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vdogg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Should have 4 or 5 cranes in the sky over Pembroke by the end of the year. Nice to have an ACTUAL building boom in this city for once. Add in Westminster, City View, and Atlantic park and that's up to 8 major projects underway simultaneously in Va. Beach, which I believe is a first for us (Not counting Canopy yet, don't know what's going on with that).

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, varider said:

Sadly, no news to report from todays state of city. No update on surf park, no new developments , no talk of rudee loop, no new businesses, no new jobs, nada

Any mention of SITW? The lineup dropped this morning.

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Beating the Hampton Roads curse, it seems that all major *announced VB projects are under construction or beginning shortly. Nothing cancelled, drastically changed, or significantly reduced (Westminster lost the ML tower, but kept the taller IL tower, which is still a win in my book. Hampton Inn lost 2 floors, but will still have a presence). It seems that planning/VBDA/council have hit their stride when it comes to development. Hoping that this kind of progress can eventually be replicated region wide.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can’t believe VB is really going to turn the entire Rudee Loop into a city park. I understand saving public access and a little green space, but I never imagined there would be zero ground up development in that area. Unbelievable to me. 90% of the public input was in favor of a green space. 

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5 hours ago, varider said:

I can’t believe VB is really going to turn the entire Rudee Loop into a city park. I understand saving public access and a little green space, but I never imagined there would be zero ground up development in that area. Unbelievable to me. 90% of the public input was in favor of a green space

Majority rules. I don't like it either, but it's what the people want. I'm far more concentrated on Atlantic Park and points north. There seems to be an exceptional amount of urbanization going on in VB now. I'll willingly take this L if it provides a catalyst for development elsewhere on the Oceanfront. The Nimbys have lost their main weapon. They can no longer complain about lack of green space.

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Honestly, the streets in the 30s are creating the urbanized look with the Hilton/Catch, various apartments, the new Marriott and Embassy Suites, and of course the Cavalier. I’d focus on continuing to build more hotels down there and work on developing some buildings on Pacific. 

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2 hours ago, vdogg said:

Majority rules. I don't like it either, but it's what the people want. I'm far more concentrated on Atlantic Park and points north. There seems to be an exceptional amount of urbanization going on in VB now. I'll willingly take this L if it provides a catalyst for development elsewhere on the Oceanfront. The Nimbys have lost their main weapon. They can no longer complain about lack of green space.

Well, I think perhaps you should care. Because this is but a sign of future happenings. You should care.  Remick is a real gem. Heh. Just like I predicted. A Disaster.  He and Rosemary, both of whom  represent the oceanfront, are so polar opposite it's disturbing.  He is not a friend of this forum if you know what I mean.

VB CC is just horrible. This is not the COUNCIL that's going to get big things done, that's going to be pro-growth and pro-business and aggressive with economic development and with putting Virginia Beach back on the map with the other great cities of the southeast. They are not the ones.

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As long as there’s  the huge empty lot at 31st/Atlantic, I’m not going to get excited over any “urbanization” at the oceanfront. 

& I understand public input, but our CC has no backbone, no leadership, no identity. 4,000 NIMBYs (likely the same few ppl voting over and over) is not “majority rules” in a city of 460K. It’s the vocal minority that rules IMO. They city has 8+ acres of land in probably the most beautiful spot we have, and they’re going to turn it into a VB city park that we have to maintain and try to keep bums out of?? why can’t we compromise? VB residents deserve open space/park/access, but nobody should be able to live down there in a nice condo tower or stay in a nice resort at Rudee Loop? Just a walk through the park? That’s all Rudee is good for? It’s a shame, and our CC are literal puppets. 

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The private proposals included public open space anyway. Bruce Smith/ Armada Hoffler plan specifically had over 4 acres of open space! You really think a park with literally nothing around it, which basically is what it already is (just with a lot of asphalt) that the city has to maintain in perpetuity, is a better plan than 3 10+ hotel towers, a 13 floor apartment tower, AND 4 acres of green space for public recreation?? With development + open space, there would actually be people nearby to activate the park. Also, what about the tax base?? Do you know how many towns would do anything for proposals like that? 

Again, I truly understand the need/ desire/ purpose for a park down there (just like south pointe park Miami), but that it surrounded by huge condo towers and the density is way higher to make the large park feel active. I just don’t understand. Not ONE single person on CC shared my concern. The people who literally built the Oceanfront and this town for that matter proposed what they thought would be best for the sustainability and future success of the Resort. The same people who would uproar if VB raises taxes are the same people who wont support private development so we can have a tax base/ tourism dollars to keep taxes low. Now all the sudden they’ll support spending millions of dollars on a city park that I predict will be underutilized 

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  • 3 weeks later...

And to think we have these people in Virginia Beach railing against the city Council for spending some money to go on a biz trip to Charleston to learn about how they have transformed their once sleepy Southern town into an emerging economic powerhouse?  

The numbers don’t lie. Jacksonville? Wow didn’t realize:
https://news.yahoo.com/hampton-roads-leadership-organizations-merge-152600283.html

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On 3/29/2023 at 12:56 PM, varider said:

I can’t believe VB is really going to turn the entire Rudee Loop into a city park. I understand saving public access and a little green space, but I never imagined there would be zero ground up development in that area. Unbelievable to me. 90% of the public input was in favor of a green space. 

I honestly thought that area would be developed for an all inclusive resort. 

