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Fort Norfolk development

New England Transplant

By New England Transplant
in Norfolk

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okinawatyphoon Burg

okinawatyphoon

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Grant buys land for Fort Norfolk redevelopment

This sounds big! I wonder what it could be? :D

As exciting as this sounds....I'm really not in the mood for speculation about another project. I just want to hear that projects have started construction. We have Granby, Brambleton, Hoffler, Ghent South, Hilton, and another office tower all up in the air and it seems as if there's another tower every two weeks which is great, but come on, let's see some construction!

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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As exciting as this sounds....I'm really not in the mood for speculation about another project. I just want to hear that projects have started construction. We have Granby, Brambleton, Hoffler, Ghent South, Hilton, and another office tower all up in the air and it seems as if there's another tower every two weeks which is great, but come on, let's see some construction!

These things take time. Blame the developers for giving us rosy pictures and getting our hopes up for a quick process. I wouldn't call these "up in the air" at all. Development is a very difficult and time consuming thing but I still have confidence that all projects mentioned above will be built. This one sounds like its in the predevelopment phase but its still something to look forward to. :)

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  • 7 months later...
vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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I was walking in South Ghent today, which I recommend for any of you who are interested in this area. You can walk right out onto a giant pier where they used to do a lot of ship work. The contrast b/n Harbor's Edge and the old buildings is really pretty cool.

Anyway, I was walking past Moon Engineering and the owner was leaving so I asked him if he had any info on the development in the area. He had quite the scoop. I'm going to try to lay it out here as best I can remember it. If anyone has any details on this, then please help to fill us in.

1. The main areas along the waterfront are owned by a few companies that date back several years. The companies infilled approximately .75 acre of land. That land didn't exist prior to them filling it in with concrete and dirt.

2. Some investors came up from Florida to purchase the land and in the process of doing research realized that that ownership of the infill land is currently under debate. They then shyed away from the deal.

3. It is under debate b/c the state owns the "water" where the infill went.

4. The companies that own the land have been paying taxes on that "water" to the city since 1900.

5. They want to sell the property, but cannot b/c the state is claiming that they own the land.

6. The City of Norfolk also wants the land.

7. To resolve the issue, the state has to decide whether or not it owns the land.

8. If they own it, then the city needs to refund all the taxes.

9. If they do not own it, then the companies can sell it for whatever it is worth.

Does this information go along with anything that anyone else has heard? He indicated that it will likely take a good bit of time for this issue to be resolved. He also indicated that that whole area is being held up because this issue has not yet been resolved.

Personally, I hope it gets resolved soon b/c that area is prime and it could potentially be a very nice addition to Ghent and downtown.

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  • 4 months later...
Chesapeake Pirate Hamlet

Chesapeake Pirate

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I am deeply dissappointed in the city of Norfolk's reckless demolitions of historic buildings. If we want to maintain that we have a historic city, we have to have physical evidence of that or else we'll be only able to talk about it in photographs and Power Point presentations. I get the sense that the city of Norfolk is a bit out of touch with what it means to be an urban city. If that was not true they would learn from places like Boston or Washington D.C. and go to great lengths to preserve the relatively precious few historic buildings we have left. I'm very saddened by this and have considered moving somewhere else, outside of this region.
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cpeakesqr Hamlet

cpeakesqr

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I am a fairly new resident of Norfolk and I see lot's of old, historic buildings downtown. I see lot's of older buildings being renovated too. Is the only acceptable standard that every single old building must be kept or restored to it's former grandeur? Why is it considered reckless to demolish an old warehouse that has a caved in roof? If renovating every single old building is so valued and important, why are there not lot's of companies lining up to do so? I think sometimes a building is in good enough condition and in the right location, like the Union Mission building will hopefully be, to make a renovation make sense. Why a developer is supposed to restore old buildings that no one has cared about for years, or no one has determined were worth renovating, just because they are old, doesn't make sense to me. For the record, I love old buildings too, almost bought a condo in one, but opted for the benefits of new construction and a better location. I also enjoy history and understand the importance of preserving our past, but have never been convinced that everything from the past was worth preserving, simply because it is old. There needs to be a balance between preserving the old and building things that are new. We have historic districts with lot's of rules and regulations. It would seem that framework is sufficient to protect what truly needs to be protected.
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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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They could incorporate it into a development but the problem is how much is it going to cost? Most developers stay away from that because of the cost to perserve the buildings. With this in such bad shape, it would cost a fortune. The only way i would see any developer saving it is if the city dropped some incentives to the developer, but that would be a whole other outrage.

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Chesapeake Pirate Hamlet

Chesapeake Pirate

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This warehouse is probably the last remaining evidence of Norfolk's role in Virginia's deep-rooted cotton industry. I don't think the whole structure should be preserved, but those dock bays are so historic and have so much character, it sure would be a shame to lose them forever. I agree that most of that building should go, but at least, we should preserve the facade.
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cpeakesqr Hamlet

cpeakesqr

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If it is so unique, so historic, so meaningful, why hasn't anyone who cared about that been proactive in helping save it instead of waiting until it is too late? On the surface, you make a reasonable case for the preservation. Why is it not part of a protected historic district?
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Chesapeake Pirate Hamlet

Chesapeake Pirate

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I received this email today:

Interested persons, we need you now! We need 30 phone calls and emails immediately! Please! Please email or phone the mayor immediately to humbly request a 90 day stay of demolition on the old Cotton exchange warehouses located on the waterfront at what is known as Norfolk's Atlantic City. There are one row of these buildings left and they are completely salvageable! Amy Casteleberry's plan, and the majority of residents of closeby Harbor's Edge are very interested in our idea of creating shops and tourist destination to spotlight Norfolk's very unique history. The ambience of historic building re-usuable space which remembers Norfolk's cotton trade. We are quickly losing the remaining bits of Norfolk which makes this city so special. We have been inundated with requests to repeat our Historic Ghost Tours of Freemason District from the Jamestown 2007 activities; this speaks volumes about the citizens desire to retain its historic connections! Can you imagine the tourist dollars generated in years to come if we create an attractive destination similar to the ambience along the wharf in Key West, FL, Amelia Island, Charleston and other cities rich in tourist trade?! We have a well thought out plan, we just need 90 days to put together the money to buy this private property from Mr. McKlusky and turn it into something beautiful, NOT AN EVMS car park, which is what the plan is now!!

Write or phone the mayor now to politely voice your interest in preserving Norfolk's history.

664-4670 [email protected]

or

227-5900 pdfraim@f&f-legal.com

Most sincerely, from

Dr. Guy and Lisa Trengove-Jones and a large group of preservationists.

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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Is this indeed the plan? Has that been confirmed? What a horrible misuse of that land if so (I think they'll have more than enough parking with fort norfolk plaza as is <_< ). I'm inclined to support them if this is indeed the case but I have to wonder if the property owner doesn't have some higher purpose for that land.
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Padman Hamlet

Padman

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I really feel that the waterfront in the Fort Norfolk area should see a lot more public use. If the warehouse facing were preserved and incorporated in a row of shops and restaurants, the growing residential component and the hospital complex alone would ensure success. I'd hate to see that area cordoned off for private condos and hospital facilities. That would be a very foolish mistake. Newby's project is a good start from a land use perspective because it contains some public uses. That issue is much more important to me than the preservation element alone.

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