Norfolk Off-Topic

[vdogg]

4 hours ago, mintscraft56 said:

They already effectively killed it. Went down there on a Saturday night and there was barely a trickle of people on Monticello and Granby was dryer than overcooked chicken. Sad too see it that way. Of course, there were the occasional people strolling around or going into a different restaurant, but not enough people actually going down there to have fun.  

I figure most of them might have gone to Virginia Beach's oceanfront, where it seems their night clubs still exist. 

It's the holidays during winter, don't read too much into that just yet. Will probably be pretty busy around New Year's.

[mintscraft56]

11 minutes ago, vdogg said:

It's the holidays during winter, don't read too much into that just yet. Will probably be pretty busy around New Year's.

I really hope so! 

I honestly hope I was deceived because what I saw seemed sad. Norfolk should be a place of growth!  

[baobabs727]

We need the RIGHT kind of growth.  We've had a dearth of that lately. 

[BFG]

About 12 or 13 years ago there were several shootings downtown at Jillian's Waterside, the Marriott parking garage, and Granby Theater. That - along with Town Center offering free parking - pushed people to Virginia Beach. IIRC, Norfolk establishments had trouble with council back then too so I think these things happen in cycles. I do agree council needs to stop being so heavy-handed before they push away every business.

[EJ_LEWIS]

14 hours ago, baobabs727 said:

We need the RIGHT kind of growth.  We've had a dearth of that lately. 

What kind of growth? The city had small businesses interested in opening restaurants and clubs Downtown.  Now I'm certain restaurants and clubs like Legacy Lounge and Scotty Quikks will look to other cities to re-open.  I would strongly encourage them to look across the river to Portsmouth for a new start.  

[Kevin Cheph Randall]

This!!! Portsmouth is very good about staying out of the way of development, it has to be. Our council just seem to always fight each other, and make a mockery of the city every 6 months. 

Norfolk needs to learn a thing a from Portsmouth..... Just like Portsmouth it doesn't really have the luxury of continually being such a hard place to build.  Norfolk has taken/is taking some huge L's lately and its bad especially for the area. 

Just painful to witness especially with cities Like Richmond, and Arlington starting to really kick ass. Like sheesh Hampton Roads get it together....... 

[BFG]

Has the city made an official decision about the Greyhound station? I know I saw (wait for it) apartments proposed, and I know they had a RFP but I haven't heard anything in about a year and I had an idea for the building.

[mintscraft56]

Guys, what if a casino company,  person, or the Pamunkey Tribe bought Mcarthur mall, and turned one side into a casino, split the mall in two (to bring back the street grid), and proceeded to turn the other side into a hotel/offices to accommodate the casino? Its absolutely a fever dream but its also not impossible.

Im just giving ideas, just incase one of us hit big on the lottery and decide to build downtown lol. 

I mean, it has the space and parking to make it possible 

[vdogg]

1 hour ago, mintscraft56 said:

Guys, what if a casino company,  person, or the Pamunkey Tribe bought Mcarthur mall, and turned one side into a casino, split the mall in two (to bring back the street grid), and proceeded to turn the other side into a hotel/offices to accommodate the casino? Its absolutely a fever dream but its also not impossible.

Im just giving ideas, just incase one of us hit big on the lottery and decide to build downtown lol. 

I mean, it has the space and parking to make it possible 

They can't, that would require a whole new referendum.

[mintscraft56]

4 hours ago, vdogg said:

They can't, that would require a whole new referendum.

Well, yea. But if anything, thats one out of hundreds of ideas iv made for the area the mall emcompasses. 

Plus, I figured id bring up the activity in the off topic channel and at the same time get some ideas rated.

[HRVA]

8 minutes ago, mintscraft56 said:

Well, yea. But if anything, thats one out of hundreds of ideas iv made for the area the mall emcompasses. 

Plus, I figured id bring up the activity in the off topic channel and at the same time get some ideas rated.

Of all the possibilities, a casino is probably unlikely but if the Pamunkey deal falls through and other sites are considered for a new referendum, I would expect it to be in the conversation. Frankly, I put this as more likely than the mall getting redeveloped into a street grid by 2030. It may be the ideal outcome but I don’t see the economics supporting a full redevelopment. 

[zeppelin14]

I think there is a better chance of a casino getting built on the side of Waterside where fountain park is and have the restaurants be basically part of the casino. This may help with what I always see as a struggling Waterside.

[walmartjamesbond]

The study to build the connector from i564 to i664 has been revived. Public meeting on Thursday to discuss. A interchange over water isn’t something you see everyday… leave it to VDOT.

[mintscraft56]

3 minutes ago, walmartjamesbond said:

The study to build the connector from i564 to i664 has been revived. Public meeting on Thursday to discuss. A interchange over water isn’t something you see everyday… leave it to VDOT.

Well, thats interesting. An over-water interchange would be somewhat cool to see. 

However, I can only imagine the traffic. 

[walmartjamesbond]

Also, thinking about this.. with a four lane highway going through Craney Island and what would be amazing highway access. This is the PERFECT location for a future mega airport. I read an article about it before but the island is self is about as big as Atlanta’s whole airport. 

Many Many years down the road, rebuild the airport out there. Something like Denver did with the old Stapleton airport. Demolish ORF and build well needed infrastructure.

You even have the prime location for the Tide, Amtrak, or a new private regional rail service. 

Just a thought for when ORF can’t handle the traffic in 50+ years. 