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https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/city-council-seeks-input-manufacturing-company-that-could-be-built-virginia-beach-farmland/291-8a1dc900-61de-4b7e-95a7-299ebd70b75c?fbclid=IwAR1h_6oEFSE5EJUhqVHJqybluiYVUpaZWVx-c8UsOsUu5GwCD5bDAt76UCY#lgxnq5fdv0mfv9hd9ej
 

I love how VB thinks that it has the luxury of turning down projects with 400+ jobs in favor of preserving open fields when the city has literally stagnant growth. We should use the availability of land in Pungo to our advantage. Oh well, maybe Chesapeake can get in on the action if VB turns this down.

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Geez potential for 2,000 jobs and $500-$600 million over three phases. Numbers in the article are just phase 1. Sounds like the site is adjacent to the innovation park and in a funky spot of the green line that juts north along Princess Anne Road to Landstown High School. Also in the AICUZ so residential is incompatible. Honestly, with how much talk there is about the importance of site readiness, I’d be surprised if Virginia Beach got this even if they wanted it - lots of hurdles before they can even break ground. 

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Honestly guys, this one is really tough. I can see both points. All those jobs would be amazing, but the green line is a delicate delicate thing. My concern is that if we allow it to be breached for one development, the floodgates will open and then several developments will soon follow. If that happens, then we’re back to the relentless suburban sprawl of the 70s and 80s, which I don’t think any of us want. This is one of those times where I think VA BEACH is right to take their time and make sure we do this right. 

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6 hours ago, vdogg said:

Honestly guys, this one is really tough. I can see both points. All those jobs would be amazing, but the green line is a delicate delicate thing. My concern is that if we allow it to be breached for one development, the floodgates will open and then several developments will soon follow. If that happens, then we’re back to the relentless suburban sprawl of the 70s and 80s, which I don’t think any of us want. This is one of those times where I think VA BEACH is right to take their time and make sure we do this right. 

So in essence, are you saying that, even in sobering hindsight, you support the Barbara Henleys and the John Mosses of the 80s and early 90s City Councils who intentionally put absolute, purpose-built, ironclad brakes on this City's ...and the region's ...future population and economic growth and prosperity? Ask Dave Hansen, he'll tell you what happened. I could give you chart after chart, but there's no point. What's done is done. They won.  And Barbara is still fighting to keep her country boot on the necks of our progeny--of our future. All of those expert predictions and the esteemed actuaries and economists propagating researched, academician-like population and GDP growth trajectories indicating 600k to 800k population in VB by 2000-2020, along with the evenement of pro sports and unrivaled modernity between Washington DC and, at that time, Atlanta (as Charlotte was nothing, Raleigh was nothing hahaha!!!!).... WERE INTENTIONALLY thwarted by backward-looking fuddy duddies who wanted to preserve the rural 19th C. Princess Anne county life in perpetuity. 

And so here we stand. 40 years hence.  Diminished. Nearly forgotten. At or near the bottom on list after list. BRAIN DRAIN on MAX SETTING. 

OUR FUTURE:  They STOLE it from us. Don't you see that?

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22 minutes ago, baobabs727 said:

So in essence, are you saying that, even in sobering hindsight, you support the Barbara Henleys and the John Mosses of the 80s and early 90s City Councils who intentionally put absolute, purpose-built, ironclad brakes on this City's ...and the region's ...future population and economic growth and prosperity? Ask Dave Hansen, he'll tell you what happened. I could give you chart after chart, but there's no point. What's done is done. They won.  And Barbara is still fighting to keep her country boot on the necks of our progeny--of our future. All of those expert predictions and the esteemed actuaries and economists propagating researched, academician-like population and GDP growth trajectories indicating 600k to 800k population in VB by 2000-2020, along with the evenement of pro sports and unrivaled modernity between Washington DC and, at that time, Atlanta (as Charlotte was nothing, Raleigh was nothing hahaha!!!!).... WERE INTENTIONALLY thwarted by backward-looking fuddy duddies who wanted to preserve the rural 19th C. Princess Anne county life in perpetuity. 

And so here we stand. 40 years hence.  Diminished. Nearly forgotten. At or near the bottom on list after list. BRAIN DRAIN on MAX SETTING. 

OUR FUTURE:  They STOLE it from us. Don't you see that?

Lol, my paragraph was nowhere near that long. I'm actually impressed you were able to extract that much information from it. No, what I'm saying is 1) I see value in the green line 2) Suburban sprawl is the anthesis of urban development, and 3) While I'm not against this project or it's jobs, I see value in taking time to see that it's done in the best possible way. Barbara Henley notwithstanding, broken clocks...twice a day...yada, yada, yada.

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19 minutes ago, vdogg said:

Lol, my paragraph was nowhere near that long. I'm actually impressed you were able to extract that much information from it. No, what I'm saying is 1) I see value in the green line 2) Suburban sprawl is the anthesis of urban development, and 3) While I'm not against this project or it's jobs, I see value in taking time to see that it's done in the best possible way. Barbara Henley notwithstanding, broken clocks...twice a day...yada, yada, yada.

I apologize if I am making assumptions about you that are not true. Maybe you weren't here then. Maybe you don't know the true story. Maybe you don't feel like we've been struggling with brain drain and lost potential and unrealized gains for decades. 

Sprawl? These same people were and are against most ALL development, period:  Urban, suburban or otherwise. These same people killed light rail 30 years later. These same people fight densification time and again, even when and where it's perfectly appropriate...and necessary!

This portion of the green line has a convoluted and complicated history. As someone here said earlier, and I paraphrase, "one is not the same as the other." 

It's time for Barbara to retire.  Twice a day isn't good enough.  

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