Virginia Beach Light Rail and Transit

[urbanlife]

On 10/12/2016 at 8:11 AM, vdogg said:

Honestly, we need to just lop the southern half of the city off and let them form their own town. We are not a city in the traditional sense, and the differences between the urban and rural population are night and day. There is little benefit to either party from staying together. It is time to go our separate ways. 

This is why the city structure of Hampton Roads is extremely flawed, which this is also a flaw that comes from the state level. Hampton Roads should be like most regions where it is made up of cities, towns, and counties all working together and independently if they choose to. Virginia Beach should have been the town that runs along just the beachfront and possibly outward to maybe First Colonial. Princess Anne County should have covered much of the southern half. Then the area between Norfolk and Virginia Beach could have been the city of Pembroke.

[BFG]

The Pilot laid out all the facts of LRT and addressed a few myths. I like that they explained the tax increase would only amount to about $45 a year on a $250K home. It's minimal and most homeowners prolly wouldn't bat an eyelash, but it's enough to get the NIMBY anti-progress crowd riled up.

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/major-light-rail-vote-coming-soon-in-virginia-beach-here/article_f7e20daa-3dd3-5d1d-bc9d-45f7c409f0f7.html

[BFG]

Future economic benefits predicted for VB. Personally, I love how council members called out John Moss.

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/report-predicts-a-light-rail-extension-will-lead-to-economic/article_5d3bed9a-c6c6-5d8a-a4a6-63c1a64fed9a.html

[Norva757]

You have to remember that the city of vabeach(I know about the 8 mile city before the sixties) was created with Princess Anne county to stop Norfolk...Vabeach, Chesapeake and Suffolk were are really created in stopping Norfolk from expanding...this region really has been born with anti regionalism to begin with. This region has shot itself in the foot a long time ago and will continue to be dysfunctional. We really need to get rid of the 7 cities and have one central city with counties around it. This will never happen but one can only hope. The only way to turn this region around is for these local govt to actually have a working relationship for the positive. Vabeach needs to get rid of the negative image that they portray of people from Norfolk. I grew up in Norfolk and remember how I was viewed by people from Vabeach. Yes, some of this has changed but it is still lingering around and these are the antis that want to block anything that pushes progression for this region. We need to expand the regions economy beyond the govt sector. We do have some positives with the fiber from spain etc. but we need more to at least sustain this region and light rail is only a small thing that can make this region stand up to its potential.

[BFG]

Without getting deeply political, I'm nervous about the election in general. But I'm equally nervous about the LRT vote. Crossing my fingers that the same margin from 2012 votes in favor of expansion.

[mistermetaj]

 

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/sessoms-light-rail-is-dead-for-now-votes-still-rolling/article_a36b8dd8-6f6e-5f1e-a101-5b354db544c8.html

The mayor said light rail is dead for now. All the anti development, anti progress, bigots, and tea partiests got their way. Kerry Daugherty is probably throwing a party with John Moss. Next month they'll work to end the stadium deal so we can never build a better infrastructure, attract business and entertainment, and lose all of our young educated minds. I hope Norfolk doesn't give up their goal of rail expansion.

[BFG]

The one silver lining is that it's a non-binding vote. Hopefully the final numbers next spring show a reasonable number, and council doesn't decide to turn down free money.

It really pisses me off that Atkinson won with his BS platform.

[varider]

Very frustrating and disheartening news. Slowly but surely losing hope in the region.

[HRVT]

I can't say I didn't see this coming. Light rail is pretty much dead for another decade or more for Virginia Beach. Hopefully Norfolk continues to look at the big picture and looks to expand it within their city limits, but Virginia Beach looks like they will continue their whole backwards, anti-progress stance. Ugh.

[Si7i]

On the bright side we now know which route Norfolk will take. They were just waiting to see if Virginia Beach would move forward or not. Military hwy if VB doesn't move forward. Hampton Blvd corridor if VB does. Plus Norfolk is already getting its study over with and should be done in a year.  

VB eventually will see Norfolk's success once it's built out then add to it. Unfortunately it might be too late for VB to get actual funding.

[carolinaboy]

Dear Virginia Beach,

 

Strike three. You're out. Hard to dig a tick out sometimes. It will just dig in more now and fester and be an infection for a long time.

