Norfolk Development 2

[Norfolk4Life]

i think its a branch of one of the local banks.

[lil-bear]

i think its a branch of one of the local banks.

Monarch Bank.....I think!!

[lil-bear]

Monarch Bank.....I think!!

monarch

Yup, it's a Monarch Bank.....

Edited September 5, 2010 by lil-bear

[Norfolk4Life]

I am trying to create an interactive map complete with current and proposed developments in Norfolk as well as site locations where I think certain developments would both prosper and benefit the city. Eventually, I would like to expand it for the rest of Hampton Roads. Check it out at: http://757hamptonroads.com/hampton-roads/norfolk-construction/ and let me know what you think. I would like to keep this up to date and accurate. All constructive comments will be welcome.

[Titoroski]

I am trying to create an interactive map complete with current and proposed developments in Norfolk as well as site locations where I think certain developments would both prosper and benefit the city. Eventually, I would like to expand it for the rest of Hampton Roads. Check it out at: http://757hamptonroa...k-construction/ and let me know what you think. I would like to keep this up to date and accurate. All constructive comments will be welcome.

your site is really impressive. I really wanna connect with you. I think we can get some things accomplished. How do I reach you?

[Norfolk4Life]

theres an email link at the very bottom of the page. 757hamptonroads[at]live.com ... the site and myself are also on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/757HamptonRoadscom/137948559573560 ... i check facebook more than my email though, so it might be best to find me on there.

[mikeas]

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/11/norfolk-ask-state-ok-riverboat-gambling

Although they acknowledge it's a long shot, city officials have decided to ask the General Assembly for permission to bring riverboat gambling to the downtown waterfront.

I don't really see a problem with it but they better plan on having a big boat because it's going to be packed all the time.

[varider]

The Savoy –City Hall/Granby (Ihsane Mouak, Norfolk Development)

° closing; work to start soon after closing on exterior

• The Rockefeller- former Union Mission (Ihsane Mouak, Norfolk Development)

° Contract has been extended for two months

http://welovenorfolk.org/images/CMM_October_2010.pdf

[Norfolk4Life]

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/01/developers-ask-norfolk-financial-safety-net

this project keeps asking the city for more and more. if not for the city, it would not be built. brings back memories of that anti-burfoot website that was up last may.

[Norfolk4Life]

p.s. speaking of that website, if you missed it last year, i found a copy of it online at http://www.multiupload.com/NZVOJJCQ2B even though, theres no real hard evidence for anything on there, it does raise some intriguing questions.

Edited January 14, 2011 by Norfolk4Life

[Telmnstr]

I was out of town and too busy to look at the intarwebs over the weekend. The office building on Tidewater drive seems like a bad idea.

[ronsmytheiii]

The cost of the library is now estimated at nearly $63 million. It earlier was pegged at about $50 million, but the city had said the cost could increase. After receiving community feedback, the library design was modified to increase programmable space by about 30 percent and that contributed to the cost increase, Fraim said.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/01/norfolk-library-project-gets-20-million-challenge-grant

[urbanlife]

Now this is really looking like a proper downtown library to be proud of. It has a very elegant design that does a great job of showcasing the historic architecture while celebrating the new architecture. I have a good feeling that this building will works itself out into become a real gem for downtown.

Basically this is the kind of architecture, especially city funded architecture I would like to see the city doing more of. This is something to express the qualities of space without making itself look dated.

[brikkman]

Now this is really looking like a proper downtown library to be proud of. It has a very elegant design that does a great job of showcasing the historic architecture while celebrating the new architecture. I have a good feeling that this building will works itself out into become a real gem for downtown.

Basically this is the kind of architecture, especially city funded architecture I would like to see the city doing more of. This is something to express the qualities of space without making itself look dated.

Agreed.

People on the pilot hate the idea...

[zeppelin14]

^ Do you read the Pilot Online? Full of misspellings and grammar imperfections. I wouldn't worry about what those people think of the library.

[BFG]

Agreed.

People on the pilot hate the idea everything...

