordingly with those two buildings on the corners of the block on Granby street. Are they seriously going to start tearing buildings down withing the next 2 months? That's pretty soon if they announce the hotel by the end of the month. I don't want them to rush too quickly on construction to tell you the truth. It will be a sudden, dramatic change in traffic and parking issues. That's me though but of course, business is business and unfortunately, the public usually has mininmal impact to such moves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.