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Norfolk Off-Topic


vdogg

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On 3/21/2023 at 9:36 PM, BFG said:

I think it’s some good and bad things happening, but the bad has overshadowed things considerably over the last year when Sierra Jenkins and several others were shot at Chicho’s. Unfortunately I think the city is overcorrecting by shutting down bars, but I think the dust will eventually settle. It’s a far cry from the downtown of 30 years ago, but I do feel we’ve lost a ton of momentum from a decade ago  

ORF had its best year in airport history and Breeze appears all in on expansion. SPQ looks impressive IMO from the interstate and I’m interested to see its further progress. 

I will admit I’m disappointed that the city suddenly decided to reconsider the arena deal, although that appears to be their way of correcting the BTS dealings made with Pharrell. 

I’m curious to see what’s proposed at the State of the City next month. The arena and MacArthur need to be front and center. Norfolk can’t afford two dead malls and a sparse downtown, esp. if they want to bring in visitors from Half Moone. They need to redevelop at least one of the malls ASAP. 

What local leaders always fail to understand is that making businesses close earlier actually causes areas to attract more crime because they become empty and desolate at night with less eyes on the street, thereby affording more opportunity to commit crimes without witnesses. They just think on a surface level like, “crimes happened at nightlife establishments so therefore nightlife must be dismantled and police presence increased,” without even remotely attempting to understand the actual root causes of the crime uptick identify the true solutions.

Their “band-aid” solutions are actually gonna make things worse. In addition to urban centers becoming more dangerous with less activity, additional police presence and surveillance cameras make people perceive the area as unsafe because “why would they need all these cameras and police if it were a good place to spend time in?”

This leads to a cycle of reduced activity, increased crime, increased security, further reduced activity, further increased crime, further increased security, etc. until Norfolk is dead again. Crime Prevention through Urban Design is the most effective way to holistically reduce illegal activity. Local leadership in every mid-sized municipality is guilty of not listening to their Urban Planners who literally deliver this exact advice and then get blamed by said leadership when their City starts falling apart. 

Edited by Lluck002
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On 3/26/2023 at 7:03 AM, Ghentite said:

This is already the general feeling of some city decision makers.  From what I understand, the Henrico Green City Arena approval may have killed all momentum for NFK pursuing an arena.

https://henrico.us/greencity-info/

Will be interesting to see what happens with negotiations with Pharrell on MC.

What next?  Norfolk stops the light rail since NYC has subways? 

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20 hours ago, zeppelin14 said:

According to this pic, are plans to demolish the mall in place?

 

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I like this. I really, really like this. As Vdogg said, its not set in stone. However, im definitely up for slicing through the mall like that. Plus the removal of that ramp and the destruction of the mall will open up a completely new area for development in Downtown. 

Also, I might be wrong, but I think Richmond's downtown area has something similar about that new off ramp plan. Passing downtown from a sharp right turn.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

State of the City was more lowkey this year, mostly highlighting tourism accomplishments and additional police officers.

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/norfolk-mayor-business-expansion-public-safety-improvements-state-of-the-city/291-3ee25049-8ba2-4c5f-9c06-434ab03f22fe

Honestly, after being let down by potential projects like Gateway Tower and the vacant MacArthur site not coming to fruition for various reasons, I’d rather it be this way unless things are set in stone. 

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On 4/14/2023 at 6:27 PM, BFG said:

State of the City was more lowkey this year, mostly highlighting tourism accomplishments and additional police officers.

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/norfolk-mayor-business-expansion-public-safety-improvements-state-of-the-city/291-3ee25049-8ba2-4c5f-9c06-434ab03f22fe

Honestly, after being let down by potential projects like Gateway Tower and the vacant MacArthur site not coming to fruition for various reasons, I’d rather it be this way unless things are set in stone. 

Interesting Mayor Alexander didn't mention the Casino or the Military Circle redevelopment.  

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  • 3 weeks later...
12 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Good to see new apartments even just mid rise ones downtown.   Downtown needs more housing for sure and every bit helps and puts more people on the streets and at the businesses downtown.  Today. 

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This is going to give such a nice presence along Waterside Drive. Now if they can widen the sidewalks with a road diet...

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9 hours ago, 757Duke said:

This is going to give such a nice presence along Waterside Drive. Now if they can widen the sidewalks with a road diet...