Fixed that for you...most Pilot Online posters are full of nothing but bitterness. Two of the posters on the first page hit the nail on the head about how people there complain "as a sport". God forbid a source of information not get built downtown. If it means more children (and even adults) reading, I'm all for it!

[cpeakesqr]

What is that "chimney" thing? That's my only comment.

[urbanlife]

What is that "chimney" thing? That's my only comment.

From what I can tell, it is just an elevator shaft and maybe a stairwell. Why it stands so high, it is impossible to tell from these images. Maybe someone with some real knowledge about this new building could better answer this question, but that is what it looks like to me. There may be an added function or a hidden surprise to it that one would get to experience, but I am really just guessing at this point.

[Telmnstr]

Hey I post on Pilot, and I'm against this. IT'S UGLY! Why are you going to hook that modern looking extension to the classic beautiful building? Why?

Just make two separate buildings.

Do the underprivileged really use the library books to better themselves? Does it really take $100,000,000.00 to house some old books?

They tore down the old library to force taxpayers to buy a new one.

Quit wasting tax money.

[ronsmytheiii]

Hey I post on Pilot, and I'm against this. IT'S UGLY! Why are you going to hook that modern looking extension to the classic beautiful building? Why?

Just make two separate buildings.

Do the underprivileged really use the library books to better themselves? Does it really take $100,000,000.00 to house some old books?

They tore down the old library to force taxpayers to buy a new one.

Quit wasting tax money.

Oh get over yourself. The old library was outdated as was and would have needed to be renovated (ie add computer infrastructure, remove asbestos). Books are an invaluable source of knowledge, and this building accomplishes that plus facilitates learning. I for one am glad the Macedonians strove for excellence with the Library of Alexanderia, rather than put up with mediocrity. Investment in education and literacy is an investment. Today libraries are still being expanded, not contracted so what does that say to their relevance.

I'm sick of your cynicism in everything just because your "hacker lab" is failing. It was a terrible idea. Libraries are a centuries old proven resource.

[VBIllini13]

Oh get over yourself. The old library was outdated as was and would have needed to be renovated (ie add computer infrastructure, remove asbestos). Books are an invaluable source of knowledge, and this building accomplishes that plus facilitates learning. I for one am glad the Macedonians strove for excellence with the Library of Alexanderia, rather than put up with mediocrity. Investment in education and literacy is an investment. Today libraries are still being expanded, not contracted so what does that say to their relevance.

I'm sick of your cynicism in everything just because your "hacker lab" is failing. It was a terrible idea. Libraries are a centuries old proven resource.

Actually, in defense of Tel, the Kirn Library was in great shape and it's foundation was incredibly strong, especially for its age. The city could have easily added 3 floors onto the building because that was the intention of the original developers and engineers. That library's foundation was meant to support a vertical expansion. Yes light rail needed to connect to Plume somehow, but they could have made the train run through the first floor of the building. That being said, I absolutely support the development of this library now that Kirn is gone.

[BFG]

Hey I post on Pilot, and I'm against this. IT'S UGLY! Why are you going to hook that modern looking extension to the classic beautiful building? Why?

Just make two separate buildings.

Do the underprivileged really use the library books to better themselves? Does it really take $100,000,000.00 to house some old books?

They tore down the old library to force taxpayers to buy a new one.

Quit wasting tax money.

We'll agree to disagree on this one then. I'm glad the city is actually going for a design that's unconventional, and that someone is thinking outside the box with the designs.

And I liked the Kirn Library, but it was like stepping into a 1972 time warp. Part of it made the building charming, but part of it was just a bit creepy. I'm not so sure they could've made that building more contemporary without breaking the bank.

[urbanlife]

Hey I post on Pilot, and I'm against this. IT'S UGLY! Why are you going to hook that modern looking extension to the classic beautiful building? Why?

Just make two separate buildings.

Do the underprivileged really use the library books to better themselves? Does it really take $100,000,000.00 to house some old books?

They tore down the old library to force taxpayers to buy a new one.

Quit wasting tax money.

Just to let you know, for the most part this is actually two buildings. From the looks of it, the architects have gone out of their way to make sure as much of the original building is preserved, which will include making the exterior western wall into an interior wall, that will make for quite a beautiful atrium wall to contrast the new extension of the building.

