Jump to content

Blenheim Park


vdogg

Recommended Posts

Wow! I don't log on for one day and I miss all this. I like the project both for the density and the interchange. The Interchange will help divert traffic from that Indian River bottleneck and give alternative routes. Indian River needs an elavated roadway that goes directly to Ferrall Parkway. I can't imagine what the traffic will be like in 10 years. As far as Pat Robertson being a part of this is not a concern to me. If he pulls any crap it will hurt him the most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 65
  • Created
  • Last Reply

It's only a partial interchange that is being planned for that property. Indian River Rd. (a parking lot at certain times of the day) will have to handle some of the traffic generated by this project. Indian River Rd. is already as wide as it can be (theoretically), so some kind of elevated monster might have to be built to handle much more traffic. Given the usual budgetary constraints we face, I don't see that happening any time soon.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike many aspects of the project, I just think that such a major retail component with all those anchor tenants is going to overwhelm the roadway system. You get about 35 daily trips generated by one retail employee, whereas you get about 10 daily from a single family home, and slightly below that from a condo (no hard and fast number). Offices also generate fairly low numbers of trips, but you get a lot of peak hour traffic. The project can work, but needs some thought about it's logical consequences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Now that the Pilot got wind, must be official

When completed, the giant complex called Blenheim Park would add about $1 billion to the region, generate hundreds of millions in tax revenues for Chesapeake and Virginia Beach and provide $15 million to $20 million a year for CBN, according to its developers. Site plans and applications have not been filed in either city.

A representative from the Federal Highway Administration said the agency still has concerns about adding another exit to the area near Indian River Road and Greenbrier Parkway. The interchange is the linchpin to the entire project.

That says it all. CBN wants VB and Cpeake to finance the interchange and infrastructure with a TIF. In return the cities get tax revenue, but as we saw, VB appears to be the winner with the office space. But the real winner will be CBN with up to $20 million a year going to it. I don't know anymore. Maybe if the money was earmarked to turn Regent into a real university, I'd be all for this. But if it's a publicly financed money maker for Robertson and friends, that's a different story. Might be better to keep the competition away from Greenbrier and South Norfolk in Cpeake and TC in VB not to mention downtown Norfolk/Portsmouth and NN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That says it all right there.

"Any time you have two interchanges as closely spaced together as Indian River Road and Greenbrier Parkway, you're going to have challenges," said Vanna Lewis, area engineer for the federal highway administration in Richmond. "What I saw proposed was not acceptable."

After seeing this article, I really don't think I can support this project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That says it all right there.

After seeing this article, I really don't think I can support this project.

I always suspected that another interchange right there would be yet another choke point. More exit/entrance ramps do not equal better traffic flow, they make it worse.

However, I am sure that Pat and co. will pull out all the stops to get it approved. He is above all else a very shrewd businessman. And businessmen have a habit of getting what they want...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it would behoove us all to step back for a moment and let this thing play out. This article loosely describes a project barely out of the conceptual stages of development. The fact-finding has yet to commence in earnest. Let us be the ones who keep an open mind while asking the tough questions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems that VDOT has no problem with it.

VDOT backs new I-64 ramps crucial to CBN project

The curse of the disappearing post strikes again. :unsure: Must've happened in the reshuffle. My earlier comment is I saw this this morning and it seems to put VDOT on a collision course with the FHA. I wonder how all that will work out. Also, it is still up to the discretion of each municipality whether the project goes forward or not, and it seems that there is more opposition on that front.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tough Hurdle for CBN Project

Virginia Beach taxpayers have already taken an expensive risk at Town Center, which has yet to financially prove itself. If that's the case, does it make sense to subsidize another project to compete with it?

I believe we've touched on Blenheim's effects on other high-end developments but I don't think we've hit this point. VB is helping to pay for TC; therefore, it has a vested interest to protect that asset (especially at $3 million tax revenue a year according to WTKR). That's not to say they would vote down a proposed high-end development, but they would vote against a TIF or in any way financing infrastructure to such a degree for a competing development. According to the article, Chesapeake also has a TIF around Greenbrier no doubt to finance the convention center among other things. Although we shouldn't come out against all TIFs as evil, but we should realize that cities have to protect their investments. Investing public money in Blenheim will hurt the public's investments in TC and Greenbrier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tough Hurdle for CBN Project

I believe we've touched on Blenheim's effects on other high-end developments but I don't think we've hit this point. VB is helping to pay for TC; therefore, it has a vested interest to protect that asset (especially at $3 million tax revenue a year according to WTKR). That's not to say they would vote down a proposed high-end development, but they would vote against a TIF or in any way financing infrastructure to such a degree for a competing development. According to the article, Chesapeake also has a TIF around Greenbrier no doubt to finance the convention center among other things. Although we shouldn't come out against all TIFs as evil, but we should realize that cities have to protect their investments. Investing public money in Blenheim will hurt the public's investments in TC and Greenbrier.

