Belmont @ Freemason Progress

[mikeas]

York St would have been a nice one to have open all the way to Granby still. The city has chopped it up though with the weird intersection at Bousch and allowing the Granby Tower Lake to close it.

[mlsimons]

If you look in the bottom picture, it seems strange that the made the turn onto York so sharp. How are trucks going to get in there to make deliveries or move furniture? They had room to make it a softer transition.

[ronsmytheiii]

Haven't seen caveman around since the Nor'easter, you still here? Really love the semi-aerial shots

[urbanfan]

If you look in the bottom picture, it seems strange that the made the turn onto York so sharp. How are trucks going to get in there to make deliveries or move furniture? They had room to make it a softer transition.

[varider]

I wouldn't mind that white and green, and pink + grey building being demolished and an urban development with a nice sidewalk going there.

[mlsimons]

It would have been impossible to make it softer. The system is designed to have as much separation from roads as possible. The tracks for the train are not going to be multipurpose meaning that trucks will not be able to park on them or make deliveries in front of the building. To make it wider, the road through there would have had to been on the west side instead of the east as it is. That would have required vehicles to turn across track to access it. They made the turn as wide as they possibly could have with the situation they were given. There just isn't a lot of room there.

[Norfolk4Life]

I highlighted it in the pic for clarity:

[mlsimons]

Haha, yeah that's it.

Its just such a sharp turn whenever there appears much more room for a softer shoulder, one where trucks can get in to make deliveries or help folks move furniture. Oh well I guess the city feels that spot needs a band aid buffer or something to separate light rail and city life.

Also, that corner of the Belmont is an absolutely perfect spot for a retail establishment....high density, close proximity to transit, easy access to pedestrian crossing the ghent/hauge bridge...and most importantly (something hard to create in the city) a sense of place created from walls on at least 3 sides (the belmont, the hotel, and the parking garage...also that brownish/grey office tower 1 block south), not to mention that vehicle traffic is slow and light, which means a feeling of safety. I could easily imagine an urban 7/11 going there!!! Or Waffle House!

I'm sure it will be converted in the next 10 years!

[urbanfan]

I'm referring to the turn for the small access road on York st. not the actual turn of the tracks. If you look at the picture it appears as though there's no way for a truck to turn onto that road. You see what I mean?

[urbanlife]

Yeah, I see what your saying. Easily could have made more room for that. I guess they figured they will just run over the curb as they normally do.

[mikeas]

I'm assuming its a one way street? Maybe it will flow the other way?

[varider]

I guess it's about that time to close this thread.. The Belmont has been completed.

[Telmnstr]

Are people happy with it?

Thoughts?

[mistermetaj]

Are people happy with it?

Thoughts?

[varider]

Are people happy with it?

Thoughts?

[jbhay]

Rode my bike behind it, along the LR lines with some friends last night on an expedition through Downtown and Ghent.

Like the nearby Alexander and 21st St's 201 Twenty-One, the density is ideal for Norfolk, further justifying the city's urban planning vision for the future. My complaint is that the rates are too steep for a 'young professional' like myself, who is interested in the idea of living in an urban atmosphere like that, with its close proximity to the future mass transit station. Besides Ghent, the Freemason area contains my favorite urban residential neighborhoods in Hampton Roads, and the Belmont fits perfectly as a welcome to that area from Brambleton Avenue. Aesthetically, I have minimal complaints; it's got somewhat of a mixture of old and new architectural styles that really give off an amazing street presence. I'm eager to watch this TOD to continue its life cycle, which will become more vibrant once light rail is officially opened.

On a somewhat related note, it would be nice to see other cities follow this model of TOD, like Chesapeake for example, when a light rail spur makes it out there. An ideal location of Belmont-style development, or an entire 'activity center', is the cleared land to the NE of the I-64/Battlefield interchange loop, very close to the rail line that the city has indicated as a future mass transit line.