I had to run across it as I was mid block but good thing was not much traffic right then.  Maybe put some on street parking and reduce the speeds. 

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On 5/5/2023 at 10:30 AM, 757Duke said:

This is going to give such a nice presence along Waterside Drive. Now if they can widen the sidewalks with a road diet...

For people to walk and do what on them?  NCC didn't mandate any real retail programming there. Seems like "activation" is the buzzword unless Buddy G. is involved, in which case he does pretty much what he wants.

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On 5/5/2023 at 10:48 AM, lammius said:

Yeah, Waterside Drive is a monstrosity that should not exist in a modern downtown district.

MONSTROUS!! LOL  OKayyy . Well downtown is not so modern, it was developed in and for another era. So, do they still have that silly "snake" thing going on as you approach from the East toward the "big bend" transitioning Northward onto Boush? LMAO. ANNOYING and useless imo. HAVING SAID THAT I DON'T MIND WHAT THEY DID TO BOUSH.  An Adkins Special. I WAS LIVING DOWN THERE WHEN THAT HAPPENED, AND IT WAS FINE-ISH... EXCEPT DURING THE MOST BUSY OF OCCASIONS.  But BOUSH is residential in large part now, so that made sense there. 

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On 5/5/2023 at 7:38 PM, KJHburg said:

I had to run across it as I was mid block but good thing was not much traffic right then.  Maybe put some on street parking and reduce the speeds. 

Good. Glad to hear you are safe.  I walked across every single road in Downtown and beyond to 21st Street over a 20-year period and never had even one close call with a car. Day and night, night and day.  The only road that could be considered semi-treacherous would be Brambleton. And near Freemason they have installed nice midpoint median pedestrian cut out with  a second signal device. That's all you can ask for. We're not going to put Brambleton on Ozempic. 

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1 hour ago, Arctic_Tern said:

Oh yea I forgot about Brambleton, if we're gonna put Waterside on a road diet we should do the same to Bramby too. Would really help connect downtown to the arts district a bit more and make it more friendly to pedestrians 

Ban cars already lol. Get it over with. Deindustrialize the economy! Wooooot wooooot!

I see no need for all of these phantom people to cross Brambleton on foot. There simply is no demand to do so. And we shouldn't be creating demand by government fiat. These road diets MUST actually have a real, appreciable benefit to a sizeable (actual) pedestrian user group--a bonafide utility far removed from textbooks. And simultaneously these road diets MUST NOT adversely affect public safety one iota nor impede the free travel and commerce of the vast majority of the citizenry...i.e., folks who choose to drive/ride (and to pollute indiscriminately).

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16 hours ago, baobabs727 said:

MONSTROUS!! LOL  OKayyy . Well downtown is not so modern, it was developed in and for another era. So, do they still have that silly "snake" thing going on as you approach from the East toward the "big bend" transitioning Northward onto Boush? LMAO. ANNOYING and useless imo. HAVING SAID THAT I DON'T MIND WHAT THEY DID TO BOUSH.  An Adkins Special. I WAS LIVING DOWN THERE WHEN THAT HAPPENED, AND IT WAS FINE-ISH... EXCEPT DURING THE MOST BUSY OF OCCASIONS.  But BOUSH is residential in large part now, so that made sense there. 

The part of Downtown that Waterside Drive goes through was bulldozed in the 1950s and re-built in the 1960s-90s.  It indeed was developed for another era of trying to make cities look and feel like suburbs.  That era is over, and Waterside Drive should catch up.  

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11 hours ago, baobabs727 said:

Ban cars already lol. Get it over with. Deindustrialize the economy! Wooooot wooooot!

I see no need for all of these phantom people to cross Brambleton on foot. There simply is no demand to do so. And we shouldn't be creating demand by government fiat. These road diets MUST actually have a real, appreciable benefit to a sizeable (actual) pedestrian user group--a bonafide utility far removed from textbooks. And simultaneously these road diets MUST NOT adversely affect public safety one iota nor impede the free travel and commerce of the vast majority of the citizenry...i.e., folks who choose to drive/ride (and to pollute indiscriminately).

It's absolutely bonkers to me that you would think that folks that live downtown don't make up a "sizeable" pedestrian user group. Sorry that I would rather make life better in Norfolk for Norfolkians, rather than more convenient for Chesapeake or VB folks. Your rapid fire  absolutely wild responses really feel like they're being made in bad faith to me.

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