I do not see this as a zero sum game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not see this as a zero sum game.

I can understand that from a residential and office viewpoint. Companies seeking campus style properties with interstate access are forced to the fringes of the metro area: northern Suffolk and northern NN/JCC. But my concern is with retail. How much upscale retail can HR support? There's downtown and TC (soon to add City Walk) duking it out, but now Blenheim is thrown into the mix. I see it as turning into a mix of TC/downtown and Lynnhaven/Greenbrier. It will cannibalize stores from both levels. Unless HR's, specifically South HR's population booms over the next decade, I question the ability of this area to absorb so much upscale and mid-upscale retail. I just think that if CBN wants this project so much to pad its coffers, then let them assume the cost of building their interchange and roads. They claim it will alleviate traffic by diverting flow from Greenbrier and Indian River, but c'mon, this is one big destination center. Overall traffic is bound to increase subtantially. We all know how much the city underestimated traffic impacts in Pembroke from TC. That's just my take. Anyway, as for retail I know you have the insider knowledge. How do you see it playing out?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I am all for urban developments in hampton roads, I am seriously hate that "religous fake'" Pat Robertson. What this project looks to me is that it is more about his ego and greed than it is about how good it would be for the economy. The location that it would be in would put a major bind on the interstate. Now if he wanted to build something for CBN and his university, that's great, but he shouldn't be trying to be a big shot religous developer.

Also as much as I hate Greenbrier Mall, I don't see it dying off, and if it ever does, it will be at the fault of Chesapeake and their poor planning for traffic flow through that area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I can understand that from a residential and office viewpoint. Companies seeking campus style properties with interstate access are forced to the fringes of the metro area: northern Suffolk and northern NN/JCC. But my concern is with retail. How much upscale retail can HR support? There's downtown and TC (soon to add City Walk) duking it out, but now Blenheim is thrown into the mix. I see it as turning into a mix of TC/downtown and Lynnhaven/Greenbrier. It will cannibalize stores from both levels. Unless HR's, specifically South HR's population booms over the next decade, I question the ability of this area to absorb so much upscale and mid-upscale retail. I just think that if CBN wants this project so much to pad its coffers, then let them assume the cost of building their interchange and roads. They claim it will alleviate traffic by diverting flow from Greenbrier and Indian River, but c'mon, this is one big destination center. Overall traffic is bound to increase subtantially. We all know how much the city underestimated traffic impacts in Pembroke from TC. That's just my take. Anyway, as for retail I know you have the insider knowledge. How do you see it playing out?

RE: RETAIL--I agree. Clearly, Robertson's people are having flights of retail fantasy. Remember what I said about spin relative to Brooks Brothers "346?" The same applies here except these jokers haven't even broken ground on this monster. I do believe that there is a strong suburban market yearning for additional class A and B office and some additional hotel rooms of the extended stay variety. If built, this project will likely morph into an upscale office/hotel park with a smattering of homes/condos with service type retail catering to day workers and night dwellers, alike. Nothing more. OH, yeah, it'll be brick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Blenheim Park interchange rejected by feds :yahoo:

A massive shopping and housing development backed by Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has hit a road bump.

The Federal Highway Administration has rejected - for now - a proposed interchange along Interstate 64 near Robertson's Regent University.

The $62 million interchange is vital to Blenheim, a 500-acre retail, housing and office hub proposed by the Christian Broadcasting Network on the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake border.

Federal engineers aren't convinced that the proposed City Line Parkway interchange will alleviate increased traffic from the new development and the already congested interchanges at nearby Indian River Road and Greenbrier Parkway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is good news, I usually don't shun dense developments, but when they are in the wrong places and put on by people I hate, then I shun away.

If he wants this project so bad, why doesn't he fork over the money he has weaseled out of Christians to build it. Hell that is what Busch Gardens did when they wanted an interchange into their park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No I hate him, I have met him in person and believe that man is the perfect example of an asshole. This is the same man that said Florida was going to get hit hard by hurricanes one year because of Disney World having National Gay Day there. Funny thing was, I thin even God hates him because that year the first hurricane of the season hit Hampton Roads and never came close to Florida.

I don't hate many people, as a matter of fact there is probably a list smaller than ten people I hate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.