[mintscraft56]

2 minutes ago, walmartjamesbond said:

Also, thinking about this.. with a four lane highway going through Craney Island and what would be amazing highway access. This is the PERFECT location for a future mega airport. I read an article about it before but the island is self is about as big as Atlanta’s whole airport. 

Many Many years down the road, rebuild the airport out there. Something like Denver did with the old Stapleton airport. Demolish ORF and build well needed infrastructure.

You even have the prime location for the Tide, Amtrak, or a new private regional rail service. 

Just a thought for when ORF can’t handle the traffic in 50+ years. 

Well, Maybe not demolish ORF, more like make ORF bigger. I wonder if Norfolk can Annex Craney island so we still have an ORF around if we ever do get to building one and demolishing the other. 

[walmartjamesbond]

5 minutes ago, mintscraft56 said:

Well, Maybe not demolish ORF, more like make ORF bigger. I wonder if Norfolk can Annex Craney island so we still have an ORF around if we ever do get to building one and demolishing the other. 

If in some fantasy world where this would happen. ORF would have to expand and out grow itself to the point where there is just no more room. Same thing happened with Denver Stapleton, the city grew so much it needed a lot more.

So, I would imagine that they would build the new airport on Craney, open it, then retire ORF. There would be such a major development opportunity for Norfolk. They would have the opportunity to make that area almost anything that could want.

After stapleton was retired it became one of the nicest developments in Denver, and still is today. 

All super hypothetical so it’s just fun to think about. Obviously will never happen 

[mintscraft56]

2 minutes ago, walmartjamesbond said:

If in some fantasy world where this would happen. ORF would have to expand and out grow itself to the point where there is just no more room. Same thing happened with Denver Stapleton, the city grew so much it needed a lot more.

So, I would imagine that they would build the new airport on Craney, open it, then retire ORF. There would be such a major development opportunity for Norfolk. They would have the opportunity to make that area almost anything that could want.

After stapleton was retired it became one of the nicest developments in Denver, and still is today. 

All super hypothetical so it’s just fun to think about. Obviously will never happen 

"never say never" 

In 50 years I will be 67 Years old, I'll have to get back to you on that before you say never! ORF is our prized airport in the area and it would be missed if it goes. If we ever get that big of a city its never out of the question on what could happen there. 

[virginia pe]

29 minutes ago, walmartjamesbond said:

Also, thinking about this.. with a four lane highway going through Craney Island and what would be amazing highway access. This is the PERFECT location for a future mega airport. I read an article about it before but the island is self is about as big as Atlanta’s whole airport. 

Many Many years down the road, rebuild the airport out there. Something like Denver did with the old Stapleton airport. Demolish ORF and build well needed infrastructure.

You even have the prime location for the Tide, Amtrak, or a new private regional rail service. 

Just a thought for when ORF can’t handle the traffic in 50+ years. 

Craney Island is not just a vacant plot of land.  It is a vital asset for the Virginia Port Authority.  It provides 2500 acres of long-term disposal area for material dredged from the channels and ports in the Hampton Roads area.  Without Craney Island, VPA would have to spend millions to dispose of dredge spoils offshore, including considerable time and expense for environmental permitting each time they need to dredge some portion of Hampton Roads harbor.  VPA is much more important to the Virginia economy than ORF.  I don’t see VPA giving up Craney Island.

[Arctic_Tern]

If the third crossing can get made, hopefully Norfolk can scale Hampton Blvd down to 2 lanes each direction for the whole length of the road, and add more traffic calming infra especially near Ghent and ODU. 

Would also love to get some actual regional rail at some point. Doesn't have to be The Tide but being able to go between Southside and the Penninsula without a car is something sorely needed.

[EJ_LEWIS]

The Downtown Norfolk Waterfront will be getting a major overhaul as a result of the construction of flood walls and levees to mitigate flooding.  

https://www.pilotonline.com/news/environment/vp-nw-flood-wall-timeline-20230205-yn4dlrramrcsrcjwkerl2c52g4-story.html

[baobabs727]

screw their paywall lol

https://news.yahoo.com/norfolk-waterfront-getting-look-more-182400084.html

I'm pleased with the timeline. Could be a whole lot worse.

 

[vdogg]

"The city also is working on St. Paul’s Blue-Greenway Drainage Improvement project, a related effort to improve drainage by providing a place to store runoff. The plan is to convert about 26 acres of the recently vacated Tidewater Gardens and other properties to a wetlands and recreation area." 

26 acres?!?! Well folks, you wanted a downtown park, you got one. Think we'll be set after this. 

[EJ_LEWIS]

I do see an opportunity for Norfolk to kind of turn into a lab for rising seas mitigation.  Why not also in conjunction with the Resilience Lab also showcase the St. Paul's Blue-Greenway Drainage improvement project as a model for mitigating flooding caused by sea level rise.  Norfolk could easily be an international hub for climate change solutions.  

[BFG]

15 minutes ago, EJ_LEWIS said:

I do see an opportunity for Norfolk to kind of turn into a lab for rising seas mitigation.  Why not also in conjunction with the Resilience Lab also showcase the St. Paul's Blue-Greenway Drainage improvement project as a model for mitigating flooding caused by sea level rise.  Norfolk could easily be an international hub for climate change solutions.  

I believe that is the goal. They're building a facility off Colley to study sea level rise, and want Norfolk to become a major research city for resilience.