As for the quit wasting tax money, the Kirn desperately needed a renovation and a major modernization. I am guessing, but I would imagine that the city looked at the cost of renovation and possibly adding floors, which I would guess the city found that to be as expensive, if not more expensive than tearing it down and building new, plus it would free up the land needed for a new light rail stop. But this brings up an important factor, it is almost always cheaper to tear down an old building and build a new building than it is to renovate an old building...which is why Norfolk lost so much of its building stock, now that would of been a waste of tax money.

Beyond that, everything you have stated here is purely opinion. You think the building is ugly, but I think it is amazing, so which one of us is right? Would you prefer the city to do a faux historic look that always comes out looking false, or something that stands in contrast of the old building so that it allows the details of the historic building to stand out?

Do underprivileged use libraries? So what you are telling us is you are some kind of "rich elitist?" People use libraries, and people will always use libraries, and the better the library and the better the access is to libraries, the better chance people have at expanding their knowledge, especially in this day and age when having access to books and internet is very important with one's expansion of knowledge and having a great library is much easier than buying everyone a state of the art laptop and internet access because not everyone has that, especially the underprivileged you seem so willing to crap all over because they are less than you....or should I take your rude off handed comment as something that wasn't meant to be insulting to people...which I am not sure how anyone could make a comment like yours without it being taken negatively.

[Telmnstr]

Who said the "hacker lab" is failing? More members than ever and new people showing up all the time? I was just at a conference in DC and randomly a pretty respected guy with DARPA giving a keynote talk in front of ~1300 said that in the future they are looking to fund projects at spaces like ours. I will say it's a bit of a sad thing that people are constantly planning to leave the area. I have directly witnessed this and continue to do so. It's pretty consistent that some of the best look to move because the jobs here just aren't challenging. And I don't blame them, they are going after good opportunities. There are some projects that we have started that might start some new companies. So if you think I'm somehow bitter over the success we're having, you're wrong. At least once every two weeks something crazy happens that really surprises me and makes me feel like we're doing good. In addition, we fund the space 100%. We're not a cost to taxpayers. We contribute something and make the area better. We're not cheer leading spending other people's money.

Meanwhile.

Back to them tearing down a building then looking for $80,000,000 to replace it. And taking a beautiful building (The Seaboard Building) and hanging off of the side this new modern building. The modern thing is cool. The seaboard building is cool. Why hook the two together? Can't one of you architecture heads back me up here?

The government is broke. Bankrupt. All over the place in Norfolk there are cases of fraud and abuse from the leaders, and theft. And none of it is really being addressed well.

I love beautiful buildings as much as anyone, but I'd like a strong country behind it.

And I still feel bad for whomever the Kirn people are. They donated money for the old library and it was torn down in what, 30 years? To have their name erased by the Battan guy? Has Battan done that much to really help the region other than spray name with wealth all over?

Edited February 3, 2011 by Telmnstr

[Telmnstr]

Do underprivileged use libraries? So what you are telling us is you are some kind of "rich elitist?" People use libraries, and people will always use libraries, and the better the library and the better the access is to libraries, the better chance people have at expanding their knowledge, especially in this day and age when having access to books and internet is very important with one's expansion of knowledge and having a great library is much easier than buying everyone a state of the art laptop and internet access because not everyone has that, especially the underprivileged you seem so willing to crap all over because they are less than you....or should I take your rude off handed comment as something that wasn't meant to be insulting to people...which I am not sure how anyone could make a comment like yours without it being taken negatively.

My curiosity is based around the movement of technology. How many people say, "Oh a library is nice. Even though I don't really need to go there."

15 years ago I'd never imagine a world without a copper telephone line coming into the house. Now we're sitting on a near future where everyone is close to having pretty equal access to information, assuming they are interested in looking for it. Tablet computers less than $100 for new models, the old ones will rapidly trickle down.

Google and others have been scanning pretty much everything.

So building a new huge warehouse of books at a time when things are close to changing seems questionable.

I know, I know. It will look neat. So what if the city is broke. I'm sure friends of the city gov't will get hooked up with fat contracts.