[K76T]

On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 2:41 PM, BFG said:

 

According to this article, the proposed expansion to Town Center would only make up two percent of the city's total area. About half of the city is actually rural, which surprises me, given how much of Pungo has been developed over the last 15 years.

http

 

I actually moved from Norfolk to Seattle last November. I love Hampton Roads hut I'm afraid that the minority of conservatives has most of the power in the region.

Politics aside, Hampton Roads would better served as a single government entit

[BFG]

Amnnnnnnd the other shoe just dropped.

No hyperbole, I'm slowly moving in favor of VB either splitting or becoming its own market and having nothing to do with HR. It's clear they'd rather do their own thing.

[Norva757]

I hope now the arena, major businesses move to Norfolk....I live in vabeach only because of my wife. I grew up in Norfolk and want to move back there. Most of the comments I heard when I talked to people at the polls is that people are worried about the Norfolk element being able to come out to Vabeach. Hey dummies the bus runs from Norfolk to vabeach. Im a libertarian and I am usually against big govt things but I really was rallying for light rail to get expanded to at least town center. This just shows you how dysfunctional this region is and why it will never live up to its potential. Vabeach is a failure!

[carolinaboy]

As someone from outside of Hampton Roads, but lives in the area, I have always wondered just what makes VA Beach think it's so special? The oceanfront? I think it's tacky, gaudy and trashy. Town Center? Pretty cool, but doesn't really feel like a town or a center. The vast tracts of cookie-cutter subdivisions? The wastelands of suburban sprawl? The sea of parking lots? What exactly do they have to offer that elevates them above Norfolk? I'm glad the state may rescend their monetary offer and hope Norfolk can get some of it for the Tide. Sorry vdogg, you're probably have to give me a warning or something.

[BFG]

If I'm Norfolk, I'm begging Sec. Layne and the state, "pretty please with a cherry on top", to get some of the light rail funding before that money goes to NOVA. All they can do is say no.

Edited November 9, 2016 by BFG

[carolinaboy]

I wonder if HRT can ask for the money to still go towards a project in Hampton Roads? I mean, it was held for years for VB. Would be nice if HRT could somehow maintain it and use it in Norfolk. I'm going to guess the answer is no and the money will go to develop a round-about or something in Roanoke.

[BFG]

Chatted with a Pilot reporter. Norfolk would have to apply through a program called Smart Sense to receive additional money, so I guess that's the "good news". The bad news is, they (and VB) will compete with other cities across the Commonwealth, so I'm guessing they'll receive a much smaller fraction of the pie.

Still, I'd like to see Norfolk make steps by the end of the decade. Not to get too political, but I think it might be a bit tough with a Republican administration and House.

[carolinaboy]

4 minutes ago, BFG said:

Chatted with a Pilot reporter. Norfolk would have to apply through a program called Smart Sense to receive additional money, so I guess that's the "good news". The bad news is, they (and VB) will compete with other cities across the Commonwealth, so I'm guessing they'll receive a much smaller fraction of the pie.

Still, I'd like to see Norfolk make steps by the end of the decade. Not to get too political, but I think it might be a bit tough with a Republican administration and House.

But why would VB compete with Norfolk? Clearly they neither want nor need any transportation solutions in VB. They would probably like a new IHOP though.

[BFG]

The IHOP line gave me a big chuckle.  

I've heard BRT proposed for VB and possibly the region. I'd like to see it come into play as well, but not as a direct replacement. The two can coexist, and to be honest, how is VB open to that when it could supposedly bring in the mythical "elements" just as easily as LRT?

[Si7i]

1. So no more state funding for Virginia Beach.
2. The money is still going to be spent somewhere else in the state.
3. Virginia Beach now has to pay the state back for the money they used for the Norfolk southern right away being 20-40 million.
4. Virginia Beach still has a tax increase, which was a main issue of the no light rail people.
5. Bus transfer station that was to be incorporated into the light rail system will no longer be built.
5. No added bus routes/ exstended routes
6. Nothing will be done about traffic in the years to come.
7. No bike paths to be built beside the light rial lines, with plans that would have connected Norfolk's elizabeth trial to virginia beach on to the ocean front.

