Harbor Heights Progress

[Chesapeake Pirate]

Why wife was looking at homes last night, she could not believe the prices she saw for homes in Norfolk. We are talking about ranch style homes,1900SF 399,000.........

Single family cottages, 1200SF 499,000.

Somewhere down the line someone felt like they could get away with marking a house up in value. Just because a house is old doesn't mean it

[Chesapeake Pirate]

Attended the "sneak preview" at The Market at Harbor Heights tonight and was truly wowed. It is a beautiful store and is much bigger than I had been led to believe. There is nothing not available that you would expect to find in any traditional grocery store. They had wonderful selections of food and drink to try, from shrimp and crab cakes to carved steamship round and various sausages to fruit and cheeses and desserts. Did I mention the free samples of wine and the free Starbucks? Huge crowd, including Paul Fraim, Anthony Burfoot, Randy Wright, Theresa Whibley, other city officials, lot's of downtown residents, and even old Gene Walters himself!

[NorfolkGal]

Attended the "sneak preview" at The Market at Harbor Heights tonight and was truly wowed. It is a beautiful store and is much bigger than I had been led to believe. There is nothing not available that you would expect to find in any traditional grocery store. They had wonderful selections of food and drink to try, from shrimp and crab cakes to carved steamship round and various sausages to fruit and cheeses and desserts. Did I mention the free samples of wine and the free Starbucks? Huge crowd, including Paul Fraim, Anthony Burfoot, Randy Wright, Theresa Whibley, other city officials, lot's of downtown residents, and even old Gene Walters himself!

[Sky06]

What a great store! What's different? Part of it compared to other Farm Fresh units is the feel of being just a little more high end. Compared to most other grocery stores, however, well they just don't compare. Hard wood floors, stone tile floors, streetside carts with items for sale, etc. etc. But what's truly different are the products. Can you get English bangers at other stores? Can you get Brazilian meats at other stores? Can you get Toscana bread? How about Ireland's Smithwick's Ale? It's more than just the Chef's Corner. The food inside is just little more unique.

Oh, and Gretchen wasn't too shabby either.

[Telmnstr]

Tax dollars are not "being sent" to other cities because someone can't find a home in Norfolk they can afford. In reality, it means Norfolk is already collecting higher taxes because the real estate is worth more than you are willing or able to pay. That it is worth more than you believe it should be is certainly an opinion you may hold, but the proof is in the prices and in the market.

[rusthebuss]

you guys need to put that type of discussion in the hampton roads housing thread and not spam up this thread

[Telmnstr]

I don't know if you have ever lived in a condominium or served on a condo Board of Directors like I have and am, but I think condo owners get a lot for $300 per month. There is a lot more to the financial operations of a condominium than mowing the grass. I gladly pay a condo fee which covers the following items, which are typically billed directly to or the responsibility of a single-family homeowner:

[vdogg]

you guys need to put that type of discussion in the hampton roads housing thread and not spam up this thread

[Chesapeake Pirate]

Please accept my apology. This has been going on for several days and when folks make general comments outside the specific topic it's sometimes hard to ignore.

[hroads01]

I got the opportunity to visit the Farm Fresh Market at Harbor Heights and I was truly impressed. The downtown store truly has a lot of specialty items that you cannot find in other local suburban Farm Fresh stores. The concept of a food market on the ground floor with parking and condos above it really reinforces the urbanism of downtown Norfolk. The market at Harbor Heights is a great addition to downtown Norfolk especially for the growing number of residents residing in the downtown area.

[vdogg]

Please accept my apology. This has been going on for several days and when folks make general comments outside the specific topic it's sometimes hard to ignore.

[Telmnstr]

I got the opportunity to visit the Farm Fresh Market at Harbor Heights and I was truly impressed. The downtown store truly has a lot of specialty items that you cannot find in other local suburban Farm Fresh stores. The concept of a food market on the ground floor with parking and condos above it really reinforces the urbanism of downtown Norfolk. The market at Harbor Heights is a great addition to downtown Norfolk especially for the growing number of residents residing in the downtown area.

[adctvmonkey]

Your Harbor Heights and other photos are very nice. You must have a nice camera!

[brikkman]

Not only does it to appear to be nice and large, it is in a great location if you ask me....

[hroads01]

How do you get your stuff to the 2nd floor parking garage? Do they have a cart escalator?

I've added two pictures of the Farm Fresh / Harbor Heights on my flickr page.

One is crooked, I was rolling when I took it I believe. Not super photos because it was overcast.

I've been moving my tons of photos onto flickr. I still have lots of DE construction pictures and some other stuff to upload as well.

You gotta dig to find things.

[Telmnstr]

Your Harbor Heights and other photos are very nice. You must have a nice camera!

[vtfan18]

is it free parking for patrons?

[metalman]

I stopped by the Market for a short time today. I was really impressed too. The produce looked very fresh and some were very unique produce. The presentation was great! The meat in the butchers counter, chef's station, and seafood counter looked great. But, I actually stepped inside today for one reason. First Colony Coffee!!! IMO, there's is the best coffee, period. Does anyone remember the First Colony Coffee Houses that were in Ghent (21st st.) and in Hilltop (Now G.F. Keagan's) I used to go there 8 days a week, and stop in multiple times a day if I could. They had great food, desserts, coffees, baristas, the atmosphere was awesome and a lot of live music. Anyway, I haven't been able to find First Colony Coffee anywhere since they closed. There was a little kiosk inside Norfolk Int'l Airport, but that closed recently too. I was very excited to see that the Market was selling there Coffees and Teas. I got a pound today. Blow's starbucks out of the water. The Vienese w/ Cinnamon is incredible.

Metalman

[Sky06]

If I missed an earlier response to this, I apologize. 90 minutes free parking if you purchase $10 or more at the grocery store. Must have your ticket validated at the check out register.

They are going to do a ton of business with the freshly prepared lunches and dinners. The menu changes each week and is very convenient for those on the go.

[vdogg]

Taking stock of the Market

Of all the reasons to live downtown, convenience tops the list. Being a quick drive or walk from work, shops, entertainment, dining and nightlife is often a desirable trade for the expense of a condo or apartment that is likely smaller and pricier than its suburban counterparts.

But until last month, people living in the heart of Norfolk lacked one major convenience in their little urban bubble-a full-scale grocery store.

[vtfan18]

David Wright from the Mets bought a unit here. As a side note, Kurt Busch (nascar) and his wife purchased a unit at the Westin. Eventually, I expect to see this as a (small) growing trend among pro athletes and entertainment celebs buying more high end residential units in the area as more high rises are built in the coming years. A lot of local celebs are looking for low maintenance secondary homes to come back to in the area when visiting friends/family.

[metalman]

CMSS finally has a Harbor Heights page on there website. It's not anything we don't already know but...

http://www.cmssarchitects.com/harbor_heights.php

[vdogg]

Wow, I didn't even know this thread was still open. This project is long since complete so i'm closing it guys. Just put any new information in Norfolk development or off-topic.