What are the positives again? Alot was incorporated into this project.
This is so disheartening.Didn't the arena people say light rail was a major component of the deal? Doesn't this signal that Virginia Beach is not business- economic friendly?
Seeing how deeply conservative people have become in this election this vote wasn't surprising.
I'm still not seeing the positives, especially since your taxes are still increasing at the same percent.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Si7i

[urbanvb]

It's frustrating but the Beach won't get LR for many years . Norfolk to the base and probably Greenbrier will have it. Just maybe after it's been running for a while the Beach may decide to build . By then it'll be much more expensive . 

[vdogg]

Hate won on Tuesday, on multiple levels. It's disheartening, but we must push forward. That said, I knew light rail was doomed the moment Hurricane Matthew passed through. A lot of people lost everything, mostly due to an inadequate drainage system that frankly we've neglected to take care of for too long. That took what would've been a close vote to a very lopsided one. Nobody would advocate spending money on light rail so long as that problem exists, and with good reason. Mayor Sessom wants to revisit this in 4 years. By that time Norfolk will have chosen a path for expansion and be under construction. This time, light rail will actually go somewhere making the sale much easier. Hope is not lost, we just have to get to work.

On 11/9/2016 at 4:47 PM, BFG said:

Chatted with a Pilot reporter. Norfolk would have to apply through a program called Smart Sense to receive additional money, so I guess that's the "good news". The bad news is, they (and VB) will compete with other cities across the Commonwealth, so I'm guessing they'll receive a much smaller fraction of the pie.

Still, I'd like to see Norfolk make steps by the end of the decade. Not to get too political, but I think it might be a bit tough with a Republican administration and House.

You'd be surprised. Mayor Sessoms is, and will probably remain, the only Republican I've ever voted for in my life. I like his pro growth policies. There may be a few Sessoms in Congress too, you just never know.

[urbanlife]

This definitely makes me happy about my decision to move to the northwest 16 years ago. I can definitely understand the frustration of living in an area so regressive that they see something like light rail as a negative thing even though it would clearly be a benefit for VB and the region. Since VB wants to be the regressive city in the metro that is nothing but strip malls, suburban sprawl, and a tacky oceanfront, I definitely think it would be wise for Norfolk to expand light rail throughout its city and any of the other cities around it that want to be a part of light rail and leave VB out of it.

[Norva757]

On ‎11‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 7:49 PM, Si7i said:

1. So no more state funding for Virginia Beach.
2. The money is still going to be spent somewhere else in the state.
3. Virginia Beach now has to pay the state back for the money they used for the Norfolk southern right away being 20-40 million.
4. Virginia Beach still has a tax increase, which was a main issue of the no light rail people.
5. Bus transfer station that was to be incorporated into the light rail system will no longer be built.
5. No added bus routes/ exstended routes
6. Nothing will be done about traffic in the years to come.
7. No bike paths to be built beside the light rial lines, with plans that would have connected Norfolk's elizabeth trial to virginia beach on to the ocean front.

What are the positives again? Alot was incorporated into this project.
This is so disheartening.Didn't the arena people say light rail was a major component of the deal? Doesn't this signal that Virginia Beach is not business- economic friendly?
Seeing how deeply conservative people have become in this election this vote wasn't surprising.
I'm still not seeing the positives, especially since your taxes are still increasing at the same percent.

problem is that there isn't enough balance just like everything in life. I don't see myself as completely on one side. You can see how some democrats spend recklessly and there hasn't been any republicans in there for a long time ( Detroit). It ends up being disastrous to that city and the opposite can cause cities to not progress very far as well. We need balance in the region..one to hold the other accountable and vice versa. 

17 hours ago, vdogg said:

Hate won on Tuesday, on multiple levels. It's disheartening, but we must push forward. That said, I knew light rail was doomed the moment Hurricane Matthew passed through. A lot of people lost everything, mostly due to an inadequate drainage system that frankly we've neglected to take care of for too long. That took what would've been a close vote to a very lopsided one. Nobody would advocate spending money on light rail so long as that problem exists, and with good reason. Mayor Sessom wants to revisit this in 4 years. By that time Norfolk will have chosen a path for expansion and be under construction. This time, light rail will actually go somewhere making the sale much easier. Hope is not lost, we just have to get to work.

You'd be surprised. Mayor Sessoms is, and will probably remain, the only Republican I've ever voted for in my life. I like his pro growth policies. There may be a few Sessoms in Congress too, you just never know.

Look how much money has been wasted in studies and such...they could have done so much with that money